The Flash began airing on The CW and during that time, Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) has evolved from a quirky police forensic scientist into Central City’s Scarlet Speedster – The Flash.
While fans have developed attachments to Barry and his allies, the individuals penning their adventures are much more anonymous.
Of course, their identities are not a mystery but details of their careers may not be as common knowledge as WestAllen’s relationship drama.
Read on for ten facts about the writers of The Flash that you may not have known.
1. Eric Wallace Is The Show’s First African-American Showrunner
Barry’s foster family, The Wests, have been a major component of his story since the show first premiered. Unlike traditional iterations, Iris and her family, which includes father Joe, brother Wally, half-sister Jenna and de-facto stepmother Cecile, are African-American.
Over the course of six seasons, there have been many showrunners. However, in March 2019, Eric Wallace became the latest to take this position, succeeding Todd Helbing in the role.
Wallace had already been a writer/executive producer for the show.
Notably, he is the first African-American to hold this position which means he can bring an authentic experience to his storytelling of an African-American family on television.
2. Sterling Gates Co-Created A Main Character
Sterling Gates, already a prolific comic book writer (more on that later), joined The Flash’s writing staff ahead of season four, which introduced notable comic book characters Elongated Man and XS (in her civilian form).
However, you may be unaware that Gates was actually responsible for the creation of a main character who has been present since season one.
In original DC Comics continuity, Killer Frost’s secret identity was Crystal Frost, created by Gerry Conway and Al Milgrom.
However, when the character was reintroduced in the New-52 – there was a new version, now called Caitlin Snow. This version was co-created by artist Derlis Santacruz and, you guessed it, Sterling Gates.
3. Sam Chalsen Wrote For A Hit Show On FOX
According to his IMDB page, Sam Chalsen has been writing for The Flash since 2017, during the Crisis On Infinite Earths crossover event.
However, what was he writing before this?
Again, referring to IMDB, Chalsen wrote for Sleepy Hallow. This show ran for four seasons, for all of which Chalsen was employed and aired on FOX.
RELATED: The Flash: Who Has John Wesley Shipp Played?
4. Gabriel Garza and Jonathan Butler Created A Nickelodeon Show… Starring A Future Arrowverse Star
Bella and The Bulldogs was a Nickelodeon sitcom that aired between 2015 and 2016. It starred Brec Bessinger, Coy Stewart and Buddy Handelson, among others.
Its co-creators, Gabriel Garza and Jonathan Butler, now write for The Flash. Some of their episodes include “The Last Temptation of Barry Allen, Pt. 1” and “The Death of Vibe.”
Brec Bassinger, who played Bella in Bella and the Bulldogs, now plays the title character in Stargirl. While not officially connected to the Arrowverse, the character made a cameo appearance in Crisis On Infinite Earths.
5. Eric Wallace Wrote Comic Books Featuring A Future ‘Arrow’ Character
Aside from writing for television, Eric Wallace has also indulged in his childhood passion by writing comics for DC.
One of the key series that Wallace wrote was Mr. Terrific, a character later introduced into the Arrowverse in the flagship series Arrow, under the name Curtis Holt (played by Echo Kellum).
6. Lauren Certo Has Been With The Show For Five Seasons
As if often the case in television, staff writers move on to different shows after a while, to try something different. The Flash is no exception.
However, one writer, Lauren Certo (pictured above, on the right) has been with the series since at least its second season, according to IMDB.
RELATED: Meet The Flash’s New Season 6 Characters – Who Is Playing Them?
7. Todd Helbing Wrote For Black Sails
Todd Helbing, until his departure in 2019, had written for The Flash since the first season and had been a showrunner since the second season. He originally shared the position with his brother Aaron and Andrew Kreisberg.
Prior to joining The Flash, Todd co-wrote an episode of Black Sails with his brother, a Starz series which featured Jessica Parker Kennedy, who later played Nora West-Allen/XS.
8. Thomas Pound Wrote For A Hit Canadian Drama
Since joining The Flash in season four, some of Thomas Pound’s notable episodes include “Elongated Journey Into Night” which introduced Ralph Dibny/Elongated Man and “License to Elongate”, Danielle Panabaker’s second directorial effort.
Prior to scribing Barry Allen’s adventures in Central City, Canadian-born Pound was a writer for the police procedural series Motive, which starred Kristin Lehman and Louis Ferreira.
9. Sterling Gates Also Wrote For Another Iconic DC Comics Character
Prior to becoming a writer for The Flash‘s television iteration, Sterling Gates had a successful career as a comic book writer.
Among the biggest characters that Gates worked on was Kara Danvers/Supergirl, who later appeared in the Arrowverse, portrayed by Melissa Benoist.
RELATED: The Flash: 5 Actors Who Could Replace Ezra Miller
10. Eric Wallace Wrote For Teen Wolf
Aside from The Flash, Eric Wallace has written for other television series. An example of this is Teen Wolf, which aired on MTV between 2011 and 2017.
The series starred Tyler Posey, Dylan O’Brien and Crystal Reed, as well as future Arrowverse stars Tyler Hoechlin (Clark Kent/Superman) and Colton Haynes (Roy Harper/Arsenal).
Frequent The Flash guest star John Wesley Shipp also appeared on Teen Wolf.
Wallace personally worked on this series between 2014 and 2017.
