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Credit: Warner Bros.James Gunn is the new man in charge of the DC Films division of Warner Bros., which has been coined as the DCU. During a big reveal of the upcoming plans for the franchise’s newest direction, he revealed Ezra Miller’s fate as The Flash.
Related: DC Tried To Fix ‘The Flash’ by Giving Ezra Miller a Bigger Butt
Gunn has had his back against the wall with the ending of the DCEU, as films like Shazam 2, The Flash, and Blue Beetle all failed to make huge dividends while in theaters. The latter was the most successful, and Gunn appeared to be a bit more sold on keeping Xolo Maridueña in the DCU. He did mention Blue Beetle would be part of the DCU, but not the film he was in.
Though that does sound odd, Gunn clarified that more today by including Maridueña in his list of returning DCEU actors that would reprise their given roles in the DCU. The interesting thing about Blue Beetle is that he is often a huge ally to Booster Gold in the comics, and Booster Gold is one of the new heroes highlighted in Gunn’s Chapter 1 slate.
Apart from Xolo Maridueña returning as Blue Beetle, James Gunn confirmed that Viola Davis would return as Amanda Waller, and John Cena would return as Peacemaker. Both these choices also make perfect sense, considering Waller, the leader of the Suicide Squad, will also be in the same position of control for the Creature Commandos. She will also be given her own series in the Chapter 1 slate. Peacemaker was also always meant to return in a second season of his hit series.
Though these might have been the obvious choices for returning characters, Gunn’s confirmation left out a huge star: Ezra Miller.
James Gunn Confirms Ezra Miller Will Not Return as ‘The Flash’
Per @POCculture
James Gunn clarifies on that Creature Commandos & Superman: Legacy will officially kick off DCU canon. Also confirms that Xolo Maridueña, Viola Davis & John Cena will reprise their DCEU roles in the new canon.
James Gunn clarifies on 🧵 that Creature Commandos & Superman: Legacy will officially kick off DCU canon.
Also confirms that Xolo Maridueña, Viola Davis & John Cena will reprise their DCEU roles in the new canon. pic.twitter.com/EwbQNeCBVR
— POC Culture (@POCculture) September 27, 2023
James Gunn confirmed the return of the three mentioned actors and characters makes a lot of sense, but Ezra Miller is missing from his big reveal plans. Miller was the star of The Flash, which happens to be the biggest box office bomb in superhero history. Though Miller wanted to return, and director Andy Muschietti also had plans for a sequel, Gunn is ending those plans.
Miller has been a headache for DC anyway, as they constantly brought negative publicity to the film. Miller was named many times in the headlines through the last few years, often being arrested for horrendous crimes. He was charged with felony burglary after breaking into a home in Hawaii and stealing alcohol. Despite being charged for that crime, he was accused of far worse.
Miller was accused of grooming a young woman and introducing her to drugs and alcohol. He also allegedly had a woman and her three kids on a farm in Vermont, where tons of weapons and ammunition were readily available.
Despite the issues stemming from their arrests, DC and Warner Bros. allowed them to remain in The Flash. Miller made a public apology and did not engage in press for The Flash, but that did not help matters.
The Flash bombed horrifically, likely due to Miller’s past behavior. The unfortunate aspect of the film bombing is that James Gunn was already in control of the DCU, and he had to deal with the blowback of this film bombing.
We certainly don’t blame Gunn for wanting to retain Miller, and it would make far more sense for him to move on from the actor altogether. Most of the DCEU-era cast is not returning either, though there are plenty of rumors that Gal Gadot will return as Wonder Woman.
Related: James Gunn Dismisses Fan Hopes For ‘The Flash’
Either way, James Gunn can run things his own way, and if anything he produces fails at the box office, it will be his own doing. Miller’s fate should have been decided long ago, but Gunn’s reveal today confirmed what most people expected to happen.
What do you think of James Gunn not bringing back Ezra Miller? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!