THE upcoming The Flash is set to be a game-changer for Warner Bros. and DC Studios, as it is poised to wipe the slate clean and make up the way for a new “cinematic universe” that is being planned by DC Studios chairmen and CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran.
Where Disney and Marvel had no problems in setting up and executing a successful cinematic universe, it has always been a hurdle for Warner Bros and DC Comics.
The latter previously attempted to do it under the “DC Extended Universe” banner, which wasn’t exactly spearheaded by a singular figure, but rather a mixture of visions by directors and creatives compounded by studio meddling from business executives that led to the current “too many cooks spoil the broth” ruination.
Though The Flash will mark the end of Zack Snyder’s old vision of a DCEU, the subsequent Blue Beetle and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom are part of the old “universe”, and the roles of these films in terms of continuity – as they all release after The Flash – are currently unknown.
To understand The Flash’s role in wiping the DCEU out and replacing it with Gunn and Safran’s new “DC Universe”, let’s look at two other comic mediums.
Paradox upon paradoxes
Back in 2010-2011, the DC Comics universe needed a revamp for their entire comic book slate. To do so, a massive crossover arc called Flashpoint was put together in order to wipe the slate and allow DC Comics to relaunch the comic books as “The New 52”.
To kick off Flashpoint, the comics had its Barry Allen (the main identity of The Flash) wake up and find out that the world was not what it was the day before.
There was no Superman. The world was on the brink of all-out destruction due to a raging war between the Atlanteans and Amazonians. On top of the global crisis, Barry realises he can’t use his powers as The Flash, and that the Batman he once knew has been replaced by a murderous Batman.
Also, his mother that died when he was a child is now alive. Flashpoint then becomes a way for Barry to find out what has happened before the aforementioned war ends all of humanity.
The crossover arc was a highly successful and wildly remembered one as it allowed DC Comics to tell different stories that diverged from what comic book readers knew at the time about their favourite superheroes and supervillains.
For instance, Superman did not exist, as instead of crashing in Kansas, his escape pod crashes elsewhere and the Kryptonian baby is seized by the government.
The gun-toting Batman is also revealed to not be Bruce Wayne, but his father Thomas Wayne.
Was that crazy? It gets better.
Traditionally, Thomas and Martha Wayne are killed in the alley in front of Bruce. In Flashpoint, Bruce is accidentally killed instead. In a fit of rage, Thomas beats the shooter to death, while Martha has a mental breakdown and becomes The Joker.
A lot of the re-imagining follows this line of thinking, where things that were supposed to happen, did not, and how these events changed history, along with how The Flash is tied to everything.
A race against time
Despite its craziness, Flashpoint was rooted with an emotional core centered on familial love, grief and the concept of moving on.
Before Flashpoint was adapted to live-action medium, DC Entertainment pulled it off in animation with 2013’s Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox.
It is a highly recommended watch as it is probably the last near-flawless adult-oriented animation to come from DC Entertainment, and most representative of what viewers can expect with The Flash later this year.
It is also much more accessible and digestible compared to trying to read the various comic books centered around the Flashpoint arc as the animated film closely adapts the original comics.
Unlike The Flashpoint Paradox, The Flash will be taking more creative liberties with adapting Flashpoint, as Andy Muschietti’s film will feature not only Ben Affleck as DCEU’s Batman but also Michael Keaton’s Batman, while replacing Henry Cavill’s Superman with his cousin, Kara Zor-El/Supergirl (Sasha Calle), along with introducing two Barry Allen/Flash (both played by Ezra Miller).
Any other wild changes will have to be seen when The Flash releases on June 16.
