As you'll no doubt be aware by now - whether you've seen the movie or not - The Flash includes quite a few cameo appearances, many of which occur towards the end when Barry Allen enters the Speed-Force in an attempt to alter the events that lead to the destruction of Batman and Supergirl's reality.
Spoilers follow.
Most of these cameos were actually CGI incarnations of characters played by actors who have passed on, including Adam West (Batman), George Reeves (Superman), and, perhaps most controversially, Christopher Reeve's take on the Man of Steel.
The use of these likenesses has stirred up a lot of backlash online, with many calling them out as "ghoulish" and "disrespectful." Kevin Smith doesn't see it that way, however.
During an interview with Rolling Stone, the director - who has helmed several episodes of The CW's The Flash - said that the cameos didn't bother him because he simply didn't view them as being insulting.
"I thought it was just a really nice homage to the past. It didn't feel like an insult. That felt like an homage. Some people are like, 'Yeah, but they're not alive to say yes or no.' And you know, I don't know any actor who would be like, 'Don't use my image when I'm dead.' Like, you don't go into this business to try to be shy, right? You want to be seen."
Smith added that he gives "the world permission" to include his likeness in "anything" after he's dead. "You can put me in porn."
While the intention behind these cameos was no doubt to pay homage to the characters/actors who played them, the appalling VFX used to bring them to the screen didn't help matters. Director Andy Muschietti recently defended the "Chronobowl" sequence, calling it an "impression of memories, not literal reality." In other words, it looked terrible on purpose.
How do you feel about The Flash using deceased actors' likenesses? Drop us a comment down below.
"Directed by Andy Muschietti, The Flash features Barry Allen traveling back in time in order to change events of the past. But when his attempt to save his family inadvertently alters the future, Barry becomes trapped in a reality in which General Zod has returned, threatening annihilation, and there are no Super Heroes to help. That is, unless Barry can coax a very different Batman out of retirement and rescue an imprisoned Kryptonian…albeit not the one he’s looking for.
Ultimately, to save the world that he is in and return to the future that he knows, Barry’s only hope is to race for his life. But will making the ultimate sacrifice be enough to reset the universe?"
The Flash is produced by Barbara Muschietti and Michael Disco, with a screenplay by Christina Hodson, and a screen story by John Francis Daley & Jonathan Goldstein and Joby Harold, based on characters from DC. Warner Bros. Pictures presents a Double Dream/a Disco Factory production of an Andy Muschietti film.