A DC leak revealed The Flash's surprising main villain for Ezra Miller's upcoming solo superhero debut.
Alongside Batman and Spider-Man, The Flash has one of the most infamous rogues galleries in comic book history. Famous foes like Reverse Flash, Captain Boomerang, King Shark, and The Thinker lead the roster, much of which has been explored over the nine seasons of CW’s The Flash.
As DC’s speedster now prepares to make his big screen solo debut, many have wondered which of the rogue’s gallery Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen will face in this summer’s The Flash. This has especially been the case with the flick adapting the Flashpoint storyline that famously featured Reverse Flash, and yet, there has been no sign of casting for Eobard Thawne.
The Direct previously revealed that another version of Barry Allen will act as a “Dark Flash” antagonist to the Justice League hero. DC has yet to make this clear in the marketing, although perhaps next month’s trailer will clear that up.
Now, a new leak offered some insight into what this Dark Flash might look like.
The Flash Reveals Comic-Inspired Main Villain (Description)
Descriptions surfaced online for a new line of action figures based on this year's The Flash, revealing surprising details about both the movie's villain and its starring cast of DC superheroes.
One figure revealed a villainous "Dark Flash," which boasted a mangled face masked behind a bulkier black Flash suit with spikes emerging from the shoulders. The design appears to combine elements of both the corrupted speedster and Savitar from CW's The Flash.
Ezra Miller's Flash can be seen donning the new suit that has been shown across the movie's marketing material, but what's particularly interesting comes from another version labeled as "The Flash Young Barry."
This listing seems to imply that Miller's second Flash in the movie will not be a Multiversal variant as many had expected but rather the same one fans have grown familiar with from an earlier point in time.
Michael Keaton's Batman is also pictured wearing a suit similar to the one he was last seen wearing in 1992's Batman Returns but with some slight modernization.
Why The Flash's Villain Might Be Controversial
Fans have known from the beginning that Ezra Miller's The Flash was going to end up being a take on, what may be, the character's most famous tale of Flashpoint. This was a controversial decision as that story was used to relaunch the DC Universe, making it an odd one to start with.
As the storyline centered around Barry Allen's rivalry with the Reverse Flash as he traveled back in time to stop the yellow speedster villain from killing his mother, he was naturally assumed to be the main villain. And yet, reports claimed in August 2020, just eight months before filming started in April 2021, that he was being cut.
That change is now ever more apparent as this Dark Flash version of Barry Allen takes over that main villainous role. However, taking out Reverse Flash essentially removes the core of Flashpoint, being the ever-lasting feud between the two speedsters, and leaves the story with a gaping hole.
Some fans are bound to be furious at the decision to replace Reverse Flash in perhaps his most famous story. And having another Barry Allen turn out to be the one who actually killed his mother, and thus become his biggest foe, would only prove to be even more divisive.
Although if this were to instead be a take on Black Flash - the speedster Grim Reaper who has in the past chased down those who mess with time - things may make slightly more sense. Perhaps after saving his mother from Reverse Flash, this Dark Flash will pursue Barry, forcing him to set things right.
However, all of that sounds rather tough to pull off without actually casting or involving Reverse Flash in any way. It'd be a safe bet to assume Eobard Thawne would have ended up facing Ezra Miller's Flash at some point in the future, but with a reboot and recasting now appearing likely, that may never come to be.
The Flash hits theaters on June 16.
