The Coolest Flash Costume You Never Got To See On The Show
Aside from the powers, tragic backstory, and iconic catchphrases, one of the most vital components to any comic book character is their wardrobe. Capes, masks, and underwear on the outside helped cultivate "the look" for comics' biggest heroes and villains. The same goes for their TV and movie counterparts, who actually have a more monumental task on their hands. Live-action superheroes need their looks to pay homage to the source material without coming off as too outlandish for their three-dimensional universes. It's a careful balance, and it often requires tweaks and changes to work, but the CW's Arrowverse series The Flash makes it look easy.
Since it kicked off in 2014, the DC superhero drama has given Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) a handful of looks over the years. Some were downright silly, like his roller derby-esque prototype suit, for example, but many worked well for the character. One recently revealed outfit never made it onto an episode of The Flash, but that hasn't stopped fans from swooning over the sneak peek. Don't worry, it's much more cool than goofy.
The Flash's black suit never made it to TV
This particular Flash super-suit wasn't ever intended to appear in front of rolling cameras, but it's still arguably one of the coolest ever created for the show. Back in April 2020, Grant Gustin shared a photo of the darker outfit on his Instagram page. As he explained, when it came time for his costume fitting between seasons 4 and 5, the red outer fabric wasn't ready yet, so they had to go through the costume testing process with the predominantly black wardrobe.
Fans immediately fell in love with the black test suit, with many crossing their fingers that they'd eventually see it on an upcoming Flash episode. Gustin himself even echoed that same sentiment, mentioning in the post's caption that wearing the suit for the day made him want an actual one for his on-screen alter-ego. It's not difficult to see why this Flash costume became so popular despite it serving no discernible in-show purpose. Its sleek, monotone look makes it stand out from the rest of Barry's suits — a nice change of pace from his typical duds.
Maybe someday Gustin will don a black suit on The Flash, but until that day comes, this is the best fans will ever get.