Summary
- The Flash movie features a unique and diverse cast, including multiple versions of Batman portrayed by Ben Affleck, Michael Keaton, and George Clooney.
- The return of Michael Keaton’s Batman was highly anticipated, but his character meets a tragic end, emphasizing the inability to save everyone.
- Gal Gadot’s appearance as Wonder Woman is one of her final portrayals in the DCEU, as the franchise moves away from the Justice League.
The Flash movie brings a wide cast of familiar and new faces to the world of the DCEU. While James Gunn and Peter Safran just signed on to reboot DC’s movie franchise on both the big and small screen, 2022 saw the last of the old-guard DC movies, with Blue Beetle, and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom finishing things off. While The Flash earned itself a controversial spot in the overall DCEU timeline, to say the least, its status also makes aspects like its cast all the more noteworthy.
The Flash‘s cast is perhaps the most unique aspect of the film, as its multiversal plot means it’s able to do things like have three different versions of Batman in one installment. Indeed, the movie is essentially a love letter to the superhero universe as it formerly was known, featuring final performances from big actors like Ben Affleck and Gal Gadot. However, some casting decisions were regarded with less excitement and more scorn, especially as the movie made the controversial decision to posthumously recreate some big DC actors from history, generating conversations about the moral implications such a move had.
Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen/The Flash
Barry Allen (the titular Flash) is the focal point of the movie, and The Flash brings in two versions of the character, both played by Ezra Miller. When the main Barry Allen goes back in time to alter history to save his mother – who was murdered when he was a child – he ends up distorting the timeline and then accidentally meeting a younger version of himself, who he promptly recruits to help to get to the bottom of things. That said, the younger Barry doesn’t have the same mindset as his older counterpart due to their differing upbringings, placing them into some considerable conflict in the film.
Michael Keaton’s Bruce Wayne/Batman
One of the consequences of Barry’s time travel is the return of Michael Keaton’s Batman — and this version of Bruce Wayne was inarguably one of the most anticipated DC characters in The Flash movie, with his movie ending lamented by those who hoped he could be becoming the DCU Dark Knight. As it stands, Keaton’s Wayne had put down the cape for many years when the two versions of Barry Allen meet him, and comes out of retirement to help his unusual allies. Sadly, this doesn’t end well for the character, as his death is then used to explain to the main Flash that he can’t save everyone.
Ben Affleck’s Bruce Wayne/Batman
While Keaton’s return was a key talking point surrounding The Flash movie cast, he’s not the only Batman in the film, as Ben Affleck’s Batman returns for what appears to be the last time. Affleck’s Batman is shown first in a high-speed chase he recruits Barry to help with, but then takes on a more emotional role as he warns Barry against messing with the timeline, with his monologue about his past and how he wouldn’t change it receiving much praise despite being a relatively small part of the overall movie.
George Clooney’s Bruce Wayne/Batman
There were a lot of theories about how The Flash‘s ending would conclude, but few guessed it would close out with Barry Allen’s attempts to right the multiverse meaning that George Clooney would exist in the universe as Batman instead of Michael Keaton or Ben Affleck. In fact, Clooney’s Batman ending was one of three possible endings considered throughout the movie’s production process, eventually being chosen as the definitive option. While the moment certainly proves both surprising and amusing, it’s also one that generated some considerable confusion in audiences, as it initially suggested Clooney might be the future DCU Batman – though this was later reported to not be the case.
Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman
Gal Gadot appears as Wonder Woman towards the start of The Flash, in what now appears to be her final performance in the role given the DCU will reportedly contain no hero castings from Justice League. After Affleck’s Batman and the Flash chase down a criminal, Wonder Woman comes in to save the day, establishing the general dynamic among the superhero team when not having to face off against imaginably powerful enemies. As such, it’s quite a casual appearance, providing one final look at the hero before the DCEU concludes.
Henry Cavill’s Superman
Perhaps the most surprising cameo was one that technically didn’t even fully happen, as Henry Cavill’s Superman is recreated twice in The Flash. Initially, the back of Superman can be seen on a report showing him protecting the world – justifying his absence from the hero trio team up at the start of the movie. Later, Superman is shown in Speed Force scenes, which recreate Cavill’s likeness to a questionable degree, raising some criticisms about the special effects in the film.
Jason Momoa’s Aquaman
The final Justice League hero appearance comes in The Flash‘s post-credits, and see Barry Allen desperately attempting to explain his adventures to an intoxicated Aquaman, who instead chooses to lie down to sleep in a puddle. This sequence suggested Momoa might be continuing as Aquaman in the future of the franchise, but this has since been challenged, with it instead appearing the actor may play Lobo in the DCU going forward.
Temuera Morrison’s Thomas Curry
Aquaman’s father also reprises his role in The Flash. When Barry Allen is trying to find other heroes who still exist in the altered universe, he calls up Thomas Curry to try and find his son. The elder Curry reveals there is still an Arthur Curry in this universe, but it’s not his son, and instead the name he gave his dog, providing some suitable levity to balance the fact that it’s slowly revealed all of DC’s movie heroes have ceased to exist in this new world.
Jeremy Irons’ Alfred Pennyworth
Jeremy Iron also reprises his role as the iconic Alfred Pennyworth in The Flash, assisting Batman in fighting crime and providing a final glimpse of the character before the franchise reset. Given this is Affleck’s last appearance as the Dark Knight, it’s also fitting that Irons’ Pennyworth appears alongside him, cementing the bond between the hero and his most trusted ally.
Ron Livingston’s Henry Allen
Ron Livingston plays Barry’s father, Henry Allen, and replaced Billy Crudup, who had to depart due to scheduling conflicts. Crudup was cast as Barry’s remaining parent figure, framed for the murder of his wife. He had been in prison for years. Crudup first appeared in 2017’s Justice League. Despite it being given that he’d appear in The Flash movie, it was reported the actor was in negotiations to reprise the role before he had to drop out altogether. While Crudup had to leave, Livingston remains a solid choice to take his place, and provides the emotional core of the movie as he attempts to take care of his son despite being incarcerated.
Kiersy Clemons’ Iris West
One of the most important people in Barry’s life always will be Iris West, the love of his life. Kiersey Clemons takes on the role The Flash movie, after making her debut in Zack Snyder’s Justice League. While Iris doesn’t have a lot of screen time, her blossoming romance with Barry do play an integral role in the film, and connect the movie closer to its comic origins.
Sasha Calle’s Supergirl
Supergirl makes her big-screen debut in The Flash. Sasha Calle appearing as Kara Zor-el was a surprise casting, as the focus for the movie was previously thought to be just on The Flash himself and what then appeared to be two iterations of Batman. The Flash’s Supergirl repeats the premise of Superman’s story in the Flashpoint comic, as she’s held prisoner until Batman and the Flash duo are able to rescue her. Calle’s Supergirl also finds herself unable to escape death after repeatedly losing in battle against Zod, making it more unlikely that this iteration of the character willl continue into the DCU.
Maribel Verdú’s Nora Allen
Barry’s mom, Nora Allen, is a crucial character in the Flashpoint storyline, and her tragic death is what leads the scarlet speedster to time travel to the past to stop her from being murdered – which is faithfully adapted in The Flash movie. Known best for roles in Pan’s Labyrinth and Y Tu Mama Tambien, Maribel Verú officially joined the cast of The Flash movie as Nora, whose relationship with her son is just as heartbreaking on-screen as it is in the panels of the comics they’re inspired by.
Michael Shannon’s General Zod & Antje Traue’s Faora
One of the biggest surprises with DC characters in The Flash came when General Zod (Michael Shannon) showed up in the trailer as the major villain of the movie — or one of them, at least. However, the movie reveals Superman doesn’t exist in Barry’s altered version of the universe, leading the Flash duo, Supergirl, and Keaton’s Batman to instead try and save the Earth from the Kryptonian villain. Antje Traue also returns to the role of Zod’s lieutenant, Faora-Ul, with both villains proving impossible for anyone other than the Man of Steel to properly stand up against.
Saoirse-Monica Jackson’s Patty Spivot & Rudy Mancuso’s Albert Desmond
Saoirse-Monica Jackson and Rudy Mancuso play the roles of Barry Allen’s coworkers, who show some genuine concern for their compatriot, unaware of his superhero and time travel shenanigans. The duo work well to provide a glimpse into what the normal, non-superhero side of the world and Barry Allen’s life is like, providing some vital grounding to a movie about time travel and the multiverse.
Sanjeev Bhaskar’s David Singh
David Singh also plays a character who works with Barry Allen, but it’s worth noting that the actor doesn’t play a coworker but rather Allen’s tired boss, who’s grown accustomed to and annoyed of hearing his excuses as Barry tries to avoid giving his secret identity away. In a film where the main stakes are life and death – and the destruction of the entire multiverse – having some more relatable risks is certainly helpful to make the superhero scenes pack more of a punch.
Adam West’s Batman
Adam West’s Batman features in the main multiverse scene of the movie, with the scene appearing to use archival footage to highlight the universe of the 1960s Batman show, showing him running in a repeated clip on-screen.
Christopher Reeves’ Superman & Helen Slater’s Supergirl
Adam West’s Batman is by no means the only multiversal cameo in The Flash, as Christopher Reeves and Helen Slater also appear as Superman and Supergirl respectively.
George Reeves’ Superman
George Reeves’ iteration of Superman is also recreated for The Flash and its multiverse sequence, showing the character in his universe – set in sepia to establish the time period this version existed in – striking the iconic Superman pose. Both versions of the Superman cameos were criticized for their recreations of the respective actors, as the decision to recreate the since-passed individuals came under fire because both actors had previously expressed statements that suggested they may not have wished for their likenesses to be used in this manner.
Nicolas Cage’s Superman
Perhaps the longest of the multiverse cameos in The Flash is given to Nicolas Cage, giving audiences a glimpse into what the unmade Superman movie starring the actor could have looked like. While even this is a quick scene – with Cage himself joking he was glad he didn’t blink – it’s a nice memento to the corner of the movie franchise that both satisfies viewers who know of the canceled film, and intrigues those who don’t.
Key Release Dates
