Most DC fans, not to mention everybody else tricked into seeing Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice back
in March, probably stopped trying to make sense of Zack Snyder's
narratively dense, plot hole-ridden but highly-entertaining superhero
epic quite some time ago. Recently, though, one particular sequence from
the movie has found a surprising parallel within a panel in DC Universe: Rebirth #1.
Among the many things that made subzero sense in Dawn of Justice (at
least without the additional context that the Ultimate Cut might bring
when it arrives on Blu-ray this summer) was a brief whirlwind of a scene
in which the Flash turns up out of nowhere to yell some seriously
cryptic stuff at Bruce Wayne, who had the good decency to look just as
mystified as the audience.
Trapped
in what looks like the timestream (but which could conceivably also be a
Speed Cannon), Barry Allen tells Bruce that "you were right about him,"
which could be an allusion to Superman, but doesn't actually make total
sense considering that the Flash has come from the future (in this
dimension or another), and ultimately Superman (in this reality) proves
that Bruce was wrong about him.
He also makes passing reference to Lois Lane ("It's Lois! She's the key!"),
which again doesn't make a whole lot of sense, and then he disappears
and we're left wondering what, if anything, can be taken as an omen of
something to come in the DCEU.
DC Universe: Rebirth #1
(written by Geoff Johns) features a panel with some unexpected
parallels, and while it may just be coincidence and most definitely
doesn't clear up anything about that sequence in Dawn of Justice, it's nonetheless pretty interesting to see something quite similar make the unusual jump from screen to page.
The
scene in question comes early in the one-shot, when Wally West's Flash
pays the first of his visits to various heroes in the DC Universe, all
of whom, he quickly discovers, have had 10 years of memories stolen from
them by a mysterious entity with the ability to distort the very fabric
of the universe (for more in-depth discussion on that, click here).
As Batman mulls over the long-held secret shared with him by the Mobius Chair, which revealed that not one, but three Jokers exist or have existed in Gotham City,
The Flash pops up in the Batcave, only to discover that, despite their
interactions in the New 52, Bruce has no idea who Wally West actually
is.
Ultimately,
a rip into time sucks Wally back into the Speed Force, his conversation
with Bruce cut short before either party can make sense of what
happened -- which is exactly how it goes down in Batman v Superman, only with Barry as the designated speedster.
That,
and the mysterious circumstances of the visit, might be where the
similarities end, but it's still a pretty neat novelty to see two scenes
with such obvious parallels. It must be said, though, that Gary Frank's
tremendous artwork really elevates this panel into something much more
visually arresting than its movie counterpart.
Click right here for more on what that Flash scene in Batman v Superman might have meant. DC Universe: Rebirth #1, as well as The Flash: Rebirth #1 and Batman: Rebirth #1, are out now.
What are your thoughts on the rebirth of DC Comics?
