The Flash movie is finally here after a long, tumultuous production, and its ending presents a complicated series of scenes and unanswered questions.
After years of development issues and delays, The Flash has finally been released in theaters. Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen technically debuted in Suicide Squad via brief security camera footage of Captain Boomerang’s capture, and he appeared again briefly in Batman v Superman, but The Flash made his first proper appearance when Batman recruited him in Justice Leage. Now, as the DC Universe prepares to embark on a new creative vision courtesy of DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran, The Flash finally has his own feature film.
The Flash very loosely adapts the DC Comics story Flashpoint and sees Barry Allen travel back in time to save his mother, who was murdered when Barry was a 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥. While he’s successful, this change causes a ripple effect through time that creates a new, unsustainable timeline. With multiple timelines, several versions of different characters, and previous DC Universe movie plots all clashing, it can be a bit confusing to solidify just where The Flash and the DC Universe as a whole stand when the credits roll.
What Happens At The End Of The Flash
After main Barry, past Barry, Batman, and Supergirl attack Zod’s forces, they’re eventually overwhelmed by the might of the Kryptonian army. Batman and Supergirl both die, which prompts the Barrys to go back a few minutes and do things differently. Though their ally’s original fates are avoided, they die once again, differently, and it becomes clear to main Barry that the destruction of this Earth is an unavoidable moment in the timeline. The futility of failing to win forces main Barry to accept that he can’t change the past, and he needs to let his mother go. Young Barry has trouble accepting this and continues going back in time.
The two Barrys argue in the Speed Force bubble about the dangers and futility of fixing the past when the mysterious Dark Flash, who knocked Barry out of the Speed Force earlier, appears. The villain’s identity is revealed as an older, grey-haired version of young Barry, who has spent an entire lifetime trying to fix a timeline that keeps his mother alive. Dark Flash tries to stab main Barry to stop him from un-saving his mother, but young Barry jumps in front of the stab, dying. Since they’re the same person, this also means that old Barry dies too.
Main Barry returns to the past to undo the changes that saved his mother’s life. He had given her a can of tomatoes that she originally forgot and sent Barry’s father to buy, leaving her alone to be 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ed. With the tomatoes removed, The Flash’s mother is set to die, and Barry returns to his present. There, at his father’s latest trial, it’s revealed that Barry moved the tomatoes to a higher shelf in the past, causing his father to look up at a camera and giving him an alibi. His father is acquitted of the crime.
Outside, Barry calls Bruce. When he shows up at the courthouse, he’s a completely different person than the Bruce that Barry knows. Despite restoring his mother’s death, moving the tomatoes to prove his father’s alibi has still altered the timeline. The film ends with Barry in a state of confusion about the timeline he’s in and what might happen next.
George Clooney Is Batman
When Barry calls Bruce at the end of the movie, the Bruce Wayne that shows up is George Clooney’s version of the character from the infamous Batman & Robin. It’s clear that Clooney is actually Bruce as he gets visibly upset when Barry comically exclaims that he’s not Batman. The implications of this twist ending aren’t yet clear, though it’s surely significant for the future of The Flash in the DC Universe.
What happened to Ben Affleck’s Batman?
Ben Affleck’s Bruce Wayne is present at the beginning of The Flash, and he gives Barry some difficult but necessary advice about the importance of accepting pain and not staying stuck in the past. However, once Barry time travels, Affleck’s Batman is never seen again. It’s never directly confirmed what happens to him, but given the movie’s ending, it appears that Affleck’s Bruce is likely still in his original timeline while Barry has ended up in another alternate world.
Is George Clooney in Batman: The Brave And The Bold?
The Flash ends with the reveal that the Bruce Wayne of Barry’s current timeline is George Clooney’s version, but DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn confirmed that Clooney will not be in Batman: The Brave And The Bold. At this point, it’s unclear how this twist will work with the upcoming Brave and the Bold and whoever is cast as its Batman. It’s possible that Barry will simply hop universes again, or this Flash may stay in the Clooney universe while a new actor takes the role in Gunn and Safran’s DC Universe.
The DC Multiverse Is Saved
The climactic act in The Flash shows multiple different continuities/universes slamming into each other and suffering significant damage as Dark Flash tries to stop Barry from resetting the timeline. Several universes, including cameos from popular DC movie franchises like those featuring Christopher Reeve’s Superman and Adam West’s Batman, are shown with multiversal tears. Fortunately, each universe is saved and appears to return to its previous state by the end of The Flash.
The Flash’s Villain Twist & Dark Flash Explained
Early in The Flash, a mysterious figure attacks Barry in the Speed Force and knocks him out of it at the wrong time. At the movie’s climax, that figure is revealed to be a future version of the alternate Barry from the past. This older Barry has spent an entire lifetime trying every possible way to save the timeline in which his mother is alive, but he’s failed for what appears to be decades. He’s acquired significant injuries in the form of shrapnel embedded in his body from repeatedly fighting Zod’s forces, giving him is dark, spiky silhouette.
To stop the main Barry from undoing his changes to the timeline and restore the original version of history, including the death of his mother, the villainous Dark Flash tries to 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁 Barry inside the Speed Force. Past
Barry jumps in between the two and is fatally stabbed. Since he is the same person as Dark Flash, only younger, both die together, and main Barry undoes his changes to the timeline.
What Happened To The Other DC Multiverses?
As main Barry, young Barry, and future Barry (Dark Flash) clash in the Speed Force, the multiverse starts to tear, and different universes collide with each other. Each universe is visualized as a sphere consisting of the past, present, and future of every reality. However, when the two alternate-timeline Barrys die, The Flash rewinds time once more, and each universe is seen healing and returning to its original location. It appears that the other DC universes in the multiverse are safely separated from the current DC Universe continuity and remain unharmed.
What The Flash Means For The New DC Universe
Though The Flash has been in development for several years, its release coincides with James Gunn and Peter Safran’s onboarding as co-CEOs of DC Studios. Given this, it was unclear to what degree The Flash would play a role in moving forward the pair’s new vision for the DC Universe. However, the movie leaves much unanswered.
Is This The Reset Of The DC Universe?
It’s unclear to what degree The Flash resets the DC Universe. The end of Barry Allen’s solo film sees The Flash in yet another new timeline, but it doesn’t appear that it’ll be the main DC Universe moving forward, given the presence of George Clooney’s Bruce Wayne. Barry’s timeline meddling will likely play a role in why there will soon be a new Batman, Superman, and more, but The Flash doesn’t directly answer how.
Is Ezra Miller’s The Flash In The DC Universe?
The Flash leaves things ambiguous enough that it’s unclear if Ezra Miller will be The Flash in future DC Universe projects. The hero is clearly still alive, healthy, and active, but it remains to be seen if the reality that he ends the movie in will be the same one in which future movies are set. It doesn’t appear that it is, though Barry may hop universes again to join the new Superman, Batman, and other DC heroes.
Is Jason Momoa’s Aquaman In The DC Universe?
Jason Momoa’s Aquaman appears in The Flash‘s post-credits scene, though the appearance does little to clarify the character’s role in future DC Universe movies. With Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom set to release on December 20, 2023, the hero clearly has at least one more adventure locked in. However, like Barry, it’s hitherto unclear what this means for his long-term inclusion in the DC Universe.
