Arrow fans can expect things to speed up for Ollie, as Deadline.com reports Barry Allen will first appear as a recurring character on the CW series in three episodes before co-creators Greg Berlanti and Andrew Kreisberg spin the character off into a pilot of his own. At Tuesday’s TCA (Television Critics Association) presentation. the CW announced that it will fast-track a new series focused on Barry Allen and the origins of his secret identity as the Flash. When asked for comment, Wally West (the next man to don the mantle of the scarlet speedster) teared up and (quickly) ran away. Jay Garrick could not be reached.

Should all go according to plan, this would be the second Flash TV series to race onto the small screen.  In the early 90’s (in case you couldn’t tell from the cheesy opening credits above), a 21-episode attempt at a Flash series was made by Warner Bros. and CBS. That version of the show also focused on Barry Allen, played by a young John Wesley Shipp (before retiring to dispense fatherly advice to Dawson on “The Creek”). In addition to a parade of generic criminals like mobsters and corrupt politicians, the series featured classic Flash rogues such as Captain Cold, the Mirror Master and the Trickster, played by Mark Hamill! Alas, the force was not with them and the series was not renewed for a second season.

No indication was made as to when the new Flash pilot would air, but the Barry Allen character could show up on Arrow as soon as this Fall. While this is great news for Arrow fans, it brings the rest of us no closer to a cinematic Justice League adventure… which is all we want, DC!!

Until then the CW may become the place to see all your favorite DC heroes in action, as the network also mentioned that a Wonder Woman series is still in development (tentatively titled Amazon, which sounds less like a superhero show and more like a multinational electronic commerce company) and that they are open to the idea of expanding the DC Universe even further. Which means we’re only a few years away from a gritty TV version of the Legion of Superpets!