With all of the sturm and drang surrounding DC's movie and television properties of late, it seems weirdly fitting that the new Flash movie is apparently delivering a version of the famous Flashpoint storyline. The seminal comic-book tale depicts The Flash traveling back in time to save his murdered mother and changing the entire DC Universe for the worse as a result. The theme feels right at home for a franchise amid a reasonably hard reboot, and while Flash star Ezra Miller remains a troubling and largely unaddressed question, the film itself appears to have its finger on the pulse of DC as it currently stands.
The film's real excitement stems from Michael Keaton's return to the role of Batman, as well as Sasha Calle's new version of Supergirl. If it's using Flashpoint as a basis for the plot, that likely informs the precise way both characters will appear. It's an opportunity to do something very different with the pair, who remain among the most frequently adapted characters in the DC pantheon. As a precursor to the announced "Gods and Monsters" line of DC Universe projects, they should make for a solid palette cleanser.
Batman Becomes Thomas Wayne in Flashpoint
The Flash trailer appears to show Barry Allen creating a world without super-powered beings when he goes back in time, which causes a serious problem when Michael Shannon's General Zod comes calling. In search of help, he goes looking for Batman and finds Keaton's version -- presumably from the 1989 movie Batman -- instead of Ben Affleck's (who has inhabited the DCEU until now). The two join forces with Kara Zol-El after freeing her from some manner of imprisonment to set the universe right again.
That's what can be gleaned from the new trailer, and the echoes of Flashpoint are hard to miss. The original miniseries featured Thomas Wayne as Batman. In the new reality that The Flash created, Bruce was murdered instead of his parents. Martha Wayne went mad and became the new version of The Joker, while Thomas took up the mantle of Batman: running a casino empire in his normal identity as a way of getting closer to his criminal targets. The movie version likely won't go that far since non-comics readers know Keaton as Bruce Wayne and not Thomas. But an older, more cynical Batman still fits the character's purpose in the story regardless of whether he's father or son. Keaton's version of the character works well for The Flash's purposes.
Flashpoint Promises a Dark Fate for Kara Zor-El in The Flash
In Flashpoint's alternate universe, the Kryptonian rocket carrying Kal-El crashes into downtown Metropolis, killing thousands and leaving the baby in the hands of the government. Barry Allen, Batman and Cyborg conspire to rescue him, and -- while heavily traumatized after growing up as a lab experiment -- he helps them set things right. His efforts focus largely on mitigating the disastrous war between Wonder Woman and Aquaman that has consumed this world's European continent.
The Flash may use a much different crisis as the fulcrum, and Zod's appearance in the trailer suggests they've found the villain for it. But Calle's version of Supergirl looks very similar to her cousin in the Flashpoint comics. She's seen in the trailer shivering and emaciated -- matching the moment of Kal-El's discovery in the comics -- and her short black hair evokes Clark Kent more than Kara (who's traditionally depicted as blonde). In this case, she may trend far closer to Flashpoint's Superman than Keaton does to its Batman.
Flashpoint sets the stage for The New 52 reboot, as The Flash ultimately succeeds in restoring the timeline and conveniently explains how the universe undergoes its accompanying tweaks. That makes The Flash a fitting stand-in for what promises to be a major reimagining of the franchise. It's only fitting, then, that the story makes room for two new incarnations of some well-established DC movie heroes.
To see how their new stories play out, The Flash opens on June 16 only in the theaters.