All 8 Flash Movies & Appearances in Order
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Since the inception of the character, DC’s The Scarlet Speedster appeared in numerous forms of media, and in today’s post, we’re going to focus on live-action movies that feature the fastest man alive. The Flash has been featured in several live-action moves, both standalone and as a part of a DCEU. So, let’s take a look at all Flash movies (& characters’ appearances) in order.
Editor’s Note: This post is regularly updated to provide you with the latest updates related to the Flash film franchise.
How many Flash movies are there?
There are eight live-action movies in total that feature Flash. The first three movies were released between 1990 and 1992 and were tied to the Flash series. The remaining four movies are part of a DCEU and predominantly feature the Flash in minor roles, with the last movie released on June 16, 2023.
The Flash movies in order at a glance
The first three movies on our Flash watch order were direct-to-video movies tied to the Flash TV series that aired from 1990 to 1991. The remaining movies feature the character in a minor role, mostly as a supporting character for DCEU-s biggest superheroes and antiheroes alike. Flash is got his standalone DCEU movie on June 16, 2023, the movie loosely covered the famous ‘Flashpoint’ storyline and serves as a prequel to the upcoming “soft-reboot” of the entire DCEU before Gunn’s and Safran’s DCU takes over.
- ‘The Flash’ (1990)
- ‘The Flash II: Revenge of the Trickster’ (1991)
- ‘The Flash III: Deadly Nightshade’ (1992)
- ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’ (2016)
- ‘Suicide Squad’ (2016)
- ‘Justice League’ (2017)
- ‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’ (2021)
- ‘The Flash’ (2023)
Are the Flash movies connected & do you need to watch them in a specific order?
The first three Flash movies are connected, as they are mostly re-caps of the TV show episodes. So in a sense, they can be considered a standalone Flash movie series. The Flash movies related to DCEU are connected as well, but not with movies released in 90′. The movies can be watched as standalone series.
You should watch the Flash movies in our recommended order to get a better grasp of the connected storylines. You can use our recommended Flash watch order.
What is the best way to watch Flash movies?
All movies should be watched in order of release date as they follow a simple chronological timeline. The first three movies are not connected to the DCEU movies at all, except for featuring our titular character. ‘Batman v Superman,’ ‘Suicide Squad,’ and ‘Justice League’ and the upcoming ‘The Flash’ should be watched in the order of release date.
Flash movies in order of release date
1. ‘The Flash’ (1990)
Directed by Robert Iscove, starring John Wesley Shipp as Barry Allen and released in 1990, ‘The Flash’ movie served as a premiere for the upcoming TV series. ‘The Flash’ (1990) tells us the origin of Flash and revolves around Barry Allen’s journey toward justice and vengeance…if he manages to utilize his newfound talents correctly.
2. ‘The Flash II: Revenge of the Trickster’ (1991)
The sequel to the first movie ‘The Flash II: Revenge of the Trickster’ was released in 1991 and comprises mostly footage from the TV series, to be more specific, footage from the episodes ‘The Trickster’ (1991) and ‘Trial of the Trickster’ (1991). John Wesley Shipp reprises his role as the titular character, and Danny Bilson takes over the role of a director.
The plot of ‘The Flash II: Revenge of the Trickster’ revolves around Flash impersonator, sadistic & dangerous James Jesse, who sets his sights on Flash after his attempt to murder a private investigator has been foiled.
James Jesse finds himself taking over the identity of Trickster and might just be the most formidable opponent Flash has ever faced.
3. ‘Flash III: Deadly Nightshade’ (1992)
One more direct-to-video movie featuring Flash, comprised of TV series episodes titled ‘Ghost In The Machine’ and ‘Deadly Nightshade,’ and released in 1991. This movie deals with one more impersonator, but this time it’s the Nightshade, a veteran crime-fighter who is the target of a deadly villain. Nightshade and Flash team up in two adventures in order to bring justice and peace to the city.
4. ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’ (2016)
‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’ is an important movie for the Flash, considering that was his first DCEU appearance. The role of Flash has been handed to the controversial Ezra Miller. In ‘Batman v Superman,’ Flash is limited to two minor appearances. The nightmare scene features Flash foreshadowing hints to Batman; in the other scene, he is seen fighting crime in the liquor store.
5. ‘Suicide Squad’ (2016)
‘Suicide Squad,’ released in 2016, bombed big time. It was an overall extremely cringy movie, but Flash managed to get an appearance out of it. Ezra Miller returned once more as The Sultan of Speed, once again in a minor role as he can be seen apprehending Captain Boomerang.
6. ‘Justice League’ (2017)
‘Justice League’ released in 2017, featured Flash once again and once again in a minor role. He is mostly used for comedic effects, even though he is responsible for resurrecting Superman via Mother Box. Ezra Miller once again reprises his role as the Flash.
7. ‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’ (2021)
Zack Snyder’s cut of the ‘Justice League’ has seen the Flash in a more serious role with a more pronounced superhero personality. The movie as well showed the beginnings of the budding romance between the Flash and Iris West. Where the theatrical version mostly cut some important scenes involving The Flash, Zack Snyder’s cut gave him justice!
8. The Flash (2023)
Barry Allen goes back in time to save his mother’s life but inadvertently ends up in an alternate reality where there are no metahumans. To restore his world, Barry teams up with a younger version of himself, an older Batman, and Supergirl, a Kryptonian stranded on Earth, to defeat General Zod and return to his original universe.
Where to watch the Flash movies?
Unfortunately, the first three Flash movies on our watch order, ‘The Flash,’ ‘The Flash II: Revenge of the Trickster,’ and ‘The Flash III: Deadly Nightshade,’ are not available on any big streaming sites. DCEU movies, however, can be found on MAX, as HBO is generally considered to be the home of DCEU Movies. The movies can also be rented on Amazon.
Will there be more Flash movies?
There might be more Flash movies in the future. Following the release of ‘The Flash’ on June 16, we can’t speak with absolute certainty whether there will be more Flash movies. DCEU is getting rebooted as a whole, with ‘The Flash’ serving as the starting point for a timeline reset.
Two additional movies will be released over the year that are likewise set in the DCEU ‘Aquaman: The Lost Kingdom’ and ‘Blue Beetle.’ I supposed that the future installment would depend on how well the movie performs, as James Gunn and Peter Safran are not against having Flash in their newly rebooted DCU.
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