After Watching The Dark Knight trilogy and the trailer for the upcoming film Man of Steel, I wanted to come up with a idea for a Flash Trilogy that is linked to both movies. Im not really a Nolanite as some have been dubbed but I do like the world and setting Chris Nolan presented to us in his films and how him and Zack Synder are presenting Superman's tale in the upcoming movie.
This is my first article and a real rough rough draft of an idea that popped up in my head one day after watching the trilogy from Batman Begins to Dark Knight Rises
First the films take place in the same universe as Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy and Snyders Man of Steel despite their statements of the worlds not being the same. I wish to merge them and create a DC Cinematic Universe. With that said I understand that Nolan has made it a point to not include any metahuman, alien or supernatural powers in his Dark Knight movies but Snyder obviously has to due to the fact that its Superman who origin is alien. I will continue the most realistic tone of Dark Knight while also trying to ground the powers and villains as well so that it would be plausible for something to actually happen.
Second I really dont have ANY cast choices in mind at all. I purely thought of it story wise and how the look and feel could be. I have some people in mind but its really not a end all or be all of cast choice, whoever you feel would make the best casting choice is really up to your own mind. So lets begin, keep in mine the first movie description will be more detailed as the rest due to it being the origin story and it sets the tone and mythos of the Trilogy
The Flash
On a Stormy Night, Nora Allen gives birth to twin boys but one of them is taken away by a Dr. Gilmore and later pronounced stillborn. The surviving boy is named Barry Allen. We fast-forward 16 years later to Fallville, Iowa and a 16 year old Barry Allen gets in trouble for being late as usual to class by his Science teacher Dr. Ira West. Dr. West calls a meeting between himself, Barry, Nora Allen and The Principle, afterward Nora decides since his birthday is the next day, which also marks the day of his twin's brother death that she will not tell his father Henry Allen because tomorrow is a pretty hard day on him. Barry and his best friend Daphne Dean discuss online thru webcam his latest escape of trouble as well as references to the events that occurred at the end of The Dark Knight (Batman being blamed for the death of Harvey Dent). They also discuss Barry's hero, Track Star, All American Gold Medalist Jay Garrick who was nicknamed the Flash. Meanwhile Henry is depressed due to the death of his other son who never got the chance to live and he has had a few drinks. His wife request that they get past it by continuing to celebrate Barry's life. Barry later awakens to screams and see's his father with blood on him and then the limp dead body of his mother Nora. Henry is later arrested for the murder of Nora Allen but claims to be innocent and Barry believes him. Barry later wins a science fair that grants him a scholarship to Sun City University Biological Science program but thanks to Dr. West he changes it to Forensics Science in order to not only get justice for his father but also to make sure that no one is falsely accused of murder.
10 Years Later We see a adult Barry as a police detective for Keystone Central City but he still has retained his knack for being late as he shows up late for a trial to put away Roy "Revenge" Connor due to him talking with his girlfriend Iris West and reading an article about the Man of Steel. Thanks to the District Attorney Clifford DeVoe (DC Villain the Thinker) who is still able to win the case despite Barry's lateness but behind the scenes Clifford is corrupt and gets paid by a thief named Richard Swift (DC Villain the Shade) who has become very successful and created a organization of thieves and criminals throughout Keystone Central City. He paid Clifford to put away Roy Connor in order to gain his power base. Meanwhile Barry is dating Iris West who is Dr. Ira West's daughter; his best friends are Det. Fred Jensen and his college roommate Ralph Dibny. Barry on his spare time still practices Biological science and on some of his off days he works in a lab in the Keystone Central City Police Department. He has been working on adrenaline glands and chemicals but when he attempts to close the window during a stormy night he is struck by lightning while carrying some of the chemicals and the glass cuts some of his skin and they get into his system. He awakens and feels fine but when he attempts to run after a bus he realizes that not only is he not tired from running but he can push himself harder than he ever could. Barry was never a good at running even though he admired Jay Garrick the track star so for him to be able to run without getting out of breathe startled him. He decides to test out his speed and his blood and concludes that the chemicals induced in his system have amplified his body's production of adrenaline and the lightning strike has stabilized his heart so that the adrenaline doesn’t over exert or blow up his heart.
Meanwhile Richard Swift is gathering power in the criminal element for a big plan which involves sending out his thieves to gather items and personnel. Barry gets his first taste of being a hero when while out with his future father in law Dr. Ira West he outruns a vehicle that was involved in a bank robbery and due to his adrenaline he overpowers them but leaves the scene. Dr. West witnesses this but see's that his body is taking a beating from his constant motion and stopping. Dr. West encourages Barry to be a hero and ask some friends from S.T.A.R. Labs for a suit that stabilizes his body in order to prevent the Laws of Physics from destroying his body. Barry decides to name himself after his hero calling himself the Flash he makes his big debut when he stops a bank robbery by a low level theft who is called "Turtle". The city is impressed by Flash's ability and he continues to stop some of the robberies and thefts that have spread throughout. As Barry he begins trying to piece together what is going on and learns that Richard Swift who the criminals nicknamed Shade is behind a lot of the strings of thefts. Richard Swift see's The Flash as a threat and soon get a surprise help from a masked man named Malcolm Thawnes who promises to rid Richard Swift of The Flash. When fires begin breaking loose on the city Barry uses his forensics to find out the fire being started by a unique chemical mixture that turns the flames blue. After finding the origin of the chemicals he ends up face to face with the masked man and it’s revealed to be his dead twin brother. During the fight Richard Swift plan becomes reality as he has been using a few robberies to gain personal objects of the people who control the power grid of the city and the final security lock is fingerprint based to shut down the power and bring the city to total darkness where he will send out his band of thieves to rob the city blind. While Flash and Malcolm fight it’s revealed that Malcolm has been around him for a long time, that he was raised by con artist and when he was 16 he found out he was taken from his real parents. He found out he was Henry and Nora Allen's dead son but when he saw how happy they were without him he was pissed and killed Nora and framed Henry. He also has been following Barry and was pretending to be a janitor at the police headquarters the night of his accident and witness him gain his abilities. Barry can’t believe that his twin killed his mother and framed their father and when the power goes out he soon realized that is brother was meant to distract him. Malcolm and Barry fight which ends in Malcolm being badly stabbed by his own sword. Barry drops him off at the hospital and races to confront Richard Swift. Barry enlists his best friends Fred, Ralph and Dr. West to help him and the stakes get even higher when Iris's reporter instinct land her in Richard Swift's hands. Barry/Flash face off against Richard Swift as his friends try and override Richard Swift total darkness before the city is in complete chaos. Eventually Richard Swift is stopped and the city is returned to light again.
The film ends with Barry proposing to Iris and later him visiting his father's and mother grave saying he got Justice for them, Richard Swift being put in solitary confinement in his own personal darkness.
Mid-Credit Scene is Barry is taking down a gang of robbers but the truck they were in disappears. Then it lands right in front of him with the robbers in shock. He looks up and see's a hovering Superman who praises him for his actions during the blackout. Barry is stunned but cocky and makes sure the Man of Steel knows that he is the fastest man alive. Superman takes this as a challenge and they race off.
Post credit scene is Barry visiting his brother Malcolm Thawnes in hospital after giving him his blood, after he leaves Malcolm's heart stops and when they shock him and bring him back to life he notices he feels different and with some cool effects we see that his blood has been changed due to being exposed to his brother's blood and the shock.
Characters
Barry Allen/the Flash: His origin will be tweaked to fit the universe but it will remain intact of him being a Police Scientist/CSI type and his sense of Justice comes from his father being wrongly convicted of murdering his mother Nora Allen. His powers are much grounded as it’s more of a biological abnormality and that it has a price. law of physics still apply to him as his body takes a beating until Dr. Ira West gets him a suit that strengthens his body enough to handle the constant motion and stopping. The suit is very similar to the Dark Knight suit but is crimson red not bright red, with a helmet similar to Captain America's.
Iris West: Will be his main love interest as in the comic and reporter who will be investigating both Richard Swift and the Flash.
Malcolm Thawnes/Cobalt Blue: I actually decided to merge him and Professor Zoom/Reverse Flash character as I’m trying ground the film and as much as time travel is part of the Flash mythos I felt for now it won’t be a concept in this film but it doesn’t mean that future installments won’t have it plausible for time travel to happen since in this world an alien from krypton exist on earth. Cobalt Blue in the comics uses his con artist family’s special amulet to produce blue flames but in the film he will use a flame thrower and eventually a sword lit up by blue flame.
Richard Swift/Shade: No supernatural powers over darkness but his origin as a theft remains and his affinity with showing up out of nowhere is also around as well. His plot to throw the city in darkness is a nod to his comic ability. He does not call himself Shade but his thieves and enemies call him that due to him constantly popping up in the shade or shadows.
Keystone Central City: I combine the cities for future installments to include Wally West, Bart Allen, and to include Jay Garrick's history in it as well. The city is in Missouri...Gotham City is in Illinois, Metropolis is in Kansas. So events that occur within Man of Steel and the Dark Knight Series are referenced somewhat in Keystone Central City.
The Flash II: The Fastest Man Alive
Film begins with a break in at the S.T.A.R. Labs of Missouri. Group of men cause havoc and hold the scientist hostage and begin taking items they deem valuable. One of the masked men goes to a vault and uses a toy doll and he pulls the string and sets it by the vault and it explodes opening the vault. Inside is various tech and he stops by a suit similar to the Flash suit. He exits as the other men have gathered the scientist up, the man with the case that holds the suit releases bunch of marbles on the ground to everyone’s shock and one of the masked men knew he would double cross them but he won’t get to far without the keys to the truck but the man removes his mask and we see a blonde man with purple/pink highlights in his hair and he says "Not a double cross, more like a Trick" he reveals that he took the keys from the man during the robbery and he leaves but when he leaves the marbles emit a gas that ends up choking everyone.
Meanwhile the Flash's exploits are known throughout the city and many praise him for his heroics (during The Flash and The Justice League film) and his impact on the city of Keystone Central. The Flash is getting an award from the Mayor presented by Track Star Jay Garrick whose nickname Barry took in honor of the Fastest Man Alive. Jay Garrick happily passes that mantle to Barry/Flash as the new Fastest Man Alive. Barry realizes though he is late for his own rehearsal dinner for his wedding and races off. Of course he ends up late but he does not tell his fiancée Iris his reason was because he was accepting an award as the Flash. Dr. Ira West who is the only one who knows he is the Flash asks if he has had any contact from his brother who escaped the hospital a few months ago and hasn’t been seen. Flash believes due to his injuries his brother maybe dead. Meanwhile we see otherwise as Malcolm is alive and is the one who hired the group of men and the blonde/purple haired man who is revealed to be James Jesse or the Trickster he likes to be called. Malcolm says that now Stage 1 can begin and he wants Trickster to get someone. At the rehearsal Dinner Barry meets Iris family to include her brother Rudy and her teenage nephew Wally. The dinner is interrupted by the arrival of The Trickster and a band of goons. Trickster is after Dr. Ira West meanwhile Malcolm in a gold painted suit like the Flash causes chaos in Flash's name. At the dinner Barry doesn’t want to risk revealing his identity or putting anyone in danger and the Trickster ends up leaving with Dr. Ira West. Barry leaves to get his suit from Ira's car and races after Trickster which causes the truck to get into an accident. Flash gets to the van and finds life size dolls of Ira and Trickster set to explode and the impact knocks Flash away but he lives. Trickster brings Ira to Malcolm and wants Ira to modify his suit to make better than his brothers. Iris worries about her father and Barry finds out that someone dressed like him was causing trouble in the city while he was dealing with the Trickster. Barry investigates the chaos that this evil Flash did. Evidence is left behind that Barry analyzes and it matches his same blood chemistry that gives him his powers.
Meanwhile Ira reluctantly modifies the suit to be able to store up power using static electricity. Malcolm gives Trickster the go ahead to do as he wishes with Ira so he decides to hang him from the top of Keystone Central Bridge to lure the Flash again. While Flash goes and rescues Ira, Malcolm continues to cause more damage to Flash's reputation and eventually kills someone. The Flash eventually rescues Ira but Trickster gets away. Ira is knocked out and taken to the hospital while Flash confronts this Evil Flash. Malcolm doesn’t reveal himself as his brother but calls himself Zoom. Zoom uses the upgrade that Ira gave to produce electricity that overpowers Flash. Zoom gets away and Flash returns to his fiancée and his future father in law as Barry. Barry wants to postpone the wedding but Iris knows her father would not want that and they prepare for their wedding day. Before the wedding Ira awakens and tells Barry that Zoom is Malcolm and that Trickster has rigged a set of toys to explode and has the trigger. Ira informs Barry that he already has a new suit for Barry that should help fight Zoom. Barry as Flash goes to the toy factory that Trickster and Zoom used as a hideout and Ends up disarming the device and Trickster. When Barry shows up for the wedding it has already started and Wally is shocked to see Barry outside when he is standing at the altar with his aunt. When Barry realizes that Malcolm is posing as him he gets his suit and shows up as Flash to stop the wedding. Iris somehow realizes that Barry is not Barry and hits Malcolm and runs. Malcolm gets his suit and Flash and Zoom run through the city. Flash shows off the suits new feature and dubs it Speed Force and takes out his brother who he last see's falling into the water being electrocuted by his suits feature. Barry returns to the wedding to get married and he and Iris have their honeymoon where Iris reveals that she knew all along he was the Flash. When Barry leaves to get some food for his new wife Malcolm shows up in her suite and explains that his near death has given him a look into the future (Not really but he is psychotic at this point) and Iris death is necessary. Barry returns to see his wife being choked by his twin brother and her body goes limp. Barry rage is felt and he attacks his twin brother and kills him. Final scenes are of Iris in the hospital in a coma and Barry feeling the effects of the condition of his wife never waking up and the fact he killed his brother. Dr. Ira West tries to make Barry feel better but Barry doesn’t want to deal with what has happen. Dr. Ira tells Barry he can’t run from what has happen and Barry response is "I’m the Fastest Man Alive...I can outrun anything". Barry gets his suit and you see him run, running outside the city into the farmlands and the he is yelling as he lets the suits built up electricity release and he sprints away.
Mid Credit scene is Wally West sneaking into the morgue in the hospital wants to make sure the man who hurt his aunt is dead and see's the body of Malcolm Thawnes in his suit dead. The suit activates and it startles Wally and he breaks a few vials of Malcolm’s blood. He continues to be curious about the suit and he is shocked and falls on the broken glass and blood. Because the table is metal and the blood puddle connects to the table it continues to shock him until he finally gets off the blood. He notices the cut in his hand and some of Malcolm blood on his too. He feels different and you see a smile on his face
Post Credit scene is we see Barry/Flash in Alaska running and jumping from iceberg to iceberg (its displaying his journey out of the Americas to the other side of the world)
Characters
James Jesse/Trickster: A more realistic take on the practical joke mastermind. A master of gadgets and trickery he loves to cause havoc and his origin of being in the circus is highlighted in the scene where he has Dr. Ira West on a tight rope between two towers on a bridge and he easily traverses the rope as if he was walking on air. Nothing but a pawn in Malcolm Thawnes plans for his brother's downfall his purpose is to distract Barry.
Malcolm Thawnes/Zoom: Like I said in the first movie Malcolm Thawnes is a combo of Cobalt Blue and Zoom/Reverse Flash. Malcolm desire to cause his brother pain comes from the age old method of good twin bad twin and it’s personified in the fact that he has acquired his brother's ability thanks to blood donation and a shock to his system. He gains a suit similar to Flash's but gold painted and thanks to Dr. Ira West it gains the ability to produce static electricity that Barry later dubs Speed Force.
Iris West's coma: Because of the no Time travel rule I emplace I put Iris in a coma instead of killing her off like in the comics and then Barry goes to the future to see the Iris. Instead Iris will remain in a coma until either the third film or another Film series.
Wally West: Is introduced in this film, very minor role mostly just for cameo purposes especially at the end when he acquires his powers and it hints that the third film will focus on him due to Barry leaving the country.
The Flash III: The Scarlet Speedster Returns
The Film opens with an agent of CADMUS trying to broker a partnership with African Warlord William Dawson known throughout Africa as the Tyrant Gorilla Grodd. Grodd decides to make his own deal and keep the weapons and Intel he has gotten from them and holds captive a few agents in his Gorilla City in exchange for information on Project Metatron. Meanwhile The Flash has been traversing the world for the past few months and is in Africa where he likes to just run from each corner of the large continent. He meets a woman named Boka who is being hunted by an Aussie Bounty Hunter named George "Digger" Harkness. Barry gets involved and helps Boka escape. Boka takes Barry to her fiancée Solovar who was once General of Gorilla City until his brother Grodd took it from him and he tried to force Boka to marry him but Boka ran away. Solovar ask for his help but Barry does not wish to get involved in a spat between two brothers as he has been hurt the most by brotherly feud. Digger finds the 3 and captures all of them and takes them to Gorilla City. Grodd promises to spare Solovar's life if Boka marries him but Grodd plans on having him executed on the day of their wedding. Barry is approached by one of captive CADMUS agents to stop Grodd. Grodd plans on going to America under the guise of wanting to ally with CADMUS but he really wants Project Metatron which is a device that can produce a subliminal signal that can be used to control minds. Barry at first doesn’t want to deal with anything but after a dream in which his father, mother, his hero Jay Garrick and Iris tell him to be the man he is meant to be he realizes he can’t run from being the Flash. He ends up stopping the wedding and execution but Grodd and Harkness end up leaving Africa to go to America.
Grodd meets with Amanda Waller and assures her that her agents will be released in return for full membership into CADMUS and in good faith he will address the nation at the UN of his plan to unite Africa and end the wars. Amanda agrees but Grodd has other ideas and finds project Metatron which turns out to be an invention by Hartley Rathaway a deaf man who had came up with the device but CADMUS didn’t want it in the wrong hands. Hartley is the only one capable of fully utilizing the device as it uses a sound signal that would kill anyone who uses it and he is deaf. The Flash, Boka and Solovar arrive in DC but are stopped by Digger and his men. Flash is able to get the upper hand on Digger and stop Hartley signal making Grodd's plan foiled. Grodd escapes the UN but encounters the Flash. They fight and Grodd has the upper hand due to his immense strength but Flash is able to stop him thanks to Solovar. Grodd is arrested and taken into custody, Solovar and Boka bid Barry farewell and return to Africa to reclaim Gorilla City. Barry returns to Keystone Central City and visits Iris in the hospital where he finds out Iris is pregnant but still in a coma. Dr. Ira says the doctors will do everything they can to save the babies and Iris. In the meantime Dr. Ira asks Barry to mentor his grandson Wally West who has gained Flash's ability and has dubbed himself Kid Flash. Barry meets with Wally and takes him under his wing and the first thing they do is try and race to see who is the fastest. The film ends with them racing away.
Mid Credit Scene is an unseen man approaching Grodd in his cell where he tells him that Project Legion needs someone like him. He gives him files of pictures of Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow, Joker, Bane, Trickster, Black Manta, Richard Swift, Cheetah, Star Sapphire, Lex Luthor, and Superman Clone (Bizzaro). Grodd laughs and asks who are these people, and the man replies his new teammates so he better study up. Grodd asks who he is and he says I've gone by many names but I’ve always preferred Vandal...Vandal Savage...
Post Scene Credit view of Iris in her hospital bed and we then see her hands move giving way that she will soon recover.
Characters
William Dawson/Gorilla Grodd: I made Grodd human but his appearance will be of a tall heavy but muscular set African male who has gold plated long canine teeth. He and his brother Solovar were born in Gorilla City and were taken to be put through slavery into the blood diamond trade. He was given the name William Dawson as a slave name and then once he and his brother escaped he forged his own name by his ruthless behavior and was soon called Gorilla Grodd for his primal fury and his origin of living in Gorilla City.
George "Digger" Harkness/Capt. Boomerang: A Aussie merc who is hired by Grodd to find Boka and Solovar. He uses other weapons besides boomerangs but he prefers his razor sharp and explosives ones. He remains in Grodds services throughout the film and eventually is taken into custody.
Hartley Rathaway/Pied Piper: His ability has been given to a device that he devolved. He is a deaf genius who came up with this sound signal that can influence people and CADMUS was worried it could be used for the wrong reasons so they took the device and him. Hartley made himself indispensible by making it so the device can only be turned on by him because it emits a deadly signal that could cause server brain trauma but since he is deaf he is unaffected.
So yea that my Flash Trilogy. I would love to hear people’s opinions and input. Like I said, cast choices are up to your own imagination as I have people in mind but it’s not the end all of be all. When you imagine this world try to think of it as real as possible. I know Flash is one the more comical and out there heroes as well as his villains but keep it grounded as possible in your mind as I have tried to. Thank you for reading!