DC has a lot riding on next month’s big cinema release. The Flash, led by Ezra Miller, has sped a rough road to the big screen, but against a backdrop of real world controversy and a highly publicised last-gasp changing of the DC guard, the film will land in a few weeks’ time. But that’s not the only reason it’s one of the most anticipated films of the summer.
The character itself is one of DC’s finest, familiar to fans on both big and small screens. Leading his own DCEU film was always on the cards, and when you look at ExpressVPN’s guide to The Flash, you can get an idea of the storied history of the Scarlet Speedster and learn some fun new facts. For example, I was utterly unaware of his trio of companions in the ’40s called The Three Dimwits (perfectly named Winky Moylan, Blinky Boylan, and Noddy Toylan). Now I know they exist, I kind of want a spin-off movie about their ridiculous War Year capers (after all – they created a time machine at one point…)
It is a tale worthy of Bizarro World that Andy Muschietti’s film can be seen as ultimately irrelevant given the DC helm-taking of James Gunn and Peter Safran while also being the most important DC film of them all. It is a cinematic door through which the entire DC world(s) exists. For, just as Doctor Strange and Wanda Maximoff unlocked the Multiverse over in the MCU and we’re weeks away from an eager return to the wonderful Spider-Verse, DC’s Multiversal Rubicon is about to be crossed.
The history of DC’s Multiverse is long and complex, featuring humble beginnings, tangled webs of various crises, doom, destruction and rebirth. The comic page below details its first moments as it winked into existence, but for more information, check out the comprehensive article over at DC.com. A more inviting entrance to the rabbit hole you will not find outside of Wonderland.
So, the stage is set. Audiences have been acclimatised to the idea of different ‘universes’ colliding by the nostalgia hammer hitting the sweet spot of seeing old favourites don their costumes one more time. A cynical move, perhaps, to shore up ailing franchises, but let me be clear – the notion of seeing Michael Keaton returning as Batman/Bruce Wayne is a potent one, and almost guarantees my ticket already booked.
For yes, I am that old, and I remember well the absolute unrelenting media assault of Tim Burton’s Batman back in ’89. It was the first 12-rated film I saw (and the first 12-rated film anyone saw – as it was the first 12-rated film ever), and I did so while (accidentally, I promise you) wearing a t-shirt with the ubiquitous Bat logo on it. So, this spicy little ingredient makes for a mouth-watering moment of cinematic bookending for this writer. But that’s not all.
The Flash stages the final hurrah for the Snyderverse, with Ben Affleck returning as Bruce Wayne along with Michael Shannon’s General Zod and rumoured cameos from Gal Gadot (whose costumed tenure deserved far better than she was given), Jeremy Irons and more. This film can be seen as the door closing on the first big screen Justice League universe. It was an uneven, unwieldy prospect even at the height of its popularity. Zack Snyder’s visual heft and eye for a triumphant cinematic moment successfully mapped the comic book world on a genuine human scale, but it was not to be. The Flash will mark an end and a beginning.
And for a moment, things will look up. After all, once the DC Multiverse is introduced, the sky is the limit. With so much to explore, infinite Earths, one might say, what could possibly go wrong…
The Flash hits UK and US cinemas on the 16th of June, 2023.
