[Editor’s note: The following post contains spoilers for both “The Flash” and its post-credits scene.]
Ah, the superhero film post-credits scene. Because the ever-evolving world of comedian e book cinematic universes has solely grown over the previous few years (essential rely notation: we’re presently at 32 launched Marvel Cinematic Universe options, and 14 DC Prolonged Universe options, with loads extra to return), so too has the post-credits tag.
As soon as only a frisky and enjoyable add-on, post-credits scenes are actually tasked with serving a large variety of capabilities, from setting up a sequel to unveiling new heroes and fresh villains, to the purpose that even when a film doesn’t embrace a post-credits tag, it’s worth noting.
And now, one thing else totally: the top of Andy Muschietti’s extremely buzzy and oft-delayed “The Flash” film doesn’t simply arrange what’s subsequent for this standalone collection, however hints at what’s to return for the broader DC movie slate, which is currently in a state of profound flux and change. It’s not simply the movie’s sole post-credits scene on the hook to ship that data both, it’s additionally the movie’s ultimate scene itself, which units up a slew of queries about the way forward for the DC multiverse itself.
[One more warning: The following post contains spoilers for both “The Flash” and its post-credits scene.]
As Variety reported earlier this month, the secrecy surrounding the movie’s ultimate scene and its post-credits sequence was not only a product of Warner Bros. wanting to maintain some enjoyable surprises underneath wraps, however was additionally rooted in a want for flexibility surrounding the way forward for the franchise. The outlet reported that “on the height of [star Ezra] Miller’s PR problems, Warners was trying to preserve its choices open on the subject of the long run trajectory of the speedster.” Briefly, simply how a lot was that ending going to nod at extra adventures to return? And, even when Miller appears locked to return for extra movies, which different DC superhero could be becoming a member of them for the trip?
Per that Selection story, the movie’s ultimate scene was “modified a number of occasions” earlier than it screened at CinemaCon in April, and “the version that screened at CinemaCon in April ended abruptly, with a piece of the ultimate scene lacking. At screenings on the Burbank lot this week, the ultimate scene was intact, however Warners blurred out key components.” Muschietti’s movie ends with Miller’s Barry Allen (aka The Flash) happy after seemingly a) setting the multiverse again to “regular,” after the movie’s time-bending journey that sees the superhero altering a number of timelines after he discovers he can actually run quick sufficient to return in time and b) celebrating the discharge of his beloved father (Ron Livingston) after one tiny tweak Barry did make up to now helps exonerate him within the “present day.”
However, as we study in the course of the course of the movie — largely, care of Michael Keaton’s Batman, who seems as simply one of many many modifications to Barry’s “regular” timeline after he goes again in time (in his timeline, it’s Ben Affleck who performs the Caped Crusader) — screwing up time has loads of unintended penalties, the sort that go ahead and backward. So when a really pleased Barry emerges from the native courthouse and will get a name from “Bruce Wayne,” he’s excited to see his common pal: but it surely’s George Clooney (like Keaton, one other former Batman star) who pulls as much as greet his pal. Oops!
Early screenings of the movie that did embrace its ultimate moments blurred out the looks of Clooney as Bruce Wayne/Batman. Viewers members knew some Batman was arriving, and that his look shocked Barry (who yelps, “Who the fuck is that this?” when the hero will get out of his car), but it surely was unclear which Batman was on deck.
Clooney is just not the one DC hero who seems within the movie’s ultimate moments, although it’s unclear how a lot of an element he’ll play within the collection going ahead (it appears extra seemingly that The Flash’s subsequent journey will contain setting proper the timeline and getting Affleck again, although the actor has been publicly disinterested in returning to the function, so possibly we get heaps extra Clooney, and possibly we get someway totally new). However there’s one individual that DC appears able to announce may be very a lot a part of the way forward for the franchise (alongside Miller), and that’s the hero who exhibits up within the movie’s lone post-credits scene: Jason Momoa.
Throughout “The Flash,” as soon as Barry is tossed into a brand new timeline, he units about monitoring down the remainder of the Justice League, not less than as he is aware of it. He can’t discover Diana Prince/Marvel Lady (star Gal Gadot seems in an early scene of the movie, FYI), quickly learns that Victor Prince (Ray Fisher) has not grow to be Cyborg, and even realizes that Momoa’s Arthur Curry wasn’t even born (and thus his Aquaman doesn’t exist). Bruce Wayne/Batman is, after all, now Michael Keaton. And Superman? He by no means made it to Earth, however his cousin Kara Zor-El (Sasha Calle) did.
In his somewhat-back-to-normal timeline, Barry does discover Arthur, aka Aquaman, who appears to have spent most of his grownup life getting drunk in dive bars. Barry makes an attempt to clarify to Arthur the ins and outs of the multiverse — like that there’s all the time a Bruce Wayne/Batman, although he’s totally different individuals all through every timeline — however Arthur is simply too drunk (and, understandably, too confused) to actually course of what his younger pal is telling him. As an alternative, he splashes out in a giant puddle (it’s “his house”!), tells Barry to take his “Atlantean treasure” (a hoop) to get extra beer, and passes out.
It’s quick and humorous, but it surely additionally establishes that Miller stays The Flash, Momoa is again within the fold as Aquaman, they usually’re seemingly going to be occurring some additional multiverse-spanning adventures collectively, and shortly. All that, in lower than a minute!
A Warner Bros. launch, “The Flash″ is now in theaters.
Leave a Reply