The Flash: The Second Barry Allen Is The Secret Villain — Theory Explained - Screen Rant

Barry Allen could be the secret villain of The Flash after the reveal that two versions of the Scarlet Speedster are in the movie. The long-awaited first look at The Flash gave fans of the DC Extended Universe plenty to digest. It teased the inclusion of Michael Keaton's Batman, revealed a brief look as Sasha Calle's Supergirl, and highlighted the loose Flashpoint storyline at its core. One of the biggest surprises, though, was seeing Ezra Miller play a second version of Barry Allen, and theories are flying that he could be The Flash's secret villain.

Considering the many versions of The Flash that went into various forms of development, details like the movie's main villain have constantly been in flux and unconfirmed. There was a time when Captain Cold and other members of Flash's rogue's gallery were expected to appear. Fans have also continued to hold out hope that Reverse-Flash will appear considering his prominent role in the Flashpoint story in the comics. However, it is believed that director Andy Muschietti and writer Christina Hodson have taken The Flash's story in a very different direction. The villain of their movie has yet to be revealed and no other major casting announcements came either.

Now that the first The Flash teaser trailer is out, there is even more intrigue surrounding who the film's villain is and what exactly the movie is about. It is expected that Barry Allen messes up the DCEU timeline by going back in time and saving his mother from dying. This is what happens in the Flashpoint story and was teased in the footage with Barry Allen slowly approaching a woman, who could be Maribel Verdú's Nora Allen. Reverse-Flash is the one behind Barry's mother's death in the comics, but his involvement in The Flash isn't confirmed. The movie certainly has a villain of some kind, though, and it might just be the mysterious second Barry Allen.

The Flash Trailer Has Two Barry Allens

Ezra Miller playing two versions of Barry Allen in The Flash is something that was speculated about prior to the first trailer debuting. Set photos showed the star standing opposite a lookalike of himself and raised questions about Barry meeting another version of himself thanks to the multiverse. It is now clear that two Barry Allens will be in The Flash, although Arrowverse star Grant Gustin is so far left out of the crossover. Details on Miller's second character are scarce though. The second Barry Allen has longer hair that is similar to the actor's usual real-life look, while the DCEU's main Flash once again sports a shorter haircut. It isn't known how these two versions of Barry Allen come to meet exactly or why they're paired up on this multiverse story either.

With so little to go on, The Flash's second Barry Allen has become the subject of great speculation. Even his superhero costume has become a topic of discussion, as it appears he retrofits one of Michael Keaton's Batman suits to give himself a Flash costume. This is mostly red from what has been shown, but the second Barry Allen spray paints a yellow lightning bolt on the chest and on each boot. This has led to various theories about this Barry Allen actually being a variation of other Flash characters like Jay Garrick. However, The Flash could be building towards a different type of reveal centered around Ezra Miller's other role.

The Flash Trailer Hides The Movie's Villain

The Flash Movie Concept Art Shows Suit Created by Batman

The first teaser for The Flash doesn't reveal much about the movie, but it is telling what parts of its story it does and does not focus on. The majority of the footage centers around both versions of Barry Allen at an abandoned Wayne Manor. There are also a few teases of Supergirl's involvement in the movie, while Batman's presence looms large over the entire trailer. It's an exciting first look at The Flash undoubtedly, even if it leaves one major plot point unresolved: who is Flash's main villain? Popular Flash foes like Reverse-Flash, Captain Cold, and others were once thought to be in the movie, but no actors have been officially cast in the role. Only fan casts for Reverse-Flash persist, and the expectation that he's in the movie is dwindling. If he was in The Flash, that would seem like information the studios would want to promote to get fans even more excited.

Hiding the villain is becoming a more common marketing strategy for superhero movies, but even the most secretive productions allude to them in some form. The Batman trailers have barely shown Riddler and haven't shown Paul Dano's face at all, but fans still know that he is the main antagonist Robert Pattinson's Batman will fight. Over at Marvel, Spider-Man: No Way Home's marketing even confirmed Doc Ock's return despite the overall tight-lipped nature of the sequel. Still, studios are getting somewhat more creative with how to market the villain. In instances like Spider-Man: Far From Home where Mysterio masqueraded as a hero for most of the film, the trailers didn't tease the character's comic book turn as a villain. The idea of a surprise villain reveal could explain why The Flash's trailer hid who Barry Allen and his new superfriends are up against. Then again, perhaps Ezra Miller's second Barry Allen is secretly the movie's villain.

How Ezra Miller's Second Flash Could Be The Secret Villain

The Flash making Ezra Miller's second Barry Allen the villain could be done in a number of different ways and explanations. It is important to remember that the movie is dealing the infinite possibilities of the multiverse, which means there are infinite versions of Barry Allen out there. While the main DCEU speedster has been a hero, one universe could've produced a more evil Barry as a result of his backstory. The death of Barry's mother and the wrongful imprisonment of his father could be just a few reasons why an alternate Barry could turn bad. An evil Barry Allen could want to change the timeline permanently and travel the multiverse killing the person responsible for his past. The comics have done something similar with Barry Allen before in Out of Time, as Future Flash turned evil after the death of Wally West.

There's also the chance that The Flash is using its second Barry Allen in the Reverse-Flash role from Flashpoint. A darker version of Barry Allen has been rumored to appear in The Flash, and it would make sense for this to be the second version shown in the trailer unless a third Barry Allen is secretly in the movie too. This version of Flash could be responsible for his own mother's death and take Reverse-Flash's place. It's even possible that The Flash is already teasing the similarities between the second Flash and Reverse-Flash, as Barry is shown wearing a yellow jacket for most of the footage and Reverse-Flash's costume is primarily yellow. There is even a chance this second Barry Allen is Eobard Thawne in some form since the comics have provided a few explanations for how Thawne could look like Barry or take over his body.

In any case, making Barry his own villain is a fascinating story option for The Flash to take. It potentially preserves his rivalry with Reverse-Flash and other major foes for the future. It's true purpose, though, could be ensuring The Flash tells a Barry Allen-centric story even amid its multiverse plot. Fans are sure to learn a lot of Barry Allen in the movie, but showing two drastically different versions of him could be a smart way to set The Flash apart from other first entries in a superhero movie franchise.

More: The Flash Movie Trailer Breakdown: Every Reveal & Easter Egg

Key Release Dates

The Batman (2022)Release date: Mar 04, 2022
DC League of Super-Pets (2022)Release date: May 20, 2022
Black Adam (2022)Release date: Jul 29, 2022
The Flash (2022)Release date: Nov 04, 2022
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2022)Release date: Dec 16, 2022
Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023)Release date: Jun 02, 2023

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About The Author

Cooper Hood (5069 Articles Published)

Cooper Hood is a news and feature writer for Screen Rant. He joined Screen Rant in late 2016 following a year-long stint with MCU Exchange, which came after first developing an MCU blog of his own. He graduated college in 2016 with a Bachelor's degree in Media & Public Communication, with a minor in Media Production. Cooper’s love for movies began by watching Toy Story and Lion King on repeat as a child, but it wasn't until The Avengers that he took an invested interest in movies and the filmmaking process, leading him to discover the world of film journalism. Every year Cooper looks forward to seeing the latest blockbusters from the likes of Marvel, DC, and Star Wars, but also loves the rush to catch up on Oscar films near the end of the year. When he isn’t writing about or watching new releases, Cooper is a fantasy football obsessive and looking to expand his Blu-Ray collection – because physical media is still king! Follow Cooper on Twitter @MovieCooper.