DC Comics Just 'Cast' Chris Evans As The Flash & Twitter Is Running Wild
Contains spoilers for "The Flash" #1 by Si Spurrier, Mike Deodato Jr., Trish Mulvihill, and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Wally West is taking center stage again in a new ongoing series at DC Comics, and readers of the first issue can't help but notice how much the Flash looks like Chris Evans in the story.
Photo reference has long been a valuable tool for comic book artists, as it allows them to capture poses, faces, and more details from real-life images to make things look more realistic in comics. Creatives have been using photo references for a long time, especially with celebrities, with famous examples including David Bowie being referenced in "Sandman" as Lucifer Morningstar, John Byrne basing the Hellfire Club on the 1960s "Avengers," and Captain Marvel's original face being inspired by actor Fred MacMurray. However, not all photo references are made known by artists, leaving it up to eagle-eyed readers to make the connection between models and characters themselves.
In "The Flash" #1, West is seen out-of-costume in several scenes, including one where he's working alongside Mister Terrific to investigate strange Speed Force abnormalities. Readers on X (formerly known as Twitter) immediately pointed out how much Wally's appearance seems to be inspired by "Captain America" actor Chris Evans. And looking over the issue, it's hard to deny that's who Wally's new face appears to have been based on.
Chris Evans appears to have inspired The Flash
In "The Flash" #1, Wally West appears unmasked while visiting his fellow hero, Michael Holt. Several users on X immediately pointed out how close the character's appearance looked to actor Chris Evans. One user noted, "I was reading the new run of The Flash and is Wally just Chris Evans?" sharing the issue's panels in question. Another X user said seeing Wally in a suit "was everything" but wondered why Wally West looked "like Chris Evans with red hair." "Wally reminds me of Chris Evans in this panel," another user tweeted while calling the new series "excellent." Another amused reader tweeted that they saw Wally and "Chris Evans??"
DC Comics/Mike Deodato Jr.
Mike Deodato Jr., who drew "The Flash" #1, has been open about using photo references in his work, previously sharing his process on his Instagram account as well as a photo of himself he used to craft early promo art for his "Flash" run. In this case, it seems like he really liked the idea of Wally looking like Evans and ran with it. There's nothing wrong with photo reference, of course; in fact, it's exactly how Nick Fury's iconic look became based on Samuel L. Jackson, eventually leading to the actor being cast as the character. While that's less likely to happen in this case, Deodato's art does reflect a fan casting at least some other artists have hoped to see become a reality.
"The Flash" #1, from DC Comics and the creative team of Si Spurrier, Mike Deodato Jr., Trish Mulvihill, and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, is available via online retailers and comic book shops now.