On paper, the scarlet speedster was originally brought to life by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert in 1940. Sporting a fit all-red shirt with a striking bright yellow lighting bolt right down the middle, which was combined with blue jeans that had yellow streaks down each leg, The Flash valiantly made his golden age debut saving the day for those in distress.

Published by one of the three companies that would later go on to form DC Comics, All-American Publications, the hero that was coined the fastest man alive would go on to have many illustrious and memorable accolades, all continuing to the present day with a wide assortment of people having to chance to sport the celebrated moniker like the original iteration who went by the name Jay Garrick or the more modern version, Barry Allen.

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The Flash’s Solo Debut Has Been a Long Time Coming

     Warner Bros. Pictures

It wasn’t until almost a whole century later in 2014 that a proper live-action movie revolving around the scarlet speedster started to officially gain traction within the DC Universe. Fans were set into a frenzy with how this unique character would affect the already sensitive DCU. Well, after eight years of setbacks due to impending production issues, setbacks from the COVID pandemic and Ezra Miller’s distasteful antics in the public eye, The Flash will finally speed into theaters this upcoming year.

With the DCU going through far too many failing iterations at this point and quite visibly grasping for anything that would pivot them towards a Marvel Studios type of acclaim among fans, the big screen debut of The Flash was staged to be a penultimate superhero movie that would set the stage for years to come. The plot was not only primed to feature Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck as different versions of Batman but set up as a hard reset towards a supposedly better version of DC characters as we know it. But with the most recent DCU shake-up really cementing into the minds of superhero fans, does The Flash really have anything to offer now in terms of a saving grace?

Will Gunn Lead The DCU to The Promised Land?

     Warner Bros./DC Studios

In order to give some much-needed life to what seemed to be Warner Brother’s ever-floundering DCU, executives were searching high and low for an ultimate figurehead, one who would lead this roundup of superheroes into a new cinematic golden age where fans would get lost in amazing stories and epic fights between good and evil. After rumors of possibly Emma Watts or Dan Lin taking charge seemingly fell through the cracks because of negotiations going south, James Gunn and Peter Safran officially took the mantle in October 2022. Gunn would handle the creative side and Safran would take the reins of any and all financial matters. With this blockbuster announcement, the DC Universe was set for a change once again, but not without some shocking revelations.

Just recently returning as Superman in the end credit scene of the newly released DC antihero film Black Adam and seemingly teasing future projects with the company, Henry Cavill came to an agreement with the new heads to step away from the role indefinitely. Speaking of Black Adam, Dwayne Johnson revealed that it may take a while for Black Adam 2 to hit screens. Not being received as critically by fans as the previous two reports, but James Gunn also stopped production on Wonder Woman III. This was not only based on initial script offerings but also the sliding audience reception for the previous iteration of Gal Gadot’s leading superwoman series, Wonder Woman: 1984.

With the sudden moves being made to funnel out a lot of the current on-screen characters, the stage is being set for a complete rehashing of the DC universe as we know it. With only six months away, it seems that The Flash cannot run fast enough to remain safe from Gunn’s upheaval.

Letting Go of The Past to Make Room for The New

     Warner Bros.

With Cavill phased out, it only seemed appropriate that any traces towards future appearances of their characters be altered as well. Under the new leadership, both of these characters’ cameos were recently announced to be cut from the upcoming The Flash movie.

Not only that but Keaton’s rumored solo project in the DCU, Batman Beyond, is on hold, which makes his much-anticipated return much less desirable to fans that remember him from his own entries in the late eighties and early nineties. With actors and actresses that DC fans either loved or just now getting familiar with being shown the door, the upside is that there is now a lot of open space when it comes to universe development.

James Gunn has already made it clear that Ezra Miller himself will stay cast as the character for the time being. But it is quite obvious that The Flash will no longer have the same affiliation with the Justice League that the fans were fighting for some years ago.

The only future projects confirmed that will have a place in Gunn’s DC Universe are The Blue Beetle and possibly Aquaman, as his sequel The Lost Kingdom hasn’t been cut yet, only time will tell which superhero names and stories will ultimately remain salvageable in the new executive’s planned slate. The audience will definitely have a taste for what’s to come when The Flash runs into theaters on June 16th, 2023