From Michael Keaton’s Batman to a new Supergirl, The Flash preview has a lot to geek out over.
While the direction of DC comic book movies is already changing, there are still a number of movies that need to be released, with Ezra Miller’s The Flash serving as their centrepiece. The movie from director Andy Muschietti (It) is DC’s take on a multiverse film, notably bringing Barry Allen (Miller) into contact with several different iterations of iconic DC heroes, like Michael Keaton’s 1989 Batman. New DC Film head James Gunn has praised the movie as “one of the greatest superhero movies ever made.” The event comic series Flashpoint is being roughly adapted for The Flash. Geoff Johns and Andy Kubert collaborated on the storyline, which centres on Barry inventing an alternate reality where Bruce Wayne’s father Thomas becomes Batman instead of Superman, Aquaman and Wonder Woman are at war, and Superman is kidnapped by the government and held in a dark underground bunker.
We’re breaking it all down to give you perspective for what you might have missed while you were getting excited about Rihanna since the Super Bowl brought with it a long-awaited trailer that gave us our first good look at the main plot and delivered lots of details to pore over.
Here, Barry appears as OG on the roof of Keaton’s Wayne Manor. As we get a glimpse of Keaton’s cowl and suit on a bloody floor before switching to Ben Affleck’s Batman at the mention of “another universe,” Batman provides some voiceover about what the speedster can do with his powers, most notably the ability to travel so fast he can move through time and universes.
Here is a brief recap of Barry’s beginnings: When he was a child, his mother was mysteriously murdered, and his father was wrongfully blamed. Billy Crudup, who was apparently too busy hamming it up on The Morning Show to return after playing Henry Allen in this scene, is replaced by Ron Livingston, who plays Henry Allen.However, as Barry states to Keaton, this new universe features a reality in which she survived—and he’s keen to ensure things stay that way.
Barry discovers that his mum is still alive. The appearance of someone who “stole my face” causes him to be extremely perplexed and shocked, which begins the interdimensional antics at the centre of The Flash. Barry in this parallel reality does not currently possess speedy powers. Though, a scene teases the two Barrys reenacting the lightning strike that gives the Flash his speed, so that won’t last for long.
The circular Flash ring that houses Barry’s suit in the comics finally makes an appearance on film along with a more faithfully reproduced outfit. That represents a change from the form that resembles armour that seen in both the Snyder and Whedon adaptations of Justice League.
America’s most well-known Dunkin’ aficionado is back for one last ride, and we finally get to witness Ben Affleck’s Bruce Wayne warning Barry about crossing timestreams and the potential for catastrophe. Chaos is in charge.
The plot starts to take shape at this point. Barry “breaks the universe” and creates a world without metahumans by going back in time to save his mother. This leaves Earth vulnerable to an attack from Zod, who is once again played by Michael Shannon (!) in the role of the villain from Man of Steel.
This is a little preview of Sasha Calle as Supergirl, who is shown here looking very frail and reduced. For the movie adaptation, Supergirl will play the role that her cousin Kal-El plays in Flashpoint. Barry probably breaks into the facility to rescue Kara in the hopes that she will assist in fighting back against Zod’s invasion, as seen by the combat sequence at the conclusion involving the guards, a freed Supergirl, and Keaton’s Batman. It’s important to note that Gunn hinted at a “punk,” hardcore version of Supergirl as a major character in his first “chapter” of movies that will debut under his control at DC. One wonders if this Flash movie will be utilised to erase the Snyder era that came before and set up Gunn’s upcoming stories because of its shifting timelines.
You want to go bonkers? Now let’s get crazy. Before he swoops down and kills a squad of troops inside the facility where Supergirl is being held, Keaton’s Batman can be seen for the first time in its whole here, complete with his trademark yellow oval outfit. Alt-response Barry’s suggests that Keaton’s Batman still has a significant influence on this world.
The trailer shows off some of the film’s major setpieces, including the two speedsters working together, Batfleck sporting a new suit with blue and grey accents, Supergirl taking down Zod, and Keaton’s Batwing launching missiles into the sky. Barry speaks to himself (PS: Nice Pacific Rim poster, alt-Barry) after learning about the consequences of his actions and sets out to restore things to how they used to be.
The trailer concludes with a dedicated introduction to Calle’s Kara as she bodies a unit of soldiers and tells the Barrys who she is before debuting her costume alongside a Batwing, as the heroes head off to fight Zod in the desert.
