Summary

The Flash was expected to be a turning point for the DC Extended Universe but ultimately disappointed, especially with its use of CGI to recreate deceased stars like Christopher Reeve. Reeve’s appearance in the movie sparked a debate about the ethical boundaries of using the likeness of dead actors without their family’s consent. Christopher Reeve’s children confirmed that they had no involvement in The Flash and have not seen it, emphasizing that their father had a diverse range of roles and may have preferred to be remembered for something other than Superman.

The Flash was anticipated to be a milestone event in the DC Extended Universe, but instead became just another dud as the franchise wound down towards its upcoming reboot by James Gunn and Peter Safran.

Directed by Andy Muschietti and starring Ezra Miller as Barry Allen, the movie promised to be a game-changer as it opened up the DC multiverse with an epic plot and prominent roles for returning Batman star Michael Keaton and Man of Steel’s Michael Shannon. However, when the movie arrived in cinemas, one scene in the movie that was intended to be a huge celebration of DC’s past endeavors turned into one of the worst moments of the movie thanks to some heavy use of CGI to recreate deceased stars, including the first, and most iconic big screen Superman, Christopher Reeve.

Reeve, who survived a near-fatal accident in 1995 and passed away in 2004, appeared in the Speedforce during The Flash, a demiplane where Barry Allen discovers he can traverse both time and the multiverse. The sequence showed multiple “worlds” that contained alternate versions of DC’s greatest heroes, including the long-lost Nicolas Cage version of Superman that was originally meant to appear in an abandoned movie by Tim Burton. Reeve’s Superman appeared as a homage to the actor’s iconic portrayal of the Man of Steel and ignited a fierce discussion about the likeness of dead stars being used without the consent of their families.

Reeve’s children appeared recently at the Sundance Film Festival, where a new documentary about the actor’s life entitled Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story was being unveiled. Speaking with Variety, Will, Matthew and Alexandra confirmed that they had no involvement in the appearance of their father in The Flash, and they have not seen it either. They went on to reminisce about their local movie theater going through a rebranding, and asked Will to screen a movie of his father’s. Will said:

“I responded, ‘Sure, but not Superman. We’re going to do “Remains of the Day.”‘ He was so proud of his role in that movie. It’s not a big role. It’s an important role in the film. He got to show a completely different side of himself. I knew how proud he was of that. Not that he wasn’t proud of Superman…but if he were here he wouldn’t choose Superman, he’d choose ‘Remains of the Day.’ I don’t think about the Superman films as much as I do about the swings he got took beyond this larger-than-life role.”

Related Everything Superman: Legacy’s David Corenswet Can Learn From Christopher Reeve The newest actor to portray Superman can learn a lot from the first modern actor to truly embody the character.

The Flash’s CGI Resurrections Did Not Go Down as Expected
Warner Bros. Pictures 

The online backlash against the many CGI re-creations of deceased stars in The Flash underscored a broader debate within Hollywood over the ethical boundaries around how the likeness of actors should be treated when it comes to posthumous appearances. While technology now allows filmmakers to re-animate beloved stars in new stories, the practice has not been without its flaws, mainly whether those actors would have wanted their image to be used at all.

It is clear that to his family, Christopher Reeve was much more than just Superman, but whether he wanted to see himself created in the way it was done in The Flash is something we will never truly know. The question then becomes what rights studios have to bring back dead stars without the express consent to do so. It is a debate that, with the continual advancement of technology, and in particular A.I., is not likely to be resolved anytime soon.

For those who do want to relive The Flash and its many cameos, the movie is now streaming on Max.

The Flash Release Date June 16, 2023 Studio DC Comics, DC Entertainment, Warner Bros. Tagline Worlds Collide Franchise DC