It seems that Barry Allen is zooming in on a multiverse… full of problems. The first trailer for Warner Bros.’s upcoming superhero movie The flash — starring Ezra Miller as DC Comics resident Scarlet Speedster — fell during Super Bowl LVII. And while the movie is mentioned The flashthe breakout star of the two and a half minute top spot is The Bat: Specifically Michael Keaton’s Batman, returning to the big screen for the first time since 1992 Batman returns. (Watch the trailer above.)
Heavily inspired by the famous Flash comics storyline “Flashpoint”, the film’s plot finds Barry still mourning the death of his mother, who was killed years ago. After discovering how to access the Speed Force and literally race into the timestream, he is now able to change the past as well. But as another Batman – Ben Affleck, aka Batfleck, making one of his last appearances in the DC Extended Universe – warns him, that might not be the best idea. “You have no idea what the consequences might be,” warns Affleck’s Bruce Wayne. “You could destroy everything.”
Sure enough, Barry’s plan breaks the DCEU as we’ve known it since 2013 Man of Steel. While there’s no sign of Henry Cavill’s Superman – who reportedly filmed a cameo that may or may not be used in the movie – we get another appearance from Michael Shannon’s General Zod, who now succeeds in his quest to rule a world without metahumans.
But thankfully there is still a Batman, and he’s ready to adapt to restore Barry to his proper timeline. Additional super assistance is provided by a second Barry and Kara Zor-El aka Supergirl (Sasha Calle), Superman’s cousin who also survived Krypton’s destruction. While they’ll likely succeed in their mission – this is a superhero movie, after all – the DC timeline won’t be restored exactly as it once was.
The new co-chief of DC Studios, James Gunn, has already revealed that The flash “reset everything” about the DC’s cinematic multiverse, setting the stage for the “Gods and Monsters” storyline that kicks off in earnest with the release of Superman: Legacy in 2025. Gunn has also described Andy Muschietti’s Flash movie as “one of the greatest superhero movies ever made”, and echoed his praise on Twitter after the trailer’s release.
But The flash has yet to get ahead of Miller’s real legal troubles and the shroud that has been thrown over the project. The actor, who is non-binary and uses she/she pronouns, is reportedly in the middle of treatment for their “complex mental health issues” and Gunn and DC Studios co-chief Peter Safran have both expressed their support for making their way back to welfare.
“Ezra is fully committed to their recovery,” Safran recently told a group of journalists during a press day announcing DC’s upcoming slate, while also declining to say whether Miller would remain in the role after this movie. “When the time is right, when they feel they’re ready to have the discussion, we’ll all figure out the best way forward. But right now they’re totally focused on their recovery. And in our talking to them over the past few months, it feels like they’re making tremendous progress.”
Response to The flash trailer on Twitter is evenly split between those who claim to be excited about the film and those who are still undecided about celebrating the star. That’s a gap the movie could make up for as it accelerates toward a June 16 release date.
While The flash trailer was the main event of the Super Bowl, other future blockbusters also dropped Big Game ads. Here’s a rundown of some of the other Super Bowl spots, including a fresh one Indiana Jones teasers and more Transformers.
Creed III (3 March)
Rocky Balboa’s former apprentice becomes his own fighter in the third Belief fight, this time with star Michael B. Jordan behind the camera. His opponent, a super buff Jonathan Majors, certainly looks like he could beat Clubber Lang.
Sky (April 5th)
Best friends Ben Affleck and Matt Damon rewind the clock to 1984 in the Affleck-directed docudrama about the creation of Nike’s iconic Air Jordon sneaker line. We’re expecting a Dunkin’ tie-in when the movie comes out.
Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 (5th of May)
He may be hyped The flashbut James Gunn is probably pretty excited about his trilogy cap Guardians of the Universe movie too. The last Full. 3 trailer features more music, more action, more Drax one-liners, and of course, more of our favorite weird couple, Groot and Rocket.
Fast X (May 19)
A vengeful Aquaman takes on Groot and the rest of the Fast and furious family in the penultimate Fast Saga chapter. Next time let Rita “Abuela Toretto” Moreno drive.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (June 9)
The Transformers franchise enters “beast mode” with an all-new adventure featuring animal versions of the super-sized transforming robots. Pete Davidsons’ bot Mirage sure gets a lot of face time in the thirty-second spot.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Fate (June 30th)
Harrison Ford is going for one last ride as his whipping alter ego. The Super Bowl spot offers a longer glimpse of Mads Mikkelsen’s past (and perhaps present?) Nazi scientist villain and Phoebe Waller-Bridge as Indiana Jones’ adventurous goddaughter.