'The Flash' Ending Explained: [SPOILER] emerges as new Batman amid reunion with Justice League member
Major Spoilers for ‘The Flash’
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: DC’s latest offering deals with a stubborn Barry Allen who wants to change the past by saving his mother. This is a simple premise for ‘The Flash'. However, this is only complicated by Barry traveling faster than the speed of light into the past and creating a mess of the original timeline. In the past that Barry visits, there is no Justice League, no Superman, Aquaman, or Wonder Woman and Ben Affleck’s Batman doesn’t exist. There’s only Michael Keaton’s Batman and a captive Kryptonian Supergirl. Oh! And General Zod is back to wreak havoc on Earth in this timeline. There are multiple versions of characters including a younger version of Barry Allen who becomes the main Barry Allen’s sidekick.
Batman, Supergirl, and the two Barry Allens are fighting hard to defeat General Zod and his Kryptonian army. In this battle, Batman and Supergirl eventually die, despite Barry going back a few minutes and saving them again. The main Barry realizes that defeat against General Zod is inevitable and the world in this timeline will come to an end. He convinces younger Barry to let their mother die as this was the nexus event that changed the course of everything. Young Barry has trouble accepting this and continues going back in time. When both the Barry's are in the Speed Force bubble, the Dark Flash, the future version of the young Barry arrives and tries to kill the main Barry. The younger Barry jumps between them and is instantly killed. This also ends the Dark Flash who is the older variant of a younger Barry. Main Barry returns to the past, takes the tomato can away from her mother’s cart, and places it on a top shelf so that his father can pick it up. This also helps clear his father’s name when Barry returns to his timeline.
George Clooney is the new Batman
Barry calls Bruce Wayne, hoping Ben Affleck will show up. Instead, he’s taken aback by a Batman no one saw coming. George Clooney gets out of a swanky car and crisp suit as he walks towards Barry. His eyes shoot up as he doesn’t recognize this version of Bruce Wayne. George Clooney played the caped crusader in 'Batman and Robin' (1997) and since then has been absent from the DC cinematic universe.
Bringing him back into the DCEU is a call to a larger multiverse which might also bring the villains associated with Clooney’s Batman. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Mr Freeze and Uma Thurman’s Poison Ivy who were Clooney’s antagonists in the film might just return if Clooney continues as the new Batman. Barry was shocked and so were the fans who never expected Clooney to make a comeback to the DC universe.
Aquaman is still Barry’s friend
In a small post-credits scene, Arthur Curry aka Aquaman is seen drinking with Barry Allen. During the film when Barry travels to the past, he dials a number which leads him to Arthur’s father. In this universe, Arthur Curry is a dog and definitely not a savior of Atlantis. His appearance also confirms that Jason Momoa is set to return as Aquaman in ‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’ in December 2023.
