The Flash Movie Trailer Breakdown: Every Reveal & Easter Egg

DC FanDome offered viewers their first real look at the upcoming DCEU movie, The Flash; here’s every Easter egg and reference in The Flash trailer. The DC Comics “speedster” known as The Flash is superhero with powers of super-speed, who — through over 60-years-worth of comics — has learned how to use his powers to not just outrun bullets, but to phase through solid objects, run into parallel dimensions, and even time travel. There have been many different super-speed heroes calling themselves The Flash over the history of DC, but the most prominent one — and the version appearing in the DCEU movie — is Barry Allen.

Ezra Miller has played Barry Allen’s The Flash across several films in the DCEU, including cameos in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad, before his character was fully revealed in Justice League (and fleshed out a bit more in Zack Snyder’s Justice League). The Flash will be the character’s first ever solo superhero blockbuster film, but instead of dramatizing his origin story, it appears that parallel dimensions or time travel (or both) will be the main story in the upcoming DCEU film. The Flash promises multiple versions of the character and multiple versions of Batman, played by both Michael Keaton from Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman and Ben Affleck, who was most recently playing the character in the other DCEU films.

Related: The Flash Movie: Will Michael Keaton & Ben Affleck’s Versions Of Batman Meet?

This first trailer for The Flash presents images that drastically shape expectations of the movie, including multiple roles for Ezra Millers (presumably from different parallel dimensions), the appearance of Sasha Calle’s Supergirl and the back-shot and cowl of one or two different versions of Batman. The DCEU has not shied away from delving into the comics’ more complicated storylines, but based on this trailer, The Flash looks to be a truly deep-ending experience. If The Flash can juggle parallel realities and also time travel in the same movie with actors playing multiple characters and characters played by multiple actors, it will be a true achievement.

15. Approach to Wayne Manor

The teaser for The Flash opens on an approach to what is likely Wayne Manor, as the taxi cuts through dense fog towards gothic architecture. Getting out of the car are two people, and they’re both likely different versions of The Flash played by Ezra Miller. The easiest way to track these two throughout the trailer is by their haircuts: The bright-yellow-jacketed Ezra Miller (on the left) has longer hair, parting down the middle, whereas the other darker-yellow-jacket Ezra Miller (on the right) has the same haircut Ezra Miller had in his last appearance as Barry Allen in Justice League.

Michael Keaton, who will be playing a Batman inspired by his 1989 film appearance, provides narration over the sequence: “You can go anywhere you want… any timeline, any universe.” This suggests that Michael Keaton’s Batman will have a friendly, conversational, and perhaps even mentorship role with Barry Allen’s The Flash. Notably, since the bright-yellow-jacketed Ezra Miller is exiting the taxi from the driver’s seat, he may be a taxi driver in Michael Keaton’s Batman’s universe, implying The Flash last seen in Justice League travelled here by crossing a parallel dimension.

14. Wayne Manor in Disrepair

The point-of-view shot of what is presumably the two Ezra Millers entering Wayne Manor demonstrates that the mansion is in a state of disrepair. This suggests that Michael Keaton’s Batman, if this is his native dimension, has not been operating as Batman for many years, or at least not out of the Wayne Manor. This is significant since it means that Keaton’s Batman is not a hero on top of his game, even in comparison to Ben Affleck’s Batman, who is also set to appear in The Flash. Shots of a Wayne Manor long neglected are a good indication that this is the haunt of Keaton’s Batman and not the dimension of Affleck’s, who was still a billionaire by the end of Justice League.

13. Exploration (Revival?) of Wayne Manor

Reigniting the electrical circuits of Wayne Manor shows that the two Ezra Millers are doing more than just simply exploring the grounds. These long neglected electrical circuits may instead be nested in the Batcave deep below Wayne Manor, suggesting that the two versions of The Flash will be using it as a base of operations in the film.

12. The Flash at His Childhood Home

As Michael Keaton’s narration says “…any universe“, the sparks of electricity from reigniting Wayne Manor’s power cuts to Ezra Miller’s The Flash wearing a new suit. The suit is reminiscent of the one The Flash wore in the comics around Geoff Johns’ popular Flashpoint event. The main premise of Flashpoint was Barry Allen’s The Flash running back in time to the night his mother was murdered by the villainous Eobard Thawne and stopping her murder. By doing so, The Flash changes the timeline with unexpected consequences. The trailer clearly shows The Flash standing in front of his childhood home, suggesting that the events of Flashpoint are likely be a significant plot point in The Flash.

11. Seeing Nora Allen Again

As more evidence of the DCEU Flashpoint theory, Ezra Miller’s The Flash approaches a woman as though with great hesitation. The woman is probably Nora Allen, Barry Allen’s mother, and the hesitation is likely reflecting the emotional journey Barry Allen is going through seeing his mother alive. The narration says: “Why do you want to stay…and fight to save this one,” which hints at Barry leaving his home dimension to travel to one where his mother is alive.

10. The Flash Reaches to a Hand

The hand on the left has a yellow sleeve, meaning it probably belongs to one of the two Ezra Miller’s featured in the first-look The Flash trailer. The hand on the right is large and masculine, so rather than being his mother’s hand, it may be another major figure in Barry’s life — such as his father, or — more likely — a fellow hero and mentor. Given its placement in the trailer, the hand probably belongs to either Ben Affleck or Michael Keaton’s Batman. The position of the limbs indicates vulnerability; this may be a scene where one of the Batman characters dies, and Barry Allen (not in his flash costume) is reaching out to him.

9. Batman’s Bloody Cowl

The narration over a shot of a Batman cowl with blood splattered on the ground says, “You changed the future.” While this is Michael Keaton’s narration, the cowl is missing the eyebrow arches of Keaton’s Batman costume, suggesting it and the empty suit in the background may belong to Ben Affleck’s Batman. However, with The Flash is dealing with time travel, any manner of story point could take place only to have The Flash go back in time to change it again.

8. Star Labs

Ezra Miller’s The Flash stands in a room that is strangely symmetrical, which usually indicates that it was purpose built and industrial. This is likely a room in Star Labs, as that would fit with the narration “…and you changed the past.” In the comics, The Flash got his powers from an accident in Star Labs. Ezra Miller’s The Flash skipped its origin story in all of his appearances, so the solo film will likely backtrack to cover that ground.

7. Supergirl Injured?

The trailer shows a shot of alternate Ezra Miller’s The Flash - the one with longer hair who was driving the taxi – standing over Sasha Calle’s Supergirl. The background, which features antiques and large, gothic windows, suggests this is still Wayne Manor, where the team may have set up their base of operations. Calle’s Supergirl lays on a table, with a pillow under her head, suggesting she is wounded or recovering from something. If the taxi driving Ezra Miller’s The Flash is a native to Michael Keaton’s Batman’s dimension, Sasha Calle could be playing this dimension’s Supergirl specifically.

6. The Red Boots Of… Jay Garrick?

A dramatic shot shows an unknown figure spray-painting red boots with a yellow lightning bolt. An earlier shot in the trailer already revealed a comics-accurate Flashpoint costume for the main-universe The Flash, so these red boots may be indicating that the other Ezra Miller’s The Flash is actually Ezra Miller playing Jay Garrick (not an alternate Barry Allen). Jay Garrick is an earlier version of the The Flash before Barry Allen in DC Comics, but has been used in several DC properties such as the Arrowverse as simply an alternate version of The Flash, running parallel in the timeline but from different dimensions. In the comics, Jay Garrick has red boots with little yellow wings on them; although the boots in the trailer are distinct from Jay Garrick’s classic comic look, they do appear to be a nod to the Golden Age character.

5. The Flash’s Ring

Missing from the DCEU until now, one of the The Flash’s main costume items from the comics is his ring: in the comics, the costume springs out of the ring, allowing The Flash to change into his costume at super speed. Until this point in the DCEU, The Flash’s costume has been very different from his comics counterpart. The Flash ring seen in the trailer may fulfill a similar function to its comics counterpart: exploding outwards with Barry’s suit so he can change into it; however, since The Flash is reinterpreting so many stories of the character from the past, the Flash Ring may fulfill a different function in the movie.

4. Flashpoint Suit

Ezra Miller’s The Flash gains a more comics accurate superhero suit for The Flash, at least in the trailer. This is the front shot of the same suit seen earlier as The Flash approaches Nora Allen’s home. The waterfall to the side suggests this is set in the Batcave. If so, it’s possible that this suit (and possibly the Flash Ring) could be “Wayne Tech,” developed by the great technological resources of Wayne Enterprises. This could set up one of the versions of Batman providing The Flash with a new suit.

3. Shadow of the Bat

The waterfall of the Batcave is seen again more directly, with computer consoles off to the side, and the silhouette of Michael Keaton’s Batman cowl is seen from behind. This is not a perfect silhouette of what Michael Keaton’s cowl looked like; it seems influenced by the lines of the Batman: The Animated Series that was released shortly after Michael Keaton’s Batman films. Even still, this is more than likely a shot of Michael Keaton’s Batman in his Batcave.

2. Team Flash Asks “You In?”

Ezra Miller’s The Flash is presented in the centre of the screen, flanked by Sasha Calle’s Supergirl to the right and alternate Ezra Miller. The Ezra Miller on the left. The alternate-Flash has a yellow lightening bolt on a red shirt with a pronounced neckline — an even more overt suggestion that he is the Jay Garrick Golden Age Flash, not Barry Allen. Barry Allen asking “you in?” heavily suggests that he is recruiting Michael Keaton’s Batman to join his team of heroes; although the film’s main villain is not shown in the trailer, this moment establishes that the stakes are high.

1. Batmobile

The trailer ends with a shot within the Batcave of alternate-Flash removing a large tarp. Although what is underneath isn’t show, it is almost certainly the Batmobile. His reaction to pulling back the tarp with such excitement, and the fact that viewers do not actually get to see what it is, further hints that this is specifically the 1989 Batman Batmobile. Batman has had many vehicles, even in the DCEU, but the only one that would elicit such excitement as an audience nod is the one from the first major Batman movie (at least since Adam West’s 1966 feature film). The curvature of the tarp lines up with the rough shapes of that particular version of the iconic car. With Michael Keaton’s Batman returning specifically, his Batmobile returning with him is only fitting for The Flash.

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