Spoiler Alert: Spoilers Ahead for The Flash
The Flashis just about everywhere you look. Following a mass-marketing campaign amid the continuing controversies surrounding its lead actor,The Flashalso garnered some notorious buzz for some pretty prominent cameos. If you somehow haven’t been spoiled yet, you may want to look away.
A special cameo from Superman was announced by director Andy Muschietti, which may not come as a surprise for DCU fans. Normally, it wouldn’t be — except this Superman will be played by Nicolas Cage. Originally meant to play Superman in a film directed by Tim Burton more than two decades ago, the role fell through the cracks due to a multitude of reasons. But now, you can finally seeNicolas Cage don Superman’s signature costumein one of the biggest nods to DC fans everywhere. But why was this spoiled? Why reveal this information barely a month beforeThe Flashhits theaters? Well, we have a few theories.
Ezra Miller Is Press Poison
There is a non-zero chance that you’ve seen the buzz surroundingThe Flashprefaced with an acknowledgment of Ezra Miller’s real-life activities. Unfortunately, it’s been so steeped into the discourse surroundingThe Flashthat it’s hard to separate the real-world controversy from the fun-filled DCU film.
We’re not talking about one or two significant controversies, either. An entire timeline of controversies has been cobbled together from the multiple incidents Miller has found himself in since April 2020. Numerous arrests and several alleged incidents of violent behavior and sexual misconduct have continued until February of this year.
It doesn’t help thatThe Flash’s director has taken an unexpected attitude toward Miller’s controversial behaviors. Specifically, in an interview with the CBC, Muschietti claimed that"people will forget" Miller’s toxic pastafter seeing the film.
It’s certainly an “interesting” stance to take on the issue, no doubt amplified by his insistence on having Miller and Miller alone playThe Flash’s Barry Allen in future DCU films. It’s odd when you consider thatThe Flash’s marketing campaign features a lot of Batman, a lot of “greatest superhero movie ever” claims, and a very, very little amount of Miller himself.
Related:DCU: Should Supergirl Have Been Introduced in The Flash or Received Her Own Movie?
Would it be disingenuous to suggest that, just maybe, the spoiling of legacy cameos inThe Flashis to get butts in seats following this ceaseless negative coverage? It certainly worked, to an extent. The positivity surrounding Nicolas Cage’s Superman andMichael Keaton’s Batmanwas immediate and all-encompassing, and there’s likely a newfound interest from those who were initially on the fence about seeing this long-awaited DCU film. Even now, if you were to look upThe Flashonline, you’ll see this positivity interwoven with even more coverage surrounding its caustic lead.
Mixed Reviews May Spell Trouble
Other than the prominent controversies surrounding the face ofThe Flash— and potentially future films starring the same character – it’s safe to assume that the spoiling of legacy cameos may also soften the blow of mixed review scores.
Historically, minus some exceptions, the DCU has typically played second-fiddle to the MCU due to its inconsistent quality and overall lack of a unified vision. While that will assuredly be remedied under thecurrent plans led by James Gunnand Peter Safran,The Flashwill likely serve to introduce this bigger, better DCU on top of having to be a decent superhero film in its own right. The self-imposed task of being one of the “greatest superhero films” doesn’t help temper any expectations.
Related:The Flash: Why Michael Keaton’s Return as Batman Feels Wrong
While some have praisedThe Flashfor Miller’s performance, others have felt that it relies too much on its own excessiveness to be truly enjoyable. It’s possible, then, that the involvement of highly sought-after cameos may be a means to assuage some of these concerns to a wider audience. It’s a way to get an audience to point and cheer when they see their long-time favorite castings hit the big screen in a major way, possibly prepping them to forgive a film that may not impress otherwise.
Alternatively, if you want to be less cynical, it’s a way to build hype for what some are callingthe best DCU filmin recent memory. Some have likenedThe Flashto the DC equivalent ofSpider-Man: No Way Home. That may be all someone needs to seeThe Flash. After all, how impactful wouldNo Way Homehave been if it didn’t tease the return of Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin or Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock?
While it would’ve been absolutely mind-blowing to see the biggest cameos inThe Flashsaved for a first-time viewing, it isn’t surprising to see that they were spoiled long beforeThe Flash’s June 16 release. The film is in a unique situation where you cannot disassociate it from its controversial lead while simultaneously building itself up as the next big thing to precede the start of the reinvigorated DCU. It’s not the best position to be in.
“Spoiling” the cameo of Nicolas Cage’s Superman feels like an effort to stir up some positive press forThe Flash, and while that may have worked in the short-term, we’ll just have to see how the greater public feels when it hits theaters. Maybe all those years of development Hell will be worth it.
