The Flash's finale unveils a shocker: An unanticipated Batman returns

The Flash's climax stirred up some unexpected revelations, hinting at the comeback of a familiar Batman. However, the real question is: will this Batman be ready to guide the Justice League of DCU and James Gunn's Brave and the Bold?

The Flash was predestined to kickstart a new DCU phase, even before James Gunn unveiled his plan to introduce new renditions of legendary superheroes like Batman, and Superman, among others.

With several administrative changes occurring in DC post The Flash's filming completion, the movie's conclusion and its ensuing implications have undergone multiple transformations. This also includes last-minute adjustments and the elimination of two superheroes.

Please note: This article contains substantial spoilers from The Flash.

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Understanding the shocking Batman twist in The Flash's finale

Barry Allen's world turned upside down: Flash's finale reveals a stunning Batman surprise (Image via Warner Bros)

Having triggered multiverse havoc by time-traveling to prevent his mother's death, Barry Allen puts everything in order in The Flash's finale by retracting his actions and accepting Nora Allen's heart-wrenching end.

Upon Barry's return to what appears to be the original timeline, he finds himself in court to witness his father's acquittal on charges of killing his wife, Nora Allen.

However, after Barry's departure from the courthouse, a significant change in the supposedly restored timeline surfaces with the entrance of Bruce Wayne. To Barry's surprise, it's not Ben Affleck's Batman he had been anticipating. George Clooney, who had portrayed the Dark Knight only once in Batman & Robin in 1997, stepped out of the car as Bruce Wayne.

The superhero duo shares a brief, perplexing interaction in the movie's finale. With Ezra Miller's Flash utterly baffled at meeting this stranger instead of reuniting with Ben Affleck's Batman, a funny exchange ensues:

Barry Allen: "Who the fu*k is this?"

Bruce Wayne: "Hey, Barry."

Barry Allen: "No, what? Where's... No, you can't... You're not Batman."

Bruce Wayne: "What's wrong with you?"

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Could George Clooney be the DCU's next Batman?

Speculation swirls: Is George Clooney set to don the cape once again as the DCU's next Batman? (Image via Warner Bros)

The movie's conclusion leaves Ben Affleck seemingly out of the picture, and Michael Keaton's Batman meets his end before The Flash concludes, positioning George Clooney as the sole active Batman. Robert Pattinson, though, is set to continue his adventures under DC's standalone Elseworlds banner.

As James Gunn and Peter Safran are steering DC Studios toward a franchise reboot that will present a new Batman in The Brave and the Bold, audiences might be curious if Flash is suggesting that Clooney could be the DCU's latest Dark Knight, given Ben Affleck is confirmed to be replaced.

Insider Grace Randolph speculated that a former Batman making a cameo in the movie's finale "could potentially serve as the new, permanent DCU Batman" and play Damian Wayne's father in The Brave and the Bold.

However, James Gunn quickly quashed the rumors about considering Clooney as the DCU's Batman. He stated an unequivocal "absolutely not" before disclosing that a "new actor will embody the revamped Dark Knight."

So far, the new world portrayed at the end of the film only confirms the roles of Ezra Miller's Barry Allen, George Clooney's Batman, and Jason Momoa's Aquaman (in a post-credits scene).

Given Clooney's confirmed non-involvement as the rejuvenated Batman, it hints that the world Barry Allen landed in may not be further explored, considering the movie reportedly underwent eleventh-hour changes after Gunn's takeover of DC. The alterations were made to render the ending more "ambiguous" and evade explicit hints about plans.

So, even though George Clooney won't be the new Batman in DCU, the movie's startling finale could simply be a thrilling narrative twist intended for a dramatic surprise and a memorable cameo before the credit scenes.

The Flash premiered in theaters on Friday, June 16.