9 Films DC Should Make Before Flashpoint

DC looks to officially be moving full-speed ahead on the Flashpoint movie. After several false-starts with various writers and directors, the news broke this week that the project seems to have finally locked down its creative team, with John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein coming aboard as directors.

With the film currently set for a 2020 release date, the film's time schedule is growing tighter with each passing day. DC is, no doubt, looking to avoid any more bad press association with this particular film after having so many setbacks already. However, now might be the only time to truly consider the validity of a Flashpoint film at this point in the DCEU's history.

Flashpoint is a gargantuan undertaking of a story that served to shake-up the entire continuity of the comics when initially released, resulting in the creation of the New 52. As a film adaptation, the story has much to offer, but it is crucial to remember that it's an incredibly recent storyline.

Released in 2011, the story acted as a culmination of not just decades of Flash comics but decades of DC comics as a whole. It utilized an established familiarity with the universe to make its story work so well, but the films have yet to establish any sense of familiarity with much of anything, really.

There are, then, a lot of films DC should be making before Flashpoint, to properly set things up.

One of the most crucial aspects present in the storyline for Flashpoint is that of the Speed Force, as the entire string of events that occurs and causes the alternate reality is solely due to multiple characters' use of it. Yet, we haven't even seen this power addressed in the cinematic incarnation of the character.

And no, that weird, mustachioed Flash cameo in BvS does not count.

A great way to introduce audiences to the concept would be to make the first Flash film an adaptation of Mark Waid's Flash: Terminal Velocity. This 1995 comic was the first time the Speed Force was actually introduced into the comics. Thus, it showcases Barry learning about the extent and abilities of these new powers alongside the reader, acting as a natural immersion into the larger world of wonkiness that is the Speed Force.

On top of this, it's a flat-out great story. Filled with great character development for the title character as well as being chock-full of genuine romance and tension, it's an arc that absolutely begs to be adapted for film. DC would be wise to follow-up Flash's role in Justice League with a story that allows the character to truly blossom, such as this.