Warning: This article contains MAJOR spoilers for The Flash.
The long-and-highly-anticipated DC superhero filmThe Flashhas finally arrived after years of delays and setbacks, which, ironically, caused the Fastest Man Alive to come pretty late. The film appears to be the second to last DCEU beforeAquaman and the Lost Kingdom, after which James Gunn’s new DCU will start with a clean slate by rebooting the whole DCEU into the DCU.Superman: Legacywill be the true start, but Gunn has said that the upcomingBlue Beetlewill play a part in his new plans.
There’s a lot to unpack inThe Flash, as a superhero time travel film combined with the very trendy sci-fi concept of the multiverse. The multiverse has long been a major plot point in DC Comics, more so than Marvel Comics. While the MCU may have beaten the DCEU to the multiverse in film,DC has been using the multiverse in comics since 1961, and fittingly, The Flash first introduced the concept.The Flashfilm is filled with plenty of Easter eggs to the long legacy of DC on film. So let’s take a look and find all the biggest Easter eggs in DC’sThe Flash.
Wonder Woman Appears Once Again
Gal Gadot’s Diana Prince, the Amazonian goddess-princess Wonder Woman, is the DCEU’s constant cameo character. Like the MCU’s Hulk, Diana appears more often in other hero’s films than their own, and Wonder Woman makes another appearance inThe Flash. This is just three months afterGal Gadot reprised her role inShazam! Fury of the Gods.
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In the film’s opening sequence, Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen, the speedster Flash, is helping stop a criminal from poisoning Gotham’s water supply with Ben Affleck’s Bruce Wayne, the caped crusader Batman, though when Bruce falls off a bridge, Diana drops in and saves Bats with her golden Lasso of Truth before flying off to another adventure. Considering the DCEU is ending soon and theWonder Woman 3was canceled, this might be one of the last times we see Gadot as Wonder Woman.
A Multiverse of Batmen
Despite being a movie about the Scarlet Speedster, Batman was used greatly in marketingThe Flash. Affleck’s Batman first appears as the DCEU’s Caped Crusade. As Barry tries to travel through time by accelerating to impossible speeds, returning to the day he got his powers, and finding a version of himself ten years younger, he instead finds himself in alternate dimensions where things aren’t exactly the same.
After seeking out Batman, Barry finds not his own, but Michael Keaton’s retired crimefighter as the Batman of this universe. Keaton previously played Batman in 1989’sBatmanand 1992’sBatman Returns. With the return of Keaton’s 80’s hero comes his iconic theme from composer Danny Elfman that plays whenever the old and tired vigilante of Tim Burton’s films jumps back into the fray.
As Barry is speeding through realities in the Speed Force, Barry sees a universe that features Adam West’s Batman from the 60’s show, in the iconic style of the old-fashioned comics costume, where he’s presumably still catching baddies with Burt Ward’s Robin.
The final surprise appearance is George Clooney, who previously played Batman in 1997’s critically malignedBatman and Robin, at the end ofThe Flash.Since that film’s release, Clooney has often been apologetic about his time as Batman, so a return here is a nice acknowledgment that the actor is still part of the character’s rich legacy. He exits his limo after mysteriously calling Barry to meet for some unknown reasons, flashing hisfamous smile as the film concludes.
Into the Super-Verse
Barry, other Barry, and other Bruce try to find Henry Cavill’s Clark Kent, as the DCEU’s Man of Steel, yet they find instead Sasha Calle’s Supergirl, and she becomes the Kryptonian we spend the film with, though we see a lot more Supermen throughThe Flash. The film shows footage of Superman stopping a volcano, although Cavill’s face is not shown. They do show a brief glimpse of Cavill’s Superman through the Speed Force.
Later in the film, while peering into other multiverses, audiences see many other Superman incarnations. First is George Reeves' black and white Superman from the 50s showThe Adventures of Superman, recreated using CGI. Then Christopher Reeve, who embodied the character for a generation, is also realized through CGI alongside Helen Slater as Supergirl from the 1984Supergirl. This marks the first time both Christopher Reeve’s Superman and Helen Slater’s Supergirl appear together.
This biggest reveal, though, is the appearance ofNicolas Cage as Superman. Cage was originally cast as Superman in the canceled filmSuperman Lives, which was set to be directed by Tim Burton and had a script by Kevin Smith. The canceled film is infamous for the producer’s wish to see Superman fight a giant spider, and audiences finally get to see that realized on the big screen. Cage had previously voiced Superman inTeen Titans Go! To The Movies.
Another Flash
In a movie stuffed with superhero cameos through the Speed Force, the fastest is one of the Flash himself. This is not a version of Barry Allen but instead Jay Garrick, the original Flash from the Golden Age of Comics. Jay Garrick’s appearance alongside Barry Allen in the Silver Age helped popularize the concept of the multiverse in DC Comics.Jay Garrick is played by Teddy Sears, who previously appeared on The CW series The Flash. In that show, he was originally believed to be Jay Garrick before actually revealing himself as the villain Hunter Zolomon aka Zoom.
James Gunn is Canon
The greatest and most hidden Easter egg in a film chock-full of obvious references to fictional characters is the subtle confirmation that James Gunn exists in the DC universe. In the other Barry’s room, the walls are full of movie posters, and one eagle-eyed viewertook to Twitterto point out that Gunn’s 2004 movieScooby-Do: Monsters Unleashedis featured on the wall, meaning that the Co-CEO of DC Studios exists in the DC Universe to which Gunn replied, “I’m canon?”
Of course, that means the whole cast is also a part of the DC canon. There’s even a former Batgirl on the list, Alicia Silverstone, and that means she’s part of the DCU now, too. This means DC is running into the same problem of having prominent characters in film reference their own movies, meaning they have doppelgangers running around in-universe too. Too crazy to consider, but fun.
Other fun posters in Barry’s room includePacific Rim, which openedthe same summer thatMan of Steelcame out in 2013 and the year the primary action of the movie takes place.Inceptionwas directed by Christopher Nolan, who also directedThe Dark Knighttrilogy and producedMan of Steel. Finally,I Am Legend, which is a film that features a poster forBatman V. Supermannine years before the movie became a real thing.
Big Changes in the ’80s
Back to The Futureis actually a big part ofThe Flash, as the iconic classic among time travel movies clearly influenced the most recent time travel film. When Barry travels back in time, he alters the course of history, where there is no Justice League because half the heroes never became heroes or are nowhere to be found. General Zod is about to destroy the Earth, and, to Barry’s great horror, that actorEric Stoltz now plays Marty McFlyinstead of actor Michael J. Fox in this new timeline Barry accidentally created (which was actually the original plan for the classic film).
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Seriously, a character even has the Eric Stoltz version of Marty McFly tattooed on his leg, while we learn that Michael J. Fox starred inFootlooseinstead, and Kevin Bacon starred inTop Gun, asThe Flashuses a ton of real Hollywood “What Ifs…” to both distinguish the timelines and reference as many Warner Bros. films as possible.
Aquaman and The Flash Walk Into A Bar…
Even after the credits finish rolling,The Flashis not finished with its cameos, as Barry goes out for a drink with Jason Momoa’s Arthur Curry, also known as Aquaman, the King of Atlantis. After explaining the crazy events that came before in the film to a disbelieving and drunk, Aquaman walks out and then passes out, landing face-first into a puddle on the street. Knowing his friend won’t drown, Barry leaves Arthur in the puddle.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdomis set for release on June 17, 2025, and while not officially labeled, it could be the final entry in the DCEU before James Gunn’s DCU reboot takes place. It will be interesting to see ifAquaman makes reference to the changes Barry madeto the universe, like George Clooney’s Batman being part of this universe. Audiences will have to wait untilAquaman and the Lost Kingdomfor answers.
