Warner Bros. Discovery launched The Flash trailer at Super Bowl 2023, which became a hot topic of discussion within the fandom. The trailer revealed a few characters that proved the film to be DC’s first major crossover event since the two versions of Justice League.
Although The Flash is a Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) story at its core, it also features several DC characters in supporting roles and cameos. Moreover, since the movie is a loose adaption of the Flashpoint storyline from the comics, it was inevitably going to have multiple characters. Half of the characters have been revealed in the trailer, but other cameos have also been leaked through test screenings and merchandise reveals.
Spoiler Warning: This listicle reveals all the leaked cameos and plot points in The Flash.
From Ben Affleck's Bruce Wayne to a brief cameo by a Game of Thrones star: Each character appearing in The Flash
DCEU’s Batman and Alfred
Ben Affleck is returning for his final appearance in the DC space. Along with him, Jeremy Irons will also show up as Alfred one last time. Batfleck will play a crucial role in the first act as his conversation with Barry will be emotional and vital to the storyline. Apart from that, he will also get an action sequence on his new Batcycle, where he will wear a dark blue and gray suit from the comics.
He was originally supposed to return at the end of the movie after Barry fixes the timeline to a certain extent. As such, his scene would have set up a sequel where he and the others would have been stuck somewhere in the multiverse, and Barry would have gone searching for them in The Flash 2. However, this sequel setup will be deleted as James Gunn is bringing in a new Batman instead.
Michael Keaton’s Batman
Instead of following the true Flashpoint storyline where Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s Thomas Wayne would have turned into Batman, this film is using Michael Keaton’s Bruce Wayne as the older Batman to guide Barry. He has multiple Batsuits in his armory, teasing his adventures after Batman Returns.
The original plan of DC’s former head Walter Hamada was for Michael Keaton’s Bruce Wayne to become permanent in the DCEU. He would have continued with a cameo in Aquaman 2 and a small role in Batgirl. However, Batgirl was canceled, and The Flash will now mark Michael Keaton’s final appearance in DC since James Gunn is rebooting things with a new Batman.
Dark Flash
Not only does this movie feature an 18-year-old Barry Allen from a different timeline, but it also has a third Flash as the real villain. Instead of Reverse Flash from the original Flashpoint storyline, a Dark Flash is set to appear. Furthermore, merchandise leaks spoiled his appearance.
A glimpse of the antagonist was also added to the trailer, where the 18-year-old Barry double-kicks him. It is also suggested that Dark Flash’s suit is made out of Kryptonian metal.
Supergirl
Sasha Calle is playing Kara Zor-El, who comes in as a replacement for Clark Kent. In the Flashpoint storyline from the comics, Kent was never brought up in Smallville by his human parents. He was caught by the government and constantly experimented upon.
However, in the film, it was Kara who was sent to Earth during the destruction of Krypton. As soon as she arrived on Earth, she wasn’t found by a kind couple like Jonathan and Martha Kent. The government found her and locked her up to conduct experiments on her. After that, the two Barry Allens and Batman go to release her from the lab where she was caught.
General Zod
After Barry alters the timeline by saving his mom, Zod’s arrival on Earth gets delayed. It is rumored that apart from him, Faora will also appear in the film. They arrive on Earth only now. Instead of a final battle involving Atlantis and Themiscyra, this live-action Flashpoint story features a battle between Zod and Supergirl.
Past superhero cameos
Twitter user @UndercoverCine is known for revealing story details of certain movies from the test screenings. Although readers are advised to take this information with a grain of salt, all the plot details the account revealed from last year’s test screening of The Flash match with what's shown in the latest trailer.
Moreover, they also revealed all the cameos. When Barry goes back in time, the space-time continuum starts collapsing. It is here that Barry starts seeing heroes from different worlds.
The cameos include digitally created de-aged characters like Christopher Reeves’s Superman, Adam West’s Batman, Helen Slater’s Supergirl, and Linda Carter’s Wonder Woman. Apart from them, there's also a Superman character whose face is blurred, which will likely bring James Gunn’s new Superman into the mix.
Aquaman
In addition to that, user @UndercoverCine revealed that Jason Momoa will appear in the movie at the very end. Not only will it set up his upcoming film, but it will also show us that Barry has fixed the timeline up to a certain extent. This is because when Barry breaks the timeline in the film, he wipes out all metahumans, including Aquaman.
When he calls Thomas Curry, he finds out that the latter doesn't have a son. To fix this mess, Barry tries to save the future and gives the DCEU a semi-reboot. After that, Aquaman remains the same, but the likes of Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck gets replaced by new actors.
Two other cameos
Lastly, @UndercoverCine revealed two other cameos, which featured Game of Thrones star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau showing up in a brief cameo when Barry steals a hotdog from him while speeding. Another cameo features director Andy Muschietti at the end.
Apart from the above-listed entries, a few scenes with other heroes were shot but were later deleted. This included Henry Cavill appearing in a cameo role in the space-time continuum scene instead of the blurry-faced Superman and Gal Gadot featuring as Wonder Woman somewhere in the film. Moreover, Ray Fisher’s Cyborg would have had a substantial role if he wasn't axed even before the movie was even shot.
The Flash releases on June 16, 2023.