Superman 2025 secretly debuted the DCU's very first Flash, and it was not Barry Allen. Fans may be familiar with DC Comics' Scarlet Speedster for his appearances in Zack Snyder's DCEU and the expansive CW Arrowverse (played by Ezra Miller and Grant Gustin in each respective franchise); however, since Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn took over DC's on-screen efforts, word on the character's return to TV or film has been mum.
That was until Superman's release in theaters, as the DCU's debut film featured a subtle nod to the character, introducing a version of The Flash that fans have not seen in live-action for quite some time. This is exciting, as the David Corenswet blockbuster marks the first time the superspeed supe has been acknowledged by the franchise (outside of being seen dead in Creature Commandos) and could hint at bigger things to come.
During Superman's Hall of Justice sequences, in which Rachel Brosnahan's Lois Lane seeks the help of the Justice Gang to free Superman/Clark from Lex Luthor's interdimensional prison, a peculiar mural can be seen on the wall above the heroes talking below.
In this mural, several classic DC heroes can be spotted, seemingly depicting the earliest version of the Justice League in the DC Comics known as the Justice Society of America. One of these heroes is Jay Garrick (the very first Flash).
Garrick was introduced as the first Flash in 1940, nearly 20 years before Barry Allen made his comic book debut. The original Flash was a former scientist who gained super speed and agility after inhaling hard water vapor during a lab experiment.
Gunn previously teased that something like this mural would be included in his new DCU blockbuster, telling fans at a London Superman fan event, "here's an iconic scene with a huge, huge mural in the background that tells you the story of metahumans in the DCU" (via Comic Book Movie):
"Most of the businesses are either named after either a comic book writer or artist, or they are named after businesses that exist within the DC Universe, on the page. Later on, there's an iconic scene with a huge, huge mural in the background that tells you the story of metahumans in the DCU, and that's going to be really, really fun when we release those images to the public. So the stuff goes deep, it's really, really fun, and it was really fun creating the world. That was one of the reasons why I like DC a lot, because it isn't New York and Los Angeles, it's Gotham and Central City and Evergreen. It's really creating another world, with other rules and other things that are common."
Modern-day fans may know Jay Garrick for his recurring role (played by John Wesley Shipp) in The CW's The Flash and Stargirl series, as well as his cameo in 2023's The Flash movie.
James Gunn's newly minted DCU just made its big screen debut with the release of Superman. While the Twister actor brings to life the movie's titular DC hero, several other longstanding DC superheroes play key roles in the film, including Isabela Merced's Hawkgirl, Nathan Fillion's Guy Gardner, and Edi Gathegi's Mister Terrific.
The new film from The Suicide Squad filmmaker follows Superman/Clark Kent three years into his journey as Earth's mighty protector, as the maniacal billionaire Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) enacts a plan to discredit the Man of Steel.
What Are the DCU's Flash Plans?
This Jay Garrick appearance in Superman is undoubtedly only the beginning for the Flash character in James Gunn's new DCU. While nothing official is on the books featuring the character, that will likely not last long, as the Scarlet Speedster has long been one of DC Comics' most prominent names.
If Gunn and company are working toward a full-on Justice League project, then a Flash will almost surely be present in some capacity.
Whether that be Barry Allen or some other iteration of the character, like Wally West, remains to be seen, but fans can rest assured that a Flash will likely be there when the League teams up.
Another avenue the franchise may go down is tackling the story depicted in this Hall of Justice mural (read more about the DCU Hall of Justice here).
This painting confirms that the Justice Society of America has already come and gone in the DCU when Superman takes place. So, how cool would it be to tackle the metahuman origins of these heroes in some sort of TV or movie project set in the universe?
This could be a unique way to recount the early days of the universe's first superhero team, showing how things came to be in the DCU world decades before Kal-El arrived on Earth.
It could also introduce audiences to a new set of heroes, including Jay Garrick's Flash, Doctor Fate, and Wildcat.
