Before starting this, let us make it abundantly clear that we do not support or condone any of Ezra Miller’s actions and are here just to talk about the movie. “The Flash” is finally getting its own movie after years of delays and changing hands, and what do you know? Barry’s time to shine comes with the death of the DCEU and the DC Universe seeing its own reboot. Good job, Barry; you always kept messing with time and changing things. The irony is not lost for this one, as not only can this movie canonically give us a good reason for the sudden shift in the DCU that James Gunn is coming up with, but it also has the opportunity to give us a final taste of how and in which direction the original plan was heading.
Right from the start, this movie takes heavy inspiration from the “Flashpoint Paradox,” one of the most iconic and popular Flash stories in all of DC., a moment where Barry tries to run back in time to save his mother, whom he lost at a young age. While this emotional tale won’t be told here, note for note, its resonance and looming shadow can be felt throughout the trailer. Accompanying Barry on this journey will be, well, Barry himself. Let me clear that up a bit. As he goes back in time, he finds himself back there, so we don’t have one Flash here but two different versions of the Flash, both of whom are Barry, and this sure seems like an interesting plot point that is well worth experimenting with.
Alongside the Flash, we also see Ben Affleck’s portrayal of the billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne, aka The Batman, potentially for the last time. Bruce advises Barry not to go back in time as he could break everything, but Barry refuses to think straight as he only wants to save his mother. Guess what? Bruce was right, and because of his meddling with time, he ends up in another universe (or alters our universe)? a tad unclear) with no metahumans, which means no one to protect humanity. Yikes.
Naturally, tons of action and mystery await us here, but there are still a few things worth talking about that immediately got us giggling like little girls. For starters, we get a glimpse at the ring that the Flash wears. For anyone else, this may not be a big deal, but for comic book nerds, this is as they’d immediately know what this ring means and how it opens itself and puts on the Flash costume on Barry. Then we have the return of General Zod once again, who is being played by Michael Shannon once again, and I am sure that absolutely no one can complain about that. We also get quick glimpses of Ben Affleck’s Batman riding the Batcycle and a quick scene where we get a look at his suit, where the cowl and the cape are visibly blue, just like in the comics.
Now comes the big stuff, with number one being the introduction of Kara-Zor-El, aka Supergirl, for the first time in the DC Extended Universe. Being played by Sasha Calle, this version of Supergirl seems interesting as it shares a resemblance with how she is in the comics but adds a whole new layer on top of that. She seems to be captured and kept contained by the government(that’s what it looked like) and seemingly is the only Kryptonian who made it to Earth, as we got no mention of Superman. Different universe, a different story, and besides, Henry Cavill has already exited as Superman, which is sad but a reality we have to contend with. It’s probably just me, but the vibe I got from this version of Supergirl reminded me of how she is in the game “Injustice 2” and the corresponding comic of the same name.
Then we have Michael Keaton back once again as Batman. What more can I say about this? He was the actor who introduced me to Batman when I was a kid, and despite the countless actors who have donned the cowl ever since, he still holds a special place in my heart. Hearing the iconic words “I am Batman” made me grin ear to ear, and I just can’t wait to see him in action once again. Keaton fans know what I am talking about, and I wish to jot down a paragraph praising Michael Keaton and not make any sense at all as I pen down my song of glee, but let’s keep it professional and say that it’s great to see him back in the role once again.
All of that pretty much sums up the trailer. We have a story that borrows pages from the “Flashpoint Paradox,” we have two versions of the Flash, and we also have two versions of Batman, both played by Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton. We also have the introduction of Supergirl, the return of General Zod, and more that we’ll have to wait until June 16 to find out.
This movie seems to be one to remember as it respects the source material, giving us an earnest rendition of a beloved character and potentially shifting the entire DC Universe canonically as well. All of this is coming packaged in a bundle that looks stunning (seriously, DC movies’ CGI has always been on another level), and we have no clue how many secrets it’ll come packed with.
Before I leave, I’d like to speculate on a few things and see how wrong or right I was about them when the movie comes out. Speculation number 1: One of the batsmen will die. We have never seen Batman die in any movie (TDKR doesn’t count), and since this is the last time Ben will be playing the character, and the universe is getting a reset, I feel like Ben’s Batman will bite the bullet here.
Speculation number 2: More heroes will make appearances. Aquaman might make an appearance here, or maybe even Shazam! The thing that’ll be really crazy is if Superman or Martian Hunter comes out of nowhere and shows up, even for a second, or maybe even we’ll get to see a completely new hero that we have never seen in the DC movie yet, like Hawkgirl or Green Lantern.
Speculation number 3 and the last one. We’ll get a glimpse of Thomas Wayne Batman. The movie is taking heavy inspiration from “Flashpoint Paradox,” after all, and this will be a missed opportunity if they don’t even give us a tease of the murdering version of the Thomas Wayne Batman. He was the star of the show there, and there’s no way they would come this far and leave us out to dry.
I know a lot of that sounds dumb, but that’s the beauty of speculation, isn’t it? I can dream of all possibilities within the confines of the source material, and while I may be absolutely wrong on all of them, it’ll be fun to see if any of them come to pass. We’ll have our answers when the movie releases this June. Are you excited for The Flash, and do you wish the DC universe continued, or are you happy with James Gunn’s reboot? Time will tell how it all pans out for DC, but until then, we are just happy and eager to see the movie.
