The Flash was released in theaters a little over a month ago and, despite a lot of early hype, the movie has emerged as the biggest flop in Warner Bros.' storied history.
Reviews were mostly positive, but neither fans nor regular moviegoers seemed to have much interest in watching the Scarlet Speedster's first big screen solo outing. Not helping matters was a series of leaks from preview screenings, including what was meant to be a series of mind-blowing cameos inside the Speed Force.
Regardless of whether you saw them then, in theaters, or now The Flash is available to buy on Digital, we can surely all agree they look terrible. Beyond the bad VFX, there are those who feel they were in poor taste, hence why many reviewers decried the "ghoulish" sequence.
We're now taking a closer look at The Flash's huge cameos, ranking them from...well, terrible to truly unforgivable. Honestly, we'll never understand how these were allowed into the final cut...
5. Adam West's Batman
We're still trying to figure out why these different timelines were portrayed in this manner, but the sight of multiple Adam Wests running in place is not one we'll soon forget.
Archival footage surely could have brought this Batman back to the big screen in a more effective manner, and it's really the lines of dialogue from the iconic series playing in the background which save this moment. It's still not good, of course, but the sequence's brevity makes it a little more inoffensive than The Flash's other cameos.
However, in a movie that puts Batman front and centre, we can't help but feel this particular Caped Crusader deserved better.
4. George Reeves' Superman
George Reeves took his role as Superman seriously but ultimately grew tired of the one-dimensional role and struggled to find success in Hollywood. That's widely thought to be the reason for the actor eventually taking his own life.
That alone makes this cameo paying homage to his Man of Steel feel tasteless, and we can't help but wonder how Reeves would have felt about his likeness being used in this manner.
Even taking that aside, the visual effects are appalling. Between his smoothed-out skin and inflated appearance, this Superman takes on a cartoonish, eerie quality that explains why so many fans hated this entire Speed Force sequence.
3. Nicolas Cage's Superman
By now, we're sure you all know the story of Nicolas Cage very nearly playing the Man of Steel in Tim Burton's ill-fated Superman: Lives.
The Flash giving the beloved actor a second chance at Superman is a decision we can definitely get behind as is the fact he was pitted against the giant spider we've heard so much about. Overall, it's a really cool sequence...that's utterly ruined by CG imagery which is somehow on a part with a PlayStation 3 cutscene.
Okay, maybe PS4 at a push. Either way, the fact they got Cage on set and decided to replace his on-camera performance with this freakish doppelganger is yet another mistake in a movie which is full of them.
2. A Random Flash
Remember that actor who played Barry Allen on television for close to a decade? Gee, this sure would have been a cool place for him to make a cameo appearance!
In all seriousness, fans desperately wanted Grant Gustin to show up here. Instead, The Flash gave us a generic Jay Garrick who we'd later learn wasn't even played by Teddy Sears or John Wesley Shipp (talk about a missed opportunity). As things stand, we still don't know who this actor is.
It's also impossible to say why this cameo happened, though we're assuming it was meant to pay homage to the DC Universe's history. As things stand, it's borderline nonsensical.
1. Christopher Reeve's Superman And Helen Slater's Supergirl
Superman: The Movie inspired many filmmakers who ultimately turned their talents to superhero movies. As a result, we're not exactly shocked to see Christopher Reeve's Man of Tomorrow here.
The fact he's standing side-by-side with Supergirl is actually really special...the execution, sadly, is anything but. Horrendous visual effects are used to bring Reeve back from the dead (a concerning decision on a number of levels), and these two wax-like characters look fake, creepy, and disconcerting on several levels.
Looking not dissimilar to the dummies in a knock-off Madame Tussauds, these two cameos are verging on insulting and are perhaps The Flash's biggest blunder.