The coming year will see the official addition of a standalone Flash to the DCEU, as Ezra Miller is set to star in a movie centered around the fast-footed hero. However, after being introduced to Miller's incarnation of The Flash in 2017's Justice League, audiences may be hesitant to embrace a film entirely devoted to the famous figure.
While Justice League saw Barry Allen serve as a light-hearted source of comedic relief, his personality may be too much to carry an entire film. Whether Allen is going on about his confusion surrounding brunch, or trying to race Superman, he is hard to take seriously as a profound character, whose story an audience is willing to follow and become emotionally invested in over the course of an entire film.
On the other hand, the recent release of The Snyder Cut revealed previously unseen moments in Justice League, and shined a light on many of the characters' complexity. This was especially the case with The Flash. Whereas in the 2017 version of Justice League the Flash is merely relegated to a humorous side-character, in The Snyder Cut, he rewinds time and saves the entire world.
On the other hand, it is important to note that Ezra Miller's Flash should not revert to a hyper-serious characterization of Ben Affleck's Batman, or even Henry Cavill's Superman. Rather, a mixture of levity and sincerity is key to the hero's box-office and critical success. This tight-rope act is evidenced in many of the MCU films. For example, whereas Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man manages to measure his brashness with his charm, Tom Holland's Spider-Man matches his naivety with his earnestness.
Miller's Flash has all of the ingredients necessary to strike the perfect protagonist note, if only the script allows for greater character development than that of Joss Whedon's Justice League. With the quick wit of Ryan Reynold's Deadpool and a mix of Spider-Man's awkward sincerity, Barry Allen is a deeply unique and compelling character. That being said, if his solo debut fails to move beyond silly gags and snark, Allen's cheeky charm has the potential to become grating.
So far, the 2022 Flash film seems ripe with possibility. With reports of Michael Keaton's Batman making an appearance, it looks like the film will continue the DCEU's deep dive into the multiverse. Recent photographs of The Flash set reveal that a portion of the film will take place at the 1989 incarnation of Wayne Manor, where Michael Keaton originally dawned the dark black cape and prepared to face off against Jack Nicholson's Joker. However, Keaton won't be the only Batman to appear in the film, as it has also been reported that Ben Affleck will reprise his role as the Dark Knight.
The movie is said to be inspired by Geoff Johns and Andy Kubert's Flashpoint comic, which takes the DC Universe that contemporary audiences have come to know and love, and turns it on its head. In the comic, The Flash wakes up in a universe where his mother is still alive, Iris (Allen's primary love interest) is in a relationship with someone else, Bruce Wayne is dead, and Thomas Wayne has taken up the Batman mantel where he faces off against his own wife, Martha Wayne, who has gone insane and become the Joker. Through this shift in narrative, Flashpoint disarms readers and prepares them to expect the unimaginable.
Due to the serious nature of Flashpoint's narrative, it is difficult to imagine an incarnation of the Flash movie where Miller's Flash takes on the same wisecracking juvenile attitude as he does in Whedon's Justice League. There is little humor in the gritty realism of the Flashpoint universe, where Thomas Wayne conspires with seedy criminals, ruthlessly kills his opponents, and attempts to save children from the psychotic grasps of his deranged wife. As a result, it is logical to assume that audiences may see Allen's demeanor take on a more serious tone, as he learns to grow up in this new reality, and face the demons of his past.
Whether or not Allen's character manages to become more well-rounded, audiences can at least have faith that the movie will not be lacking in material. The movie is sure to be more exciting than your average origin story, which may rely too heavily on Miller's charm and emotional depth to weave a compelling tale. With The Flash's story grounded in the Flashpoint comic, new narrative threads are sure to emerge at a rapid pace, placing audiences in Allen's position of ignorance, as he attempts to understand the series of events unfolding in front of him.
For now, audiences can only hope that Miller is given the chance to extend his characterization beyond a few saucy remarks and truly lean into the depth of the story that is being told.