The Flash: Flashpoint

**The Flash: Flashpoint** was a 2013 superhero action film based on the DC Comics superhero, The Flash. The film starred Dave Franco, Tessa Thompson, Hilarie Burton, Paul Dano, Adrien Brody, Michael B. Jordan, Daisy Ridley, William Hurt, Gary Oldman, and Don Cheadle. The film was released worldwide on April 5, 2013 and received positive reviews and was a box office success, grossing $1.215 billion worldwide.

## Plot

Barry Allen has spent two years in an alternate timeline where both his parents are alive and he never became the Flash. Barry continues to be a CSI at the CCPD while he prepares to ask Iris West, who he had not seen since high school, on a date. Her father, Joe West, is a cop at the CCPD, though he is constantly drunk and barely shows up to work. Barry slowly begins to lose his powers, which he had kept from the old timeline, and his memories, being replaced with new ones. Barry is saved by the Flash of this timeline, who he learns is Wally. Iris is forced to bring Barry into their operation after he reveals he knowns who Wally is and is from an alternate timeline. Wally and Iris barely talk to Joe and work with Barry and Cisco Ramon, the billionaire tech genius who runs Ramon Industries, to stop the Rival, Wally's worst nemesis.

Cisco and Wally refuse to believe that there is an alternate timeline than this one and neither want to hear of a timeline where they are not a billionaire or the Flash. However, Iris believes him due to being inexplicably connected to him. Barry almost entirely loses his speed and most of his important memories. Cisco reluctantly builds a machine that can bring his memories and speed back. However, the machine malfunctions and Barry is critically injured. Iris and Wally try to save him, but Cisco refuses to help any further, not believing Barry is who he says he is. Barry is taken to a doctor, where he is pronounced dead. However, suddenly Barry's heart is kickstarted and he awakens. The doctors there call it a miracle, though Iris and Wally realize his speed is back and kickstarted his heart.

The Rival fights Wally and Barry. Joe is revealed to hate the Flash, due to his partner not being saved by the Flash and died. Joe talks with Iris, who tries to reconnect with him, but he is drunk at the time and tells her that she was never anything to him and her career is an insult to him and the CCPD, due to her being a journalist that investigates corrupt cops. Iris drives home in tears and is hit by a car, killing her instantly. Barry and Wally both mourn her as Joe believes it is his fault. Barry learns his parents want him to move out of their house so Barry moves in with Wally. Caitlin is revealed to be a eye doctor and discovers that Barry has powers like the Flash when his eyes glow lightning. Barry brings her in on his and Wally's mission to stop the Rival. When Cisco learns that Iris died he welcomes Barry's team back in to stop the Rival. Joe also joins them to deal with his guilt.

However, Barry learns that Eobard Thawne, who he had been keeping in a cage for two years, escaped and is teaming up with the Rival to use an immense power of speed and stop any superheroes from being created, which would allow almost every supervillain attack (Merlyn, Slade, Ra's, Darhk) to happen and effectively end the world. Joe goes after the two on his own but he is shot several times with his own gun, killing him. Caitlin is kidnapped on her way home by the Rival and suffers a heart attack from the fear, which kills her. Barry, Wally, and Cisco learn that Thawne had been communicating with the Rival from the beginning and everyone that had died in the timeline was caused by them, including Iris. Barry realizes Thawne first plans to kill everyone in this timeline while Rival begins the time stream manipulation, which would merge this timeline with the next created, leaving Barry completely alone with all knowledge of both timelines. Thawne kills Barry's parents in front of him, leaving Barry more distraught than ever before.

Thawne impales Wally and causes Ramon Industries to collapse on itself, killing Cisco. The two timelines are nearly merged until Barry brings himself to kill the Rival and travels back in time with Thawne to the night his mother died, forcing Thawne to either kill Barry, which would result in Thawne never existing, or killing Nora and reseting the old timeline. Thawne kills his mother and Barry gets himself to 2013, but learns that things are not completely the same. Joe and Iris do not talk anymore after Iris learned Wally was her brother and didn't tell Joe and Cisco's brother is dead.

In a mid-credits scene, Caitlin is revealed to have been changed by the timeline, too. She has the abilties of her Earth-2 self, ice.

## Cast

* Dave Franco as Barry Allen/The Flash
* Tessa Thompson as Iris West
* Hilarie Burton as Caitlin Snow
* Paul Dano as Cisco Ramon
* Michael B. Jordan as Wally West/The Flash
* Angelina Jolie as Nora Allen
* William Hurt as Henry Allen
* Don Cheadle as Joe West
* Jeffery Dean Morgan as Eobard Thawne

## Reception

### **Box office**

The film grossed $1,215,439,994 worldwide, $409 million in North America and $805.8 million in other countries.

### **Critical reception**

*The Flash: Flashpoint* recieved positive reviews. The film currently holds an 88% on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 80 out of 100 on Metacritic.