Who is Red Death? 'The Flash' director Andy Muschietti teases Batman X Flash mashup on Instagram

The Flash movie official concept (Image via DC)
The Flash movie official concept (Image via DC)

On September 19, The Flash director Andy Muschietti shared a snap of Michael Keaton’s classic Batman suit. It was spray-painted red with a yellow lightning bolt of the Flash’s logo on the bat emblem.

The upcoming DCEU film has been in production for 21 weeks and generated much hype as the set photos of Sasha Calle’s Supergirl, Michael Keaton’s Bruce Wayne, and Ben Affleck’s Batman version’s Batpod or Batcycle.

With The Flash expected to set up the Multiverse with DCEU, the hype around the movie is also based on potential antagonists from alternate (parallel) universes. While one of the rumored villains of the movie is Reverse-Flash (or Eobard Thawne), several fans speculate that the new tease from Muschietti may be hinting towards another DC antagonist named Red Death.


Who is Red Death? Exploring The Flash villain theories

Red Death in the comics (Image via Detective Comics/DC)
Red Death in the comics (Image via Detective Comics/DC)

The mashed snap of Batman and Flash shared by Andy Muschietti could be hinting at an antagonist character in The Flash who could be the Red Death from the New-52 comics.

Created by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo, he had his first appearance on Dark Days: The Casting #1 (in September 2017).

According to the comic series based on the Dark Multiverse, Red Death is a version of Bruce Wayne, who has the Flash/Barry Allen’s powers.

Red Death origins:

Red Death in the comics (Image via Detective Comics/DC)
Red Death in the comics (Image via Detective Comics/DC)

This led Bruce to seek powers to fight crime. Bruce/Batman felt that he could use Barry Allen/Flash’s speed force powers better than him. Thus, after defeating Flash’s Rogues gallery, Batman used the Batmobile merged with Flash’s Cosmic Treadmill to enter the speed force and merge with Barry.

However, according to the comics, Barry’s consciousness was still present in Bruce and even begged the Caped Crusader to stop.


Theory 1 - How can Red Death be in The Flash?

It is plausible that Michael Keaton’s Bruce is not the same one from Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman. With the presence of the Multiverse, it might be possible that Keaton is playing another version of the Caped Crusader, who could also be the Red Death.


Theory 2 - Other villains in The Flash?

In July, a leaked set photo from the movie showcased Erza Miller’s Flash with another actor who seemed to be portraying another version of Barry Allen. This actor may be a stand-in for the other Barry, who Erza himself would play.

The theory of one of the primary villains being Barry himself was also exclusively reported by The Direct, who reportedly received confirmation from their sources.


Theory 3 - Grant Gustin’s Flash to appear in the movie?

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According to an exclusive report by Illuminerdi, Grant Gustin’s Flash (Barry Allen) from the CW Flash series is set to have a cameo in The Flash movie. This would be similar to Erza Miller’s cameo in CW’s Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part Three crossover (in Flash Season 6 Episode 9).

The episode showcased a brief scene where the two Flash meet each other at Star Labs, and Erza’s Barry gets to learn about the existence of the Multiverse.


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More details about the movie are expected on October 16 at the DC Fandome. There might even be first-look footage of The Flash released during the event.