I hate the DCEU. Without being hyperbolic, I think the DCEU (and more specifically the Snyderverse) is the worst thing to ever happen to DC in the entirety of its nearly 90 year run. I wrote an article last year about five good things that I could actually say about the Snyderverse, but spent a portion of that article dancing on the grave of the failed extended universe.
So, here’s my question then: Why is it that after I saw the trailer for the new The Flash movie, my heart started racing, and I got super excited? After doing some thinking on that score, I came up with five answers.
Uh, Hello! Multiple Batmen
There are some spicy rumors swirling around concerning this new Flash movie (like Christian Bale appearing in it as Batman), but many of those rumors seem to be false – or, at the very least, highly unlikely. It would be cool if Bale appeared in this movie since he’s considered by many to be the best live-action Batman, but it doesn't really matter because my personal two favorite Batmen, Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton, are 100% in this movie.
Having grown up seeing Batman in the theaters back in 1989, Michael Keaton has always been my live-action Batman (with the late Kevin Conroy being my Batman of choice when it comes to voice actors), but I also love Ben Affleck’s portrayal of the Caped Crusader as well – despite the fact that I despised Batman v. Superman. He is the best (and probably the only good thing) about that movie. So, Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck as different Batmen in the same movie? Sign me up!
Multiple Flashes, Too!
To state the obvious, I don’t condone any of Ezra Miller’s controversial recent actions. I also don’t like that this is still going to be considered “Ezra Miller’s Flash movie,” because if anybody was going to be cut from this film, I would have preferred it to be Miller.
That said, for some reason, this trailer really makes me like the DCEU Flash – even though I’ve detested this version of the character in the past. Perhaps it’s because The Flash won’t just be a side character to spit corny one-liners this time, and instead it look like the hero will have interesting story arc where he wants to save this world because his mother is still alive in it.
Or, maybe it’s because I just like the concept of two different Flashes (“You stole my face”) having to coexist and work together. Whatever the reason, I found myself not despising Miller as The Flash when I saw the trailer, which is staying a lot since there are two of them around this time.
It’s Covering The Flashpoint Storyline, Which Is One Of My Favorites In DC
As far as company-changing events go, the Flashpoint story arc may be one of the biggest ones in DC history since it essentially revamped the brand and helped establish “The New 52” – setting up new first issues for almost every character and pretty much rebooting DC as a whole. The fact that it's inspiring the new Flash movie feels appropriate given that James Gunn and Peter Safran are now at the helm of DC Studios and changing things up quite a lot.
Flashpoint is a truly bonkers comic book story, and I wonder how much of that zaniness can actually be captured in the film – and, when I say bonkers, I’m talking about stuff like Thomas Wayne being Batman, and Martha Wayne becoming the Joker. If this movie can even touch upon the strangeness that was the comic book event, I can only be thankful that the Snyderverse led us up to this point.
I Want To See General Zod Get Another Shot In The DCEU
I was actually happy when I heard that Wonder Woman 3 and Man of Steel 2 were canceled because Wonder Woman 1984 was atrocious, and I felt Man of Steel tripped over its own cape from the very start – leading the DCEU in a downward spiral from the beginning. And, you know who I also thought could have treated been much better? General Zod.
As much as I hated Man of Steel, I didn’t think Michael Shannon as General Zod was the worst part about it. In fact, he was probably the only slightly shining light in that abysmally dark movie. That said, after he was killed and they used him for some nonsense in Batman v. Superman, I never really got a fair shake as a villain. Michael Shannon is a great actor, and none of the Snyderverse DC movies have really used him to his full potential. Thankfully, we’re getting Zod again in this Flash movie, so I just hope that they utilize him better this time.
Would I have preferred if we had gotten characters like Reverse Flash (Who might actually BE in the movie), or Queen Diana instead of Zod to make it closer to the actual comic? Sure, but since we’re getting Zod again, he’ll hopefully be much more interesting this time around rather than how he was misused in the past.
Supergirl Looks Awesome!
Since the Flashpoint comic book was the major event back in 2011 for DC, it featured pretty much everybody under the sun that you could think of. I’m talking Batman, Cyborg, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, you name it, they were in it. So, it’s kind of cool to see Supergirl will be replacing Superman in the movie version.
Actress Sasha Calle has already reacted to her Supergirl footage finally debuting, and my reaction is much the same: I’m super pumped. As somebody who has seen the original Supergirl movie starring Helen Slater, I can say with 100% certainty that this version looks MUCH cooler, and I can’t wait to see her in the movie.
James Gunn is certainly hyping the Flash movie, calling it "one of the best superhero movies [he's] ever seen," and we'll find out for ourselves when the blockbuster hits theaters on June 16.
