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Why John Wesley Shipp was/is the Best Fit for Flash

By Brian OKert on January 18, 2018

Why John Wesley Shipp was/is the Best Fit for Flash

John Wesley Shipp was the Original Barry Allan A.K.A. The Flash. If you were born after 2000 you might know him as Mr. Dawson from Dawson’s Creek or a Plethora of other roles he has played. Today I will be discussing How and Why John is the Best fit we have had of Flash to date.

Now Before you all throw your collective phones at my head, Slow your role, this is going to be Scientific and not about personal opinion.

Height

First things we have to talk about is Height. John is 6’1 and even though Grant Gustin is also 6’1 Ezra Miller is only 5’11. Most sprinters are taller than the Normal Humans, Metahuman included.  A typical world-class male sprinter is 6’0 foot tall. Distance runners are leaner and have great endurance. Distance runners don’t need to produce much power, but they do need to carry their own weight over a long distances. Barry has to be both Sprinter and Distance runner giving Grant and John a Distinct Advantage over Ezra. Since Barry has to be both Sprinter and Distance Weight is going to be a massive factor is longevity and Distances before burn out.

Weight

On to Weight.  Ezra Weighs in at 160lbs and Grant at 165lbs John came in at an Impressive 185-190lbs.  Now most of the time extra weight would be a issue for a runner, unless the weight is evenly distributed which in John’s case was Masterfully Accomplished with weight training as well as Cardio. Now granted both Ezra and Grant do have a certain appeal wearing the Suit, neither are molded to their body as John’s was but we will get into that in Suit section.  Both Ezra and Grant has showed off their abs but it’s more than core strength to run. John’s muscle fibers simply were more responsive due to his workout regimen which is 1 of my main reason for classing John higher then the others.  The extra 20-30 pounds of Muscle will give John a Huge advantage in lasting time. We learn that Barry burns massive amounts of calories, and during a fight blood sugar would be a factor and John can Simply last longer due to a better burning engine.

The Suit Design

Like I said before Both Grant and Ezra do look Awesome in the metal and leather suits but Neither embodies the Flash from the Comics like John’s. First lets address Grants leather suit, while it looks great when Running the suit would greatly decrease movements due to the Increased Amount of Wind Residence. Yes I know the suit is Specially designed to limit that, but that does not change the Laws of Motion. And yes I do fully realize that this is a Make believe show about breaking the Laws of Motion. Era’s suit while the Coolest looking has to be the worst design, The suit is composed of a silicone-based quartz, alone would add weight and decrease speed, take a look at most Modern Sprinters, they wear spandex and little more.

Now while Grant’s suit was painstakingly designed to be as realistic as possible, John’s Flash suit was molded to his Body and yes some extra foam was added to make it pop, but the suit itself would have given the Flash much less Wind residence, and the zipper alone being placed on the back gave John’s version that extra pop. Now I know a lot of People will say but the Flash produces a Energy like Shielding around himself and others so as not to be Affected by the Speed Force and the Sudden Start and Stoping. And  you would be Right except that even the Shield would have Divots and John’s was Sleeker so as to giving him a Slight Edge.

Age

Age of a Superhero is very Important, Hard Decisions must be made and Age and Experience play a huge role in if a Hero is Successful or not.  John was born in 1955 and Started playing the role in 1991 making him 36 years old. Grant was born in 1990 and Got zapped in 2014 making him the youngest at 24. Ezra who is 25 was Born in 1992 and Dawned the mask in 2017. The simplest example for this is the way all 3 Act, John a Womanizer Ladies Man was Cautious and Gruff. Ezra is Playful and fun, While Grant started out fun and awkward has grown Slowly into a lighter version of John’s Flash.

Team

John’s and Ezra;s biggest downfall is the Fact they have no real Team, But in this it is also a Great Strength. Having attachments is bad as a Hero, but not having can limit one’s reach, but being a Speedster Time is really not a issue. (so this question on “does Flash need a Team”)

This conversation continued on for 2 hours Between Brian and his Helpers.

Interesting Facts found when Researching

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Brian OKert
Brian OKert

Bastard son of the House of El: I Build what You Think up... Disclaimer: I am NOT ta be Held Responsible for what comes Next.

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