3 Ways Ezra Miller's 'Flash' in 'Justice League' Changes the Game

Batman may have all the tech and Wonder Woman may have all the power, but no one can run as fast as The Flash. Already one of the most popular characters in the upcoming Justice League, the Fastest Man Alive is having a bit of a moment in the pop culture landscape of 2017.

Although the archetype of “guy who runs fast” is pretty trope-ish in the superhero genre, there are key differences that make The Flash stand out from, say, Quicksilver of the Marvel Universe. Empowered by the ethereal Speed Force, mild-mannered forensic scientist Barry Allen possesses the power to run at mach speed — sometimes fast enough to travel through time and change the course of reality.

With Justice League making its way to theaters on November 17, here are three key things to expect from Flash, as played by Ezra Miller in the game-changing film from the DC Extended Universe.

1. He’s going to be bros with Cyborg

On Thursday, real-life buddies Ezra Miler and Ray Fisher talked about the “bond” between their characters. But this bond is a pretty significant change from the comic books. While they have worked together for years, Cyborg and Flash have never been especially close. They’re certainly no Batman/Robin or Green Arrow/Green Lantern.

Still, their new bond in this movie makes sense: along with Cyborg (Ray Fisher), The Flash is one of the youngest members of the Justice League. See, Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) is an immortal Amazon, Aquaman (Jason Mamoa) is the rightful heir to Atlantis, and Batman (Bruce Wayne) has seen a thing or two in his two decades of crime fighting in Gotham City. So yeah, Cyborg and Flash are pretty much younglings in the eyes of the elder Leaguers.

Because both Flash and Cyborg got their superpowers through horrific accidents, the two heroes might have more in common in Justice League then they ever did in the comics.

2. It’s 2009 Barry Allen In Full-Force

In 1985, in the DC Comics crossover Crisis on Infinity Earths, Barry Allen sacrificed himself to save the universe, which led to his successor Wally West to take his place as The Flash. In 2009, Geoff Johns resurrected Barry Allen, giving him a new backstory in which his father Henry Allen was framed for the murder of Barry’s mother, Nora Allen. In truth, it was all the work of Flash’s nemesis, Reverse-Flash, who went back in time and rewrote Barry’s history.

That version of The Flash was the chief inspiration for the CW television series The Flash, which stars Grant Gustin and is underway with its fourth season. As one of the most popular shows on TV right now, it’s no surprise that Justice League again modeled its Flash after Johns’s 2009 “Rebirth” version. The trailers have essentially confirmed as much, with shots of Barry Allen visiting his father in prison.

And it’s actually a big deal that Johns’s resurrected Barry Allen is the chief model for the Flash in the DCEU, because Johns used Barry Allen to change everything forever in DC canon.

3. Flashpoint

At San Diego Comic-Con, Warner Bros. announced Flashpoint as a movie sometime in 2020. The studio didn’t have to reveal any plot details for fans to start buzzing its possibilities, because “Flashpoint” is quite a significant title.

In 2011, DC reset its entire canon with an event miniseries titled Flashpoint, in which Barry Allen wakes up in an alternate reality that — unbeknownst to himself — he caused himself. As Barry works towards fixing things, the reset allowed DC to start over with a clean slate. DC entered a new era, the “New 52” (named for the 52 books it launched that year).

While the New 52 had its ups and downs, the impact of Flashpoint was undeniable. For this reason, Warner Bros. may be looking to the comics to have its own do-over with its own adaptation of Flashpoint. This means Ezra Miller’s Flash is going to be super important to the future of the DC movie universe.

So this November when you watch Justice League, watch Barry Allen/The Flash very, very closely. If you can keep up, that is.

Justice League will be released on November 17.

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