Could The 1990 Flash TV Series Be An Alternate Universe for CW’s The Flash?

Earlier this week, The Flash star Grant Gustin set the Internet ablaze when he hinted his CW superhero show would explore alternate universes next season. While Gustin and the season finale confirmed the existence of Earth Two, what if another familiar universe existed out there, featuring a Flash that television viewers are already intimately familiar with? We’re talking, of course, about the universe populated by the original CBS Flash series. Could John Wesley Shipp slip on the red spandex as another universe’s Flash next season? While it’s purely conjecture, it’s an interesting theory that would delight many longtime fans of the Flash.

Legally, there’s no reason it can’t happen. CBS, who owns the rights to the original Flash series, is part owner of the CW, could easily allow The Flash to revisit the world of its predecessor. And the producers of the CW’s Flash series are clearly big fans of the original series. In addition to casting Shipp as The CW Flash’s father, Amanda Pays, Vito D’Ambrosio and Mark Hamill have all reprised their roles from the 1990s Flash series. The episode “Tricksters” was practically a love letter to the original series, featuring a number of props and costumes from the original CBS show. “Tricksters” had several other callbacks to the original series, including a scene when Flash phased through a truck using his super speed and said “That was weird.” As CBS Flash fans may remember, that’s exactly what Shipp’s Flash said when he first phased through an object in the 1990 series. “Tricksters” also used the CBS show’s theme song (which was written by famed movie composer Danny Elfman) for several scenes.

So how would a crossover between the two series work? Well, The Flash has already established alternate universes and timelines on the show. It wouldn’t be much of a stretch to claim the 1990 Flash series is an alternate universe that Barry can access via the Speed Force. Or, if they simply wanted to put John Wesley Shipp back in the Flash costume, they could explore an alternate timeline where Henry Allen somehow gained the powers of the Flash instead of his son. Since the show’s producer have already hinted at adapting Geoff Johns’ 2011 event comic Flashpoint, which involves a radically different timeline, a superpowered Henry Allen could replacement for the older version of Batman that occupied the Flashpoint timeline. Two generations of live action Flashes would be a blast to see, treating multiple generations of Flash fans for a team-up that celebrates the character’s numerous interpretations.

So do you think that John Wesley Shipp will ever don the Flash costume again? Is there any credence to this fan theory? Be sure to leave your thoughts and ideas in the comments below.