The new Ezra Miller-starring superhero movie "The Flash" follows the titular and super-fast hero on a time-bending odyssey that literally sees "worlds collide" just as the tagline suggests, in a jaw-dropping climactic sequence showing various alternate-universe versions of certain DC mainstay characters. It's sure to thrill some, while others will be left scratching their heads.
The movie clearly exhibits an unabashed love for the DC Extended Universe as well as all the movies and TV shows that came before it, along with the comic book source material. But some of the references present at the end of "The Flash" are true deep-cut Easter eggs that even the most seasoned of fans may not totally get.
While it was already well known that "The Flash" would feature the return of Ben Affleck's grisly Batman from "Justice League" and "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," as well as Michael Keaton's classic Caped Crusader from the beloved Tim Burton movies, several other cameos were total surprises.
A roundup follows:
Wonder Woman - Gal Gadot
While this one wasn't a total surprise, thanks in part to a leak from Affleck himself, Gadot's appearance earlier in the film is one of her two uncredited turns as Wonder Woman this year, the other being in sequel "Shazam! Fury of the Gods," which came out in March. "The Flash" also has a brief glimpse of Henry Cavill as Superman in one of the "Chronobowl" sequences, which show Miller's zippy hero running so fast that time creates a sphere-like bowl around him that displays images from the past.
The OG TV Batman - Adam West
As Miller's Barry Allen, a.k.a. The Flash, hurtles at impossibly high speeds and causes time and space to seemingly collapse around him at the end of the movie, different colored "worlds" float above before crashing in to each other -- with one featuring Adam West, who portrayed Batman in the classic 1960s TV show "Batman."
The OG TV Superman - George Reeves
A second "world" in the same sequence shows actor George Reeves, star of classic television series "Adventures of Superman," which aired one decade prior to the "Batman" program, from 1952 until 1958. An equally classic line of dialog is briefly heard at this juncture in the sequence: "It's a bird, it's a plane..." (Interestingly, Affleck played Reeves in 2006's mystery noir "Hollywoodland," costarring Adrien Brody and Diane Lane -- who also has a Superman connection of her own.)
Classic movie Superman - Christopher Reeve
One of the most unexpected -- and unexpectedly touching -- moments in the sequence comes next, when the late Christopher Reeve is seen in an obviously CGI-heavy recreation. Reeve starred to much acclaim in the Richard Donner-directed 1978 film "Superman," which is regarded as the first comic book superhero movie. That movie spurred three sequels that cemented Reeve as the standard for the Man of Steel -- one that arguably has never been beaten. Tragically, the star was paralyzed in a 1995 equestrian competition accident, and later died in 2004 at the age of 52.
OG Supergirl - Helen Slater
While Supergirl gets contemporary treatment in a larger role in "The Flash" as played by Sasha Calle, the first onscreen Supergirl -- played by Helen Slater in the 1984 movie that costarred Faye Dunaway -- swoops in to join Reeve during the climax.
Would-be Superman - Nicolas Cage
Far and away the craziest cameo of them all comes next, when a long-haired Kal-El/Superman battling a giant spider is revealed to be none other than "Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent" star Nicolas Cage, also with a heavy sheen of CGI. Why in the world is Cage in this movie, you may ask? The answer to that involves one of Hollywood's most famous woulda, coulda, shoulda stories -- the saga of "Superman Lives," the Tim Burton-directed Superman movie from 1998 that never saw the light of day. After Burton scored big with his duet of acclaimed "Batman" films, he was working on "Superman Lives," which was to feature Cage as the unorthodox choice for Clark Kent/Superman. As detailed in the 2015 documentary "The Death of Superman Lives: What Happened?" -- which features interviews with Burton as well as would-be "Superman Lives" screenwriter (and "Clerks" director) Kevin Smith -- the movie was scrapped partially because an image of an unkempt Cage in the Superman suit from a screen test leaked, and incited mass disapproval from the public in what amounted to one of the first times something went viral, but not in a good way.
Reset Batman - George Clooney
The last cameo to elicit active guffaws from the audience comes at the very end of "The Flash," when Miller's title character thinks he's finally made it back to his own universe...only to discover that his old pal Bruce Wayne doesn't look like Affleck...but rather, is a silver-haired George Clooney of "Batman & Robin" infamy. The choice to include Clooney here is all the more surprising and amusing considering just how much, and how often, Clooney has said he regrets making the much-maligned 1997 Joel Schumacher film -- nippled Batsuit and all.
Jason Momoa
Momoa's Aquaman resurfaces in a largely unnecessary sequence in a post-credits scene in "The Flash," one which viewers may think helps set up the long-awaited sequel "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" -- but doesn't. The scene features a drunk Arthur Curry (Aquaman's layman name) who momentarily falls asleep in a puddle -- which is no big deal for this demigod son of Atlantis. Also look for a cameo from Curry's dad Tom, played by Temuera Morrison, earlier in "The Flash."
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