Earlier this 12 months, The Flash delivered a free cinematic adaptation of the 2011 storyline Flashpoint, with Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen altering the timeline after going again in time to save lots of his mom from being murdered. The characteristic arrived practically a decade after it was formally introduced as a DC Prolonged Universe installment, with the next years seeing it go by way of the palms of a number of filmmakers. Because it seems although, again when Zack Snyder was nonetheless engaged on this superhero franchise, he’d meant not just for Flashpoint to be a separate film from The Flash, but in addition have it issue closely into his general DCEU saga.
This data comes from Jay Oliva, a storyboard artist who labored on DCEU motion pictures Man of Metal, Batman v Superman: Daybreak of Justice, Marvel Lady and Justice League (each variations). Moreover, he directed the animated film Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox and lent his creative abilities to the primary 4 seasons of The Flash TV present, so when The Flash film began being put collectively, it’s comprehensible he was looped into the artistic course of. As Oliva knowledgeable Inverse, again when Rick Famuyiwa was hooked up to direct The Flash, the flick wasn’t purported to be a Flashpoint adaptation, however moderately lay the groundwork for this epic storyline, particularly with the yellow-garbed speedster who’s been Barry Allen’s arch-nemesis within the comics for many years, Eobard Thawne, a.ok.a. Professor Zoom. Oliva defined:
Rick’s film was laying the groundwork for Zoom as the massive baddy of the DC Universe. It was Professor Zoom pulling the strings as a result of he had come from the longer term to principally fuck with Barry. Within the Flash motion pictures, Zoom can be the villain within the background. But in addition within the ancillary different movies, you’d see a few of the influences of Zoom on the remainder of the Justice League.
Professor Zoom gained extra significance to the Flash mythos in The Flash: Rebirth miniseries from the late 2000s, the place it was retconned that he went again in time and murdered Nora Allen when Barry Allen was a toddler. A number of years later, Zoom was current in Flashpoint, and whereas he didn’t find yourself being the reason for this alternate timeline’s creation, he nonetheless used it as yet one more alternative to torment Barry. In accordance with Jay Oliva, not solely would The Flash movie trilogy have seeded teases of Zoom all through, however so would different DCEU motion pictures.
Within the years since Justice League’s theatrical launch, and notably as soon as Zack Snyder’s Justice League was made out there to Max subscribers, the general public has discovered numerous particulars about Snyder’s scrapped Justice League sequels, which might have featured Darkseid as the massive unhealthy. Nonetheless, concerning the DCEU as a complete, it seems Justice League 3 wasn’t going to be the grand finale to Snyder’s saga, however moderately a Flashpoint film meant to reboot the franchise. Oliva continued:
On the ending of Zack’s Darkseid quadrilogy, or no matter, we might find yourself with a Justice League Limitless model of the Snyder-verse. And then you definately flip it. You do Flashpoint Paradox. All people who’s pals at the moment are enemies, and it is a world that you do not wish to reside in. You’ll be able to reboot the universe and introduce a brand new forged that approach. As a result of after 10 years, the actors have to go onto one thing else.
In fact, the DCEU as Zack Snyder had envisioned it began to vary following the discharge of Batman v Superman: Daybreak of Justice, and much more so after he left Justice League within the postproduction course of and Joss Whedon was tapped to helm the reshoots. In the end the DCEU formed out to be a a lot completely different beast, however that period will come to an finish later this 12 months as soon as Aquaman and the Misplaced Kingdom comes out. After that, the brand new DC Universe spearheaded by DC Studios heads James Gunn and Peter Safran will get underway, with the animated Creature Instructions collection being launched to Max someday in 2024, after which Superman: Legacy kicking off the movie aspect of this new continuity in summer season 2025.
You’ll be able to study what different DC initiatives are on the way in which, each DC Universe-connected and in any other case, by wanting by way of our upcoming DC motion pictures and upcoming DC TV reveals guides. Be sure you additionally learn what Jay Oliva needed to say about how Ben Affleck’s model of The Batman would have explored 80 years value of the Caped Crusader’s mythos.
