The Flash trailer released during the Super Bowl 2023 included the first full looks at Ben Affleck’s Bruce Wayne, Michel Keaton’s Batman, and Sasha Calle’s Supergirl, with the latter shown as a prisoner – and here’s why. After going through various delays and other behind-the-scenes issues, Andy Muschietti’s The Flash is finally ready to be released in the summer of 2023, and it will be key in the transition from the DC Extended Universe into the new DC Universe, as it will reset the entire universe.
The Flash is influenced by fan-favorite comic book storyline Flashpoint, and it will see Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) using his powers to travel back in time to prevent his mother’s murder. This will bring unintended consequences on his timeline, trapping Barry in an alternate reality where metahumans don’t exist. Barry’s actions will also lead him to meet alternate versions of himself as well as of other heroes, such as Michael Keaton’s version of Batman and the Kryptonian castaway Supergirl. Together, they will save the world from the restored General Zod (Michael Shannon) before returning to their universes. Now, the trailer for The Flash shows Kara Zor-El/Supergirl as a prisoner, and while it might come as a surprise, it’s actually fitting with the Flashpoint storyline.
Supergirl Is A Government Lab-Rat (Like Superman In The Flashpoint Comic)
Flashpoint is a crossover event published in 2011 and written by Geoff Johns with art by Andy Kubert, and it was key in DC Comics’ The New 52 relaunch. In it, Barry Allen wakes up to discover he’s in a very different reality where he’s not Flash as he doesn’t have powers, his mother is alive but his father is dead, the Justice League was never formed, Cyborg is the world’s quintessential hero, and Batman is actually Thomas Wayne, as in this timeline, Bruce was killed by the robber, who Thomas later beat to death, after which Martha went insane and became the Joker. In addition to all that, Kal-El was taken by Project: Superman and became a government lab-rat in an underground facility in Metropolis. Barry (with his powers restored), Batman, and Cyborg rescue Superman, who seems to have been in a containment cell since childhood, but he flies off.
The Flash trailer shows Kara Zor-El taking Superman’s role in Flashpoint as there are many similarities between their stories. Kara is shown in prison, where she’s very weak and scared, after going through various experiments and more. Barry and Batman are also shown rescuing Kara and the latter helping them fight the guards at the facility right when it seemed like Barry and the Caped Crusader were in danger. Although The Flash isn’t being marketed as an adaptation of Flashpoint and instead as being influenced by it, Kara’s role in the movie might end up being different from that of Superman in the comic book event, but she’s taking many elements from it.
Why The Flash Movie Uses Supergirl Instead Of Superman
By the time The Flash was announced as part of the DCEU, this universe already had its own Superman thanks to Henry Cavill, but the DCEU went through many changes between that and The Flash entering production. Cavill’s future as Superman has been confusing since the release of Joss Whedon’s Justice League, and by the time The Flash was in development, he had seemingly left the DCEU, so he wasn’t going to be part of The Flash even if the story had a place for him. The best option, then, was to replace Superman with a character with a similar origin whose story could be easily adapted to fit Superman’s role, and who better than Supergirl. The Flash exploring alternate realities makes Supergirl’s introduction easier and smoother, as there can be a universe where instead of Kal-El arriving at Earth, it was Kara Zor-El.
What Will Supergirl's Role Be In The Flash Movie?
Even though The Flash is finally arriving in theaters in the summer of 2023, not many plot details have been released, and all there’s known about Supergirl’s role comes from the only trailer that has shown her so far. With that in mind, and taking into account Superman’s role in Flashpoint, Supergirl will obviously be an ally to Flash and Batman, and a very important one when fighting against Zod (the trailer briefly shows Supergirl in full costume, using her powers and beating Zod), more so as they might have some history together. As Barry accidentally created a world without metahumans, Supergirl might be his only hope to stop Zod and fix some of his time-and-space mistakes, but it won’t be an easy road for her after being in captivity for so long. Supergirl has a confirmed place in the DCU as she’s getting a movie titled Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, so the events of The Flash could be key in shaping her future, though what’s to be seen is if the DCU’s Supergirl will be played by Sasha Calle or if she will be recast.
