The release of The Flash will put an end to the debate about the final cut of the film and the scenes after the credits:
It will there be differences between the copy shown to journalists and the one released in theatres? For now, I can tell you that the print preview only contained one scene after the credits, not two. Let’s see what it is!
The scene in question is at the very end of the text reel, so you’ll have to sit through the credits if you want to see it. We find Barry Allen ( Ezra Miller ) in the company of Aquaman ( Jason Momoa ) after a night of drinking: while Arthur can barely stand up, Barry is completely sober, because his very fast metabolism prevents him from getting drunk.
Well, the Scarlet Runner holds up the King of Atlantis outside the bar, and explains to him that Batman has always looked different in the various timelines he has visited. It’s true: in the original timeline he was Ben Affleck ; in the one where Barry ‘s mother survives was Michael Keaton ; and in the one where the mother does not survive, but the father is exonerated, is George Clooney . The latter is also the definitive timeline, in which they are now. Barry also says that, instead, Aquaman is always the same in every timeline.
Arthur isn’t particularly impressed, also because the alcohol fumes don’t allow him to fully understand what’s happening. The aquatic hero collapses prone in a puddle (he can breathe underwater anyway) and tells Barry that he will sleep there, but first he wants more beer. He then takes off a ring and gives it to her as a form of payment, despite it being part of the Atlantis treasury.
The scene is all here: it is more of a gag, with no clues about a potential sequel (also because it is said that there will be) or on the future of the DC Universe (also because it is not said that this Flash will be part of it) . On the other hand, it is useful for establishing that Aquaman always remains the same, regardless of the variations on the timeline. In doing so, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will not have to suffer any consequences from the events of The Flash , since the latter came out first.
Flashpoints
The film is inspired by Flashpoint . In the comics, Barry Allen goes back in time to prevent the murder of his mother Nora , and distorts the timeline of the DC universe , finding himself in a very different present: in this timeline , he never became the Flash and Earth lives a deep crisis situation, also because many superheroes are no longer superheroes; Wonder Woman and the Amazons, for example, have conquered the United Kingdom, while Aquaman has devastated Western Europe with a tidal wave to annex it to his rule. Batman exists, but behind his mask is Thomas Wayne, not his son Bruce , who was killed during the infamous robbery. In the film, however, the changes he witnesses are very different.
Director and cast
The screenplay is by Christina Hodson ( Bumblebee , Birds of Prey ), while the direction is handled by Andrés Muschietti ( La Madre, IT ). The cast includes Ezra Miller ( Barry Allen / Flash ), Kiersey Clemons ( Iris West , historic romantic interest of Barry ), Maribel Verdú ( Nora Allen , mother of Barry ), Michael Keaton ( Tim Burton ‘s Batman ), Ben Affleck (the Batman byZack Snyder ), Sasha Calle ( Supergirl ), Michael Shannon ( Zod ), Ron Livingston ( Henry Allen ), Saoirse-Monica Jackson ( Patty Spivot ), Rudy Mancuso ( Albert Desmond ) and Ian Loh ( Barry baby).
A troubled project
The project was directed by Seth Grahame-Smith , Rick Famuyiwa and the duo composed by Jonathan M. Goldstein and John Francis Daley , before arriving at Andrés Muschietti .