Messing with the past may be irresponsible,
but "The Flash" gets a lot of mileage out of reviving past versions of Batman. Here
are all the small details "The Flash" hid across its scattered timelines.
At the beginning of “The Flash,” Barry Allen is waiting in line for a custom
breakfast sandwich when he gets a call from Alfred Pennyworth. Chaos has broken
out in Gotham City, and Batman needs The Flash. Starving and already late for work,
the ever-complaining speedster asks if Superman might be able to lend a hand instead. However,
as both Alfred and a TV broadcast tell him, Kal-El is busy fighting…a volcano?
While not quite overt, this moment can be read as a reference to one of Superman’s
first cinematic outings. In the early 1940s, Fleischer Studios produced a series of animated
shorts starring the Man of Steel. One of these, simply entitled “Volcano,” has Superman saving
people from the eruption of, well, you guessed it. Given how many past incarnations of Supes
are directly referenced later in the film, this feels too spot-on to be a coincidence.
It’s just a shame that fans couldn’t catch a glimpse of Henry Cavill one last time.
Michael Keaton fans aren’t the only ones treated to some proper Batman action in
“The Flash.” The opening set piece in Gotham sees the Dark Knight chasing
down a gang of two-bit crooks who’ve stolen a dangerous pathogen. It’s the kind of classic,
broad daylight chase that Batfleck never really got to do in his previous movies,
and it evokes the Christian Bale “Batman” movies in more ways than one.
First and foremost, there’s Bruce Wayne’s heavy-duty Batcycle, which bears a striking
resemblance to the one Bale’s characters drives in “The Dark Knight” and “The Dark Knight Rises.”
"It can't be."
"What the hell was that?"
"Oh, boy. You are in for a show tonight, son."
But of course, the Batcycle didn’t start with Christopher Nolan. There
have been numerous incarnations of Batman’s motorcycle in the comics
dating back to the 1950s. Even Robert Pattinson’s Caped Crusader rides one in
“The Batman,” albeit one that actually fits with his Bryuce Wayne alter ego.
It’s also worth noting that the criminals Batman is chasing in this sequence are led
by another comic book character. The credits name their leader as Al Falcone, which is
likely short for Alberto Falcone. In the comics, the villainous Alberto is the son of notorious
Gotham crime lord Carmine Falcone, last portrayed in live-action by John Turturro in “The Batman.”
Though the name is never used and the device itself is never constructed, Barry’s method of
traveling back through time in “The Flash” evokes the Cosmic Treadmill. One of the
character’s primary methods of time travel in the comics, the treadmill was powered by cosmic energy
and designed to make jumping into the past and future easy. In the “Flash” TV show, a different
version of the treadmill appears, playing a major role in a number of Arrowverse events.
The movie doesn’t employ an actual treadmill, but the visual effect of Barry’s time travel seems
intended to reference it. Once he starts running fast enough, he enters what the films refers to as
the “chronobowl,” which lays out temporal events in 360 degrees around him. Once there, he runs in
place at varying speeds to either go forward or backward in time, thus causing the surrounding
events to expand outward or collapse into him. The mechanic of running in place is sure to make comic
or Arrowverse fans think of the Cosmic Treadmill, even though the actual action is different.
One of the most interesting tidbits dropped in “The Flash” occurs in a brief exchange between
Barry and Bruce. After Barry realizes that he can enter the chronobowl and go back in time,
Bruce tells him not to mess with the past, as doing so could unravel the very fabric of reality.
"It still would be wildly irresponsible."
"I knew you were going to say that."
Barry counters by referencing the last time he
managed to change time in Pozharnov-- the Russian city from “Justice League.”
Here’s the thing, though: Barry’s “one second” jump into the past at Pozharnov only occurs in the
“Snyder Cut” of “Justice League,” not the original film. Joss Whedon’s version has Superman step in
and defeat Steppenwolf before he can activate the Mother Boxes. But in Zack Snyder’s version,
the villain wins, forcing the Flash to run back and time and prevent it from happening.
By having Barry and Bruce reference this event, “The Flash” seems to make the “Snyder Cut” version
of the story canon. Larger implications of that would be the continued existence of Darkseid,
the Green Lantern Corps, and Martian Manhunter’s partnership with Batman.
Since the new DCU is effectively rewriting the whole movie timeline,
these revelations probably won’t have any resounding impact. Still,
it’s curious to see the franchise give canonical credence to the film’s infamous director’s cut.
If you thought that Warner Bros. would be content simply to reference its other DC
properties in “The Flash,” think again. At times,
the movie becomes a veritable “Space Jam: A New Legacy” of shoehorned nods to other WB brands.
Barry Allen’s bedroom in the “Flashpoint” timeline
is covered with movie posters for other Warner Bros. films,
including “Pacific Rim,” “V for Vendetta,” and “Inception.” His apartment is similarly adorned,
featuring a “Mars Attacks!” poster and computer monitor wallpaper of both “Mortal Kombat” and
“Looney Tunes.” Crazy how everything Barry loves was produced or distributed by WB, isn’t it?
One of the key differences in the “Flashpoint” timeline that shows Barry just how different
things are concerns “Back to the Future.” In the new reality that Barry creates, Eric
Stoltz plays Marty McFly in the movie instead of Michael J. Fox. If you’re familiar with the film,
you’ll know that Stoltz was indeed cast in the leading role before Fox was brought on.
In fact, production began with Stoltz starring and continued for a number of weeks. Eventually,
he was fired because his acting style was deemed too serious, and Fox was brought in to replace
him. When the original Barry mentions Fox to his doppelganger and his roommates, they say
that Fox actually appeared in “Footloose,” while Kevin Bacon starred in “Top Gun.”
General Zod is back. Just like in “Man of Steel,” he invades Earth
with his Kryptonian forces in search of a rebel ex-pat. Only this time,
that target ends up being Kara Zor-El instead of Superman.
With Zod come a bunch of other specifics from the Zack Snyder film. The creepy,
staticky announcement video that he broadcasts to the world is the same
one seen in “Man of Steel,” as is his ship, his power suit, and the gear of his forces.
The Flash - Final Trailer 1:01, General Zod, "This world must die."
One less overt but certainly curious detail is the use of a snap zoom in one shot of Zod and Kara’s
battle. The cinematic technique is prevalent in “Man of Steel” to the point of being downright
distracting, and the only instance of it in “The Flash” occurs during the duel with Zod.
When Barry Allen arrives in the new timeline he’s created and discovers that no one is
stepping up to face Zod, he tries to find the rest of the Justice League. That proves more
difficult than he planned, however, as most of the heroes simply aren’t around.
Temuera Morrison makes a cameo as Thomas Curry, reprising his role from “Aquaman,” but his son
Arthur was never born in the new universe. Barry looks up Victor Stone, AKA Cyborg,
but he discovers that his friend is still a star football player. This alludes to the promising
career detailed in “Zack Snyder’s Justice League,” which was cut short by the injuries
that led to Victor’s cyborg rebirth. Without that tragedy, he never becomes a superhero.
"Booyah."
The absence of Wonder Woman can be simply explained,
though it’s brushed over in the film. Since Barry’s time travel also affects the past,
it probably changed things so that Steve Trevor never crash-landed on Themyscira,
thereby ensuring that the Amazons remained hidden from the rest of the world.
The one Justice League member Barry and Barry are able to track down is Batman,
but not Ben Affleck’s version. Instead, they infiltrate Wayne Manor to find Michael
Keaton’s incarnation of the character living in peaceful solitude and cooking spaghetti. It
seems that he never hired more help to keep up the property after Alfred passed away,
which makes some sense given their bond. And with Gotham now one of the safest cities in the world,
according to him, he seems to have no real calling in life anymore.
Of course, he still has the Batcave, which proves to be a treasure trove of Easter eggs
for fans of Keaton’s “Batman” movies. When the two Flashes first enter the secret lair,
they’re greeted by a refrain of Danny Elfman’s iconic theme music from the
1989 film. And then they discover the Batmobile -- still arguably
the most famous version of the car -- right where you remember it resting.
Later on, the younger Barry discovers a more obscure item -- a retro “laughing
bag” prank toy. Those who’ve seen Keaton’s Batman face off against
Jack Nicholson’s Joker will know that this tool provided the villain’s last laugh.
"You dropped me into that vat of chemicals! That wasn't easy
to get over, and don't think that I didn't try!"
After falling to his death during the 1989 film’s climax,
Joker’s body still laughs. At least, that’s what appears to be happening
before the police retrieve the bag from his pocket. "The Flash" indicates that
Bruce held onto this trinket, either as a trophy or as a grim remembrance.
Michael Keaton’s Batman has a lot of gadgets, gizmos, and quick lines that pay tribute to his
glory days. We see Bruce open up a secret closet hidden in a bookcase that houses a
variety of batsuits. The central one is what he ends up wearing for the rest of the movie,
but viewers can also see his suits from “Batman” and “Batman Returns,” one that
resembles Adam West’s costume from the old “Batman” TV show, and another
with the classic gray-suit-blue-cape scheme of the comics, among others.
Once the rescue mission kicks off, we see the older Dark Knight’s tools in action.
Grapple guns and batarangs still get the job done, and Keaton’s fight scenes are
choreographed in a flashy martial arts style, right down to the perfectly emphasized punching
sound effects. The Caped Crusader also gets to drop some of his most famous lines, including:
“I’m Batman.”
“You wanna get nuts? Let’s get nuts!”
The Kryptonian rescue saga in “The Flash” takes its outline from the “Flashpoint”
comics event but its aesthetic from “Superman: Red Son.” In the former,
Kal-El is captured and imprisoned by a secret U.S. government organization after crash-landing in
Metropolis as a baby. Brutally experimented upon in a bunker far away from the sun,
he’s eventually rescued by the team of Batman, Flash, and Cyborg. It’s easy to
imagine how this scene would have played out in the movie had Ray Fisher not been
ousted from the project. As it stands, the second Barry takes Cyborg’s place.
There are two big differences in the movie version, however. The first and most obvious
one is that it’s Kara Zor-El, not Kal-El, who’s imprisoned and rescued. The other difference is
that she’s trapped in a Russian mercenary facility instead of a U.S. government lab.
This shift in political geography could be seen as a reference to “Red Son,” the
acclaimed Superman storyline that imagines him landing in the Soviet Union instead of America.
The ending of “The Flash” features a massive battle between the U.S. military, Zod’s forces,
and a hodgepodge Justice League consisting of Batman, Kara, and two Flashes. We see that
fight numerous times, as the two Barrys run back the clock to try to get a win. It doesn’t work,
but their efforts pull hard on the fabric of space-time, yanking in a variety of
other chronobowls from parallel realities. That's when the Easter eggs really ramp up.
The first universe features a black-and-white Superman, paying tribute to late star George
Reeves and his “Adventures of Superman” TV series from the 1950s. At the center
of this chronobowl is Jay Garrick, played by Teddy Sears. He's the original Flash,
and he even has his winged hat. Sears previously portrayed a version of Garrick
in the Arrowverse’s “Flash” show, though that character wasn’t exactly the true Jay.
Another world features Christopher Reeve’s Superman from the 1970s and ‘80s movies,
who appears alongside Helen Slater’s Supergirl from the 1984 film of the same name. Even Adam
West’s Batman makes a cameo, popping in from his beloved retro TV world.
"You may return to your business, citizen."
The biggest surprise in the big space-time climax of “The Flash” is the appearance of
Nicolas Cage’s Superman, who was meant to appear in the late ‘90s film “Superman Lives” but neither
the character nor the film ever made it to the big screen. Tim Burton was set to direct the picture,
and extensive pre-production work was done, but the project eventually fizzled out. Cage’s look
in “The Flash” is true to how the character would have looked in the canceled film.
The scene in which Cage’s Superman appears is also a tribute to the unfilmed script,
which reportedly would have featured a fight between Kal-El and a giant spider. That’s
exactly what the character is seen fighting in “The Flash.” It’s very silly, but also
quite fun and a nice nod to one of the biggest superhero movies we never wound up getting.
The ultimate villain of “The Flash” ends up being Barry Allen himself. Yes,
the freaky purple monster that knocks him out of the chronobowl near the beginning
is in fact an aged version of Barry driven mad through ages of trying to
save his timeline. This warped version of the character doesn’t get a new name in the film,
but he's evocative of a few different incarnations from other “Flash” stories.
The closest point of comparison would probably be the version of the Flash in Robert Venditti and
Van Jensen’s “Out of Time” comics arc, with art by Brett Booth and Ron Frenz. In that storyline,
a version of Barry from the future attempts to right a series of perceived wrongs through
the past, but he only ends up causing more chaos in the Speed Force and the timeline.
Fans more familiar with the CW's “Flash” series might have thought of the villain
Savitar, who’s revealed to be a future version of Barry gone bad.
"Who are you?"
"Savitar, the god of speed!"
Savitar’s monstrous form in the show is reminiscent in some ways of the purple
Barry in the movie, but the two are admittedly quite different in their
backstories. It’s also worth noting that Savitar isn’t actually Barry in the comics,
so it’s possible that the new film took direct inspiration from the Arrowverse.
When Barry finally gets back to his original timeline, everything seems to be set right. A
slight tweak in the course of events allows his imprisoned father to be exonerated,
but other than that, things are just as they were -- at least until Bruce
Wayne shows up to congratulate Barry on the victory in court.
It isn’t Ben Affleck’s Batman. It isn’t Michael Keaton’s Batman. It
isn’t even Robert Pattinson’s Batman. No, instead, “The Flash” pulls a fast
one via a cameo from “Batman & Robin” star and cinema legend George Clooney.
The 1997 film is widely considered one of the worst superhero flicks of
all time. The gap in time between it and 2005's “Batman Begins” has
been blamed directly on its poor reception. But over the years,
the film has taken on an almost cult-like status for its hilarious writing and campy style.
"Six million!"
"Seven million!"
"Never leave the cave without it."
With all that history in mind, it’s fun to see Clooney back in the role of Bruce Wayne. And it
helps that he’s still a huge moviestar who oozes charm and charisma basically everywhere he goes.
You know, like Bruce Wayne! So maybe Clooney wasn’t such a bizarre casting choice after all.