The recent upheaval of the DCU has cast a long shadow over this year’s several movie releases, including Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom and The Flash. With James Gunn set to reboot the entire franchise to start with a fresh slate for the DCU, many fans have questioned the point of this year’s movies. However, when it comes to The Flash, the multiverse aspect of the film will throw up the interesting inclusion of a new Justice League.

It has been known for some time that The Flash will see Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton both appearing as Batman, as well as Sasha Callie’s debut as Supergirl and Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. However, following the release of a featurette (via The Direct) for the movie, it became apparent that the film could include a different iteration of the Justice League to the one fans are used to. Director Andy Muschietti said:
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“We are presenting [a] Justice League that is not the powerful Justice League that we all know.”

The collective will see this new Justice League being made up of the new DCU arrivals. As Muschietti explains, “As Bruce Wayne said, it’s a retired vigilante, a half-solar-powered alien and two idiots.” This is clearly a long way away from the Justice League seen in the Snyderverse, and unlike any that is likely to appear in James Gunn’s new DC Universe. For that alone, it makes the movie one of the most intriguing films of the franchise, and that could be enough to elevate it into one of the last big hits of the old DCEU regime.

Related: The Flash Promo Art Reveals Batman, Supergirl & an Odd-Looking Variant of Barry Allen

The Flash is Reportedly One Of The Best DCU Movies Ever

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According to recent reports, insiders have said that among the upcoming slate of 2023 movies, The Flash is not only one of the best additions to the franchise but possibly one of the best DC-based movies since The Dark Knight.

Whether this holds up under the scrutiny of fans is an entirely different matter. The last few years have seen an enormous gulf in the opinions of critics and cinemagoers as to which movies live up to expectations and which fall short of the mark. This spans all genres and mediums, but when it comes to the DCU, most films released in the last decade have either pleased everyone or no one.

Of course, The Flash has seen many delays to its release date. Still, it also has the challenge of overcoming the memory of Ezra Miller’s strange and disturbing behavior earlier this year. However, as the movie performs in theaters, the question of how many of the DCU’s current heroes will return in the future is unknown. Still, for many, The Flash and next December’s Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will be the end of the DCU as we know it.

The Flash premieres in theaters on June 16, 2023.