After years of waiting, we’ve finally seen the first full trailer for The Flash. It’s a superhero movie mixes the old and the new of the DCEUwith two versions of Barry Allen, two completely different Batmans, a Supergirl, and some familiar villains we didn’t expect to see again.
But, what exactly is the plot of The Flash? How has time become Barry’s biggest enemy? And why is this threat so big that he needs two Batmans to save the day? Let’s break down the new official trailer footage and find out what we can expect when The Flash hits theaters on June 16.
Barry Allen y Flashpoint
The trailer basically confirms what had been previously reported about the movie’s plot. The Flash is clearly inspired by Flashpoint, from 2011a storyline that also inspired the 2013 animated film Justice League: The Time Paradox and the third season of the CW series.
Whether by accident or on purpose, Ezra Miller’s Barry travel to the past and change the history of the DCEU. In this case, he avoids the horrible tragedy that killed his mother and left his father imprisoned for his murder.
But if there’s a common thread running through all versions of the Flashpoint plot, it’s that the meddling in time has major unintended consequences. We see the immediate effects of Barry’s meddling in time as he meets a younger version of himself. Judging by the number of scenes in which we see old and young Barry interact, it seems like Miller is playing a dual role for much of the film.
Another feature of Flashpoint is that Barry loses his speed when he wakes up in his new reality. It’s hard to tell from the trailer if the same is happening here, but We wouldn’t be surprised if Barry tried to get his speed back as an important part of the plot.. In fact, one shot shows both Barrys being struck by lightning, suggesting that they team up to recreate the original Speed Force crash for a double dose of speed.
In any case, it looks like both Barrys will have their speed in time for the climactic final battle, as we see a shot of the red and blue speedsters teaming up.
The trailer also reveals another nifty detail that is inspired by the comics. Barry now has his signature Flash ring that hides his suit inside.
Revisiting Man of Steel
The trailer reveals some new critical details about the plot of The Flash. Apparently, the new timeline Barry stumbles into is set in the year 2013. That’s because we see General Zod and his Kryptonian army beginning their invasion of Earth. Michael Shannon’s Zod and Antje Traue’s Faora return to the DCEU this time around.
Basically, Barry has immersed himself in the events of The Man of Steel, only this time Superman isn’t there to defend the planet. Earth has to make do with two speedsters who may or may not have speed, and a grumpy old Batman (more on him later).
This is another common trope in Flashpoint. Barry’s meddling in time not only affects his family, but causes ripple effects that alter reality both forward and backward in time. It seems that this new timeline is missing most of the metahuman heroes we know from the regular DCEU. From the looks of it, there is no Superman, Wonder Woman, or Aquaman.
However, there is a Supergirl. That seems to be another of the big changes brought about by Barry. In this reality, it was Kara Zor-El, not Kal-El, who crash-landed on Earth. And instead of finding a home with a kind couple in Kansas, Sasha Calle’s Kara has landed in government custody.
From her prisoner T-shirt, she may have been incarcerated in a Russian facility, suggesting that the film pays homage to the alternate universe comic Superman: Red Son or The Red Daughter storyline on The CW’s Supergirl. In that case, our heroes might have more to fear from Supergirl than from Zod.
Although it should be noted that this may not be entirely Barry’s fault. The Man of Steel includes a reference to a Kryptonian who escaped from the ship and who could have been Supergirl. Kara may already exist in the normal DCEUlanguishing in a dark cell.
the trailer shows a scene that is more than a little reminiscent of that of Black Widow, from 2021, in which our heroes broke Red Guardian out of a maximum security prison in the remote mountains. It seems the Barrys are doing the same for Kara. Despite her incredible strength, being locked away from the sun for so long means she’s weakened and not ready to take on Zod from the start.
but we see a shot of Kara in her Kryptonian suit flying into battle, so hopefully he’ll follow in his cousin’s footsteps by the end of the movie. Will he repeat the neck fracture that was heard around the world?
Tale of two bat men
But let’s be honest. We’re all here for the Batman. It’s clear that The Flash has a lot to do with The Dark Knight for not technically being a Batman movie. We know that Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton are reprising their respective roles. And considering what often happens when Barry Allen races through time, we wouldn’t be at all surprised to see more Bat-cameos.
in this trailer we only see a few glimpses of Affleck’s Batman. This is probably the Batman we’ll see early in the movie, before Barry rewrites reality. This Batman appears to have new gear, including a motorcycle that looks a lot like Christian Bale’s. We also get a quick look at his new outfit. This armored outfit resembles a sleeker version of the Justice League tactical suit, but appears to have a more comic book-style blue cape and cowl.
We’ll see more of the Flash/Batman dynamic in this post-Justice League era, and hopefully a fitting sendoff for Affleck in what is said to be his last time in the cape and hood. But as for whether more members of the current Justice League appear, the trailer doesn’t show us.
However, once reality changes, Affleck’s Batman seems to be replaced by a nostalgic icon. This is how it works in the original Flashpoint.
It seems that Barry is the unwitting creator of Tim Burton’s Batman universe. Although it makes sense that he’s Flashpoint’s Batman, because those old movies never gave any indication that there were any metahumans in that universe.
Judging by the images of the dilapidated Wayne Manor and the Batcave, it looks like Keaton’s Bruce has become a Howard Hughes in his old age. The Big Game ad shows us a look at Keaton’s armory and his numerous vintage bat-suits. Those Old Batman Returns Figures Have Finally Become Canon.
But it’s clear he’s still in shape after all these years. We see him don a bat-suit which is basically a fancier version of the classic rubber suit and charge into battle. The days when you couldn’t turn your head are long gone. We may have a fight sequence to rival Affleck’s iconic warehouse attack in Batman v Superman.
It also seems that this Bruce a new Batwing was finally built to replace the one shot down by Joker in 1989’s Batman. We still don’t know where he gets those wonderful toys from…
And this is all you need to know about the Flash trailer. Have you been excited about this sneak peek at Barry Allen’s first solo film? Are two Batmans enough? Write your review.
