The Flash (2023) can settle multiple DC Universe canon debates. While the multiverse has been part of DC Comics for decades, The Flash movie will bring it to the silver screen for the first time. The Flash is expected to be one of DC’s biggest releases in years and will feature multiple characters.
Despite being the first theatrical Flash movie, The Flash will not be a small-scale superhero adventure. The Flash will dive intothe DC multiverse, loosely adapting elements from DC Comics’ Flashpoint arc. In addition to all the questions about the multiverse, The Flash can also solve a few mysteries regarding Barry Allen’s origin story and the Justice League in the DCEU. Here are 10 DC Universe canon questions The Flash can answer.
10 How & When Did Barry Allen Become The Flash In The DCEU?
The DCEU skipped the Flash’s origin story. The DCEU’s Barry Allen first appeared in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, when a future version of the Flash showed up at the Bat-cave to warn Bruce about Superman. Batman would later find security footage from a meta-human from Central City in Lex Luthor’s files. Therefore, Barry Allen already had his powers during the events of Batman v Superman. However, it was not clear whether the Flash as a superhero already existed at that point. Present-day Barry Allen appeared as the Flash for the first time in Suicide Squad (2016).
Considering that Superman was the first known superhero in the original DCEU, Barry Allen became the Flash somewhere between 2013 and 2016. The Flash’s origin story usually involves Barry being struck by lightning at a lab, which is what probably happened to the DCEU’s Barry. That said, the DCEU’s Barry Allen only got a job at a forensic lab during Justice League. Therefore, how the Flash gained his powers in the DCEU may be slightly different from the usual DC canon. Regardless, The Flash will probably revisit Barry’s origins, as suggested by the trailer.
9 How Did Nora Allen Die In The DCEU?
Nora Allen’s death is a major event in Barry Allen’s life. In the modern DC lore, Nora’s mysterious death, which happens when Barry is still a kid, is what inspires Barry to use his powers to become a superhero. The death of Barry’s mom was the foundation for the Flashpoint storyline and has been revisited in adaptations like The Flashpoint Paradox and CW’s The Flash. Now, the DCEU will get to add its own spin on it. Barry going back in time to save his mother is what will break the universe in The Flash.
However, how the Flash’s mother died in the DCEU remains unknown. In DC Comics lore, the Reverse Flash killed Nora Allen. However, there has been no indication from trailers or spots that the Reverse Flash will appear in The Flash movie. So far, General Zod and the Kryptonians from Man of Steel are the only officially announced The Flash villains. It will be interesting to see how the events of Nora Allen’s death played out in the DCEU, and who was responsible for it.
8 Which Justice League Version Is Canon To The DCEU?
There are two versions of the Justice League movie. The theatrical Justice League cut was released in 2017, while Zack Snyder’s Justice League, the Snyder Cut, was released in 2021. The Snyder Cut, which was more than two hours longer than the theatrical cut, was vastly different from 2017’s Justice League. The Snyder Cut and the theatrical Justice League cut differ not just in terms of tone and runtime but also in terms of lore. For example, Silas Stone dies in Zack Snyder’s Justice League but survives in the theatrical cut. Likewise, Barry Allen mentions and uses time travel in the Snyder Cut but not in the theatrical cut.
Presumably, Justice League (2017) is the canon version, although this could change in The Flash. The Flash’s story centers on Barry Allen’s time travel powers, which allow the Flash to go back in time and save his mother. Barry and Bruce even discuss the dangers of time travel in The Flash trailer. If The Flash establishes that Barry once used time travel to help the Justice League defeat Steppenwolf, then the events of Zack Snyder’s Justice League will be considered canon. If, however, Bruce has just now learned about Barry’s time travel powers, then Justice League (2017) is the canon cut.
7 What Happened To The Justice League After The Steppenwolf Battle?
The Justice League’s status in the DCEU is a mystery. Justice League (2017) never received a sequel, and Zack Snyder’s Justice League teased several storylines that were never revisited. The DCEU distanced itself from the Justice League and its heroes following the 2017 film. For example, Henry Cavill’s Superman stayed out of the big screen until Black Adam’s post-credits scene. Likewise, Ben Affleck’s Batman will appear for the first time since Justice League in The Flash. The Flash can explain what happened to the Justice League after Steppenwolf’s invasion, and how the team actually operates following its formation in Justice League.
6 Are Batman Forever And Batman & Robin Canon To Burton’s Batman Movies?
Michael Keaton returns as Batman in The Flash. This is the first time Keaton plays Batman since Tim Burton’s Batman Returns (1992). Neither Burton nor Keaton returned for a third Batman movie. Instead, Joel Schumacher directed Batman Forever (1995), starring Val Kilmer as Batman. Batman Forever was followed by Batman & Robin (1997), in which George Clooney played the caped crusader. Presumably, Batman Forever was a sequel to Batman Returns, as it kept the same Alfred and Commissioner Gordon actors. Still, the Batman films released between 1989 and 1997 were mainly anthologies. The Flash can settle whether Keaton’s Batman experienced the events of Batman Forever and Batman & Robin.
5 What Happened To Michael Keaton’s Batman After Batman Returns?
The Flash will most likely not consider Batman Forever and Batman & Robin as sequels to Batman Returns. Otherwise, Keaton’s Batman’s story would be quite limited. Instead, The Flash can give Keaton’s Batman the follow-up story that never happened after Batman Returns. While Tim Burton is not involved in The Flash, Keaton’s Batman return allows the DC film to bring closure to such an iconic Batman universe. The Batman ‘89 comic book series was set right after Batman Returns and ignored the events of Batman Forever. However, it is unclear whether Batman ‘89 is canon to The Flash movie. Either way, The Flash will get to revisit Keaton’s Batman world.
4 What Happened To Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman After Batman Returns?
By revisiting the Tim Burton Batman universe, The Flash can also answer what happened to Catwoman after Batman Returns. Batman Returns’ final scene confirmed that Selina Kyle survived, although Bruce Wayne was not aware of it. In the Batman ‘89 comics, Batman finds out Catwoman was alive. Michelle Pfeiffer is not part of The Flash movie cast as far as what has been revealed. However, The Flash can address what happened between Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle after Batman Returns. Curiously, the Arrowverse’s “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover established that Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle got married on “Earth-89.” That, however, is not necessarily canon to The Flash movie.
3 Will The DC Universe Acknowledge The Arrowverse As Part Of Its Multiverse?
The Arrowverse has been dealing with the multiverse since The Flash season 2. It all culminated in the “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover event, which involved multiple Arrowverse shows and referenced dozens of DC characters. Ezra Miller appeared as the Flash in “Crisis on Infinite Earths” in a scene that bridged the DCEU and the Arrowverse. However, the rules of the multiverse in the Arrowverse are quite strict. “Crisis on Infinite Earths” ended the Arrowverse’s multiverse, although a new one has been formed. The Flash movie could acknowledge the Arrowverse through its multiverse. Still, Grant Gustin is not in The Flash movie, according to the actor himself.
2 Does The Flash Have An Established Rogues Galley?
The Flash’s Rogues are a major part of Barry Allen’s mythos in the comics. However, in the DCEU, only Captain Boomerang has appeared so far. Even still, Boomerang and the Flash were only in the same scene for a blink-or-miss moment in Suicide Squad. Captain Boomerang and Steppenwolf are the only known villains the Flash has faced in the DCEU. Assuming that Barry Allen became the Flash between Man of Steel and Batman v Superman, the Flash has been around for almost six years in this universe. The Flash movie can reveal, even if through Easter eggs, whether the Flash has encountered any of the other Rogues.
1 How Will The DC Universe Reboot Be Handled In-Universe?
A new DC Universe begins on the big screen in 2025 with James Gunn’s Superman: Legacy. While at least one DCEU actor will reprise their role in the new DC Universe – Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller – the new franchise is a major reboot nonetheless. A new Superman means that DC Studios is building a new universe almost from scratch. Still, according to James Gunn, The Flash resets the DC Universe. Therefore, The Flash movie is expected to provide the in-universe reasons for the upcoming reboot. As a comparison, Flashpoint ended with Barry Allen returning to a slightly different reality.
The Flash is the perfect opportunity for DC to address the upcoming reboot in-universe. The Flash does not necessarily need to reveal everything that has changed or will change in upcoming DC films. However, it could make clear that the original DCEU timeline that began with Man of Steel no longer exists.Henry Cavill’s absence from The Flash may be disappointing, but at least the film can bring closure to the original DCEU. More than ten years after Flashpoint rebooted DC Comics, Barry Allen will once again reset a DC timeline.
