Makeshift Flash suits, Kryptonian callbacks, and Bruce Wayne still getting nuts. Here's a breakdown
of some of the teases and Easter eggs that may have flashed by you in the latest Flash trailer.
The trailer's opening moments take viewers back to Wayne Manor, but it looks quite different from the
building depicted in Tim Burton's Batman movies. While the manor's exterior is slightly obscured
by mist, this one seems to be much grander than the one we've seen before. Why could this be?
Well, Burton's first movie used the iconic Knebworth House to film the exteriors of Wayne
Manor, and The Flash seems to have followed suit, as filming took place there in 2021. Of course,
it's been over three decades since the release of Burton's Batman,
so it's quite possible that the building has had some work done
between then and 2021. In-universe, Bruce Wayne could have done the same.
In 1989's Batman, Wayne Manor is mainly shown when the guests
enter the car park in a wide array of fancy vehicles. The Flash, meanwhile,
sees Bruce and Barry walk down a long footpath toward the front doors; it's entirely possible
that we're seeing a side of the building that simply hasn't been shown until now.
Helpfully, the trailer for The Flash reminds us that Batman's
parents are dead — just in case you didn't know.
However, this flick features two older and wiser iterations of Bruce Wayne,
both of whom have had decades to process their grief. These brutal life experiences
make both Batmen the perfect father figures for Barry Allen, another hero who understands
the grief of losing his parents. In their scenes with the Flash, the Dark Knights
reveal that pain has informed their entire beings. Michael Keaton's Batman tells Flash:
"That pain made me who I am."
Ben Affleck's version, meanwhile, informs Allen:
"These scars we have make us who we are."
It's not all doom and gloom, though, as Batfleck also encourages the young hero
to not let that pain define him. The trailer suggests that the Batmen will
have mentor roles in The Flash. And who knows? Maybe other iterations of
the Dark Knight will turn up to share their own words of wisdom.
The Flash stars not one but two Barry Allens. To make the experience easier to digest,
both Flashes have visually distinct costumes. In the latest trailer,
Flash Number One is sporting a comics-accurate red-and-gold super-onesie with lightning bolt
embellishment, and Flash Number Two is sporting... something else. What is that,
exactly? Homemade body armor? It's weirdly clunky for a speedster. Now, this new costume is barely
on screen for more than a second, and it's never seen up close, so it's hard to say for
sure — but it sure looks like Flash Number Two is strapped inside of a repurposed Batman costume.
Look at it again. You'll notice the red coloring appears to be a slap-dash paint job with streaks
of black peeking through, and that lightning bolt insignia is definitely painted over a different
logo. But the clincher here is the hilariously thick cowl, a staple feature of Michael Keaton's
original Batman design. It looks like the second Barry "borrowed" Batman's suit and
spruced it up at the nearest Michaels. Which is actually pretty on-brand for the Flash.
While The Flash will undoubtedly have its fair share of surprises, DC dropped a few cryptic
teases in the latest trailer. One interesting moment shows a mysterious figure standing behind
the child as Zod's Kryptonian terraforming device begins its destruction. The blink-and-you-miss-it
character comes on screen just as we see Barry running in the city, so those not paying close
attention may assume it's him standing behind the kid, but it's not... or is it?
The mystery character looks like they threw together their outfit at the last second, sporting
what appear to be random pieces of orange, black, and white armor. Unlike the rest of the characters
in the shot, the character isn't running away from the destruction, so it definitely gives
off the vibe that they're some sort of hero. The most realistic candidate would be the other Barry,
who features throughout the trailer; this scene might simply take place before he gets
his final outfit. However, Flashpoint, the comic on which The Flash is based, features countless
DC characters, so technically, this could be anyone. It's certainly no innocent bystander.
As the Joker once asked:
"Where does he get those wonderful toys?"
Of course, one of the toys that the Caped Crusader has at his disposal in that movie is
his jet fighter, aptly named the Batwing. This highly stylized aircraft is placed
front and center in this new trailer for The Flash, which is not a huge surprise — since
Batman is just a rich guy without any real superpowers, he needs some way to get around.
Indeed, the Batwing looks to be an integral part of The Flash. You may remember the vehicle from
a number of Batman movies, but perhaps its most iconic screen moment sees Batman scoop
up the Joker's poisonous parade balloons during the climax of Burton and Keaton's 1989 Batman
movie. Of course, the Joker isn't the biggest fan, and he quickly brings down the Batwing
with a comically oversized handgun. Whether or not the Batwing featured in The Flash is
that version or a new one, it's nice to see that Keaton's Batman still has his wings.
Those who have read DC Comics' Flashpoint will be all too familiar with what's to come in The Flash,
and it certainly looks like audiences will see Barry Allen and Bruce Wayne's
infamous lightning experiment on the big screen.
In Flashpoint, Barry wakes up in an alternate reality where his mother never died and he
never became the Flash. He soon realizes this new world is much worse than the one he left behind,
so he contacts Thomas Wayne, this reality's Batman, to help him get his powers back. The
two attempt to recreate the lightning strike that gave Barry his superspeed,
but the first attempt fails, leaving Barry covered in horrible burns.
The trailer for The Flash offers fans quick glimpses of a similar experiment. At one point, we
see one hand touching another twitching, smoking hand. Later, we get another glimpse of Barry
strapped into a chair as blue lightning sparks all around him. The Flash isn't a direct adaptation
of Flashpoint, but it seems safe to say fans will see Barry fighting to get his powers back.
This new trailer offers plenty of footage featuring both the original Barry Allen and the
alternate-timeline Barry, but it's conspicuously missing a few important aspects of the Flash's
story. Traditionally, Barry tends to lose a parent or parents to a villainous speedster — usually
Reverse-Flash. So what does this trailer tell us about the movie's potential secret antagonist?
Well, this Flash trailer shows the alternate-timeline Barry
far angrier than we've seen him before.
It's very possible, then, that he could end up at odds with our Barry. Since the
footage we've seen so far only features two speedsters, and since it's pretty unlikely
that the central character will break bad, it's possible that the other version of Barry will
indeed grow disillusioned with the main Flash, or perhaps become corrupted by the Speed Force.
Turning Barry Allen into his own worst enemy would certainly be a novel approach to the
Flash's speedster-heavy rogues' gallery, and making this particular version of Reverse-Flash
responsible for the death of Barry's parents might just be one of the biggest blows any superhero has
ever faced. Is The Flash willing to go there, or are there other, as-yet-unseen forces at play?
During the trailer, Kara Zor-El gives Barry Allen a pop quiz on Kryptonian symbols.
"You know what this symbol stands for?"
"It means hope, right?"
It's a brief scene, but this acts as a huge callback to Man of Steel. During that movie,
Superman explains the same thing about the S-shaped shield on his uniform.
"It's not an 'S.' On my world, it means 'hope.'"
With the weight of saving the world resting on her shoulders, it looks like Kara will literally
carry her family's mantle on her chest. She will now be the symbol of hope her cousin
once was — and since Clark definitely wasn't the type to give up on the good in the world,
it's likely that this philosophy will be carried through with Kara.
Fans of DC Comics' Flashpoint event know that an array of heroes and villains appear in the
universe-altering story arc. Superman, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, and Cyborg all play pivotal roles
in the story, so The Flash could be hiding any number of cameos. While it's clear that Supergirl
is taking Superman's place in the movie, could the Man of Steel himself somehow make an appearance?
At one point, the trailer for The Flash shows Supergirl flying through the clouds,
carrying a shirtless man. We never see the face of the mystery character,
but could it possibly be a dead or weakened Kal-El? In the Flashpoint comics, Flash, Cyborg,
and Batman rescue a frail Superman, who has been a prisoner since his arrival on Earth. Could The
Flash loosely adapt this, with Supergirl finding her cousin in a death-like state,
forcing her to fly him up toward the sun? On the other hand, it could just be Barry,
who needs to be closer to the storm to get struck by lightning. While it seems highly
unlikely that Henry Cavill secretly returned for yet another DC cameo, The Flash is definitely
keeping some things hidden for its theatrical release — so anything could be possible.
As you can probably tell, this new trailer for The Flash is absolutely filled to the brim with
callbacks and references to previous films within the DC Multiverse. Michael Keaton's
Batman steals the show naturally, and audiences are treated to costumes,
vehicles, and even famous lines from other movies. Take this, for example:
"You wanna get nuts? Let's get nuts."
This is actually a reference to a famous line from 1989's Batman film. At one point in the movie,
Keaton's Bruce Wayne is at Vicki Vale's apartment when the Joker bursts in with
his gang in tow. When the Joker attempts to intimidate Bruce,
Bruce retorts by flashing a hint of his own rage and aggressive posture.
"You wanna get nuts? Come on! Let's get nuts!"
Hopefully it works out better for Bruce this time around.