Michael Keaton's return as Batman in The Flash ruins the potential for one important character from DC Comics' Flashpoint storyline. 2023's The Flash is set to mark the end of the DCEU and will kick-start the development of James Gunn's new DC Universe. The movie is adapted from DC Comics' 2011 crossover series, Flashpoint, which saw Barry Allen, a.k.a. the Flash, travel back in time to try and save his mother but cause more catastrophe in the process. Flashpoint reset the DC Universe in the comics, just as The Flash will in the live-action franchise, but the trailer for The Flash has revealed a very different storyline from its comic source material.
In the comics, Barry Allen unwittingly creates an alternate timeline after trying to save his mother, who was murdered in the original timeline. In DC's Flashpoint world, Superman is a prisoner of the US Government, Batman is a much darker antihero, Barry himself doesn't have his powers, and Wonder Woman and Aquaman are at war with each other. It could have been assumed that this storyline would have easily been adapted into the live-action DC Universe, especially since most of the previous DCEU projects had been met with scrutiny for having dark tones, but the return of Michael Keaton's Batman throws a spanner in the works.
Michael Keaton’s Return Misses The Point Of The Flashpoint World
Michael Keaton starred as Bruce Wayne, a.k.a. Batman, in 1989's Batman and 1992's Batman Returns, both directed by Tim Burton, but was replaced by Val Kilmer for 1995's Batman Forever. Keaton's return in The Flash certainly delivers on the different version of Batman featured in the original Flashpoint storyline but avoids one major aspect of the event, that being the darkness of the Flashpoint world. In the comics, Flashpoint's Batman is not Bruce Wayne but actually his father, Thomas, who had become jaded, brutal, and dangerous after Bruce is killed by the robber instead of Martha and himself, like in the original timeline.
The point of the Flashpoint timeline is to show the extremes of the damage that Barry Allen could cause, and introducing a darker version of Batman, first seen throwing a criminal off a building, was the perfect way to do this. While Michael Keaton's return to the role of Batman in The Flash is great, it misses out on delivering this hardened version of Batman. Also, simply bringing back a different version of Bruce Wayne doesn't seem like as big a change as having Thomas Wayne fill the Batman role, especially since the dynamic between father and son across timelines is crucial to the plot of the comics' Flashpoint story.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan Would Have Been A Brilliant Batman In The Flash
Since The Flash was announced to be in development, speculation had been rising about the potential to see Jeffrey Dean Morgan's return to the DCEU after his previous appearance as Thomas Wayne during Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. The Flash would have been the perfect place to see this rugged actor return, and he could have fit the bill of portraying the hardened, grittier, and darker version of Batman in the Flashpoint world. Morgan's return would have better demonstrated the connection between father and son and could have paid off particular moments in the DCEU continuity rather than harking back to a classic Batman film.
Lauren Cohan and Jeffrey Dean Morgan stated they'd return to the DCEU for a Flashpoint storyline, so the fact that this has been ignored is interesting. Both Cohan and Morgan starred in The Walking Dead, where they perhaps proved they would be the perfect participants in a dark Flashpoint storyline. This is particularly brilliant as, in DC Comics' Flashpoint, Martha, played by Cohan in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, is driven to evil after her son's murder and goes on to become that reality's Joker, which would have been a brilliant dynamic to see in live-action with Morgan as a brutal Batman seeking connection with his son in another reality.
Other Important Flashpoint Characters Missing From The Flash Trailer
Despite Thomas Wayne's Batman being crucial to the Flashpoint storyline in the comics, it seems as though it has been completely omitted from The Flash, but this isn't the only casualty of the live-action adaptation. The recent trailer for The Flash seems to suggest that the important subplot of the Atlantean-Amazon War has been completely removed from the storyline, even though this is one of the biggest changes that occur in the new Flashpoint timeline. In the comics, this storyline features Wonder Woman and Aquaman at war with each other as the Amazons have conquered the United Kingdom and the Atlanteans have sunk Western Europe.
Most of the superhero action in the Flashpoint timeline is centered around the political and societal effects of the Atlantean-Amazon War, but this doesn't seem to be the case in The Flash. It could be that these moments have been omitted from the trailer in order to keep audiences guessing but will actually be featured in the final film, though this seems unlikely as Jason Momoa, Gal Gadot, and even Henry Cavill have reportedly had their cameos cut from the film. The Flash may end up being a great film, but there's no doubt that its apparent lack of some alternate versions of heroes is disappointing.
