The Flash: Why Season 9's Red Death Villain Upset DC Fans
The ninth and final season of the long-running DC hit "The Flash" sees the spotlight placed on one of Barry Allen's (prop thief Grant Gustin) most formidable foes: Red Death (Javicia Leslie). It's revealed that she's actually a version of Batwoman — real name Ryan Wilder — who formerly called Earth-4125 home. She was once a vigilante, though she eventually became a criminal, gained the powers of a speedster through her suit, and became recognized as Red Death. While this sounds like a fascinating premise for an antagonist, "Flash" fans weren't too happy with the show's take on the character.
Much of the negativity surrounding the version of Red Death on "The Flash" stems from the show's approach to the character. On the pages of DC Comics, Red Death is a version of Bruce Wayne from another timeline who takes it upon himself to become a speedster by merging with the Flash. He allows his guilt over his fellow heroes dying to overtake him, turning in his heroic Batman persona for that of the unhinged and murderous Red Death. That's a bit different from the version "The Flash" offers up, who isn't even a variant of Bruce Wayne (likely because he has historically been off-limits for CW DC adaptations).
At the same time, there's nothing wrong with tweaking the identity of Red Death for "The Flash," especially since viewers had come to know Leslie's Batwoman well. It would've been a tad strange to introduce an evil alternate-universe Bruce Wayne after the main timeline version spent years in the background. Still, these Red Death alterations aren't the only complaints fans have about this adaptation.
Fan complaints about Red Death go beyond her secret identity and origin
After making her presence felt on "The Flash," fans of the series and DC as a whole were quick to point out several smaller things that made this version of Red Death a miss in their eyes.
In a Reddit thread by u/Bifrostsama, "Flash" fans from across the site expressed the reasons for their disappointment in the show's Red Death. Some thought the costume looked cheap, others felt the writing was weak and led to some clunky scenes, and u/James_Constantine specifically found it disappointing that she wasn't as ruthless and willing to kill people as her comic book counterpart. Meanwhile, folks seemed split on Javicia Leslie's performance, with some fans vouching for her as others criticized her work.
The end of "The Flash" Season 9 marked the end of the Arrowverse, which began in 2012 with the debut of "Arrow." Thus, it stands to reason fans have seen the last of Leslie's Red Death, as well as her rendition of Batwoman. Although, should the opportunity arise where she could return to one or both of these roles, would she do it? She told Entertainment Weekly, "If we're able to create again, of course I would love to be a part of it. It would just depend on what [Warner Bros.] and DC decide to do. But I'm always open to play in the Bat world."
"The Flash" will be fondly remembered for many reasons, but sadly, Red Death likely isn't among them for most people. Perhaps some in the fandom will change their tune regarding the character as her small screen run recedes further into the past.