The Flash Second Trailer: Breakdown, Small Details, And Big Reveals
"The Flash" will be zooming to a theater near you on June 16, which means it's high time for Warner Bros. Pictures to remind the fans what the long-awaited DC speedster movie is all about. Details surrounding the formerly mysterious superhero tentpole film have trickled out at an ironically slow pace, but if the real-life troubles surrounding the production made someone think that the movie itself is a lost cause, the footage we've seen so far makes it clear that nothing could be further from the truth.
From time-traveling antics to alternate realities and two different Batmen, the sky seems to be the limit for "The Flash" in terms of pure tentpole movie ambition — and as the latest trailer for the superhero epic shows, "The Flash" continues to have plenty more surprises up its bright red sleeve. Let's take a look at the new trailer's biggest secrets and most jaw-dropping surprises.
Stately Wayne Manor
The opening sequences of the trailer transport viewers back to Wayne Manor, but it looks quite different from the building depicted in Tim Burton's "Batman" movies. While its exterior is slightly obscured by the mist, this one seems to boast more grandeur.
Burton's first movie used the iconic Knebworth House to film the exteriors of Wayne Manor (a model took its place in "Batman Returns"), and that hasn't changed for "The Flash." According to The Comet, the mansion was used to film scenes for the film back in 2021, so this probably is the same building, only presented in a different light. However, it's been over three decades since Burton's "Batman" gave audiences a glimpse of Knebworth House, meaning that it's possible that the building has had some work done to it between then and 2021.
In 1989's "Batman," Wayne Manor is mainly shown when the guests enter the car park in their fancy vehicles. "The Flash," meanwhile, sees Bruce and Barry walk down a long footpath toward the doors. Therefore, this might just be a side of the building that hasn't been shown in DC movies until now. It is a huge estate, after all.
Barry's mentor, no matter which Batman
The trailer for "The Flash" reminds us that Batman's parents are dead — just in case the majority of the "Batman" movies don't emphasize that point enough. However, this flick features two older and wiser iterations of Bruce Wayne, both of whom have had decades to process grief and are willing to talk about it with DC's fastest superhero.
These brutal life experiences make both Batmen the perfect father figures for Barry Allen (Ezra Miller), another hero who understands the grief of losing both parents. In their scenes with the Flash, the Dark Knights reveal that pain has informed their entire beings. Michael Keaton's Batman tells Flash, "Pain made me who I am." Ben Affleck's version, meanwhile, informs Allen, "Pain is who we are." It's not all doom and gloom, though, as Batfleck also encourages the young hero not to let that pain define them.
The trailer suggests that the Batmen will have mentor roles in "The Flash." Plus, it's highly possible that other iterations of the Dark Knight will pop out of the Multiverse and share their own words of wisdom with the hero.
Secondhand suit
"The Flash" stars not one but two Barry Allens, which means that "The Flash" also stars not one but two Flashes. And to make the watching experience more digestible, they have to have visually distinct costumes. In the latest trailer, Flash Number One is sporting a comics-accurate red-and-gold super-onesie with lightning bolt embellishment, and Flash Number Two is sporting ... something else. What is that, exactly? Homemade body armor? It's weirdly clunky for a speedster. Now, the costume is barely on screen for more than a second, and it's never close up, so it's hard to say for sure, but it looks like Flash Number Two is strapped inside of a repurposed Batman costume.
Look at it again. You'll notice the red coloring appears to be a slap-dash paint job with streaks of black peeking through, and that lightning bolt insignia is definitely painted over a different logo, although it's too far away to say with 100 percent confidence that it's painted over the bat crest. But the clincher here is the hilariously thick cowl, a staple feature of Michael Keaton's original Batman design.
Aside from making Flash Number Two look like a bad Juggernaut cosplayer, it has two sets of ears. The first pair is the Flash's typical lighting bolts, and the second pair is — yep, those are bat ears, alright. Batman's too fashion-forward for something like that to slip through the cracks, so there's just no way that Bruce Wayne signed off on this Bat-Flash hybrid disaster. It's way more likely that Barry "borrowed" the suit and spruced it up at the nearest Michaels. Which is actually pretty on-brand for the Flash.
A makeshift mystery hero
While "The Flash" will undoubtedly have its fair share of surprises, DC dropped a few cryptic teases in the latest trailer. One interesting spot is at the 1:03 mark, where we see a mysterious figure standing behind the child as Zod's Kryptonian terraforming device begins its destruction. The blink-and-you-miss-it character comes on screen just as we see Barry running in the city, so those not paying close attention may assume it's him standing behind the kid, but it's clearly not ... or is it?
The mystery character looks like they threw together their outfit at the last second, sporting what appear to be random pieces of orange, black, and white armor. Unlike the rest of the people in the shot, the character isn't running away from the destruction, so it gives off the vibe that they're some sort of hero. The most realistic candidate must be the other Barry who features throughout the trailer. We see him sporting a makeshift Flash costume later, so this scene might take place before he gets the outfit, forcing him to make his own costume quickly. However, "Flashpoint," the comic that "The Flash" is based on, features countless DC characters, so technically, this could be anyone. Maybe it's just a random bystander, but we can't imagine someone casually wearing that outfit.
Barry gets burnt to a crisp
Those who have read DC Comics' "Flashpoint" are all too familiar with what's to come in "The Flash," and it certainly looks like audiences will see Barry Allen and Bruce Wayne's crude experiment on the big screen.
In "Flashpoint," Barry wakes up in an alternate reality where his mom never died, and he never became the Flash. He soon realizes this new world is much worse than the one he left behind, so he contacts Thomas Wayne, this reality's Batman, to help him get his powers back. The two attempt to recreate the lightning strike that gave Barry his superspeed, but the first attempt fails, leaving Barry covered in horrible burns.
The trailer for "The Flash" gives fans quick glimpses of a similar experiment. At 1:40, we see one hand touching another twitching, smoking hand. While the lightning doesn't help, the hand certainly looks burnt to a crisp. At 2:10, we get another glimpse of Barry strapped into a chair as blue lightning sparks all around him, followed by a closeup of his face taking direct hits. "The Flash" isn't a direct adaptation of "Flashpoint," but it seems safe to say fans will see Barry fighting to get his powers back.
Burton's Batwing is back
The Joker (Jack Nicholson) in Tim Burton's "Batman" once asked, "Where does he get those wonderful toys?" Of course, one of the toys that the Caped Crusader has at his disposal in that movie is his jet fighter, aptly named the Batwing. Surprisingly, it looks like the highly stylized aircraft is put front and center in this brand new trailer for "The Flash." This probably has something to do with the return of Michael Keaton to the famous role — since Batman is just a normal (if incredibly rich) guy without superpowers, he needs some way to get around.
Joking aside, the Batwing looks to be an integral part of "The Flash" because it's featured in many scenes — hanging from the Batcave, flying alongside Supergirl, fighting Kryptonians, and even acting as a dropship. Though the Batwing also features in Joel Schumacher's 1995 blockbuster "Batman Forever," piloted by Val Kilmer's Dark Knight, its most iconic screen moment is probably when Batman scoops up all of the Joker's poisonous parade balloons in the climax of Burton and Keaton's 1989 outing. Of course, the Joker isn't the biggest fan, and he shoots down the Batwing with a comically over-sized handgun. Whether or not the Batwing featured in "The Flash" is this version or a new one, it is nice to see that Keaton's Batman still has his wings.
Is the other Barry a Reverse-Flash?
We get plenty of footage with both the original Barry Allen and the alternate-timeline Barry Allen in this trailer, but it's conspicuously missing a few important things about the Flash's story. Traditionally, Barry tends to lose a parent or parents to a villainous speedster, Reverse-Flash (or Professor Zoom, depending on the retcon). The earlier trailer also showed us a glimpse of a terrifying dark Flash who could potentially be one of these enemy speedsters, or perhaps even the Black Flash — the Grim Reaper of people with a connection to the Speed Force.
However, what this trailer does show is the alternate-timeline Barry expressing some disbelief at "our" Barry's antics, which could potentially set him down an antagonistic route at some point down the line. Since the footage we've seen so far only features two speedsters, and since it's pretty unlikely that the central character will break bad, it's easy to start wondering whether the other version of Barry will either grow disillusioned with the main Flash, or perhaps become corrupted by the Speed Force.
Turning Barry Allen into his own worst enemy would certainly be a novel approach to the Flash's speedster-heavy rogues' gallery, and making this particular version of Reverse-Flash responsible for the death of Barry's parents might just be one of the biggest blows any superhero has ever faced. Is "The Flash" willing to go there, or are there other, yet-unseen (speed) forces at play?
It still means hope ... right?
During the trailer, Kara Zor-El (Sasha Calle) turns to Barry Allen and asks, "You know what this symbol stands for?" The camera pans down to the 'S' on her uniform. "It means hope, right?" Barry replies, and Kara gives him a firm, knowing look in response.
It's a tiny scene, but a big callback to "Man of Steel." Superman (Henry Cavill) explains during the film that the S-shaped shield on his uniform is the Kryptonian symbol which stands for hope. With the weight of helping to save the world resting on her shoulders, it looks like Kara's going to be literally be carrying her family's mantle on her chest. She will now be the symbol of hope her cousin once was; and since Kara and Clark definitely aren't the types to give up on the good in the world, it looks like that philosophy is going to be carried through with Kara. Fans will have to stay tuned to find out how she bears up under the weight.
Is Kara holding a dead Kal?
Fans of DC Comics' "Flashpoint" event know that a plethora of heroes and villains appear in the universe-altering story arc. Superman, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, and Cyborg all play pivotal roles in the story, so "The Flash" could be hiding any number of cameos. While it's clear that Supergirl is taking Superman's place in the movie, could the Man of Steel make an appearance?
At the 1:50 mark, the trailer for "The Flash" shows Supergirl flying through the clouds, carrying a shirtless man. We never see the face of the mystery character, but could it possibly be a dead or weakened Kal-El? In the "Flashpoint" comics, Flash, Cyborg, and Batman rescue a frail Superman, who has been a prisoner since his arrival on Earth. Could "The Flash" loosely adapt this, with Supergirl finding her cousin in a death-like state, forcing her to fly him up toward the sun? On the other hand, it could just be Barry, who needs to be closer to the storm to get struck by lightning. While it seems highly unlikely that Henry Cavill secretly returned for yet another cameo, "The Flash" is definitely keeping some things hidden for its theatrical release, so anything could be possible.
Let's get nuts
As one can probably tell, this brand new trailer for "The Flash" is absolutely filled to the brim with plenty of callbacks and references to previous films within the DC Multiverse. Of course Michael Keaton's Batman steals the show with his reveals and voice overs, and audiences are treated to costumes, vehicles, and even famous lines from other movies. Probably the most apparent of these quotes comes from the aforementioned Keaton towards the middle of the trailer, when he casually says, "You wanna get nuts? Let's get nuts."
This reference is actually a famous line from 1989's "Batman" film. At one point in the movie, Keaton's Bruce Wayne is at the apartment of Vicki Vale (Kim Basinger), about to tell her about his Caped Crusader persona when the Joker bursts in with his gang in tow. When the Joker attempts to intimidate Bruce, Bruce retorts by flashing a hint of his own rage and aggressive posture, smashing a vase and saying to the Joker, "You wanna get nuts? Come on! Let's get nuts!" Although the Joker responds with a gunshot, this particular quote is one of the most memorable from the 1989 film, and a fitting nod to fans within the trailer for "The Flash."