7 Ways That Flashpoint Could Alter The DCEU For The Better

Of all the juicy tidbits that came out of Comic-Con this year, none raised more eyebrows than Warner Bros.’ announcement regarding the upcoming Flash movie. Seen as one of the most troubled pre-productions of the DCEU so far, fans didn’t quite know what to expect going into the panel. While a new director wasn't announced, though many expected one to be, Warner Bros. still dropped a major bombshell simply by revealing the title of the project: Flashpoint. For those that don’t know, Flashpoint was a comic book event that saw the Flash go back in time to save his mother, only to create massive time ripples that changed the entire future. When the hero returned to his own timeline, he found the Atlanteans and Amazonians locked in a bitter war, Superman’s pod crashed in the middle of a city instead of a Kansas cornfield, and Bruce Wayne as the one killed in the alley that fateful night, leading his mother to go crazy and become The Joker while Thomas Wayne became Batman. Heavy stuff, for sure. When it was all over, the event let DC reboot their entire universe and essentially start over with The New 52. It was a controversial move (one that’s slowly being retconned with the current Rebirth storyline), but it allowed DC to give new backstories and origins to a lot of characters whose arcs had hit dead ends. So, what does this mean for the DCEU? To say that the first few entries in this cinematic universe have been polarizing is an understatement, and there are many who wish DC would just reboot and start over. There are dozens of reasons why that’s a terrible idea, but the company could definitely be positioning Flashpoint as a way to right some of their wrongs without completely relaunching a brand new universe. With that in mind, let’s take a look at all the changes that Flashpoint could make to the DCEU going forward. Bring Back Steve Trevor After three rocky outings, the DCEU had its first unanimous success with the inspiring Wonder Woman. Gal Gadot rocked it as the Amazonian warrior struggling to understand mankind’s tendency for violence and her character is definitely the only thing in the entire DCEU that shouldn’t be altered at all with Flashpoint, but that doesn’t mean it can’t affect those around her. A big part of what made Wonder Woman work was the hero's evolving relationship with Chris Pine’s Steve Trevor. Their chemistry and banter was a highpoint to many, and Steve was vital in showing Diana that people could be both good and bad. You can bet your bottom dollar then that Warner Bros. wants to replicate the success with their Wonder Woman sequel, and you just know there have been discussions of how to use Steve Trevor again. With Wonder Woman 2 being set in the 80’s during the Cold War, the easy route would be to say that Steve Trevor has a descendant who looks just like him. Not only is this a little cheap, but it also weakens the relationship Diana has with the original Steve. Flashpoint would be a better alternative then because it could still have the same Steve Trevor, just born in a different time period. Having him back, but not remembering Diana, would bring new layers to their relationship and have it grow in a fascinating new direction. Recast Batfleck If rumors are to be believed, we love Batfleck a lot more than Ben Affleck loves Batfleck. Speculation has been swirling around for months now about how Affleck is looking to exit the role of the Caped Crusader, and one can’t help think the studio is rushing Flashpoint as its first Flash solo movie specifically to fix their Batman problem. Although the actor announced at Comic-Con that he has no intention of leaving the role, his comments seemed a lot like damage control rather than a firm commitment to the part. It would be a shame to see Affleck depart, as his performance is generally regarded as one of the better things in Batman V Superman, but if he truly wants to hang up the cowl, Flashpoint would be the most logical way to push him out of the franchise. Although the film could easily cause another actor to take over the role without too much of an explanation, the better solution would be for Thomas Wayne to become this universe’s Batman. The actor who played Thomas in BvS, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, was on many wish lists to portray Batman to begin with, and he seems more than eager to play more of Bruce’s dad in the DCEU. If Ben Affleck wants to leave and Jeffrey Dean Morgan wants to step in, Flashpoint would allow for an easy transition. Introduce The Bat Family Over the past few months, we’ve had some exciting announcements regarding Batman’s sidekicks. Fans were hit with a double whammy when they learned director Chris McKay was working on a live action Nightwing movie, and none other than geek legend Joss Whedon would write and direct a Batgirl film. The only one that seemed to be missing was an Alfred prequel story, but we’re sure that’s coming any day now, right? The problem with these film announcements is that this universe’s Batman doesn’t seem like the type of Caped Crusader who would have a Bat family. Yes, it’s shown that Jason Todd, the second Robin, was beaten to death by the Joker, which implies that Dick Grayson is out there running around as Nightwing, but it’s odd how neither Dick or Barbara Gordon have been mentioned yet. Flashpoint could easily tweak the Batman character though, making him less isolated and alone in the new timeline. It would make him a little more open to having more sidekicks as well, which would allow Nightwing to be alive and kicking butt, as well as put Bruce in a better mindset to mentor young Barbara into becoming Batgirl. Make Superman Not So Hated Although we respect Zach Snyder’s decision to explore how Superman would be perceived if he showed up in the real world today, the darker take on his character has left many Man of Steel purists upset and casual audiences indifferent toward the hero. He’s definitely struggling with his place in the world, which makes the Justice League trailer a little baffling. From the snippets we’ve seen, the world is still mourning the loss of Superman, saying he was their hope and inspiration, when really it’s the opposite. Man of Steel, Batman V Superman and Suicide Squad have worked to prove that Superman is seen as a threat to the entire human race and needs to be feared. A Flashpoint reboot could make the world a little more receptive to the idea of the Big Blue Boy Scout being a symbol of hope and would give fans the version of Superman they know and love without having to explain why people randomly changed their mind about good ol’ Supes. Keep Superman Dead Or, to be totally honest, Flashpoint could go the complete opposite direction and keep Superman in the ground. Look, we all know that he's back for Justice League. Warner Bros. is playing a really weird game where they publicly talk about Superman’s role in the film, but refuse to show him in any of the marketing. However he ends up returning, maybe the best thing for the DCEU to do would be to do away with the polarizing Superman character all together. Imagine Flashpoint where Flash comes back and finds everything the same, except the Justice League’s supposed leader never came back to life. It might be the best thing for the franchise going forward, as it would allow Wonder Woman to be the true face of the DCEU, which if her movie is any indication, might not be too bad of a thing. Make A Proper Lex Luthor If you were to make a list of all the things that didn’t work about Batman V Superman, Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor would sit firmly at the top. Even those who kept an open mind regarding the controversial casting are hard pressed to find any redeeming qualities in the character. His manic energy and general creepiness made him more of a discount Joker than an intimidating Lex Luthor. We’re all for taking dramatic liberties with characters if it makes a better story, but to alter Lex’s personality as much as they did for lacklustre results is the reason that he needs to be rebooted. It would also be a tweak that wouldn’t be too outrageous. Before Batman V Superman was released, a fake exclusive interview with Lex was published as part of the marketing for the film and it revealed a key detail: this is not the real Lex Luthor. The interview talks about how Jesse Eisenberg is actually Lex Luthor Jr., and his father, Alexander Luthor, was the one who started LexCorp. Flashpoint could just make it so Lex’s father is still alive and have him be the one to step into the role of Superman’s greatest enemy. Bring Back General Zod….To Fight The Suicide Squad Two of the biggest missteps in the DCEU so far include Superman snapping Zod’s neck, and the Suicide Squad fighting the wrong villain. Now, Flashpoint offers the chance to right both of those wrongs in a way that would make everybody just a little bit happier. Let’s start with Zod. Michael Shannon is one of the finest actors working today, so any excuse to get him back into the franchise would be worth it. His death at the hands of Superman is still a sore spot for many fans who think the Man of Steel should have remained without blood on his hands. Bringing Zod back to life would allow Superman another chance to face down his Kryptonian enemy and come to terms with the fact that he made a wrong move. Now, let’s look at the Suicide Squad. They were created by Amanda Waller to offer a backup in case Superman ever went rogue, so how about have them face a villain with the exact same powers as Supes? It would give them a legitimate threat to go up against and allow them to “beat Superman” without actually beating Superman. It would truly be an instance of bad guys defeating a worse bad guy, and would be one of the best uses of a Flashpoint reboot.