The Flash's Grant Gustin Tried To End The Series Years Before Season 9's Finale
The Arrowverse had a long, agonizing death on The CW, filled with good times and bad. With the ending of "The Flash," the network officially bid farewell to its longstanding superhero universe, and Grant Gustin himself was more than ready to hang up his boots.
"Initially when we all signed on, it was a six-year run that got extended to seven," Gustin told Entertainment Weekly. "I got married [while filming] Season 5. I had a kid during Season 7 — so obviously you start thinking about life changes at that point. Plus, 'Arrow' had ended with Season 8, so I thought, 'Let's end with Season 8.'" While showrunner Greg Berlanti convinced him to suit up again, the "Flash" star made it abundantly clear that Season 9 would be his last. "I just knew it was time for me to step away, have more time with my family, and just enter this next chapter of my life," Gustin said.
Although Gustin knew his time on "The Flash" was over, he couldn't say the same for everyone else. He wasn't sure if The CW would end the show with his exit since people involved wanted to see "The Flash" get to Season 10. Gustin admits he would've questioned his decision to leave if the show continued without him, but thankfully, he avoided that concern, as The CW elected to end "The Flash" with the star's exit.
Gustin felt responsible to tell the cast about The Flash's ending
Despite ending with Season 9, "The Flash" ran for a total of 10 years, as Grant Gustin landed the role in 2013 and tapped into the Speed Force for the final time in 2023. During that time, he and his co-stars formed a family both on and off-screen, so when Gustin knew Season 9 would be the show's last, he stepped up as the leader of Team Flash, telling his castmates himself.
Candice Patton, who played Iris West-Allen for all nine seasons, was in the same boat as her on-screen husband, telling Entertainment Weekly that she had already decided the season would be her last, regardless of if "The Flash" continued. So, when Gustin told her the news, she was relieved. "I definitely didn't want to leave before everyone else, so I was just really glad," Patton said.
However, Gustin had a much different conversation with Danielle Panabaker, the third and final "Flash" star who appeared in every season. "I laughed at him, because that was not the first time that Grant told me that he was done with the show," Panabaker told EW, revealing Gustin had told cast members multiple times over the show's nine years that he was ready to wrap things up. Panabacker assumed this was another one of those calls, saying she didn't believe he was done with "The Flash" until the press began reporting the story.