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‘The Flash’ Final Trailer: Is Christian Bale’s Batman Just Out of Frame?


With just over two weeks until The Flash finally hits cinemas, the launch of a new and final trailer for the superhero epic has us wondering what secrets are being withheld in order to surprise and delight when the movie finally premieres on June 15. Word of mouth has been encouraging on this one and while the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) has been frustratingly inconsistent since it debuted with 2013’s Man of Steel, the reappearance of Michael Keaton’s very popular take on Batman—last seen over 30 years ago in 1992’s Batman Returns—will almost certainly provide a strong nostalgic incentive for audiences to give this universe one more try.

Related: The Best Batman Movies Ranked: Best to Worst

The Flash Final Trailer

Image: Warner Bros

Promotional materials for the flick have long promised it will see “worlds collide” and that’ll certainly be the case with both Keaton and the DCEU’s Batman (Ben Affleck) appearing (although Affleck’s role is rumoured to be little more than a glorified cameo). Joining the Bruces Wayne are Ezra Miller’s title character and Sasha Calle’s Supergirl, stepping in to fill the void left by Henry Cavill’s Superman. And while we’re very excited to see Keaton’s incarnation of Batman make a triumphant return, something tells us there might be even more in store.

Think about it. The Flash’s resurrection of an iconic yet long-recast hero will draw inevitable comparisons to Spider-Man: No Way Home. That film saw not one, not two, but three versions of the famous web-slinger join forces, with Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield both reprising their takes on the role alongside current Spider-Man Tom Holland. So, if Marvel did three Spider-Men, is DC really going to settle for just two Batmen?

Michael Keaton The Flash Trailer

Image: Warner Bros

With that in mind, we think it’s entirely possible—if not downright likely—that Christian Bale will reprise his role from Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy and give us a third Batman that will have audiences jumping out of their seats as soon as he appears on screen. After all, the footage of Affleck’s Batman weaving his bike through traffic could easily be CGI cover for Bale and the Batpod he rode in both the second and third instalments of Nolan’s iconic trilogy.

And why stop at three point-eared avengers? Seeing Adam West’s Batman make a cameo would be an absolute delight. Even George Clooney’s much maligned take on the character would raise a smile. However things shake out, we’ll be there on opening night to see at least two Batmen, but maybe as many as four or five, do their thing. Check out the trailer above.

The Flash Final Trailer

Image: Warner Bros.