Flashpoint: Fans Discover The Flash Easter Egg in Batman Returns

Did you know that The Flash appeared in Batman Returns? It’s true, and you can see it for yourself in a video HERE! Batman Returns‘ Flash Easter Egg can be found in the famous scene where Michael Keaton’s Batman and Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman are having a final dance at Max Shreck’s (Christopher Walken) party, before Danny DeVito’s Penguin crashes it in the final act. Two of the other dancers in the background are clearly wearing their own superhero garb, which includes a male dancer wearing a helmet clearly referencing Jay Garrick’s version of The Flash. Needless to say, DC fans are giving this scene a hard second look now!

The two superhero-themed dancers seem to be clear references to the Justice Society of America team, which operated in the Golden Age of DC Comics history, and later were made part of the modern age. Jay Garrick’s Flash has been part of that resurgence, with the character’s lore expanding on both the page and the screen, thanks to The Flash TV series. It fun to look back an see that Tim Burton and Co. were slipping these kinds of DC Easter eggs into films, long before it became standard practice to hunt down every single hidden reference in a superhero movie. The best part is: DC and Warner Bros. now have new opportunities to make good use of scenes just like this.

The news that Michael Keaton’s Batman is returning for The Flash movie has pushed the DC movie franchise into a whole new era. It’s already been revealed that Keaton’s Batman will have a larger role in the franchise, appearing in several different DC movies, like Marvel’s Nick Fury. That’s led to speculation that DC could be headed to a something a Crisis movie event, which will both acknowledge and unite the “DC Multiverse” concept as a franchise.

Part of the fun of the DC Multiverse being explored onscreen is that it allows for old DC Movies to be referenced as their own universes. That allows for nice Back to the Future-style fun, where characters like Ezra Miller’s Flash could be used to suddenly be one of those background dancers (maybe the one in the red hood?). Thanks to Warner Bros. owning every single DC movie that’s been made, there is a limitless possibility for these kinds of retroactive references – and fans would lose it ten times over to see old DC movies with new scenes of Keaton’s Batman or Ezra Miller’s Flash stepping into the picture.

The Flash is set to hit theaters on June 3, 2022.