The Flash movie will feature several superheroes from the DCEU. While Grant Gustin has been playing Flash in the Arrowverse for almost seven years now, the Scarlet Speedster is going to get active on the big screen very soon. Ezra Miller will be carrying the torch as DC's super-speeding hero as he'll star in his own film that will be draw inspiration from the iconic Flashpoint storyline. Even though it won't be a straight adaptation of the comic arc, it will have ramifications for the DCEU going forward, because of Barry's time travel.
Miller will soon be seen as Flash in Zack Snyder's Justice League where fans will get a taste of him traveling back in time to change the future. However, the Flashpoint-inspired film will be on a whole different level as it not only deals with time-travel but also the DC Multiverse. Barbara Muschietti, who is producing her brother Andy Muschietti's directed film, has teased that there will be a lot of DC characters showing up. The film has recently gone into production and will be filming for several months, maybe longer due to the global pandemic affecting TV and film production.
As The Flash development and production progresses, more heroes have been added to the cast. Originally, Ray Fisher's Cyborg was going to appear in The Flash movie, but Fisher's character has since then been removed from the script following the battle between him and WarnerMedia, in which he's alleged mistreatment on Joss Whedon's part during Justice League production. It remains to be seen if other superheroes from the DCEU will reprise their roles, given Barry's actions will alter the entire universe, but so far, the film already has an interesting lineup.
The Flash
Barry Allen aka Flash first appeared in the DCEU during a brief cameo in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice through archived footage. He is seen stopping a robbery while grocery shopping, likely in his early days as a speedster. He then showed up in another cameo in 2016's Suicide Squad where he briefly encounters Captain Boomerang before locking him up. If the Whedon cut of Justice League is excluded, then there hasn't been a lot of Miller's incarnation of the DC hero so far. The last time fans got to see Miller was in the Arrowverse crossover Crisis on Infinite Earths where he and Gustin's Barry Allen get to share the screen for a brief moment. That cameo, however, is how Miller's version of the character gets the name The Flash.
In the DCEU, Barry Allen's father, Henry, is imprisoned for the murder of Nora Allen, Barry's mother. As in other iterations of the character, he gets a job in Central City Police Department's crime lab so he can one day prove his father's innocence. The Flash movie will likely see Barry continue in that part while also seeing the ramifications of time travel play out. Despite having already suited up and operated as a superhero, this is essentially Barry's origin story in some fashion. He's still not The Flash that people know and loves from the comics, but that'll be the journey he goes through.
Ben Affleck's Batman
A big surprise for The Flash movie was the announcement that Ben Affleck would be back as Bruce Wayne aka Batman. Given that he had already stepped away from The Batman (which now serves as a reboot for Robert Pattinson's character), it seemed like his time as the Dark Knight was perhaps over after 2017. But it turns out that the DCEU's Caped Crusader will be joining Barry for another big adventure after the Snyder Cut drops on HBO Max. What part he plays has yet to be revealed and it's also unclear how much Affleck's Batman is in the actual story.
But the fact that the actor is still wanting to play Batman in the DCEU might mean that Affleck isn't completely done as some thought. Even though Bruce's father won't be in this take on Flashpoint, it doesn't mean Bruce won't be affected by Barry's actions. Perhaps the reason Affleck is in it, is to appear pre-Flashpoint as well as after Barry tries to restore the timeline to some degree. Given who else appears in the film, this Bruce may cease to exist because of Barry saving his own mother from being murdered, which would bring in another Batman.
Michael Keaton's Batman
While Affleck's Batman is showing up, there will actually be two incarnations of the infamous DC detective. Before Affleck was announced to appear in The Flash movie, it was revealed that Michael Keaton would officially be suiting up again as his character from the Tim Burton films. Given that the story is leaning more into the Multiverse concept, it opens up the opportunity for someone like Keaton's Batman to appear. This will be an older version of Bruce Wayne from that franchise that was established to exists on Earth-89 in Crisis on Infinite Earths. When Barry changes the past and returns to the present, Keaton's Batman will somehow be the DCEU's current Caped Crusader as a result of Flash's actions.
This is basically the film's way of having a Thomas Wayne figure (who plays a big role in the comic book) without having the actual character. Barry will get to engage with a different Batman that is still Bruce Wayne, but not the one he is used to. A big aspect that Keaton's Batman brings to the story, however, is that he'll be the one to create Barry's brand new suit. But given that he's reportedly going to be considered for additional DCEU projects after The Flash, it's likely Keaton's Batman is still around post-Flashpoint. Perhaps this paves the way for Keaton's character to star in a Batman Beyond project that takes place in the distant future of DCEU.
Supergirl
Another surprise that was recently revealed was the casting of Sasha Calle as Kara Zor-El aka Supergirl. This will be the first time a Latina actress portrays the character in live-action. Currently, Melissa Benoist players the Arrowverse version on her own Supergirl show that is set to end after the upcoming sixth and final season. It's unclear how big Supergirl's role will be in The Flash and if it's a result of the Flashpoint event that she's suddenly in the DCEU. But The Flash movie will set her up for bigger things in the DCEU's future as there's a reason why she is specifically showing up in this film. One scenario is that the Flashpoint timeline rewrites history and has her be the last survivor of Krypton rather than Kal-El. Instead of Clark, Kara was the one to make it to Earth and become the planet's ultimate protector as Supergirl.
This will be the second big-screen version of Supergirl after Helen Slater played her in the 1984 film. There was a Supergirl DCEU film in the works a few years ago that was reportedly paused for unknown reasons. But with Calle now cast as the latest version of the heroine, it's possible the feature film is now being considered again. Since there haven't been any announcements yet on additional installments with Henry Cavill's Superman, perhaps this is a sign from Warner Bros. on who their new main Kryptonian will be going forward. Although, hopefully, this might actually mean that Cavill's Clark Kent will have another family member to interact with within future films. After all, Man of Steel did partially set up Kara's existence within the DCEU through its prequel comic book that came out ahead of the film.
It's also possible the introduction of Supergirl in The Flash movie will lead her into a future (and potential) Man of Steel 2. Either way, fans of Supergirl should have every reason to be excited as this will be the first time Kara gets to engage with other Justice League characters in a shared universe. With Kara now added, it seems she may not be the last DC hero to join the cast. Since the film is currently in production, more characters can be announced very shortly. Whether they are new or old DC players for the DCEU, fans can expect more faces to pop up in The Flash movie.
