Those following the comic book movie news are probably aware of recent developments with regard to the Flash movie. At the time of writing they're still revising the script, they've hired a production designer, and several cast members from Justice League (including Ezra Miller) are slated to appear in the movie.
Of course Justice League was a trainwreck if there ever was one, and Warner Bros.' claims that this movie is still "in development" are to be treated with extreme skepticism. But until we hear otherwise, this movie's a distinct possibility. And if Aquaman, Shazam!, and/or Wonder Woman 2 overcome the "Justice League curse," it's even more likely that it'll get made.
I don't know about you, but I'm still hoping the Flash makes his next cinematic outing sooner rather than later. This isn't only because the Flash is my favorite superhero, but also because he has a lot to offer in terms of story. He's visually appealing, easily recognizable, and easily understood. In the right hands, The Flash would make a great movie.
Yet I was thinking the other day, what if they turned a Flash movie on its head? What if they made his Rogues Gallery the heroes, or at least sympathetic antagonists? What if the story was told from their point of view, with the Flash in the background?
I think such an approach would avoid a lot of problems, and would also go a long way towards forging a more original story. Ignoring Suicide Squad for a moment, let's imagine that we live in Central City, in the presence of the Flash. We get up and go to work every morning. We pay taxes, and eat at restaurants. We get stuck in traffic. But everywhere we go we're aware of this presence, this force that rights wrongs, and transports criminals to local jails. We want to believe that this presence is protecting us from ourselves, but we're never quite sure. We begin to wonder about the freedom of our actions, and the wisdom of the figure that seems to be impinging upon this freedom.
This presence, of course, is not my invention. It was touched upon in the Kingdom Come series, though the idea was never (to my knowledge) explored in any depth. But I've always been captivated by the idea, partly because you'd never see the Flash saving people. You'd never see him running through the streets. He'd be largely invisible - not unlike certain communist states. Would you come to love your scarlet-clad Big Brother? Or would you come to distrust him? Would you wonder what future he was steering you toward? Would you wonder what the mere fact of his presence was doing to your humanity?
I picture this scenario unfolding from a short voice over in the beginning of the movie. One of the rogues talks about seeing the Flash on TV when he was a kid. This rogue then discusses aspects of growing up in a place where you're sure to be caught for any crime you commit, and where you could be spied upon by a being moving faster than you can see. You might see a red blur now and then, but most people only glimpse their city's "savior."
Over time a collection of "individualists" forms - not necessarily criminals, though there are of course criminals in the group. They meet together, far outside of the city limits, where a careful study of the Flash's activities has shown he never goes. They begin to air grievances. They begin to form plans. It could be that some of their grievances are entirely justified, and it could be that other grievances are just the ravings of antisocial personalities. They begin to meditate upon bringing down the Flash - either killing him or taking away his powers. Perhaps their goal is just to shame him, or to cast his activities in negative light.
One of the fun things about such a movie is that Barry Allen can still be a character in it. He can interact with the rogues at several points in the movie. They won't even know that he's the Flash. Perhaps at several points he almost discovers their plan, but other circumstances intervene. We see him as the Flash, foiling a variety of crimes, but it's not until the end of the movie that our group of misfits face off against the scarlet speedster.
For the final confrontation, I'm thinking of something clever, something similar to a heist film, in that each of the rogues uses his or her set of skills to bring down the Flash. It would be a very scientific exercise, based on a careful study of the Flash's powers. They'd have to find the chink in his armor (so to speak), and their plan would progress in careful stages.
I should add that I've always found the "speed force" concept used in the comics slightly ridiculous. To my thinking it's an explanation that isn't an explanation, and attempts to elaborate on this concept are usually recursive and somewhat lazy. You might as well say that the god Mercury bestowed his powers on Barry Allen. So when I say "very scientific exercise" in the paragraph above, I mean that the rogues would be taking advantage of the physical limits of his powers, in whatever order of magnitude the movie chooses to present them. Giving the cinematic Flash some kind of Achilles heel would be a good thing, and would make it easier to relate to him as a character. There's not much anyone can do against a guy that runs at the speed of light and passes through solid objects, so you'd have to give him some kind of weakness.
I envision one of two endings for such a movie: 1) one of the rogues almost kills the Flash, but is restrained by another, who has a change of heart, or 2) an even bigger threat arrives, and the rogues realize that they need the Flash to save them from it. In either event both Flash and the rogues reach an understanding, and he decides to limit his interventions in the future.
Now I hear you saying: "How is this different from Suicide Squad?" Well, for one thing the plot would be fully thought out. For another, we already have a "through line" in the form of the rogues' antagonistic relationship with the Flash. Suicide Squad was a mess of a movie, full of plot holes, and the characters in it were entirely disposable. This movie would do its best to remedy those problems, though I freely admit that eliminating plot holes in any superhero movie is a challenge.
Suicide Squad also lacked a satisfying antagonist. Both the Joker and Enchantress were a huge letdown. In my version of the Flash, we're not going for any big, cartoon villains like that. We're going for a certain moral relativism, and for "villains" you can relate to.
All of the above, of course, is just a thought. Oh, and no "Flash armor" in my version. Why does the Flash need armor? And what good is armor with a big open mouth and eye holes?
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The Premise
Barry
Allen, a forensic scientist working for the Central City Police
Department, is struck by a bolt of lightning after an accident involving
a particle accelerator. The lightning bolt confers upon him the
ability to move at superhuman speed, and after waking from a nine month
coma he decides to use his powers as The Flash, Central City's newest
crimefighter.
Episode One
In this
episode we see the accident that gives Barry his superhuman speed, and
the show introduces some aspects of Barry's earlier life. Barry's mother is murdered when he is very
young, and Barry's father is
imprisoned for the murder. The team at S.T.A.R. Labs is introduced, as
are several of the policemen that Barry works with. At the
conclusion of this episode, Barry makes the discovery that there are
other "metahumans" in Central City, and he does battle with the Weather
Wizard.
Episode Two
A love triangle
develops between Barry, his foster father's daughter Iris, and
detective Eddie Thawne, who seems an obvious reference to the
Reverse-Flash. In the course of the
show Barry does battle with Multiplex, a villain that can create copies
of himself, and his mentor at S.T.A.R. labs is cast in a more sinister light.
Episode Three
John
Wesley Shipp, who also played The Flash in the 90s TV show, has a lot
more to do in this episode. Barry fights a metahuman that can
transform himself into a poisonous mist. The character of Ronnie is
also introduced, and from this we can deduce that the
show is leading up to Firestorm.
Episode Four
The Flash goes up against Captain Cold, a jewel thief using a "cold gun" invented by Barry's friend at S.T.A.R. Labs. There is friction (forgive the slight pun) between Barry and his friend over the creation of this gun, which was originally designed to neutralize Barry. Iris encourages Barry to date a girl from the Arrow TV show, but in the end they decide that it's better to remain friends. How is it that the fastest man alive has so much trouble getting laid?
Episode Five
Barry meets Plastique, another character dating back to the old Firestorm comics. General Eiling from the Captain Atom comic book also appears. The romantic conversations between the characters in this show are simply not conversations that reasonably attractive adults in their mid 20s have. I am starting to think that setting this show in a high school would have made more sense. What we're getting here is really Wally West, not Barry Allen.
Episode Six
A former bully from Barry's elementary school years crosses paths with the scarlet speedster. There's less high school romance in this one, and the action scenes are more satisfying. Fun Trivia: when Barry and Eddy visit adjacent Keystone City, there is an advertisement for "Garrick's Wharf" on the wall. Firestorm is also mentioned in passing.
Episode Seven
Blackout temporarily robs Barry of his super speed, and several people are held hostage by the Clock King. This episode builds more strongly toward the "Crisis." I'm just wondering, as a sworn police officer, would imprisoning the other metahumans without trial bother Barry just a little bit?
Episode Eight
The Flash vs. the Green Arrow? Um, yeah. That fight would last all of five seconds. In the beginning of this episode Iris says something like, "Everyday another person decides to believe in the impossible; they decide to believe in the Flash." Now hold on there! Are we talking about a superhero, or our personal relationship with Jesus Christ? This one is kind of silly, but Felicity Smoak looks amazing in that red dress.
Episode Nine
We finally get a look at the Reverse-Flash, and Barry declares his love for Iris. The soap opera elements bring this episode down, but the action sequences are quite good. What this show really needs is strong female characters, and not just girlish love interests. Giving the women in this show something to do (other than pine over various superheroes), would add a lot of depth to the plot. Even so, this episode is better than the much-hyped "Flash vs. Arrow" crossover.
What I Liked
- The special effects are not bad, especially when Barry is running at higher rates of speed.
- The writers of the show, among them Geoff Johns, know the material. There are a lot of great references to the comic book, and some of these references are quite obscure.
- Grant Gustin is a passable Barry Allen, though in his scenes with John Wesley Shipp I often found myself missing the 90s TV show.
- The actress that plays Iris is hot.
What I Didn't Like
- The costume is terrible. The Flash has one of the coolest costumes ever, and they somehow turned it into this awful dark red thing that wouldn't look cool on anyone.
- The use of scientific concepts in this show is embarrassing, and I don't know why they bothered.
- Using the old "heightened metabolism" idea from the late 80s Flash is also ridiculous.
- The villains in this show are completely uninteresting, and with each episode they seem to grow increasingly one dimensional.
- Having Barry fight a supervillain at the conclusion of each show is going to grow tiresome. There's just not enough time in each episode to build up to that kind of conflict AND keep the plot moving forward.
- Barry really needs to grow a pair. If he spends an entire TV season pining after Iris, he's going to grow annoying very quickly. Come on dude, you're not in high school anymore!
"Dark and gritty."
This seems to be how Warner Bros. is conceptualizing its DC properties. But is dark and gritty really necessary? I realize that dark and gritty is a way of setting DC films apart from Marvel films, and Nolan's Batman trilogy was undoubtedly darker and grittier than anything Marvel, Sony, or Fox have yet done, but Marvel has also done dark and gritty.
The part in the first Iron Man where he's held prisoner in the cave? Dark and gritty. The part in Winter Soldier where Nick Fury almost gets killed? Also dark and gritty. Marvel is just as capable of getting dark and gritty, but they realize that dark and gritty gets old after a while. It's an easy fit for Batman, but not such an easy fit for Kryptonians, or guys running around in red and yellow tights.
We'll see if Warner Bros. can get past dark and gritty. I certainly hope so, because if all that sets DC films apart from Marvel films is dark and gritty, then we're going to see those DC films fail. Setting the right tone for a film (or a cinematic universe) is important, but it's not everything. Dynamics are also important. A bit of humor is important. Superheroes that don't always take themselves seriously is important. Batman does dark and gritty well. But Shazam? Green Lantern? Not so well at all.
With this in mind I offer my thoughts on the proposed additions to DC's cinematic universe. Here's hoping that they don't suck.
March 2016: Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice
Marks Against It: I never had a big problem with Ben Affleck as Batman, though I would have preferred Josh Brolin. Josh Brolin could have easily played the kind of Batman they're striving for, and he's a great actor besides. One persistent criticism of this movie (which we have yet to see!) is that it might be overkill to introduce Batman, Wonder Woman, and Cyborg in one movie. I tend to agree with this point of view, though maybe they can overcome this obstacle.
How to Make it Not Lame: My feeling is that this movie will be good, but not great. It will probably get bogged down in its own subplots, especially since they're trying to introduce Lex Luthor and Metallo at the same time. If it's great it will set the stage for the DC Cinematic Universe in the same way those Marvel post-credits set up the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but if it's only good it will probably burden the entire enterprise with unanswered questions and unsatisfied desires.
I'm hoping they focus at least 90% of the movie on the relationship between Batman and Superman. This is the plot point that really needs to be "sold," and this is also a crucial relationship within the DC Universe. I'm hoping they limit the involvement of Lex Luthor, Wonder Woman, and the other characters. Man of Steel should have been a much simpler, more focused film, and hopefully Zack Snyder has learned a thing or two since then.
August 2016: Suicide Squad
Marks Against It: I can't think of any so far. I actually think this is a fantastic idea for a movie, and far different from anything Marvel has attempted. If you're not familiar with the Suicide Squad, they are a group of supervillains coerced into serving the government.
David Ayer has been linked to the project, and in my opinion he is the perfect choice for a movie like this. In the case of Suicide Squad, dark and gritty is necessary, and movies such as End of Watch, Training Day, and the underrated Dark Blue are all movies that capitalize on dark and gritty.
How to Make it Not Lame: Bring out the big guns. I'm not talking about Deadshot here, but about the real star supervillains of the DC universe. Put Joker on the team. Put the Reverse-Flash on the team! Anticipating villains from future DC films would be an even bigger draw. DC has always had more interesting villains than Marvel, and there is a lot of material to draw from.
July 2017: Wonder Woman
Marks Against It: Gal Gadot. She looks nothing like Wonder Woman. Call me sexist if you will, but really. She looks nothing like Wonder Woman. We need a woman who really looks like an Amazon. We need a woman with curves. Wonder Woman has always been about sex and gender, and that part of the character needs to be embraced.
To further confuse the issue, Warner Bros. is apparently going with the New 52 backstory, which largely eliminates Paradise Island and the Amazons. This seems like such a shame to me. The contrasts between Wonder Woman, "Man's World," and the Amazons could have made a very compelling movie.
How to Make it Not Lame: Recast. I really don't care what kind of actress she is. You wouldn't cast Robert Downey Jr. as Thor, would you? Bringing the battle of the sexes into a Wonder Woman movie would also be important. Wonder Woman works best when she is challenging male ideas of what women can do. Her sex appeal is also part of the character.
November 2017: Justice League Part 1
Marks against it: Zack Snyder is directing. I liked Watchmen, but this guy is starting to irritate me. Also, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. No. Just no.
How to Make it Not Lame: This one's a tall order. By the time this film gets released, we will have seen TWO Avengers films, not to mention a boatload of X-men films, one of which features Apocalypse. Finding an original threat for DC's superfriends to face is going to be difficult, especially since Marvel has largely co-opted Darkseid in the form of Thanos (a Darkseid clone).
Recent rumors suggest that Braniac will be the villain. If so, this is unfortunate, because Braniac is going to come off as an Ultron clone, even though Braniac predates Ultron by over a decade.
One idea worth exploring is the multiverse-type storyline that DC has always done better than Marvel. Give us a window into different universes, and even different versions of established characters. This is something Marvel hasn't attempted yet, and moreover something that might lead to a lot of interesting contrasts between universes.
March 2018: The Flash
Marks Against It: This movie is still far away from production, but one drawback might be the Flash TV show, which features one of the worst Flash costumes ever. If that show continues until 2018, then a Flash film might have trouble forging its own identity.
Super speed has also been done before. We've already seen Quicksilver in X-men: Days of Future Past, and we'll see him again in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Yes, Quicksilver started out as a Flash clone, but it's going to be hard to erase those two characters from the public consciousness.
How to Make it Not Lame: Make Flash more godlike than either version of Quicksilver. Make him equal (or even superior) to Superman. There is really no way to explain the Flash's powers in the absence of super strength, so throw physics out the window. His powers CAN'T be explained, so don't bother. His only really interesting foe is Professor Zoom/The Reverse-Flash, so use him from the start.
Also, get the costume right. That costume in the TV show is just BAD.
July 2018: Aquaman
Marks Against It: I've heard people groan about this one, but I think Aquaman could be a winner for DC. Marvel Studios has yet to do anything with Namor, and Aquaman has a somewhat volatile personality as well. Volatile personalities always make for more interesting movies.
Jason Momoa has also been cast as Aquaman, and I think he's a great choice.
How to Make it Not Lame: Push the ecological angle. And no talking to fish. Make him an environmental crusader, opposed to the damage mankind has inflicted upon the oceans. Pitting him against an industrial magnate like Bruce Wayne would also provide a compelling conflict within the ranks of the Justice League.
April 2019: Shazam
Marks Against It: "Dark and gritty" and Shazam don't go well together. Making this movie more kid friendly would be the easiest route to take, and is in line with roles that Dwayne Johnson (already cast as Black Adam) has done before. Billy Batson and the element of wish fulfillment make Shazam a potentially more interesting character, but people are probably going to expect something more "adult" from DC.
How to Make it Not Lame: Make it a period film. Yes, this has already been done for Captain America, but I think Shazam was only really interesting when he was fighting Nazis, alongside the rest of the Marvel Family.
June 2019: Justice League Part 2
Marks Against It: None. I'm sure I'll have some reservations after I've seen Justice League Part 1.
How to Make it Not Lame: 2019 is a long way away from now, and by the time this hits theaters we might have already seen Avengers 3, which might even get released alongside Avengers 4. By then the idea of a super team will be old hat, and a new set of tropes will either have to be acknowledged or overcome.
April 2020: Cyborg
Marks Against It: Deathlok has been done in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Not that it matters all that much.
How to Make it Not Lame: The "is-it-a-machine-that-thinks-it's-a-man-or-a-man-who-thinks-he's-a-machine" angle from the Robocop remake could be explored, especially since it was wasted on that movie. Cyborg has always been a bit player in the DC universe, and this lack of visibility could either be the movie's downfall or its salvation. Hopefully it won't bring to mind the movie version of Steel.
June 2020: Green Lantern
Marks Against It: I'm sorry but Green Lantern is just a lame superhero. He has a ring that can basically do anything. Where do you go with that?
How to Make it Not Lame: A more compelling adversary for a start. It would also be good to see the existing cinematic version of Green Lantern, and then do everything opposite.
I'm assuming this will be a reboot of the character. If so, perhaps they'll give his ring some kind of convincing limitation. The Hal Jordan seen in DC's New Frontier might be a good place to start.
DC
At the outset, I've got to say that I'm very skeptical about Warner Bros.' plans for an interconnected cinematic universe. I don't think that Man of Steel was a good enough film to build such a universe around. If the upcoming Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice is as good as DC fans hope it will be, then I'll be more optimistic.
1. The Flash
The Flash is the superhero I'd most like to see in his own film. This is partly due to the fact that I spent most of my childhood reading the classic Bates/Infantino run on the comic, and partly due to the fact that he's such a visually interesting character. It saddens me that Marvel beat Warner Bros. to the punch with TWO versions of Quicksilver, one in the X-men franchise, and one in the upcoming Avengers: Age of Ultron. Warner Bros. is of course producing a TV show and plans to introduce him into their cinematic universe, but given what I've seen so far I am not optimistic about either venture.
2. Captain Atom
Watchmen's Dr. Manhattan is an adaptation of Captain Atom. He is one of DC's acquisitions from the long-extinct Charlton Comics, and he was created by the great Steve Ditko. The history of his powers and abilities is a bit muddled (especially after the New 52), but to make a long story short he taps into a quantum (or nuclear) force that exists outside of the normal space-time continuum. I like the idea of using him to bring aspects of quantum physics into a superhero world. I can see a lot of possibilities there, if the character isn't oversimplified. Watchmen (both the film and the comic book) has of course done this already, but I'd like to see it done with the real Captain Atom.
3. Wonder Woman
I can't figure out why they haven't made a Wonder Woman film. Her background as an Amazon and the mythological origins of Paradise Island offer a more interesting origin story than any other superhero. She's set to appear in Batman V. Superman, but the actress playing her looks nothing like Wonder Woman. The costume is also a letdown. This character, if done right, could be amazing.
4. Shazam/Captain Marvel
Warner Bros. has plans for a Shazam movie, and Dwayne Johnson has already been cast as Black Adam. The script will probably undergo a thousand rewrites and maybe even a few changes of directors before it finally gets made, but it might be good. I think Shazam would work better as a period movie, set in World War II, but I doubt that we'll get to see him fight Captain Nazi.
5. Swamp Thing (the Alan Moore version)
I'm probably only one of three people who bothered to see Return of the Swamp Thing, but the title montage made me hopeful, and the overall movie wasn't that bad. I'd really love to see some of the horrific and metaphysical themes that Moore introduced in the comics make their way onto film. A Swamp Thing movie could be DEEP.
Marvel
Right now Marvel Studios is a lot like my hometown football team, the Seahawks. They've won the (metaphorical) Superbowl, and now everyone's wondering how long their success can continue. This summer's Guardians of the Galaxy was a massive hit, and next year's Avengers: Age of Ultron is likely to be an even bigger hit. 20th Century Fox's X-men franchise was also reinvigorated by X-men: Days of Future Past, and they plan to release a Fantastic Four reboot next year. Even if Sony's Spider-man franchise is struggling, the other Marvel characters are alive and well.
1. Spider-Woman
Jessica Drew, given her history with Hydra, would be a great addition to the next Captain America movie. She is also one of my favorite superheroines, and could be introduced in a stand-alone film. Sony's ownership of Spider-man shouldn't present a problem, especially since Spider-woman never had all that much to do with Spider-man anyway.
2. Doctor Strange
After The Flash, this is probably the character I'd most like to see in a movie. A director has already been assigned to this project, and a lead will be cast soon. Kevin Feige has touted Doctor Strange as the door into the magic side of the Marvel Universe, and there are a lot of visual possibilities inherent in this character.
3. Black Panther
A black superhero, please, and not a sidekick. There are already too many white males in the Marvel cinematic universe. The Black Panther also has an interesting backstory, and could give a larger, international context to the superhero genre.
4. Longshot, Spiral, and Mojo
Longshot has been a longtime favorite of mine. His power is somewhat similar to the Scarlet Witch, in that he is able to manipulate luck or probability. He has also been an X-man, and he hails from Mojoworld, a weird parallel dimension lorded over by the psychopathic Mojo. The three of these characters together could easily hold a movie in their own right, though they could certainly be introduced in one of the X-men films.
5. Namor (the Sub-Mariner)
Namor is so much more interesting than Aquaman. Lately Aquaman has this anti-hero thing going on, but this was just borrowed from Namor, Marvel Comics' original anti-hero. Namor was also a member of The Invaders, a superhero team comprised of Captain America, the original Human Torch, and Namor himself. Their existence predates the Avengers, and would also make a great period film.
Then again, it's possible that 20th Century Fox purchased the rights to Namor along with the Fantastic Four, so perhaps a film featuring him and Captain America is impossible.
Other
1. Nemesis the Warlock
Doing this in live-action would be counterproductive. I'm thinking of something more like the Pixar films, with an art style similar to what Kevin O'Neil did in the comics. It wouldn't be popular by any stretch of the imagination, but I'd love it.
2. Marshal Law
Marshal Law is the one non-Marvel, non-DC character that's crying out for his own movie. In case you're not familiar with the comic, Marshal Law is the product of genetic experimentation, created in the aftermath of a Vietnam-style war which employed superheroes. After most of these superheroes return home as psychopaths, Marshal Law must hunt them down with extreme prejudice. The comic offers a great commentary on American society and its relation to the superhero genre, and would be a terrific counterpoint to the current spate of superhero films. Think Judge Dredd on amphetamines.
I'll begin by referring you to this article in The Huffington Post, which is just reiterating an earlier article in The Hollywood Reporter.
Thanks to the phenomenal success of "Man of Steel", it looks like plans for the DC Cinematic Universe are well underway.
Warner Bros. is now planning to feature Batman in the 2015 sequel to "Man of Steel". As to whether the two heroes will be friends or adversaries remains to be seen, but Zack Snyder's use of a quote from Frank Miller's "Dark Knight Returns" leads one to believe that the relationship between the two will be an ambiguous one. While "World's Finest" is often mentioned as a possible title for this Superman/Batman sequel, I really hope the studio goes with something a bit more understated.
Better still, The Flash is set to appear in his own feature film in 2016. I am very excited about this development, and I am eager to see what a (hopefully) good director and a good script can do for this character. It is somewhat unfortunate that Quicksilver (Marvel's Flash clone) is likely to appear in Marvel's "Avengers: Age of Ultron" and the next X-men film, but I'll take what I can get. If Warner Bros. is on the ball, they will avoid making The Flash too similar to whatever Joss Whedon will be doing.
Then, in 2017, we should finally see the Justice League hit the big screen. It seems a bit strange to do this in the absence of at least a Wonder Woman film, but I can understand their hurry. Marvel Studios is already one film into its "Phase 2", and DC has only just started their own cinematic universe.
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