The Flash has been in development as part of the DC Cinematic Universe since 2014, and Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen first appeared in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in 2016. But the end is finally in sight, with the current release date slated for Nov. 4, 2022. The upcoming film will include a multiverse element and will feature not one, but two different Batmans. Ben Affleck, who has played the caped crusader in the DCEU, will return and the film will also include Michael Keaton‘s return to the cowl. New rumors have suggested that Affleck only spent one week on the set of The Flash, implying that his role is more of a cameo than a featured part, but that may be exactly what this new movie needs.
By keeping Affleck’s Batman in a cameo-type role, The Flash can avoid the Spider-Man 3 problem of overpopulation. Spider-Man 3 infamously suffered from overcrowding when the film included Sandman, Venom and Harry Osborne as New Goblin as well as the love triangle story between Peter, Mary Jane and Gwen Stacey. Even just listing the many plot points and characters takes a lot of time and that resulted in underdevelopment and limited screen time for the titular hero. By relegating Batfleck to a cameo role, it should allow Barry to stand out as the story’s true hero. After all, it’s his solo movie.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 suffered the same problem as Spider-Man 3 when the film overcrowded the story with characters and put too much emphasis on building a future series and not enough on storytelling. This stunted the potential of not only Spider-Man himself, but also all of the supporting characters as well. Essentially, overcrowding means that there is no room for nuance, growth or proper pacing.
While ensemble films can successfully navigate this issue, The Flash is supposed to be more of a solo venture. Although the movie will reportedly include other DC characters and reference both the DCEU’s history and future, at its center, it should be a story about Barry Allen. By keeping Barry as the movie’s true narrative center, the story’s structure can be more easily defined. This allows for other characters’ appearances to serve the overall story more effectively when the narrative voice remains more singular in nature. Therefore, the film won’t suffer from the same overcrowding effective that Spider-Man 3 and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 did.
Considering the divisive response to Affleck’s original casting in the role, he has grown to be a generally well-liked version of Batman. While the movies in which he has played the role haven’t necessarily gotten the greatest reviews, that hasn’t been indicative of the quality of his performance. His few scenes in the 2016 Suicide Squad show his ability to be effective in the role while still remaining on the sidelines and leaving room for the actual lead characters to remain the focus. He could do that same thing here in The Flash.
Barry Allen is ready for a solo movie and he shouldn’t be relegated to a supporting player in what is supposed to be his big headliner moment. Giving Affleck’s Batman a smaller role is likely for the best, not only for Barry but the film as a whole. Keeping the story lean in its lead characters will help prevent the story from suffering the overcrowding problems that have plagued previous superhero movies. The overcrowding doesn’t serve the characters nor the story and only works to get in the way of what could potentially be an engaging and unique story. While fans don’t know exactly what Batfleck’s role in The Flash will be, there is certainly no need to worry about the limited time the actor spent on set.
To see how big of a role Ben Affleck’s Batman will play, The Flash dashes into theaters on Nov. 4, 2022.
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