Credit: Warner Bros.The epic final trailer for The Flash (2023) just dropped with a focus on the tragic origins of The Flash, Batman, Supergirl, and Batman, along with a clear message: you can’t focus on the past. You need to move on.
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Serving as a pseudo-sequel to The Justice League (2017) and The Flash TV series (2014-2023), The Flash movie follows Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) after successfully traveling back in time to save his family. This choice has drastic consequences, changing the framework of the entire universe.
The fastest man alive needs to get help from everyone he can to fix his mistake, including two versions of Batman (Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck), Supergirl (Sasha Calle), and an alternate version of himself (still Ezra Miller).
The final trailer for the highly-anticipated film has dropped, and one thing has become clear: the DC Extended Universe is moving forward.
‘The Flash’ Shows the Past is Better Left Alone
The theme of the entire movie is evident within the first lines of the trailer uttered by Michael Ketaon’s Batman: “I lost my parents. That pain… made me who I am. I spent a lifetime trying to right the wrongs of the past as if fighting crime would bring my parents back. You actually did it.”
A superhero losing their parents isn’t anything new. It is the origin of countless classic heroes, including Superman, Black Panther, and Spider-Man. Allen’s choice to go back and undo this event has “completely broken the universe.”
Somehow, we’re in a world with two Batmen, Supergirl has replaced Superman and they have to face the formerly deceased General Zod (Michael Shannon) from Man of Steel (2013), and now there is a second Barry Allen who slightly differs from the one most fans recognize.
While there are also plenty of excellent set pieces, especially when Batman leaps out of the Batwing as it plummets to Earth, the emphasis of this movie is clear: this is an emotional journey about focusing on the past instead of working towards a better future. And this is a message that will be harder for some DC fans to digest.
A Message To Fans of the Snyderverse
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The Flash movie marks the shift from the Zack Snyder-led “Snyderverse” into the new era led by James Gunn (the Gunniverse?). Fans of Man of Steel, Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), and Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021) have made their opinions known about his trilogy, so much so that they supported a complete remake of Justice League (2017) and have even been attending Snydercon events.
That being said, the trailer for The Flash is clearly saying that the Snyderverse is over. Most of the focus is on Michael Keaton as Batman, not Ben Affleck, this new version of Supergirl is seen repeatedly beating Zod with a metal rod, and many people believe that Ezra Miller’s version of The Flash is going to die in this movie.
One of the few moments featuring Ben Affleck’s Batman has the character saying, “The scars we have make us who we are. We’re not meant to go back and fix them. Don’t let your tragedy define you.”
This isn’t just a message from Bruce Wayne to Barry Allen; it’s a message from James Gunn to Snyderheads. That period is over. It’s time to move on.
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