DC's The Flash finally sped its way into theaters this past week, with the Scarlet Speedster at last receiving their own solo film after years in development hell at Warner Bros.
The wait for the highly anticipated film was so extensive, that CW's The Flash started and ended their nearly decade-long series within the time the film was first announced, to a couple of weeks before it was released.
Fans of The Flash television show knew they were in for a treat, when it was first announced the film would be adapting the popular storyline of Flashpoint from The Flash: Rebirth comics, and after the show developed their own version of that storyline in their third season.
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In the beginning of The Flash film, when Barry Allen receives a phone call from his father Henry Allen, who was falsely imprisoned as a result of the murder of Nora Allen, Barry visits his childhood home in an act of nostalgia, after disclosing the harsh truth to his father that the evidence for the appeal to prove his innocence was insufficient, and they would have to try to different methods.
We are then greeted with a flashback showing the united Allen family preparing for dinner, and Henry Allen being sent off on a quick shopping errand by Nora Allen to pick up a can of tomato sauce.
The following flashback picks up moments later, where we see a young Barry Allen doing homework in his room, until a grueling scream from downstairs by his mother distraughts him. He hurrily makes his way downstairs, only to find his mother weakingly sitting on the kitchen floor with a knife stabbed in her chest, and his father attempting to save her, which led to his false imprisonment.
Fans of both the comics, and TV show adaptation, know that Barry's archnemesis Eobard Thawne, AKA The Reverse Flash, was the one who killed Nora Allen when he was a kid. However, when it was revealed Reverse Flash would not serve as the main antagonist for the film, fans were met with skepticism, as maybe for the film they would have changed the murderer of Nora Allen.
The Flash director Andy Muschietti confirms that Reverse Flash was in fact the man who murdered Nora Allen:
"Well, Reverse Flash is the elephant in the room, right? It feels like you can't make another movie without addressing the one that, in all accounts, is the murderer of Barry's mom. So, it feels like the big villain." - Andy Muschietti, Comic Unix
Muschietti states that Reverse Flash would have been set up for the sequel film following The Flash, where Barry finally confronts the man who killed his mother.
It is possible Muschietti had plans revolving around the structure of The Flash and future films, as in the first film it shows Barry coming to terms with accepting his mothers death, and understanding that he should not alter the current timeline, and in the sequel film, potentially setting up meeting the murderer who killed his mother and destroyed his family.
At least it has been confirmed Reverse Flash exists in this universe, but going forward in the James Gunn-led DC universe, it is possible changes can be made to the character's inclusion.
Worlds collide when The Flash uses his superpowers to travel back in time to change the events of the past. However, when his attempt to save his family inadvertently alters the future, he becomes trapped in a reality in which General Zod has returned, threatening annihilation. With no other superheroes to turn to, The Flash looks to coax a very different Batman out of retirement and rescue an imprisoned Kryptonian -- albeit not the one he's looking for.
The Flash is a 2023 American superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name. Produced by Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Studios, Double Dream, and the Disco Factory, and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, it is the 13th installment in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). The film is directed by Andy Muschietti from a screenplay by Christina Hodson and stars Ezra Miller as Barry Allen / The Flash alongside Sasha Calle, Michael Shannon, Ron Livingston, Maribel Verdú, Kiersey Clemons, Antje Traue, and Michael Keaton. In the film, Barry travels back in time to prevent his mother's death, which brings unintended consequences.