The Flash is likely partly adapting the Flashpoint story, and the movie’s debut of Supergirl hints that it will have one major change from the comics.
It’s been known for a while that Supergirl will be making her DCU debut in The Flash, but it may have also just been confirmed that she is replacing Superman in one key way. It has long been expected that the Flash movie would adapt the Flashpoint comic storyline, in which Barry Allen wakes up in an alternate timeline, culminating in a reset of the DC Comics canon. While the prospect of a Flashpoint adaptation is exciting, The Flash will most likely have to change several key elements, and a recently revealed piece of Supergirl merchandise may have just confirmed this.
The merch in question for The Flash movie is a t-shirt based on the movie that refers to “two idiot kids, a retired vigilante, and a half-charged solar-powered alien.” These quotes obviously refer, respectively, to the two versions of the Flash, Michael Keaton’s Batman, and Supergirl, all of whom will comprise the main characters of the DCU movie. Referring to Supergirl as “half-charged” gives a major hint as to what her role in The Flash may be, and it even further supports the theory that the movie will adapt the Flashpoint storyline, albeit with a character substitution.
Why Supergirl Has Superman’s Flashpoint Role In The Flash Movie
Flashpoint takes place in an alternate DC timeline in which Barry Allen doesn’t have superpowers and the Justice League doesn’t exist. Barry eventually finds out that Superman is on Earth, but he is in a weakened state, as he has been in government captivity presumably since he arrived. If The Flash is truly adapting the Flashpoint story, Supergirl being half-charged would make sense, putting her in the same role in the movie that Superman filled in the comics. In Flashpoint, Superman is eventually freed, and after getting his powers back, he aids Barry. Presumably, this will all happen with Supergirl in the movie.
While Supergirl is clearly replacing Superman in the story, the reason for the change is likely to do with the real-world production of The Flash. At the time that it was being made, Henry Cavill had seemingly left the DCU, meaning the movie would either need to recast the character or replace Superman entirely. Although Black Adam confirmed Cavill’s Superman is back, it’s far too late to feature him in a major role in The Flash, meaning the movie replaced him with the most obvious choice: Supergirl. Although she hasn’t been in the DCU before, Flashpoint’s government captivity storyline is the perfect way to explain her absence.
Why The Flash Movie Can’t Properly Adapt Flashpoint
While some parts of Flashpoint will appear in The Flash, there are some major roadblocks that are preventing the movie from properly adapting the story. In the comics, major characters like Batman, Wonder Woman, Cyborg, and Aquaman appear in Flashpoint, and that probably won’t happen in The Flash. Similarly, Flashpoint ends with the DC Universe being entirely reset. While some aspects of the DCU may be changed, it is doubtful that The Flash will literally reset everything, meaning that the movie will only partly adapt the story.
