Long before Grant Gustin could walk, John Wesley Shipp portrayed the original Scarlet Speedster on television. And although the series lasted only one season, The Flash (1990) and Shipp still has a place in the heart of fans.
And like Marlon Brando said as Jor-El in another DC Comics adaptation “The son becomes the father, and the father the son.” Instead of Barry Allen, Shipp played Dr. Henry Allen on the freshmen season of the revised series The Flash (2014).
And with Shipp having such a profound effect on television and comic book fans alike, there has been speculation if he would suit up again as an alternate version of Barry Allen. When recently asked at the San Diego Comic Con, Shipp said he is willing to meet the request of the showsrunners; he just has one issue: “The suit. I have still have nightmares about the suit. It comes with the territory.”
“It was just so hot,” Shipp stated. “I would be in it for 20 minutes and I’d take the gloves off and they’d be filled up to the wrists with water. They’d just pour the water out. They didn’t breathe and it was just so hot. That’s the main [thing]. They couldn’t clean them so they just hung them in my trailer, they’d just spray them with Lysol. They’d still be wet and sticky the next day when I put them on.”
Here’s to hoping John Wesley Shipp will run on screen with Grant Gustin. Our fingers are crossed! The Flash returns for its sophomore season on The CW on October 6.
