The first solo movie set in the DC Extended Universe to star Barry Allen has been running down an incredibly long road since it was first announced, an itinerary that has seen numerous scripts, several director changes, and a delayed production date. And while the movie may not officially have a director right now, it sure seems like Warner Bros. has decided on a direction for story, and it's one not many people expected.

During its massive Hall H presentation at last weekend's Comic-Con International, Warner Bros. surprised everyone when it was revealed that The Flash's solo movie will either be titled, subtitled, or possibly inspired by DC Comics' famous Flashpoint event.

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Released in 2011, Flashpoint was written by now DC Comics Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns, and penciled by artist Andy Kubert. It told the story of Barry Allen who, after having enough of losing, decided to go back in time and save his mother from being killed by his arch-nemesis Eobard Thawne, the Reverse-Flash. While he started out with the best of intentions, Flash's heroic act had an unforeseen consequences: it created ripples throughout his entire universe, changing reality, completely. The Flash had inadvertently created an alternate timeline where everything and everyone he knew was completely different. His mother was alive, sure, but he had no super powers. Aquaman and Wonder Woman were at war, their respective legions of Atlantis and Themyscira waging devastating battles on a global scale. This new world was bleak, and dark, and crumbling at the seams.

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So why would Warner Bros. and DC decide to set the first solo Flash movie in an alternate timeline? That's a good question, but assuming this is the case (and again, it might not be), it's understandable why some people might find this an extremely odd choice. However, should the studio make this move, it could not only deliver a character-defining yet unorthodox story; it would also finally have the chance to get Flashpoint right.

In the third season of The CW's The Flash, Barry Allen created an alternate timeline after saving his mother. But that's pretty much where the similarities with the comic book story ended. There was no dark world, no war between heroes, no missing powers. There was just Barry Allen, living happily ever after. In fact, Barry was so content, he was only convinced to return things back to normal when Wally West got badly injured. The potential for a massive story told over many episodes was there, and yet Flash only devoted one episode to the Flashpoint timeline. Fans who had their hopes up for the endless possibilities presented were instead let down by a pale reflection of the universe-shattering, reality-warping comic event.

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But with an entire movie based on the comic series, we now have the chance to see Flashpoint done right. More than that, we have the chance to see a superhero movie that could be different from any that have come before. While most solo, introductory superhero movies tend to focus on the origins of a character and their coming to grasps with their abilities and what they can do with them, the Flash was never really defined by the former, and much more so by the latter. The latest Justice League trailer looks to position the Flash has a very new hero who will learn the superhero ropes thanks to his friends in the League, so there's really no need to go over that again in his own movie. Instead, The Flash movie can go right ahead and explore his limits. With such power, why wouldn't Barry decide to go back in time to save his mother? Creating "Flashpoint" would be the ultimate lesson to learn, something that would forever warn Barry about playing with time... something that the CW's Flash never seems to learn.

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Not only could Flashpoint be a great, character-defining story, it would be an event all its own. With the war between Atlantis and Themyscira working as a bleak backdrop to Barry's story (perhaps an ad hoc version shown as the now-powerless Allen attempts to recreate his origin in order to fix reality), this could be a great opportunity to bring in Gal Gadot and Jason Momoa back in their roles as Wonder Woman and Aquaman. After the friendship and camaraderie developed in Justice League, it would be interesting to see different versions of themselves go at war with each other. A movie's budget would allow for such massive, worldwide spectacle, one that would be effective even if it served more as backdrop for Barry's personal crisis rather than the film's main setting.

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Of course, a true Flashpoint movie wouldn't be complete without Batman... but not Bruce Wayne. In the Flashpoint universe, Bruce Wayne was the one who died in Crime Alley, and his father Thomas was the one who dressed up as a bat, fighting the city's criminals while armed with guns. In the comics, this darker, more brutal and violent Batman became an invaluable ally in Barry's quest to regain his powers and fix the world -- and Thomas did it all so his son could be alive in another reality. A story and role equal parts gritty and deeply emotional, a returning Jeffrey Dean Morgan would fit perfectly and smoothly into the role of an older, wearier Dark Knight. As eagle eyed-viewers know, Morgan had a brief scene as Thomas Wayne in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, a small cameo that would resonate strong in retrospect were Thomas to return to the screen as a much darker version of Batman.

It might have been a long race to get the Flash to the big screen, but now that the track is set and Flashpoint has been teased, we could be looking at a very special kind of movie, a movie that would explore Barry Allen both as a man and superhero. A movie that could show us what he has learned from his friends in the Justice League. A movie that would unite him with the father of the man who helped him become a superhero in the first place. A movie that would not only pit The Flash against himself and his ultimate villain, but a true spectacle of a film that has the potential to reshape the entire DCEU.