Brandon Routh's Superman would be the perfect Man of Steel to appear in The Flash movie. Once mired in a seemingly never-ending series of developmental road blocks, The Flash has turned a corner in a truly stunning way, becoming one of the central pillars for the DCEU's future. With IT director Andy Muschietti at the helm, The Flash has been positioned as a kind of cinematic re-interpretation of the Flashpoint comics story, not only bringing Ben Affleck back as Batman following his departure from the role, but even enlisting Michael Keaton to once more don the cowl as his Dark Knight. The movie is also set to dive into the Multiverse of DC movies and TV, hence why two different Batmen will appear, but the potential of further DC alumni doesn't end there.
In a recent interview with Geek House Show, Brandon Routh commented that the possibility also exists for his version of Superman to appear in The Flash. This comes after Routh's belated return to the cape in the CW's Crisis On Infinite Earths crossover, in which his Man of Steel from 2006's Superman Returns appeared alongside many other DC characters from various television shows and movies. The aim of the crossover was to unite DC's big and small screen catalogue as many different realities all living under the same roof, and among DC movies, The Flash is equipped to travel through them with the abilities of its title character.
Given that Ezra Miller's Flash is directly connected to Henry Cavill's Superman, an appearance by the latter in The Flash might seem like a smart move, especially with Affleck's Batman also in the movie and Cavill re-entering talks to return in the DCEU role after a long period where his Superman days seemed to have ended. However, with Routh's particular embodiment of The Last Son of Krypton bringing with him a specific set of attributes that no other version does — which would dovetail beautifully with the Scarlet Speedster's Multiverse-spanning movie — his Superman would be the one best suited for Barry Allen's long awaited big screen adventure. Here is why Brandon Routh's Superman should make an appearance in The Flash.
Brandon Routh's Superman Bridged DC Movies & TV Together
As soon as it was announced, it was clear that Crisis On Infinite Earths was going to be a DC television event like no other, but news of Brandon Routh's return as Superman showed just how expansive a crossover that it was striving to be. Clad in a Kingdom Come-inspired suit, Routh's Superman wasn't the only big screen DC character or Easter egg to appear on Crisis, with Tim Burton's Batman being referenced early on and even Ezra Miller's Flash popping in to encounter his Arrowverse doppelgänger embodied by Grant Gustin. The whole crossover made crystal clear that DC's Multiverse was indeed an infinite one, but Routh's Kal-El in particular was a key aspect in tying everything together.
Routh's specific incarnation of Superman intermingled with characters firmly implanted in the Arrowverse, while the fact that his Man of Steel was also a continuation of Christopher Reeve's brought a unity to DC movies and TV. While the Brandon Routh Superman was a critical component of tying DC's movies and television shows together in a Multiverse, Miller's Barry Allen was equally important in this regard. With Routh's appearance showing that crossovers between DC's big and small screen properties was possible, Miller's cameo offered a tease of the nuts and bolts of how they can happen.
The Flash Movie Is Exploring The Multiverse
If there's been a genuinely resilient project from the DCEU, it is undoubtedly The Flash. With the movie changing creative hands numerous times, and Miller at one point even penning his own script with comic book writer Grant Morrison, its troubles in taking off have completely reversed following the boarding of Muschietti. Previously described by Miller as opening the "speedster multiverse," those words were brought to life in a tangible way when his and Gustin's versions of the Flash met in Crisis.
Naturally, the addition of both Keaton and Affleck's versions of Batman were internet-stopping announcements, and together, they show just how serious The Flash is in its commitment to exploring DC's Multiverse. Essentially, The Flash is bringing the same hook as Crisis to the movie side of DC, and with Miller's Flash having already met Gustin's, there's nothing to stand in the way of him crossing paths with any other DC film or television character, including any incarnation of Superman. However, because of his own involvement in Crisis, Routh's Last Son of Krypton would be the best one to drop in.
Why Routh's Superman Should Appear In The Flash
Having been both a central figure on Crisis along with embodying two generations of Superman movies in one, Brandon Routh brings something that no other Superman actor does in his role in uniting different corners of DC's Multiverse. While Henry Cavill looks to be back in the Superman game, he also has not yet crossed over with non-DCEU characters. What's more, Dwayne Johnson's teases of a Black Adam-Superman showdown along with Superman's cameo in Shazam! (albeit minus Cavill), the DCEU future of Cavill's Superman, in terms of crossovers, seems likely to be fairly closely connected to that of Black Adam and Shazam. Similarly, Tom Welling's Clark Kent from Smallville only interacted with Jon Cryer's Lex Luthor from Supergirl during Crisis, and while Tyler Hoechlin's Man of Steel did meet Routh's, he still doesn't occupy both the theatrical and televised corners of DC's Multiverse in the way that Routh does. In this respect, Routh's version of Superman is unique, and the one best suited to appear in The Flash.
How big of a deal Routh's appearance should be to the story is a more open proposition, especially with two Batmen also set to appear. However, even just a cameo on the level of Miller's own in Crisis could go a long way, with Barry either seeing Routh's Superman while traveling through the Speed Force or briefly crossing over into his world, which could play similarly to the meeting of Flashes on Crisis due to Miller and Routh's characters having never met. Like Keaton's appearance, this could also set up a potential further exploration of the story of Brandon Routh's Superman, a prospect already made both possible and a great idea by Routh's Crisis appearance.
Where things currently stand with DC on film and TV, there's endless possibilities for team-ups, crossovers, Elseworlds stories, and revivals of long dormant continuities, as the return of Routh's version Superman on Crisis On Infinite Earths demonstrated. With Barry Allen able to zig-zag through different timelines and realities, there's also no reason why his movie need only feature Michael Keaton's Batman as a DC hero from another world for the Scarlet Speedster to run into. To fully set in stone how many doorways there are for Barry to run through in the Multiverse, The Flash would do well to have Superman drop in, and the best Man of Steel for the job is Brandon Routh.
