Warning: This post contains spoilers for The Flash.
DC Studios' The Flash changed many aspects of the original Flashpoint storyline in DC Comics. Despite originally being billed for release in 2018, The Flash finally hit theaters on June 16, 2023, with Ezra Miller reprising the role of Barry Allen, a.k.a. the Flash, after having appearances in Justice League, Suicide Squad, and Peacemaker. Directed by Andy Muschietti, The Flash changed the shape of the DC Universe for good, paving the way for James Gunn and Peter Safran's new DCU to unfold in the coming years. Although based on DC Comics' 2011 Flashpoint event, The Flash made several significant changes to the massive crossover storyline.
Similarly to Marvel Comics' 2015 Secret Wars event, DC Comics' Flashpoint established a new timeline, merging the DC, Vertigo, and WildStorm timelines into the then-newly launched New 52 line. Flashpoint was a dramatic storyline that involved Barry Allen waking up in a new reality in which his mother had never died, leading to a variety of extreme changes in the DC Universe. This storyline was adapted loosely for 2023's The Flash, with The Flash resetting the DC Universe, effectively ending the DCEU and allowing Gunn's new DCU to kick off with 2025's Superman: Legacy. Here are 10 examples of some huge changes made from Flashpoint for DC Studios' The Flash.
10 Wonder Woman & Aquaman Aren’t At War In The Flash
One of the key elements of DC Comics' Flashpoint that was omitted from The Flash is the ongoing war between Wonder Woman's Amazons and Aquaman's Atlanteans. Both Gal Gadot and Jason Momoa made The Flash, but these were only brief glimpses that made little impact on the story. In the comics, however, the brutal battle between the two opposing forces had left a trail of destruction in its wake, decimating most of Europe. The war began at the sabotaged wedding ceremony of Diana Prince and Arthur Curry, and ends with an epic battle between the pair, The Flash, Superman, and Batman, before the timeline is restored.
9 Barry Allen’s Father Died In DC Comics’ Flashpoint
The Flash saw Ezra Miller's Barry Allen travel back in time to save his mother's life, and then finds him trapped in 2013 in a world where his mother, father, and his younger self are all alive and well. In DC Comics' Flashpoint storyline, however, Barry wakes up in a world where his mother is alive, but his father ed away from a heart attack three years prior. Ron Livingston replaced Billy Crudup in the role of Henry Allen for The Flash, and while Barry may be unable to save his mother, he does make one small change to the DC Universe's timeline that allows his father to be freed.
8 Thomas Wayne Became Batman In DC Comics (& Bruce Wayne Was Killed)
DC Comics' Flashpoint displayed a twisted, dark vision of the DC Universe, and one key aspect of this was the exploration of a more violent and aggressive Batman. When met by the time-traveling Barry Allen, Batman reveals himself to be Thomas Wayne, forged into the crime-fighting vigilante after the death of his son, Bruce. In The Flash, instead of featuring Thomas Wayne's Batman, Michael Keaton reprised his role of Bruce Wayne from Tim Burton's Batman and Batman Returns. This provided a more light-hearted version of Batman for the live-action Flashpoint timeline, though it would have been great to see Jeffrey Dean Morgan return as Thomas Wayne, portraying a darker Caped Crusader.
7 Martha Wayne Is The Joker In DC Comics’ Flashpoint
The tragedy that struck the Wayne family in DC Comics' Flashpoint event meant that the lives of Thomas and Martha Wayne were forever changed. While Thomas went on to become a version of the Dark Knight, Martha was driven insane by the death of her son, becoming Flashpoint's iteration of the Joker. Working with her own version of Harley Quinn, known as Yo-Yo, Martha became Thomas' archenemy, paralyzed Batman's vigilante partner, Catwoman, and eventually committed suicide after learning the truth of their timeline. This storyline was completely omitted from The Flash, with only Jack Nicholson's past Joker being glimpsed in a cameo appearance.
6 Several Characters From Flashpoint Are Missing From The Flash
To fit the live-action adaptation of The Flash, many characters from DC Comics' Flashpoint needed to be completely removed from the storyline. These include the likes of Deathstroke, who was portrayed by Joe Manganiello in Justice League, and his pirate crew, Booster Gold, who is set to be featured in Gunn's new DC Universe, and Hal Jordan, a.k.a. Green Lantern. Cyborg was also featured in Flashpoint as the world's primary hero, replacing Superman in the role, though Ray Fisher did not return for The Flash. Flashpoint was an epic crossover that featured twisted versions of many characters from DC's history, but The Flash trimmed this down massively.
5 Two Barry Allen’s Are Involved In The Flash
In DC Comics' Flashpoint, Barry Allen wakes up in an alternate timeline where he isn't the Flash, and has no powers, but is still the only Barry Allen in the world. In The Flash, however, Barry's time travel sees him become stranded in the year 2013, where he is able to converse with his younger self, also portrayed by Ezra Miller. The Flash allows the original Barry to lose his powers, while the younger Barry gains them and begins his transformation into a darker Flash. This never occurred in DC Comics' Flashpoint, but allowed Miller to show off their range in The Flash, playing two vastly different versions of Barry Allen.
4 Superman Was Replaced By Supergirl In The Flash
Despite keeping many elements of the Superman story the same in The Flash, the 2023 film didn't put Kal-El himself front-and-center, but his cousin, Kara Zor-El, instead. In Flashpoint, Superman was found on Earth as an infant, imprisoned, and experimented on by the United States government, though he is later rescued by the Flash, Batman, and Cyborg, and s the battle. In The Flash, this story plays out with Sasha Calle's Supergirl, who is rescued by the two Flashes and Michael Keaton's Batman from a facility in Siberia. Supergirl s the fight against General Zod similarly to her Flashpoint comic counterpart, though this isn't as successful.
3 The Flash’s Time Travel Is Different From DC Comics
Time travel is at the core of The Flash's storyline, as Barry Allen journeys back through time in an attempt to stop his mother's murder. In doing so, however, he creates the alternate timeline. Barry Allen accomplishes this feat by running so fast that he gains access to the Speed Force and the Chronobowl, an area that allows him to access The Flash's multiverse and choose which timeline to enter. This is different to the time travel seen in DC Comics' Flashpoint, which features Barry simply waking up in the alternate timeline, and his restoration of the timeline involves him running faster than the speed of light, not accessing the Chronobowl.
2 The Reverse-Flash Is Killed By Batman In Flashpoint
The Reverse-Flash, Barry Allen's archenemy, is a major part of DC Comics' Flashpoint event, but isn't featured at all in 2023's The Flash. Although Ezra Miller does portray a darker version of The Flash, as the younger Barry is corrupted by his knowledge of time travel, this character is never referred to as Reverse-Flash. In Flashpoint, Barry is led to believe that Eobard Thawne's Reverse-Flash is the cause of the altered timeline, though a final battle between the pair reveals the truth. The Reverse-Flash is eventually killed by Batman in Flashpoint, though the dark Speedster in The Flash is killed by his younger self's sacrifice.
1 Bruce Wayne Receives A Message From His Father In The Comics
While the ending of The Flash and Flashpoint explore Barry Allen in a new timeline, the impact of both endings is vastly different. In The Flash, Barry made a change in the past that allowed his father to be exonerated, though is then met by George Clooney's version of Bruce Wayne in an uncredited cameo, eliminating Ben Affleck from the DC Universe. However, in Flashpoint, Barry returns to his version of Batman, gifting the Caped Crusader a message from his father in the Flashpoint timeline. This emotional ending was omitted from The Flash, though Barry's hand in freeing his father did supply a great footnote to the 2023 film.
