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Why CW's The Flash series finale wasn't what they had planned or written, and ended with Grant Gustin alone on his last shooting day
How COVID-19 derailed The Flash series finale (and forced Grant Gustin to film his final scene without his co-stars)
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Barry Allen is the fastest man alive, and he can outrun almost anything. However, he can’t outrun a global pandemic. In 2023 the COVID-19 pandemic finally caught up with The Flash series star Grant Gustin, just as they were preparing to shoot the series finale.
“We had to change parts of that script, because this was [three years] into COVID, and I had not gotten it. And I got COVID like a week and a half before we wrapped,” Gustin says during a panel at Space Con 2025. “I kept testing positive and couldn’t come back to work. Some of it they reworked. So, we shut down for a day or two, then they reworked some of it. I missed three or four days of filming at least.”
One change was dropping the appearance of the scarred alternate future Barry Allen during the villains sequence. “I was supposed to be in the scene with the prosthetic scar makeup with all the bad guys when it was Savitar in the suit. It was supposed to be me as Savitar. And there was other stuff that happened too. Stunt double shots and stuff they shot around me.”
As a result, Gustin’s final day on set was a scene without his co-stars.
“My last day of work was alone on a green screen, which also felt right. It was kind of heartbreaking, but I also spent so much time in this suit on a green screen talking to nobody. So, it felt right. And the last shot I shot was the last shot of the series of Barry running and pushing in on him looking satisfied. That was a cool last shot to get.”
The Flash may not have ended the way Gustin and the crew originally planned, but at least it ended with that cool shot. That’s something even COVID couldn’t take away.
Enjoy our guides to how to watch the recent DCEU, the Arrowverse, and James Gunn's upcoming DCU. Oh, and don't forget our guide to what's coming up for DC projects on the big and small screens.
About Spacecon
SPACECON is America’s newest comic con created by PMX Events. Attendees will see celebrity guests from the likes of Star Wars, Star Trek, Guardians of the Galaxy and other intergalactic movies and TV shows. Con goers will discover an immersive show experience to get up-close and personal with their favorite celebrities, voice artists, and comic artists with hundreds of exhibitors and special attractions to exhilarate any fandom.
Dates
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Location
San Antonio
USA
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