You Can See Why DC Studios Is So Confident In 'The Flash' After This Mind-Melting Super Bowl Trailer

Sheeeeeeeeeesh. All the bad press that's arisen from Ezra Miller's legal issues and the general narrative about DC movies not telling a cohesive, interconnected story? Much of that can go away if Miller stays on good behavior and if The Flash winds up being a monster superhero hit. This trailer for the big-budget tentpole, due out June 16th, looks positively lit.

First of all, I knew that Michael Shannon was returning as General Zod and that Miller's Barry Allen would be jumping around to different universes a la the comics' renowned Flashpoint storyline. Seems like Zod has a lot more to do with the story than you would've assumed for a studio that's trying to move on from the Zack Snyder DC run and forge their own path.

The main story revolves around Barry returning to what looks to be the Tim Burton/Michael Keaton Batman universe, which is where his mother is still alive. Then it appears he encounters that timeline's Barry Allen. Not sure what OG Flash's plan is here. Isn't his existence in that timeline going to mess the hell with space-time? Fascinated to see how that plays out.

While I'm very intrigued to see what Sasha Calle brings to Supergirl, MICHAEL KEATON IS BACK AS BATMAN BAY-BEEEE.

...And he said the thing.

BUT KEATS...he proceeds to swoop down in his bat suit and beat the hell out of a bunch of heavies who have guns. The Barry Variant as I'll call him passes out afterwards. Can't blame him. You can tell Keaton is determined to crush it in this Bruce Wayne/Batman reprisal, and I do believe he'll probably steal the entire movie with how good he is.

We also got a little glimpse of Batfleck, who's trying to warn Barry not to mess with timelines and the larger multiverse. Clearly Barry doesn't listen to that advice.

Some of the action sequences, slow-motion special effects to show off the Speed Force, and the fact that Barry travels to a place where there are no metahumans make for a hell of a combination that should give fans a satisfying story. One snippet of the trailer in which Barry is getting electrocuted with a Batarang seemingly atop a lightning-attracting pole implies that he'll need the Caped Crusader's help to replicate the accident that gave Barry his superpowers in the first place.

I like how we're getting touchstones of the comics storyline and not totally ignoring DC's established cinematic canon. My guess is they make a clean break by killing Batfleck off in dramatic fashion and using the excuse of jumping timelines to reset the whole DC Universe as we know it. Let's just hope any reshoots or adjustments made by new execs James Gunn and Peter Safran don't compromise the creative vision of writer Christina Hodson and director Andy Muschietti, because all the buzz about The Flash as a film suggests it's really, really good.

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