'The Flash' Movie Panel At DC FanDome Teases Multiverse and Reveals Concept Art For New Suit

After so many delays in production, it is understandable for DC fans to believe that The Flash movie would never happen, even with the general knowledge that it would incorporate elements of the Flashpoint storyline from the comics. However, recent news of Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton reprising their respective Batman/Bruce Wayne roles in this film breathed more enthusiasm into the fandom. On top of that, DC FanDome included a virtual panel dedicated to The Flash film. Though it was only ten minutes in length, it did enough to assure fans that the wheels are still in motion regarding the film.

The panel included trivia pertaining to the Flash, including the fact that the multiverse idea as far as DC has presented it was introduced in 1940’s Flash Comics #1. Exra Miller, who has portrayed Barry Allen in the DC Extended Universe films, explained that the upcoming film, “by opening that door that Flashpoint did in the comics,” allows characters from different worlds to collide. We even get a montage of clips from various DC projects that are not all of the same universe as the panel reinforced that pretty much every live-action DC project exists within the same multiverse, something that CW’s Crisis on Infinite Earths event played with several months ago.

The Flash movie director Muschietti, speaking about the film, said, “The most important thing is that it gets to your heart.” This may be reassuring to DC fans who have been concerned about how a couple of DCEU films here and there may have felt (depending on the viewer) like they were missing that heart and sense of optimism. It sounds like the tragic death of Barry Allen’s mother will be an emotional drive for the film, which makes sense given what happens in the original Flashpoint storyline.

When it was brought up that viewers of this panel would be getting something extra, it seemed for a moment that there would be nothing, due to Ezra Miller apparently playing an excerpt of Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up.” This was obviously a joke, despite Miller saying he did not mean to do that. It might have been disappointing for the panel to end right there, but fans did end up getting something to whet their appetites.

What we ended up getting was concept art for Barry Allen’s new Flash suit. It looks sleeker and closer to what Grant Gustin has worn on The Flash TV series. This is sure to please fans who have not enjoyed the more bulky look of the suit in the live-action films. This newer one was built by Bruce Wayne this time, further reinforcing that their relationship will be very important in the film. We even got an image showing Flash and Batman working together.

As far as future crossovers that he would like to see, Ezra Miller said, “I’d like the Flash to meet Nicolas Cage, the person, in this world, who I believe does have the ability to transcend space-time.” Miller clarified that he actually does mean Nicolas Cage, and not a Superman portrayed by Nicolas Cage. This surely brought a laugh to some viewers. In fact, I would argue that the humor delivered in this panel landed better than Barry Allen’s attempts at humor in 2017’s Justice League film. Hopefully, the upcoming The Flash film will be a step up and give the fans a big screen story that honors the Scarlet Speedster appropriately. The film, scheduled for a June 2022 release, is still a ways away, but at least the fans got something to potentially keep them interested in the project.

Written By Steven Shinder

Syndicated From Culture Slate