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A new trailer for The Flash dropped on Super Bowl Sunday, and we’re still in shock at all the new visuals Warner Bros. shared. It’s no secret the Flash film is supposed to act as a soft reset button for the DCEU. This fact was already known under Walter Hamada’s regime and remained the same under James Gunn and Peter Safran’s new direction.
The Flash will premiere on June 16, 2023, having undergone extensive re-shoots and multiple tweaks to make it accessible to newcomers and address many issues plaguing the DCEU. However, eagle-eyed fans will notice a few elements straight out of the comics being used as the basis for this film’s storyline—here is a list of everything in The Flash trailer that was pulled straight out of the comics.
10 Barry’s Motivations to Go Back in Time
Until recently, fans didn’t know much about Barry’s powers other than that he could run faster than the speed of light. While Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice and the Justice League film showed us more of Flash’s powers, it wasn’t until Zack Snyder’s extended Justice League cut that we got to see the true scope of Barry’s powers: he can travel back in time and reverse reality at will.
In the original Flashpoint miniseries, Barry decides to go back in time and fix the one thing he could never undo: the death of his mother. This single decision sets off a chain of events that transforms the DC Universe beyond recognition. The biggest change is that Barry is with his mother again, but he’s powerless in the new reality he created.
9 The Butterfly Effect of Barry’s Actions
As Barry wakes in the new Flashpoint reality with no powers, he finds that he’s changed a lot than he originally intended. His mom is alive and well in this alternate DC universe, but Iris Allen is no longer Barry’s fiancée. There is no Justice League. Aquaman and Wonder Woman are at war over Europe, obliterating most of the old continent. Bruce Wayne is dead. Instead, Thomas Wayne is Batman, and Martha Wayne is The Joker.
We may be dealing with two different-powered versions of Barry Allen in the new trailer, but there’s no Superman to stop General Zod’s invasion from Man of Steel. Based on the source material, it’s safe to say that at least one of the two Barrys in the film will be stripped of his powers. Barry also states that saving his mom created a world without metahumans, leaving it vulnerable to attacks.
8 The Original DCEU Gets Replaced with an Alternate Version of It
In the original Flashpoint Storyline, the classic DC Universe created after the Crisis of Infinite Earths was changed by the Flashpoint Universe. In the Flash film, we’re dealing with a multiverse extravaganza. The trailer not only teases Ben Affleck’s Batman in action, but we’re also treated to another blast from the past.
In the film, Michael Keaton’s Batman role seems significant since we see him in the trailer beating thugs, saving Barry, and liberating Supergirl from imprisonment. We still need to find out the extension of the multiverse shenanigans in the Flash film, but fans remain hopeful to see other cinematic versions of these characters on screen, as in Marvel’s Spider-Man No Way Home.
7 The Presence of Two Flashes
In the original Flashpoint storyline, we see two Flashes interacting with a significant difference: The second Flash is not an alternate Barry Allen. It’s Eobard Thawne, the Reverse Flash. He’s the mastermind behind the Flashpoint reality, as he reveals in the comic story. The Flash film takes a different approach.
We already know about the presence of a Dark Flash in the film, but we have yet to see if he’s the main antagonist or if he’s another variant of Barry trying to stop him from fixing the mess he created by changing the past. There’s also no hint about this character being played by other actors who have played The Flash in the past.
6 A Rough, Older Batman Partners with Barry
Batman plays a pivotal role in the story of the original Flashpoint comic. He’s the first character to believe Barry’s claims about the world being twisted by his actions. This only happens because Barry knows who Batman is and where he’s based. The plot thickens for Barry when he realizes this is not the Batman he knows.
Batman is Thomas Wayne in this reality. He became Batman to cope with the loss of his son Bruce and his wife, Martha. Joe Chill killed Bruce in Crime Alley, which drove Martha Wayne to insanity, transforming her into the Flashpoint Universe’s The Joker. In The Flash film, Michael Keaton is back as Batman, but we have yet to learn his motivations for teaming up with Barry.
5 Kryptonians are a Top Government Secret
In the Flashpoint storyline, Kal-El of Krypton never landed in rural Smallville. In this universe, he landed on Metropolis. As expected, the alien became a top government secret, locked in a vault deep inside the earth and away from any sunlight (the primary source of Superman’s powers). Superman was freed by Barry, Batman, and Cyborg just to run and cower in fear. He would return later in the final battle to stand against Wonder Woman and Aquaman.
The Flash film takes a different approach to this. Batman and Barry go to the rescue of Superman, but they find Kara Zor-El instead—better known as Supergirl. We have yet to learn which role she plays in this adventure, but we know she’s being held in a dark place, and the minute she gets sunlight, she wreaks havoc on her captors. Supergirl is later seen fully in costume and breaking the sound barrier while flying.
4 Twisted Heroes
The Flashpoint storyline gives us many alternates takes on nearly all popular DC heroes. Most characters are twisted versions of themselves. We still don’t know how many more DC characters are making a cameo in The Flash, but we can look forward to some exciting twists. For example, Lois Lane is a Freedom Fighter. Abin Sur is the Earth’s Green Lantern.
One of the most unfortunate changes in the story happens to the character of The Enchantress. A villain staple in the main DC universe who seems to be on the good guys’ side goes crazy in the final battle and kills Grifter along other members of the resistance. Legacy characters like Hal Jordan never assume their superhero identity but still die as heroes in the story.
3 Villains Rise to Power
In the world of Flashpoint, chaos is a constant. Barry’s meddling with the main timeline has made villains out of heroes and vice versa. Some of the most significant changes are seen in characters like Deathstroke, who’s no longer a hitman but a pirate. Captain Cold is no longer a villain but the main hero of Central City. Aquaman and Wonder Woman are tyrants, hell-bent on war.
In The Flash trailer, we don’t see a particular villain or hero in reversed roles, but we know that villains run amok in the new reality created by Barry. With no metahumans to protect the earth, the planet is open to the attacks of General Zod’s Kryptonian armada. We may also see other villains pop up in reversed roles.
2 A World Gone
The Flashpoint storyline was a soft reset of the DC Universe in the comics. The company merged three different realities where most stories took place: The main DC universe, The Wildstorm universe (home to characters like Wild CATS and The Authority), and the Vertigo universe. The frantic melee where hell breaks loose involves nearly all the altered versions of the DC characters. The Flash has to run back in time and stop himself from saving his mother. This action resets the DC universe merging all realities into a single one, a new universe that would be later known as the DCN52.
The Flash is looking to accomplish the same for the convoluted mess that is the cinematic side of the DC universe, with Gunn and Safran bringing new actors to play the most relevant roles in their new universe while keeping a few elements of the old one.
1 A Look into The Future
Gunn has released a new slate of DC films for the next ten years. Some high-profile projects with the new Wildstorm characters are already lined up, including a new version of Superman and the debut of The Authority, a JLA-like team of super-powered beings who believes the end justifies the means.
The promise of this new take has sparked the rage of some fans online, calling for the dismissal of Gunn and Safran. However, having the talent of actual filmmakers and writers who love the source material can only do good for the DC brand.
The DCN52 sparked a lot of interest in DC characters, with new fans enjoying the fresh take on many of these decade-old properties; here’s hoping the new direction of the DCEU does the same for their films.
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