The DCU Gets The Perfect Wally West To Replace Grant Gustin’s Flash In Art Following James Gunn’s Casting Comments

With James Gunn’s DC Universe reboot tapping new stars to bring various DC characters to life on the big and small screens, The Flash remains one of the characters who has yet to show up. While the DCU’s Chapter 1: “Gods and Monsters” has been set up to follow a continuity where various heroes are already active, it sets up numerous scenarios for the Scarlet Speedster.

While Barry Allen has been depicted in live-action through Grant Gustin, @horrific.heroics shared art of what Cobra Kai’s Jacob Bertrand could look like as Wally West in the DCU franchise. Check it out below:

The costume used for the Netflix star is the one that Wally sports during the DC Rebirth era when he returned in 2016. Wally was first portrayed in live-action through The Flash TV show, played by Keiynan Lonsdale, starting in season 2.

In late 2025, Gunn was asked about The Flash in the DCU, as he got the question of, “In terms of your preference for people that run fast, do you like them blonde or as redheads?” as that is specifically referencing Barry and Wally, respectively. Gunn replied with, “I like them both. I like blondes and redheads.”

Following The Flash movie and its box office failure, a new project for the fastest man alive is currently not in the works. When Gunn was asked in 2024 about a new film for the DC icon, he stated at the time, “And as for the Flash we’re holding a beat on development.”

When Bertrand spoke with ScreenRant’s own Grant Hermanns in 2024, he was asked if the superhero genre was something he would be interested in taking part in, as his Cobra Kai co-star Xolo Maridueña is set to return as Blue Beetle in Gunn’s franchise. The star shared the following:

No, I haven’t quite yet. I would need to get my knowledge up on superheroes first. I was never the biggest comic book kid growing up. Xolo really is the person that made that happen, though. Even when I first met him, he was constantly saying, “That’s my dream role. I want to play Blue Beetle, I want to play Blue Beetle.” So, kudos to him, he found the thing he was super passionate about and got to play it. You know what, if that ever happened, I would have to play a villain. I would love to be the one trying to kill Blue Beetle. I think that’d be funny. [Chuckles]

Iconic Justice League heroes like Hal Jordan are already operating in this franchise, as he will be played by Kyle Chandler in HBO’s Lanterns. This has led many to theorize that the DCU’s Barry will be close to his age, which would make Wally a natural choice as The Flash.

However, there is no reason why Barry and Wally couldn’t be using the mantle at the same time, which would allow the Flash Family to take a larger presence on the big screen, something that the DCEU movie timeline never did. The Arrowverse drama explored nearly every single speedster throughout the show’s run.

The DCU resumes this summer with Supergirl on June 26, followed by HBO’s Lanterns, which has yet to land a premiere date.