7:05
Ownership and a Different Perspective
And that brings me to my next point(s). Grant Gustin IS \"The Flash,\" exudes his persona right off the pages of DC Comics and is beyond grateful for this opportunity. Let's be honest, A-list movie stars aren't always geeking out or beaming about their superhero role. Most often, it's a job. To Gustin, it's his life and it shows. (To be fair, Ezra Miller is also geeking out about his upcoming movie stint as \"The Flash,\" but Gustin is just a solid example.)
From consistently sharing videos, pics, story-lines and more with his fans, Gustin epitomizes what a superhero actor should be. To his fans, Gustin is a superhero, which is why they were up in arms when he wasn't cast as the Scarlet Speedster in the films, as well. True to form, he took to Twitter to show respect to Miller and tell fans to give his counterpart a chance.
The same can be said for Melissa Benoist as \"Supergirl\" or Stephen Amell as the Green \"Arrow,\" all actors who embody the characters and have a close connection with their fans. I also think that's exactly how The CW planned it.
Where the Netflix Marvel world is grittier and more mysterious, The CW has created an inviting world, where their stars are as approachable as possible.
Furthermore, they say variety is the spice of life and these days, superhero TV is a buffet of creative story arcs for enthusiasts. So, the TV variety doesn't have to be in a mutually exclusive set with the films.
Fans will decide who they like better as the Man of Steel next month when Tyler Hoechlin becomes Clark Kent on \"Supergirl.\" They will obviously compare him to Henry Cavill, who is currently the brooding version in the films. But does this have to happen? I don't think so.
![\"PHOTO:](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/Entertainment/ht_superman_er_160926_4x3t_384.jpg\")
My point is if you don't want to debate TV or movies, you don't have to. There are millions who love watching \"Agents of SHIELD\" parallel to the Marvel films. The same can be said if you can't get enough Superman, or even Batman with animated arcs, critically acclaimed by the way, from the likes of Mark Hamill voicing the Joker in films like \"The Killing Joke.\"
Fans can really dive head first into these worlds and enjoy them from every angle, with complementary offerings. The same can be said in regards to shows like \"Rebels\" for \"Star Wars\" fans, projects that fill in the plot gaps left by the films.
The Future
I hope he's wrong, but if Spielberg is on point and the clock is ticking on superhero films, hopefully TV can be the medium that keeps our heroes around in live action past changing box office trends.
Maybe, stretched out on Netflix, Hulu or The CW, these characters can live past the shelf life the movies may have.
Robert Downey Jr. is 51 and still kicking butt -- but we'll see how much longer he wants to play Iron Man. The same goes for Chris Evans as Cap. He's made it clear he wants to direct down the road and his first offering behind the camera, \"Before We Go\" showed some solid potential.
Plus, all story arcs have to come to an end at some point. Just like at the end of \"Civil War\" or even \"Age of Ultron,\" the upcoming \"Infinity War\" is going to shake the Marvel Cinematic Universe up big time.
TV opens the door to recast without rebooting, like producers have done in \"Gotham\" and have complete freedom to tinker with an iconic storyline -- like producers have done with \"Gotham.\" The show is beloved and it would be tough to pitch a blockbuster movie about Batman without ever really seeing Batman. But the fans have embraced the prequel.
Hopefully we have superhero movies for years to come, but either way, there's always TV!
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