The following article contains spoilers for Spider-Man: No Way Home
Barry Allen may be the fastest man alive butThe Flashwon’t be coming to theaters until November this year, meaning that by thenSpider-Man: No Way Homewould have turned one year old, and yet that film’s lasting impact might still be enough to overshadow DC’s own big crossover event.
The parallels between the two films are easy to draw, whereasNo Way Homepaid homage toSpider-Man’shistory in film by having Tom Holland’s character grow alongside his predecessors;The Flashwill also bring together many of DC’s characters by regrouping several actors from different ages, with Batmen Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck leading the way to help Ezra Miller navigate his way in his first solo movie, however, that’s pretty much where the similarities end.
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Spiders vs. Bats Is Just Like Apples vs. Oranges
Nowadays, Marvel gets deserved credit for laying the ground for what would become the superhero film genre in the early 2000s mostly thanks to theX-MenandSpider-Man, nevertheless, it wasSupermanandBatmanwho first brought comic book heroes to mainstream media. Although with somewhat mixed results, that cycle did give birth to Tim Burton’sBatmanmovies and Michael Keaton’s Bruce Wayne, who still to this dayhumble brags about being the best Batman, a claim few would argue he’s not entitled to make.
The problem is that ifThe Flashfails as its own epic crossover, that will hardly be Keaton’s fault but more likely down to a lack of history for its titular character, who only got some proper background in theSnyder Cutafter mostly being overlooked in Joss Whedon’s disastrousJustice League. Holland got two full movies plus shared the spotlight in threeAvengerscrossovers, while on the other hand, Miller will jump forward with only an hour and twenty minutes of screen time afforded to him by Zack Snyder.
Barry Allen’s upgrade in the Snyder Cut is among the best things in the film’s definitive version, but it’s barely enough to make for a true origin story or establish a solid character basis for him, and that is the type of workThe Flashwill also have to attend to. The same could really be said about Affleck’s Caped Crusader, who never really found his footing in the DCEU with the actor still claiming he’s found a new way to play the characterin his final outing as Batman.
On top of that,withThe Flash’smain villains still unknown, General Zod and Faora-Ul hardly representla crème de la crèmewhen it comes to antagonists despite the respective actor’s good performances inMan of Steel. After all, hardly anyone would compare Zod toWillem Dafoe’s brilliant Green Goblinor Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock because these are characters capable of generating hype in fans by themselves, they were great beforeNo Way Homeand continued to be the main attraction opposite to Spider-Man while the rest of the Sinister Five were mostly bench players.
Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield had one lackluster movie each in an otherwise memorable legacy, Affleck had one and it comes with an asterisk next to it. This all goes to say that, whileSpider-Man: No Way Homeserved as a closing chapter for an established hero bringing back the franchise’s greatest hits, to build something new;The Flashlooks more like a forced mismatch of characters needed to carry out theFlashpointstoryline, though fortunately, it’s this last part that might be the key for the film’s success.
The Flash’sFlashing Bright Side
It’s still a complete mystery whetherThe Flashwill be used by Warner as a way to completelyreboot the DCEU in a retcon playthat would bring as many pros as cons, but if there’s one thing for sure is thatFlashpointis supposed to at least toy with that possibility. In that regard, the movie could borrow yet another page fromNo Way Home’splaybook by being both the potential end of an era and the beginning of a new stage for Flash, just like that movie might turn out to be forSpider-Man.
For all intents and purposes, save forWonder Woman,the DCEU is a flawed productthat is only financially viable due to its blockbuster status, but now that Snyder is gone and Warner has no intention of following through with that vision, there’s little incentive to move forward with it in its currents state. Since Affleck is on his way out,The Batmanwill do its own thing,and all signs point to a new Superman saga of sorts, staying clear of the DCEU mess might actually benefitThe Flash.
There’sonly so little audiences know aboutThe Flashup to this point and his solo debut could help develop the character as a true icon of his own, especially since he’ll be joined by newcomer Supergirl (Sasha Calle). Though that would still be a bit of an odd move considering the types of plans Warner has forAquaman,Shazam, andBlack Adam, allowing Flash to exist without being burdened by the rest of the Justice League would afford the studio the chance to work on a cleanish slate with a character that nowadays has no business being tied to 2017’sJustice League.
Spider-Man: No Way Homeworks beyond its epic levels of fan service because it propels the MCU’s Peter Parker to new ground, both within the reality he inhabits when the film starts and the life he’s left with once the credits start to roll. If Barry Allen is meant to emulate Spidey in any way,The Flashhas to make up lost timewhile setting up the future for characters that can exist without the need to fall back onSupermanandBatmancallbacks in the future and, judging from past precedents, that is no easy task for Warner.
