The long-awaited first full trailer for The Flash finally premiered during the Super Bowl on Sunday. And for many DC fans, the latest look at the Fastest Man Alive’s first solo film offers plenty of reasons to be excited.
Not only does the new trailer show off the highly-anticipated return of Michael Keaton as Batman, it also provides a first glimpse at the debut of Sasha Calle as Kara Zor-El, better known as Supergirl. However, some Flash fans are sure to be disappointed by what this trailer shows — or rather, what it doesn’t show. Because while the heroes featured in The Flash have proven to be the source of much hype, there may be some cause for concern around the film’s villain.
Who Is the Villain in The Flash?
Every superhero movie needs a supervillain as the main antagonist. But despite the Flash’s extensive comic book rogues’ gallery, none of the highly-publicized casting announcements for the film included any mention of the movie’s big bad. However, the new trailer finally reveals which comic book bad guy is the main villain of The Flash, and it’s not someone who fans of the character were likely to predict.
As it turns out, the supervillain who Barry Allen and company will be going up against is none other than General Zod. That’s right, the very first DC Extended Universe villain will be making his first appearance since 2013’s Man of Steel — an entire decade ago, by the time The Flash releases in theaters. Michael Shannon of The Shape of Water, Knives Out, and Bullet Train fame will even be reprising his role as the vicious warmongering Kryptonian. Longtime DC fans will remember that Zod was controversially killed by Superman at the end of Man of Steel, but thanks to the power of time travel, he’s back with a vengeance in the new timeline created by Barry Allen’s meddling.
In a way, using General Zod as the main antagonist of the film does make sense. The Flash is shaping up to be something of a swan song for the original DCEU — better known as the Snyderverse, nicknamed as such after director Zack Snyder. It’s been confirmed that the film will serve as a soft reboot of the DC Universe, likely due to Barry’s time travel altering the original DCEU timeline. As such, it makes sense to honor the DCEU's history by bringing back the central villain of its very first movie.
However, using Zod as a big bad isn’t without its drawbacks. After all, if General Zod is the main antagonist of The Flash, then that means there’s less room for Barry’s own rogues’ gallery in the film. Indeed, there’s currently no sign of the Flash’s comic book foes appearing in his first solo film. And despite the hype around the new trailer, that fact doesn’t bode well for the upcoming movie.
Who Are the Flash’s Comic Villains?
Though he may not be on the same level of popularity as Batman or Spider-Man, the Flash nevertheless boasts one of the most iconic rogues’ galleries of any superhero. Many of his most prominent foes are part of a faction appropriately known as the Rogues — a band of blue-collar bad guys led by the cunning, charismatic Captain Cold. The Rogues have become one of the most beloved villain teams in the DC Universe thanks to their dysfunctional group dynamic, strict code of honor, and occasional moments of genuine camaraderie. Besides Captain Cold, the Rogues include such colorful costumed crooks as Captain Boomerang, Mirror Master, Weather Wizard, and the Trickster.
Of course, not every major Flash villain is a member of the Rogues — there’s also Gorilla Grodd, arguably the Flash’s most famous enemy. As a super-intelligent gorilla bent on humanity’s destruction, Grodd was once the sort of character who would likely be deemed too silly for a live action movie adaptation. But in a world where Starro the Conqueror has appeared in The Suicide Squad, anything is possible. However, despite his popularity, even Grodd isn’t the strongest contender for the title of Flash’s true arch-enemy. That honor goes to Eobard Thawne: better known as Professor Zoom, the Reverse-Flash.
The story of the Reverse-Flash is a long and convoluted one, but the important thing to know about him is that he’s dedicated his life to making Barry Allen’s existence a living hell. But as vile as he is, Thawne’s petty sadism makes him the kind of villain one loves to hate. Even casual fans have latched on to how comically over-the-top his cruelty is, leading to countless memes about Thawne plaguing the Flash with minor inconveniences. But in the comics themselves, Reverse-Flash’s plans are no laughing matter — most famously, he went back in time to kill Barry’s mother. In fact, it’s that very murder that Barry tried to stop in the Flashpoint storyline that inspired the movie’s story, leading to the creation of the alternate timeline.
However, despite being the main antagonist of its source material, Reverse-Flash doesn’t seem to be in The Flash at all. In general, the movie seems like it’ll be placing more emphasis on the wider DC Universe than the Flash’s personal corner of it. And while that wider scope makes sense for an epic event comic like Flashpoint, it’s a somewhat questionable choice for the Flash’s first solo film. A Flash movie that features Batman, Supergirl, and General Zod over Reverse-Flash, Gorilla Grodd, or Captain Cold may appeal to DCEU diehards, but it also risks alienating fans of the Flash himself. A Flash movie with no Flash villains will definitely be a hard sell to some comic readers. Only time will tell if this strategy pays off — but either way, the Scarlet Speedster’s classic rogues’ gallery will be sorely missed in The Flash.