Ben Affleck, Michael Keaton, Wonder Woman — The Flash is full of Easter eggs, and references for DC Comics and movie fans. Is that George Clooney? Nic Cage?
Anybody who’s seen an ad for The Flash knows he’s not the only superhero in it — there are multiple Batmans! And Supergirl! But you can’t have a multiverse without alternate versions of superheroes, and Warner Bros.’ latest DC Comics film is filled with cameo appearances.
Some are very familiar, but others are very obscure indeed. So here’s every superhero who appears in The Flash other than Barry Allen, and what they’re a reference to. And, just for fun, I, Polygon’s comics expert, will assign them the universe of the DC Comics multiverse in which they’d feel the most at home.
[Ed. note: This piece contains universe-sized spoilers for The Flash.]Batman
Played by: Ben Affleck
First appearance: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
This is an easy one, it was in the trailers! Ben Affleck returns as Batman for likely the final time (pending an Aquaman 2 cameo), offering a fatherly shoulder to a lonely and conflicted Barry Allen.
What Earth should he live on: The universe of Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns, obviously. It’s the existing DC Earth that most clearly inspired director Zack Snyder in creating his costume and vibe. Superman
Played by: What appears to be a CGI double made to look like Henry Cavill
First appearance: Man of Steel
There’s no actual Henry Cavill appearance in The Flash, as there was in last year’s Black Adam. We get a look at the back of Superman’s head in some news footage — but hey! It’s an acknowledgement of his existence.
What Earth should he live on: Prime Earth, the earth that DC rebooted itself into in 2011. That Superman had a short, spectacular life of adventures, starting his superhero career in cuffed jeans and a Superman t-shirt before going out in a blaze of glory and being replaced with a more classic incarnation of the character — which seems like the same road Cavill’s Superman is on at the moment. Wonder Woman
Played by: Gal Gadot
First appearance: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
This Gal Gadot appearance marks the second one-scene cameo the very game actress has made in a DC film this year, but it will likely be the last we’ll see of her Wonder Woman. And probably the last we’ll see of Wonder Woman on the big or small screen for a good while, at least until Warner Bros.’ Paradise Lost, a TV series about the Amazon island of Themyscira, debuts.
What Earth should she live on: Earth 11, the earth where everyone is at the opposite end of the gender spectrum than they are in the main DCU, and Amazonian values are the accepted norm. Let her be Superwoman or Batwoman and wear flat shoes. Batman
Played by: Michael Keaton
First appearance: Batman (1989)
Michael Keaton’s return to the role of Batman has been all over the trailers for The Flash and honestly… he sells it! Sure, his face is CGI-ed on in most of the action scenes, but he and his Batman have a real “sure, why not, fuck it,” energy that I appreciate.
What Earth should he live on: The obvious answer would be the Flashpoint timeline, which inspired the character, but let’s be more creative.
