The Flash trailer breakdown: 7 things you might have missed
You wanna get nuts? Let’s get nuts!
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Potential spoilers follow for The Flash movie.
Well, consider us bowled over, Warner Bros. The final trailer forThe Flash, the next DC Extended Universe (DCEU) movie, and the film that’s due to reset the DC’s entire cinematic universe, has dropped. And, based on the latest footage – which debuted at CinemaCon 2023 before being released online – it looks like it could be one of thebest superhero moviesever made.
As with most movie trailers these days, we suspect you missed some key details and/or Easter eggs dotted throughout the three-minute teaser. Hey, we don’t blame you if you did – after all, there’s so much going on in the trailer that its secrets could have ahemflashedby your eyes without you noticing.
In any case, we’re here to help. Below, we’ve picked out seven things you might have missed fromThe Flash’s latest teaser. Before you dive in: if you missed the trailer’s arrival yesterday (April 25), you’ll want to watch it first. Check the teaser out below, and then read on for our Easter egg trailer round-up.
1. Return of the Bat
This may be the Flash’s first solo movie outing, but Warner Bros. is definitely making sure thatBatmanfans – especially those who loved the Michael Keaton films – know Keaton’s version of the Caped Crusader has a huge role to play in this flick.
Keaton’s Batman has been front and center of the film’s marketing push in recent months, and that continues in the movie’s latest teaser. In fact, the first 40 seconds are dedicated entirely to the, well, return of Keaton’s Dark Knight.
From the eerie, run-down exterior of Wayne Manor – an obvious nod to Tim Burton’s gothic Batman films (two of which Keaton starred in) – to the late 80s/early 90s Batcave (the Batcomputer from 1989’sBatmanand 1992’sBatman Returnshas been perfectly replicated here), the attention to detail and clear homages to Keaton’s run as the Dark Knight are clear to see.
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The same can be said of the Batsuit collection we see, too, as well as the return of Keaton’s Batman’s iconic Batmobile and Batwing – the latter of which we see descend into the Batcave like a real-life bat leaving its roosting station. Oh, and, later on in the trailer, we even get Keaton’s Batman recount his iconic “You wanna get nuts? Let’s get nuts!” line from 1989’sBatman, too. Chef’s kisses all round.
Want to read more Batman content? Check out ourBatman movies rankedpiece, or find outhow to watch the Batman movies in order.
2. Colors to set the mood
The Flash, which will help turn the DCEU into the revised DC Cinematic Universe (DCU), is going to be a visually arresting spectacle. Bright, eye-popping hues largely dominate the screen whenever Barry Allen is on the screen, with muted tones and more monochromatic shades taking residence in sequences concerning Batman, General Zod, and, on occasion, Supergirl.
That said, there is a telling difference between the colorama used to depict the two versions of Barry – those being Barry Prime, who we know fromZack Snyder’s Justice League, and this alternate timeline’s version of Barry – inThe Flash, especially where memories centered around their respective iterations of their mom is concerned.
For Barry Prime, recollections of his deceased mother are always shown in a muted, pastel-blue color. In contrast, alternate-reality Barry’s memories of his mom, who is still alive in this different timeline, are defined by a bright, yellow aesthetic, which indicates he had a far happier childhood with his mom still in the picture.
3. Man of Steel callbacks
It’s not just Keaton’s Batman who gets tons of references in this trailer. Callbacks to 2013’sMan of Steel, the first Superman film starring Henry Cavill, are littered throughout. We already knew General Zod and his antagonistic faction of Kryptonians, who were defeated inMan of Steel, are back as the film’s villains, but there are plenty more for fans to pick out from the new footage, too.
At the 1:10 mark, we see Sasha Calle’s Supergirl ask the two Barrys if they know what the ‘S’ symbol on her supersuit means (it means hope, FYI). Later, we see one of Zod’s henchmen attack the Batwing in the exact same way they attacked a US fighter jet in Man of Steel, too – the soldier in question leaping onto the cockpit and punching out the glass windscreen. In short: expect many moreMan of SteelandJustice Leaguereferences to appear inThe Flash.
4. Suit up
After Keaton’s crowd-pleasing rendition of his “Let’s get nuts” line, we see three of our four heroes – Supergirl and the two Barrys – speed onto the screen in their supersuits during the climactic battle with Zod’s forces.
We’ve seen Barry Prime and Supergirl’s costumes multiple times, but this is one of our clearest looks yet at alternate-reality Barry’s Flash suit. And, curiously, it looks like a repurposed Batsuit, which Keaton’s Bruce Wayne likely cooked up for him.
How do we know for sure? The yellow, repurposed utility belt around his waist is a dead giveaway. The helmet, too, looks like a redesigned Batcowl – you can even see the filed-down Bat-Ears on the cowl itself, as well as a spray-painted Flash symbol over the Batman logo on the chest piece.
5. An electric introduction to superpowers
Based on previous footage we’ve seen, it appears that the alternate-reality Barry doesn’t have the Flash’s superpowers in his universe, so the team conducts an experiment to give him those abilities so that he can help them fight Zod. It’s either that or, as a consequence of traveling back in time to save his mom, Barry Prime loses his super-speed based powers, so Batman and Supergirl devise an experiment to help him get them back.
At the 2:09 mark, it appears that said experiment takes place in the Batcave. We see one of the Barrys (most likely Barry Prime – we’ll explain why in a moment) chained to a contraption that looks like the Batcomputer. Is this used as a lightning conductor to gift Barry Prime his powers? We certainly think so.
We also think the alternate-reality Barry will try to save Barry Prime. If he thinks the experiment is too dangerous, maybe he tries to end the test early, resulting in the lightning flowing through the pair and gifting alternate-reality Barry the same super-speed power set. (NB: This footage was seen in the film’s first official trailer, not this one!).
6. Bad Barry?
One of the most intriguing shots in this trailer occurs at the 1:57 mark. In it, we see Barry Prime being tortured by an individual off-screen, with our hero being subjected to some purple-hued lightning that’s causing him endless amounts of pain.
So, who’s responsible for this? We don’t think it’s Zod – he’s not likely to have the technology capable of hurting the Flash, even if the Kryptonians are a highly advanced civilization. It won’t be Supergirl or Batman, either, as they’re fellow heroes of the piece.
The only person iscouldbe is another universe’s version of the Flash, aka another Barry Allen. They’d possess the lightning-based, super-speed abilities needed to make them capable of injuring or torturing another version of the Flash, so we’re confident that an evil version will show up as a secret villain. There are multiple versions of evil Flash characters in DC comics – Dark Flash and Reverse Flash being the most notable – so we could very well see one or both of these characters make their live-action debuts here (with Ezra Miller playing one or both of them, too).
7. Fly me to the moon
The final shot of the trailer is as much of a doozy as the nostalgia-inducing Batman segment at the start.
In it, we see Keaton’s Batman – with the two Barrys in tow – disembarking from the Batwing, presumably to stealthily infiltrate the Russian base where Supergirl is being held prisoner. There’s some fun, jokey dialog in this brief scene, but it’s the shot of Batman dive-bombing away from the Batwing that’s making fans grin from ear to ear.
As you can see in the image above, the Batwing’s positioning in front of the full moon is a clear tribute to a strikingly similar shot seen in 1989’sBatman, which itself is a callback to Batman’s Bat-Signal – aka the giant light, complete with Batman’s sigil, that Commissioner Gordon turns on every time he needs the Caped Crusader’s help. Clearly, a lot of care and attention has gone into the Batman portions of this movie.
For more DC-based coverage, find outhow to watch the DC movies in order. Alternatively, get the lowdown onAquaman and the Lost Kingdom, the final DCEU film set to arrive before it switches over to the DCU, and then read about theDCU Chapter One films and shows we’re most excited about.
As TechRadar’s senior entertainment reporter, Tom covers all of the latest movies, TV shows, and streaming service news that you need to know about. You’ll regularly find him writing about the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus, and many other topics of interest.
An NCTJ-accredited journalist, Tom also writes reviews, analytical articles, opinion pieces, and interview-led features on the biggest franchises, actors, directors and other industry leaders. You may see his quotes pop up in the odd official Marvel Studios video, too, such as thisMoon Knight TV spot.
Away from work, Tom can be found checking out the latest video games, immersing himself in his favorite sporting pastime of football, reading the many unread books on his shelf, staying fit at the gym, and petting every dog he comes across.
Got a scoop, interesting story, or an intriguing angle on the latest news in entertainment? Feel free to drop him a line.
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