The Flash Movie Has To Break A Negative DC Universe Trailer Trend

The Flash needs to break a negative DC Universe trailer trend if star Ezra Miller truly wants to continue on as the speedster. The film has had an eventful production spanning several years. More than that, the DC Universe is currently going through a restructuring process, with the old DCEU giving way for James Gunn and Peter Safran’s vision for the future of DC. That vision may or may not include Miller, depending on how well the highly anticipated The Flash does in theaters this year.

The flick is said to be very important, as The Flash movie will reset the DC Universe — something Gunn mentioned during the reveal of the first few projects in the new DCU. The Flash will carry the pressure of not only being the project that will set up a whole new DC Universe but also of needing to beat a negative trend from the old DCEU. The old DC Universe had a negative reputation for trailers being better than the actual movie, and after a spectacular Super Bowl trailer debut, The Flash needs to break that trend.

The DC Universe Has A History Of Great Trailers For Disappointing Movies

The negative DC Universe trailer trend that The Flash needs to break has been plaguing DC movies for quite some time. While Gunn’s The Suicide Squad — a sequel/ reboot to the original movie — did make right by its trailer promise, not many DC movies in recent history have achieved such a feat. 2011’s Ryan Reynolds-starring Green Lantern movie kickstarted this negative modern trailer trend for DC, with the movie’s previews promising an expansive adventure throughout the cosmos and the final film being much more disappointing.

After that came the proper DCEU, a shared DC Universe where characters could cross over into each other’s movies. However, the promise was not lived up to after a slew of releases failed at the box office and critical reception despite boasting showstopping trailers. Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Wonder Woman 1984 and Suicide Squad all boasted memorable trials, but, to varying degrees, none of them lived up to the feel or scale promised by their marketing.

Why Some DC Universe Movies Haven’t Lived Up To Their Trailers

Man of Steel properly started the shared DC Universe in 2013, with the movie’s first trailer featuring a hopeful take on Superman. However, the finished movie — and pretty much every Henry Cavill appearance as Superman since — did actually opt to go a darker route with the character. Superman, who is meant to be the comic book boy scout hero, ended the movie by killing the villain Zod — who will return in The Flash movie — snapping his neck and shocking anyone who had formed an opinion on the movie based on the released trailers.

Zack Snyder’s time at DC contributed largely to the studio’s negative trailer trend, with 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’s trailers promising the movie to be an electrical affair. The trailers featured the return of Cavill’s Superman, who would go on to fight Ben Affleck’s Batman in the actor’s debut as the Dark Knight. Wonder Woman, Lex Luthor, and Doomsday all showed up in the trailers, but sadly, the movie ended up being rather dull and tainting the public’s opinion of the DC Universe. However, the demand for more “Snyderverse” movies did not stop, as the director managed to form a loyal following with part of the fans.

2016 was also a very bad year for the DC negative trailer trend, as it marked the debut of perhaps the biggest contributor to the bad practice: Suicide Squad. Trailers for Suicide Squad presented the movie in a fun/ irreverent way, which went against director David Ayer’s more somber vision. Worse than that, the false advertising led to a complete overhaul of the project, as DC management thought editing the movie to be more in line with the trailers would make it a hit. However, it just showed that the old canon DC Universe movies’ problems were largely due to the studio having “too many cooks in the kitchen.”

Why The Flash Can Break The Negative DC Trailer Trend

The Flash will hopefully not suffer the same problem, as DC finally appears to be headed in the right direction after some time, thanks to Gunn’s guidance. The new DC Studios co-CEO has even gone on record to say The Flash is “one of the best superhero movies I’ve ever seen.” Such high praise is backed by the movie featuring the multiverse — a concept at the height of its popularity — prominently throughout, allowing for Miller’s Barry Allen to cross paths with Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton’s Batmans, Sasha Calle’s Supergirl, and more. Judging by Gunn’s confidence, it seems like The Flash‘s trailer corrects DC’s mistakes, breaking the negative trend.