The Flash Movie Trailer Hints That Superman Is Dead

The Flash’s first official trailer strongly hints that Superman is dead during the events of the upcoming DCU film. One of the most important DC releases in years, The Flash is not only the latest entry in the DCEU that began with Man of Steel but also a possible link between the current franchise and DC Studios’ new DC Universe. With Superman being rebooted for the big screen in 2025’s Superman: Legacy, The Flash may be a farewell to the DCEU heroes that audiences have followed since 2013.

Between Sasha Calle’s Supergirl debut and the return of Michael Keaton as Batman more than 30 years after Batman Returns, The Flash is set to be far more than just a Barry Allen story.

In fact, The Flash’s trailer confirms that the upcoming DCU film will revisit at least one key moment from the DCEU – General Zod’s invasion from Man of Steel. That said, while Michael Shannon reprises his role as General Zod in The Flash trailer, Henry Cavill’s Superman is nowhere to be seen.

Superman’s Cape In The Flash Movie Hints That Clark Is Dead

The Flash’s trailer confirms that, just like in the Flashpoint comic, Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) will go back in time to try to save his mother despite what Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) said. Similar to the Flashpoint reboot, it seems like Flash will soon regret his decision as Barry creates a “world with no metahumans”. Curiously, The Flash’s trailer shows a worn-out Superman suit as soon as Flash mentions this “world with no metahumans”. That line added to Superman’s cape suggests that in this world Flash created, Superman’s death has happened already (and likely early in his career), thus never serving as an inspiration for other superheroes to appear.

In the DCEU timeline, it is only after the events of Man of Steel that other metahumans start to appear or reveal themselves to the world. That includes Wonder Woman, Cyborg, Aquaman, and the Flash himself. The fact that Man of Steel is being revisited in The Flash with General Zod’s return in a movie that deals with time travel and alternate realities also suggests that Superman is dead during the main events of The Flash, as bringing Zod back to simply recreate the events of Man of Steel would not make sense. Lastly, Supergirl appears to be replacing Superman’s role in the Flashpoint storyline as a prisoner of the government.

Why Superman Being Dead Makes Sense For The Flash Movie

Far before DC Studios began to develop a new Superman movie, Henry Cavill’s status as Superman was still up in the air. In fact, up until Black Adam’s post-credits scene, there was no official confirmation regarding Cavill’s return as the Man of Steel for The Flash or any other DC movie. As such, it makes sense to avoid a “headless Superman cameo” situation or a confusing recast by simply establishing that Superman is dead in this universe Barry Allen creates. Having Superman dead in this alternate universe also allows The Flash to do something different from Flashpoint despite the similarities – Supergirl being the government’s lab rat instead of Kal-El, for example.

What The Flash means for the DCU’s future is still difficult to say, although James Gunn did confirm that the movie “resets” things. Therefore, one possibility is that whatever happens in The Flash leads to a completely different DC Universe in which Superman’s story starts with Superman: Legacy. That said, even as a self-contained story, it makes sense for The Flash to skip Superman as it is already dealing with Supergirl, two Batmen, and two versions of Barry Allen amidst time travel and alternate universes.