The release of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice has ushered in a new era: one of the two Flashes. With Batman v Superman in theaters and The Flash airing new episodes on television every week, we now live in a world with two versions of the Flash available. In BvS , the Flash appeared for two brief scenes as played by Ezra Miller, while Grant Gustin has been playing the fast superhero for almost two years on The CW's The Flash. The Flash is officially so fast, he's got us seeing double. (Triple? We did just meet another Barry Allen on Earth-2 in The Flash...)
The number of Flashes right now is truly an embarrassment of riches. Gustin's fastest man alive on The Flash is charming, and the series was recently renewed for a third season. Meanwhile, viewers have yet to really get to know Miller as the Flash except for his fun BvS cameos, making it nearly impossible to really compare the two. That said, we can still try, so, in the spirit of friendly competition (and of Flash-loving content), here's a full breakdown of Grant Gustin vs. Ezra Miller: who'd really be the better Flash? And of course, this isn't about pitting the actors against each other in terms of talent or abilities — they're both great. This is just a fun way of determining who the ultimate Flash really is.
1. Funny Factor
In the comics, the Flash is a comedic, light-hearted superhero. In the TV show, Gustin plays Barry Allen as an awkward science nerd turned enthusiastic superhero, giving the series a sort of optimistic tone. And while the Flash movie is still in development, producer Deborah Snyder let slip in an interview with Forbes that the movie will likely be a bit more humorous than BvS. "Ezra is super funny, so the tone of that film will be very different than the rest of them," Snyder said.
So, who's funnier: Grant Gustin or Ezra Miller? A knee-jerk reaction would be Gustin, as Miller is best known for roles in dramatic indies like We Need To Talk About Kevin. Even when Miller does comedy, like his supporting role as a teen in Trainwreck, it's more crazy than endearing. That said, Miller is pretty damn funny in Perks of Being A Wallflower, so it's a tough call. Yet I'm gonna go with Gustin.
Winner: Gustin
2. Race Running
I'm sure that both actors are pretty good runners, and I'm not too interested in who would actually win in a race, but, what is important is who has the better form. Based on the little clip of the Flash seen in BvS, it looks like Miller's Flash effect with be more of a quick blur, while Gustin's Flash looks a little bit more like an actual track and field star. Due to lack of evidence, I'd call this one a draw.
Keep in mind, there is hope for a Flash vs. Flash race. Both actors have been respectful towards each other since the rival casting news was announced, and Miller publicly stated he'd be game for a friendly race. "Grant and I are chilling. We're gonna have a race — it's gonna be dope! Like Jay Garrick and Barry Allen back in the day!" Miller said in an interview with MTV.
Winner: Tie
3. Smile Style
Never underestimate the power of a good smile. Everybody needs one, even if you're traveling at the speed of light. I'd say both Gustin and Miller have pretty great smiles, though Gustin is a little bit more eager to share his with the world than Miller, who is always giving the smolder on the red carpet. I'll give the win to Gustin for repeated use.
Winner: Gustin
4. Master of Disguise
The Flash can run super fast, but sometimes he can't escape his enemies, and it's times like those that Barry Allen needs to be able to blend in, disguise himself, if you will. Miller has played a wide variety of characters, some of which have enjoyed dressing up themselves, like Patrick in Perks of Being a Wallflower. Gustin has more or less looked the same throughout his onscreen career (not that that's a bad thing), so I'm going to give this one to Miller.
Winner: Miller
5. Best Hair
Miller has long favored rocking the long hair look, and appears with long hair in BvS. However, when he walked the red carpet at the Batman v Superman premiere, Miller was sporting a much cleaner, shorter cut, suggesting that his Barry Allen will spend a majority of his time without the manbun. On The Flash, Gustin prefers a cleaner look as well, though his hair has been known to get a bit..flippy? Here's what I mean:
It's like Tintin, only more. Gustin rocked this hair style in a Lifetime movie called A Mother's Nightmare, so, that should really tell you something about whatever wizardry is making this hair stay up. Honestly, because that movie title gives me the creeps, I'm giving this one to Miller and his manbun.
Winner: Miller
With two wins each, Miller and Gustin are equals in this super scientific analysis of who will be the better Flash. I guess fans will just have to decide who they like more when Miller's Flash gets more screen time in Justice League and The Flash movies. But, maybe we don't have to choose. I don't know about you, but I'm thinking the more Flashes, the merrier!
Images: Giphy (2); melsbenoists/tumblr; haidaspicciare/tumblr; cute-guysxx/tumblr; ororomunreo/tumblr
