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There is a thin line between superheroes and vigilantes. No wait, there isn’t. Look at Batman, Aquaman, Superman, and Flash. Although we call them superheroes, by definition, they are, after all, vigilantes.
Even Stephen Amell’sArrowwas based on the concept of a vigilante. However, for some reason, Grant Gustin’sThe Flashwasn’t on the same line and we were robbed of some great storylines.
The Flash is Not Like Stephen Amell’s Oliver Queen
There is one primary exception between a superhero and a vigilante. By definition, a vigilante is a person (or an alien in Superman’s case) who engages in law enforcement activities without having legal authority.
So, you can be a vigilante but to be a superhero, you should have legal authority to carry out your work.Stephen Amell, who portrayed the lead role of Oliver Queen inArrow, was a vigilante character who did not have the legal authority to interfere.
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On the other hand, Grant Gustin’sThe Flashmade an example of what not to do when you get superpowers. In the pilot episode ofThe Flash,Barry Allen says to Oliver Queen that he can or cannot be“like him”.Oliver Queen states that he“can be better”.
This means that Oliver Queen implied that The Flash is a superherowhile he is a vigilante. Naturally, fans are confused by the misuse of the word “superhero” when they are all, after all, vigilantes.
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Although it could be considered a slight error, it was responsible for robbing the people of so many iconic storylines that could have happened if The Flash had just decided to be a vigilante.
Grant Gustin’sThe FlashCould Have Gone Darker
In the case of a vigilante, let’s say, Batman, you may break certain codes of conduct in special cases. Although Batman has his “no-kill” policy, there have been several instances in comic books where the caped crusader has to kill people for the greater good.
In the case of Grant Gustin’sThe Flash,he is a superhero and therefore, has to remain within the legal authority. A fan took toRedditto talk about the scenario and stated that The Flash was responsible for the city’s 90% problems despite being a superhero.
The definition of vigilante is a person who engages in law enforcement without legal authority. That’s literally what superheroes do. The Flash is a vigilante, plain and simple. But they attempt to make it seem like while the Arrow is a vigilante, the Flash is a hero.
It could be possible thatGrant Gustin’sThe Flashcould have delved into some serious things while the vigilante side of him could have created a rift within himself. The humanness of the superheroes/vigilantes makes them human.
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The world is in love with the gray area. The area where the difference between good and evil is blurred. The time when you have to do the lesser evil from the greater good (said Geralt of Rivia inThe Witcher). That is where vigilantes thrive, that is where people enjoy the most.
With a rating of 7.5/10 on IMDB and a whopping 89% on Rotten Tomatoes,The Flashis available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.
Visarg Acharya
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3263
Visarg Acharya is a Senior Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on movies, with over 3000 articles published. He has been an entertainment journalist for the past three years and a copywriter at a corporation. Visarg usually covers news and theories on the MCU and the DCU, with an emphasis on Avengers and Superman; Game of Thrones, and more.A Tarantino fan, Visarg, spends his time critiquing various directors’ filmographies and watching them with curiosity. Medieval fantasy like The Lord of the Rings or sci-fi movies like Interstellar, watching the latest horror movies, and listening to Hans Zimmer become his comfort zone. When idle, he can be found reading fantasy novels with a terrible cup of coffee in hand.
