WARNING: This article includes SPOILERS from The Flash movie.The ending of The Flash almost set up a very different future for DC, as three ending sequences were shot for the Scarlet Speedster's solo debut. A film based on the Flash, a hero from DC Comics with the ability to run at incomprehensible speeds, had been talked about at Warner Bros. since the 1980s, but it wasn't until 2014 that The Flash was confirmed to be in development for the DCEU. After appearing as Barry Allen in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad, and Justice League, Ezra Miller reprised their role for The Flash, which finally released on June 16, 2023, after a tumultuous and lengthy production.

Andy Muschietti was hired to direct The Flash in late 2019, replacing several prior directors who had since departed from the project. Muschietti subsequently began development on The Flash through three regimes at Warner Bros. and DC Films, which led to the filming of three separate ending sequences, each telling a very different story. When Peter Safran and James Gunn were hired as co-CEOs of DC Studios in 2022, the storyline for The Flash changed again, with the film being used to reset the DC Universe, allowing characters and stories to be rebooted in Gunn's vision. The ending of The Flash was a shock, but it was almost wildly different.

The Flash Movie Ending 1: Michael Keaton Replaces Ben Affleck's Batman

Most of the production period of The Flash was spent under the management of DC Films' Toby Emmerich and Walter Hamada, playing into their ideal that The Flash would reset the DCEU and allow future projects to move away from Zack Snyder's original vision, which had been met with some criticism. The original ending of The Flash still took place on the courthouse steps after Barry Allen's father was exonerated, but instead of being met by any existing Justice League , Barry was met by Michael Keaton's Bruce Wayne, a.k.a. Batman, and Sasha Calle's Kara Zor-El, a.k.a. Supergirl, reversing their deaths from earlier in the film.

This ending would have confirmed that Barry didn't restore the timeline as he'd hoped, allowing the franchise to tell new stories afterward. This ending may have also teased the returns of Keaton (who was set to appear in the unreleased Batgirl) and Calle as Batman and Supergirl in future DCEU projects, though their fates in the future of Gunn's new DC Universe is currently uncertain. In 2022, however, the merger between WarnerMedia and Discovery Inc. ousted Emmerich and Hamada from DC Films, and put Warner Bros. executives Michael DeLuca and Pamela Abdy in charge, leading to the changing of The Flash's ending scene to better fit their future.

The Flash Movie Ending 2: Henry Cavill's Superman & Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman

While The Flash's original ending would have erased Henry Cavill's Superman and Ben Affleck's Batman from the timeline, DeLuca and Abdy's designed a new ending sequence that would keep at least the former in the DCEU. Henry Cavill's future as Superman had been uncertain in previous years, but his cameos in The Flash's final scene and Black Adam's post-credits scene were devised to drum up excitement for a direct sequel to 2013's Man of Steel. Gal Gadot also filmed scenes for The Flash's second ending, returning as Diana Prince, a.k.a. Wonder Woman, after a brief appearance at the start of the film, paving the way for Wonder Woman 3.

Michael Keaton and Sasha Calle also returned to reshoot this moment alongside Cavill and Gadot, allowing Superman and Supergirl to exist in the same continuity - despite plans for a solo film centered on Supergirl being canceled. While this could have been an exciting moment for DC fans, teasing a bright future for DC's live-action franchise, this scene was scrapped in November 2022. DC Films was dissolved and transformed into DC Studios, with producer Peter Safran and filmmaker James Gunn hired as co-CEOs. Soon after, Man of Steel 2 and Wonder Woman 3 were canceled, and the ending of The Flash was once again changed.

The Flash Movie Ending 3: George Clooney Returns As Batman

Gunn and Safran immediately set to work on planning how they could reboot the DC Universe, leaving the DCEU behind and sending a number of new projects into development. In order to accomplish this, The Flash would still reset the franchise, but including Henry Cavill and Gal Gadot in the film's final moments would have perhaps been promising something to fans that would never come to fruition. Despite the two previous endings being scrapped, Gunn and Safran wanted to keep the essence of these moments - with Barry Allen feeling as though all is well, only to have his world turned upside-down, and George Clooney was the key.

According to The Brave and the Bold debuting the DCU's Batman, it's possible he could reprise the role.

Why Warner Bros. Chose The Flash Movie's Final Ending

The final ending for The Flash was chosen specifically by James Gunn and Peter Safran, who wanted to set the stage for the future of the DC Universe without paying too much attention to prior projects. It wouldn't have made sense for Henry Cavill and Gal Gadot to reprise their roles, since it's unclear whether either of them will be returning in any capacity in DC's future. The reveal of George Clooney's Bruce Wayne allowed audiences to be assured that the franchise has officially been reset, though what this could mean for the future of the Caped Crusader in the DCU is uncertain, as Clooney's return hasn't been confirmed.

After seeing the return of Michael Keaton as his version of Bruce Wayne from 1989's Batman and 1992's Batman Returns, it was a brilliant surprise to see Clooney reprise his role from the reviled 1997 film, Batman & Robin. His appearance as Bruce Wayne in The Flash perhaps provides him with a chance at redemption, as the consensus is that his portrayal of the Dark Knight in the 1990s was dreadful. The Flash made huge changes to the timeline of the DC Universe, but what effect this will have is yet to be seen.