The Flash: Fan Spots Doomsday Cameo in Nic Cage’s Superman Sequence

The Flash may not have given Nicolas Cage’s Superman very much time to shine, but the scene in which he appeared became one of the most-discussed moments in the film. Appearing in one of the other worlds in the DC multiverse during the third act’s “Chrono Bowl” scene, Cage defeated a giant spider before turning to see damage being done to the fabric of reality. As the camera gets its final look at Cage’s Superman, the character stands inside of a tear in reality, looking out at the Chrono Bowl, and in that moment, you can see bits and pieces of his own timeline on the side of the “ball” he’s standing in.

Within the ball, you can see what appears to be Superman battling Doomsday, the monster who killed him in the comics. The death and return of Superman was meant to be the premise for Superman Lives, the movie Cage would have appeared in. Other fans on Reddit, where u/SuperRider108_MC spotted Doomsday, also think they can see K, the movie’s version of The Eradicator, as well as the recovery suit and genesis pod seen in the comics.

You can see the screenshot below.

Superman Lives was written by Kevin Smith, and was to be directed by Tim Burton. Warner Bros. reportedly liked Smith’s script, but Burton wanted it rewritten, and ultimately, conflicts between Burton’s vision and the studio’s seem to have led to the project falling apart. Photos later surfaced of Cage in a Superman costume, which gave fans a sense for just how close the movie actually came to being a reality. The story of the movie was documented in the film The Death of Superman Lives: What Happened?.

“For the earliest part of my career, I made lots of nods to pop culture,” Smith told ComicBook.com. “I can’t tell you how happy it makes me at the point in my life whenever pop culture nods back at me. For all the times I ever told that Superman Lives story, it delighted me no end to hear it was echoed in The Flash.” 

Smith, who co-owns Smodcastle Cinemas in New Jersey, will be hosting a live script reading of Superman Lives there on Saturday, with some of his friends showing up to do an on-stage readthrough.

The Flash raced into theaters on June 16th, reshaping the DC Multiverse with the help of familiar faces and brand-new heroes. 

Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) ventures to the past to change history, resulting in massive repercussions for the future. Forced to team up with another version of Barry, the mysterious Kryptonian known as Supergirl (Sasha Calle), and the iconic Batman (Michael Keaton), the Scarlet Speedster is forced to reckon with his mistakes and save a doomed reality. The Flash is directed by Andy Muschietti, written by Christina Hodson from a story by Joby Harold, and produced by Barbara Muschietti.