Warning: this article contains major spoilers for The Flash
The Flash is not just a film that ended the Snyderverse as we know it, it’s also a giant homage to the DC franchise as a whole. The film is based on the Flashpoint storyline, in which Barry Allen (played by Ezra Miller) goes back in time to save his mother. However, in exchange, he creates a world with no meta-humans and has to relive the events of Zod’s invasion from Man of Steel.
Aside from reliving past events, the film also mentions the concept of the multiverse and how Barry’s actions not only had consequences in his timeline but in other timelines as well. He catches a glimpse of other universes in which different variants (as cameos) appear in front of his eyes, collapsing on one another unless he undoes his mistake.
While that moment pays tribute to all the iconic actors and actresses who played various DC characters over the years, the overuse of CGI and deep fakes may have detracted from the moment, especially when other capable (and living) actors and actresses could have portrayed the roles better.
If we could tap into the speed force and fix Warner Bros and DC’s cameos, here are some DC cameos that could have been included, and some that somewhat ruined the film.
Ruined it: Faceless Superman
Seeing another “headless Superman” in a DC movie is just sad at this point. It shouldn’t be that difficult to give this iconic DC character a face. In the film, Superman is first seen when Barry asks Alfred why they don’t call the rest of the Justice League, as he is running late for work. It is revealed that the Man of Steel is saving another country. Unfortunately, all that is shown is his back, using his laser vision to save the world. Considering that DC has made multiple Superman films in the past, having another faceless hero seems like a huge disservice.
Should have gone with: Henry Cavill
It was reported that Henry Cavill was supposed to have a cameo role but was cut around the time Cavill was given the boot from Gunn’s DCU. The Flash filmmaker, Andy Muschietti, once told the press that his DC film was a “tribute to Zack Snyder’s work.” If that was indeed the intention, then removing Cavill was a significant mistake. After all, Snyder’s first DC film was Man of Steel. If you’re going to bring back Zod, at least bring back Cavill’s Superman, even if it’s only for those few moments when we see Superman saving another country during the first act.
Ruined it: Christopher Reeve’s Superman
During the third act, moviegoers caught a glimpse of a few different Supermen from different DC timelines. One of them is a universe in which Christopher Reeve‘s Superman and Helen Slater’s Supergirl finally team up. While this is really cool, especially considering that Reeve reportedly declined to appear in the 1984 movie, Reeve is no longer with us. Fans found it disrespectful that this actor’s likeness was revived using CGI when another actor could have taken on the role.
Should have gone with: Brandon Routh’s Superman
The first DC film I ever watched was 2006’s Superman Returns. As a child who didn’t know much about the franchise, Brandon Routh‘s Superman was my introduction to the Man of Steel. What’s also interesting about this Superman is that his film was based on Reeve’s Superman movies. This makes him a suitable stand-in for Reeve and Slater’s DC universe since they are all part of the same franchise. The best part is that he’s still alive and reprised his role of Superman in The CW Arrowverse event, Crisis on Infinite Earths.
Ruined it: Teddy Sears’ Jay Garrick
The black and white DC universe was meant to represent the somewhat older version of our DC heroes, such as George Reeves’ Superman and Adam West‘s Batman. Another hero that was included was Teddy Sear’s Jay Garrick, aka The Flash. While he did wear the old flash suit, both in the film and The CW series of the same name, he also played the villain during season two. Whle leaving the theater, I could hear people complaining that Grant Gustin (or anyone else in the CW show for that matter) could have appeared in that cameo instead of Sears.
Should have gone with: John Wesley Shipp’s Jay Garrick
In The CW’s The Flash, John Wesley Shipp played Henry Allen from Earth-1 and Jay Garrick from Earth-2. If the black and white universe was meant to represent older versions of our iconic heroes, then Shipp’s Flash would have made perfect sense. Not only was he the original hero in his universe in the TV series, but he was also wise and willing to stop Gustin’s Barry from creating his own Flashpoint event. His cameo could have been the perfect The CW homage, especially if he was representing an old-timey DC universe.
Ruined it: George Clooney’s Bruce Wayne
While it was a pretty cool easter egg to see George Clooney’s Bruce Wayne appear in the ending of The Flash, this small homage might have gone over some viewers’ heads, especially since he only played the character once. Even I was surprised to see Clooney play the Gotham billionaire at the end of the movie. If I got to choose who could play Bruce Wayne for that short moment at the end of the film, there is one name that comes to mind.
Should have gone with: Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne
One may argue that Bale might be too expensive to cast in a small cameo role. However, he is open up to playing The Dark Knight once more, with one condition. While it might have been impossible to get Bale to have one small scene at the end of The Flash, it would have been somewhat funnier if a younger Bruce Wayne appeared in front of Barry, rather than seeing this DC superhero grow older as The Flash goes back in time.
The Flash did its best to pay homage to DC’s past and present in preparation for the future, which is James Gunn’s reboot. While some of the cameos were hit-and-miss, we can’t help but wonder if the film could have been improved if DC and Warner Bros had considered other actors who played these characters in the franchise. Remember, not only were these cameos easter eggs, they were a tribute to DC’s legacy. Regardless, these cameos are still memorable (even if some were executed poorly), but they could have been even better with a few minor changes.