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This piece was originally published in June. We are recirculating it now timed to The Flash’s streaming debut on HBO Max. Warning: Many spoilers ahead!
The Flash speeds into theaters this weekend and with it comes a celebration of DC’s past, present, and future. From much-discussed cameos to references to DC movies and comic books, The Flash slows down just enough to make sure its audience catches most of them. But for those you might have missed, we’ve got you covered.
Son of Falcone
The Flash’s opening chase scene sees Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) and Batman (Ben Affleck) going after “Falcone’s son.” Falcone is the mobster Carmine Falcone, who played a significant role in 2005’s Batman Begins, where he was played by Tom Wilkinson, and in last year’s The Batman, in which John Turturro took over the role. In the comics, Carmine has two sons, Alberto and Mario. The film doesn’t reveal which of the two they’re talking about but it’s a fun Easter egg for fans of Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale’s Batman: The Long Halloween (1996) and Batman: Dark Victory (1999), which saw Batman go up against the Falcone crime family.
Clark vs. the Volcano
Although we never quite see Henry Cavill’s face, his version of Superman does briefly show up. He can be seen on one of Alfred’s (Jeremy Irons) monitor screens dealing with an erupting volcano. Superman’s “battle” against the volcano may be a reference to the 1942 Dave Fleischer cartoon, Volcano, the eighth Superman short which saw the hero saving a small island community from an erupting volcano.
Wonder Woman Returns
Batman gets a last-minute save from Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), who catches the hero with her lasso of truth, forcing the Dark Knight to reveal some uncomfortable truths about himself. This marks the second cameo appearance from Gadot as Wonder Woman in a DCEU film this year; she also swooped in at the end of Shazam: Fury of the Gods.
Iron Heights
The prison where Barry’s father Henry (Ron Livingston) is being held is Iron Heights, a famous location in the comics. Think of it as the equivalent of Batman’s Arkham, a place where all his worst enemies, from Captain Cold to the Trickster, are contained. So far, the only member of The Flash’s rouges gallery we’ve met in the DCEU is Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney) who appeared in Suicide Squad (2016) and The Suicide Squad (2021).
Grayson’s
The building across from Barry’s apartment, which can be seen during his discussion with Bruce Wayne, is called Grayson’s. The name and the neon blue sign are a reference to Dick Grayson, the first Robin in the comic books who later became the hero Nightwing.
The Snyder Cut
The Flash treats Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021) as canon, instead of the 2017 studio-mandated Joss Whedon cut. Two scenes that only appeared in Snyder’s version are referenced in the film. The first reference comes when Iris West (Kiersey Clemons) recalls how The Flash saved her from being hit by a car. The second one happens while Barry is talking to Bruce outside of his apartment; he mentions traveling back in time briefly during the climax of Snyder’s film.
Bag of Tricks
After Barry travels through time and accidentally changes his own reality, he and the younger version of himself explore Bruce Wayne’s (Michael Keaton) Batcave. Younger Barry finds a small velvet bag that laughs when you open it. This gag was used by the Joker (Jack Nicholson) in Batman (1989) after he falls to his death at the end of that film.
Flashpoint
Geoff Johns and Andy Kubert’s comic book crossover Flashpoint (2011), which saw Barry travel back in time to stop his mother’s murder, serves as a main source material for The Flash. Supergirl’s (Sasha Calle) backstory in the film is similar to Superman’s in the comic, where he wasn’t discovered by the Kents but captured by the government and kept out of the sun. The film references the comic again in the scene where Barry straps himself to a chair and purposefully tries to recreate the experiment that gave him his powers, which initially results in terrible lightning and chemical burns.
Crisis on Infinite Earths
While inside the Speed Force, the space that exists beyond time, the two Barrys see the worlds of the multiverse colliding with each other as the universe is reshaped. A similar event happened in Marv Wolfman and George Perez’s comics series Crisis on Infinite Earths (1985) which saw the worlds of the DC multiverse collide and restructure into a single Earth. During this event, The Flash famously sacrificed himself to prevent the destruction of reality.
Faces of the Multiverse
Barry’s trip through the multiverse features digital recreations of famed DC stars of the past. George Reeves’ and Christopher Reeve’s Supermen, Adam West’s Batman, and Helen Slater’s Supergirl all appear on separate worlds. The black-and-white world of Reeves’ Superman also features a cameo from the original Flash, Jay Garrick. Garrick resembles Teddy Sears, who played a fake version of Garrick on The CW’s The Flash, and was later revealed to be the villain Zoom. Nicolas Cage also appears as a version of Superman fighting a giant, alien spider, a reference to the canceled Tim Burton film, Superman Lives.
Batman sans Robin
When Barry Allen returns to his timeline, he finds reality still altered. His Batman is no longer played by Ben Affleck but by George Clooney, who of course infamously played Batman in Joel Schumacher’s Batman & Robin (1997). Clooney and Affleck are also friends and frequent collaborators, and the cameo both references their shared history and provides Affleck with an exit from the role of Batman.
Merman
After an alternate version of Aquaman’s father, Thomas Curry (Temuera Morrison), appears earlier in the film, Barry reconnects with Arthur Curry himself (Jason Momoa) at a bar during the post-credits scene. The drunken Aquaman falls face down into a puddle and decides to spend the night there rather than return to Barry’s apartment across the street. Arthur will be seen again later this year in his film, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which will be the DCEU’s last project before James Gunn reboots the universe.
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