After Grant Gustin left his role as the Flash behind, the former star of The CW’s The Flash shared new insight into why he made that decision.

Gustin’s incredible nine-year run as Barry Allen came to an end in late May 2023, with a four-part series finale that concluded not only his journey but the Arrowverse’s entire run on The CW.

Featuring guest stars like Javicia Leslie’s former Batwoman while also giving Stephen Amell a final run of glory as the original Arrowverse hero, Oliver Queen, The Flash Season 9 had a lot on its plate and closed things off in exciting fashion before Gustin left the role

Grant Gustin Divulges Reason for Leaving The Flash

During a panel at Phoenix Fan Fusion, via ParksAndCons, The Flash star Grant Gustin shared his reasoning for the show coming to an end after nine seasons on The CW.

Gustin admitted to being overwhelmed as a “23-year-old that was leading that type of show,” keeping his “anxiety in check” for years. As he grew up during this run, he felt it was time to wrap things up when he realized how many times he’d missed bedtimes “for his daughter” while also not wanting to “do the show at less than 100%:”

“Gustin shared it was very overwhelming to be a 23-year-old that was leading that type of show. He tried to not think about it to keep the anxiety in check. As he grew older he realized with age, his world kept changing and knew it was time to wrap the show when he thought of all the bedtimes he was missing for his daughter. He didn’t want to ever do the show at less than 100%, so it was time.”

He also touched on some of his musical preferences as the cheering audience asked for him to do some singing, which he picked up again for his young daughter:

“While discussing the topic of his musical preferences, the audience starts yelling for him to sing to which he softly replies, ‘no.’ He said his wife gives him a hard time because he doesn’t sing much, but he’s begun picking it back up for his daughter”

Will Grant Gustin Ever Return as The Flash?

Grant Gustin has been nothing but complimentary of his time working on The Flash, saying that he “couldn’t be more grateful” to have worked with a team on the show who “understood who the Flash was” and supported him in the role.

But even while The Flash Season 9 seemed to mark the end for the Arrowverse, showrunner Eric Wallace teased the potential that more could be on the way, explaining that he’s  “still…hopeful that the Arrowverse is not over.”

Even so, he expressed a sense of disappointment that Season 10 wouldn’t go into development for The CW, leaving fans to wonder if Gustin will ever strap on his scarlet lightning boots for another go-round in another setting.

And while the actor already shot down the idea of him returning to the role in this summer’s The Flash movie, his extended tenure in the role makes him a fantastic candidate for a possible internet-breaking cameo somewhere at a later date.

The Flash is currently streaming on Netflix.