Breaking down every single cameo in The Flash

By James On Jun 17, 2023

Anyone who has seen an ad before The flash know that he’s not the only superhero – there are several Batmans! And Supergirl! But you can’t have a multiverse without alternate versions of superheroes and Warner Bros.’ latest DC Comics movie is full of cameo appearances.

Some are very familiar, but others are very obscure indeed. So here’s every superhero that shows up The flash except Barry Allen, and what they refer to. And just for fun, I, the comics expert at Polygon, will assign them the universe of the DC Comics multiverse they feel most at home in.

[Ed. note: This piece contains universe-sized spoilers for The Flash.]

Batman

Image: Warner Bros. Pictures

Played by: am Affleck
First Appearance: Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice

This is an easy one, it was in the trailers! Ben Affleck returns as Batman for probably the last time (pending a Aquarius 2 cameo), offering a fatherly shoulder to a lonely and conflicted Barry Allen.

On what earth should he live: Frank Miller’s universe the dark knight returns, evidently. It is the existing DC Earth that most clearly inspired director Zack Snyder in creating his costume and atmosphere.

Superman

Played by: What appears to be a CGI double made to look like Henry Cavill
First Appearance: Man of Steel

There is no actual Henry Cavill appearance The flashlike last year Black Adam. We get a peek into the back of Superman’s head in some news footage – but hey! It is an acknowledgment of its existence.

On what earth should he live: Prime Earth, the Earth where DC rebooted itself in 2011. That Superman had a short, spectacular life full of adventures, starting his superhero career in cuffed jeans and a Superman t-shirt before going out in a blaze of glory and being replaced by a more classic incarnation of the character – what looks like the same path that Cavill’s Superman is currently on.

Wonderwoman

Played by: Gal Gadot
First Appearance: Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice

This Gal Gadot appearance marks the second single-scene cameo the gaming actress has made in a DC movie this year, but it will likely be the last we’ll see of her Wonder Woman. And probably the last time we’ll see Wonder Woman on the big or small screen, at least until Warner Bros.’ lost paradisea TV series about the Amazon island of Themyscira, debuts.

On what earth should she live: Earth 11, the Earth where everyone is on the opposite side of the gender spectrum from the main DCU, and Amazonian values are the accepted norm. Let her be Superwoman or Batwoman and wear flat shoes.

Batman

Played by: Michael Keaton
First Appearance: Batman (1989)

Michael Keaton’s return to the role of Batman has been all over the trailers The flash and honestly… he sells it! Sure, his face is CGI-ed in most of the action sequences, but he and his Batman have a real “sure, why not, fuck it” energy that I appreciate.

On what earth should he live: The obvious answer would be the Flashpoint timeline, which inspired the character, but let’s be more creative. I say Earth 12, the Batman over universe. Give this Batman a big dog named Ace and have him beat up Jokerz with a stick. He seems to like it.

super girl

Played by: Sasha Calle
First Appearance: The flash

It would be intimidating to pick up a dark version of Supergirl right after the merry and beloved incarnation of Melissa Benoist from the CW series. But not only does Sasha Calle do a lot with little, she also nails superhuman physicality. The poses, the jumps – the way to hold yourself so it looks like you’re flying under your own power, not just hanging uselessly on a wire over a soundstage.

On what earth should she live: Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, set in the far reaches of space in the universe known as Prime Earth. Let this feisty, grumpy Supergirl have her Real Grit moment.

Superman

Played by: George Reeves
First Appearance: Adventures of Superman (1952)

Though largely forgotten by anyone under the age of 60, there goods Superman adaptations before Christopher Reeve donned the tights in Richard Donner’s 1978 film. TV George Reeves’ Superman wasn’t even the first, but his show ran for most of the 1950s, claiming its place in the Superman zeitgeist. It was eventually canceled, not for lack of popularity, but for Reeves’ shocking death, a bit of a spooky note to Flash’s colorful Chronobowl climax.

On what earth should he live: No jokes about this. It’s a sad story.

Jay Garrick/The Flash

Teddy Sears as Jay Garrick (but actually Hunter Zolomon) in The Flash on the CW.

Played by: Teddy Sears
First Appearance: The CWs The flash TV serials

Deep in the Chronobowl chaos of The flash‘s climax, you can catch a glimpse of another speedster (that’s comic slang for a superhero whose deal is that they move really fast) in a Hermes-style hat. He’s a dead ringer for Jay Garrick, the first DC Comics character to wear the mantle of the Flash. But wait, you ask, what movie is he from? The answer is that he isn’t.

This Jay Garrick is played by Teddy Sears, who played a version of Garrick The flash TV series on the CW. His character was (twist!) finally revealed pretend to be Jay Garrick, and was actually a supervillain. But his appearance in The flash seems to imply nothing so sinister.

On what earth should he live: There’s one real answer to this, and it’s Earth-Two, home to the original Justice Society – the wartime superhero team that inspired the Justice League – of which Garrick is a founding member.

Superman

Played by: Christopher Reeve
First Appearance: Superman (1978)

There is no actor more synonymous with Superman than Christopher Reeve. Old clips of him changing from Clark Kent to Kal-El with just a shift in his point of view still go viral on a regular basis. If you want to put cinematic Supermans in your movie, he’s the one to get (a CGI reproduction of, as the actor was sadly paralyzed in 1995 and died in 2004).

On what earth should he live: Thematically, he should be in the paradise dimension that Superman, Lois Lane, and Superboy are at the end of Crisis on Infinite Earths.

super girl

Played by: Helen Slater
First Appearance: super girl (1984)

1984’s Supergirl was theoretically linked to Reeve’s Superman movies, hence in The flash, you see these two standing side by side. But while his character is acknowledged, Reeve doesn’t actually appear in it (as Henry Cavill does in The flash), and the movie is… I mean, the best you can say about it is that it’s really weird. Supergirl deserves better, and hopefully she gets it soon.

On what earth should she live: Earth 12, the DC animated universe. This Supergirl deserves a better approach and deserves to come out of the ’80s. Let her hang out in big ’90s boots and a crop top, badass stuff. I would love that for her.

Batman

Played by: Adam West
First Appearance: Batman (1966)

Some days you just can’t get rid of a Chronobowl: The flash jumps back in time slightly over a pair of live-action cinematic Batmans to reach 1966’s Adam West Batman. We only see him for a chronosecond so his mad glory can’t overwhelm the film’s more serious climax, but I guess the Bale and Pattinson Batmans weren’t ready?

On what earth should he live: This one is easy: Earth 66! The Earth of the 1966 Batman TV serials!

Superman

Played by: Nicholas Cage
First Appearance: Never had one!

Nicolas Cage’s Superman is undoubtedly the most obscure version of the character to appear in this film. And that’s because he’s never acted in a movie. He comes in The flash as the never-actually beaten ’90s Superman that Cage would one day star in. What’s up with the giant spider? It’s a long story.

On what earth should he live: A Superman movie that never existed deserves the same turn. He should be Neal Adams’ Superman Batman: Odyssey books. If you have read Batman: Odysseyyou know this is perfect, and if you haven’t I couldn’t possibly explain it.

Batman

Played by: George Clooney
First Appearance: Batman and Robin

George Clooney’s Batman gets a bad rap for the quality of the camp. Batman and Robin went completely out of control just as the collective gay panic of the 1990s popularized the term “metrosexual” for straight men who paid attention to their appearance. But if you ask this writer, he’s one of the best performances of Bruce Wayne out there – soulful but not broody, earnest but with the dry wit of Silver Age Batman. He appears here as the new Batman of the Snyderverse or… as just another reference to past DC movies. We can only really know The flash will be continued, if ever.

On what earth should he live: The over-60s silver fox Clooney would be a Awesome smart, elderly Batman from Earth 22, Mark Waid and Alex Ross’ universe Kingdom come.

Aquarius

Aquaman - Aquaman with a trident standing in front of a waterfall

Played by: Jason Momoa
First Appearance: Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice

It would hardly be a superhero movie without a post-credits scene reminding audiences of the next movie coming up. Which is also true in this case Aquaman and the Lost Kingdomin cinemas in December.

On what earth should he live: Earth 18. Look, Jason Momoa is already having as much fun as Aquaman, there’s very little anyone can do to make it more pleasure. Except – maybe – to put him on Earth 18, the Earth where all DC heroes are cowboys and gunfighters. Yee haw.