Written By Mikey Sutton • Editor-in-Chief • Owner
DC fans who are wondering what The Flash‘s blurred secret ending will now have their answer. When Variety reported that The Flash covers up a surprise in some of its fan screenings, they wouldn’t say what it was.
However, I will.
For those who’d rather not know, turn back now. This is your final warning.
Granted, this is not the kind of shocker many DC followers want to hear. In fact, it might reinforce their fears that DC Studios is headed in the wrong direction. Is DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn opening Pandora’s Box? You be the judge.
It’s George Clooney.
Yes, Clooney returns to DC in a cameo at the end.
DC Hero Is Blurred In Flash’s Secret Ending (Spoilers)
Image: Warner Bros. Discovery
Before anyone starts packing tomatoes to hurl at the screen, keep in mind that it’s a brief part. Clooney simply appears as Bruce Wayne. He’s not in his Batman outfit. In other words, there are no Bat nipples. Although that would’ve been hilarious.
YouTube personality Syl Abdul was the first to scoop Clooney in The Flash in early February; I wrote about it on Valentine’s Day. During a segment of our members-only Direct Currents show, Abdul described the scene in question.
Apparently, there are two versions of The Flash in advance screenings. The final cut shows Clooney’s face; the other doesn’t so it doesn’t leak on social media. But those who watch Abdul’s channel or read Geekosity have known for four months.
There’s no action sequence here, just Clooney talking to star Ezra Miller. Miller’s Flash lands in Clooney’s Batman universe. No, this isn’t a preview of what’s to come. There are no plans for Clooney to come back in a future DC movie.
Rather, The Flash pays tribute to various DC projects from the past, even Nicolas Cage’s unmade Superman adventure. Among them is 1997’s Batman & Robin.
DC Hero Is Blurred In Flash’s Secret Ending (Spoilers)
Image: Warner Bros. Discovery
Clooney’s only movie as the Dark Knight, Batman & Robin nearly killed the franchise. It’s virtually unwatchable. A clinic in how not to make a superhero film.
Despised by both critics and moviegoers, the campy Batman & Robin was a disaster that DC only overcame with director Christopher Nolan’s masterful Batman Begins in 2005.
While Clooney’s turn in The Flash won’t change any opinions of his Batman, it’s strictly meant for laughs with Miller giving a WTF? reaction.
People in theaters will feel the same way.
According to Abdul, this was Gunn’s idea. Certainly, it has his wacky fingerprints. It’s unfortunate that TV’s first Batman, Adam West, has passed away. That would’ve been both funny and awesome. Of course, most would prefer Christian Bale instead of Clooney. Alas, Bale left with Nolan. His Batman ended with Nolan.
While Clooney’s presence will make some grimace, The Flash continues to reap widespread praise from those who’ve watched it. Without a doubt, Clooney won’t get anybody into the door. On the other hand, he shouldn’t turn off anyone from seeing it, either.
Mikey Sutton made his professional writing debut in Movie Flash magazine in the Philippines in 1987 at the age of 18. He wrote for Amazing Heroes, Cinefantastique, and Fantazia in the ’90s. He was a staff writer for The All-Music Guide in the ’00s. He’s a three-time first-place winner at the Washington Press Association Awards. His comic book, Dreamwalker, will be an upcoming TV series directed by Mikhail Red and starring Kate Valdez. He is a proud Filipino-American.