How Can The Flash Possibly Travel Back In Time To A Universe Where Superman... - The Flash (2023) Discussion

[–] ATG6 (3000) 2 years ago

Maybe he jumps back earlier. He says in the trailer he could save Bruce's parents too.

In the animated Flashpoint, Kal El still exists and comes to Earth, but the Kents don't find him and he lives a very different life.

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[–] Lord Rake (4536) 2 years ago

Pulling tricks under the bridge no doubt.

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[–] DoctorThirteen (15335) 2 years ago

No-one has any idea if time travel works, let alone how. Adhering to 'reality' isn't a thing here. It works however the writer wants it to.

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[–] FootOfDavros (8716) 2 years ago

Adhering to 'reality' isn't a thing here.

As far as I am aware, the point of the time travel is to go back to a point in time when his mother still exists. Therefore the mechanics of how it works aside, it must surely still adhere to that reality. Otherwise the story wouldn't really have any purpose.

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[–] FilmBuff (7438) 2 years ago

Perhaps as an unintended side effect of going back in time he creates some kind of problem.. a tear in space-time seems like a comic book type of explanation-- that causes universes to collide, or otherwise alter one another. Or perhaps what he believes is merely time travel is instead hopping between universes. Or perhaps he goes back to a point in time and causes some change that has a ripple effect leading to drastic differences in the future, a la Bradbury's "A Sound of Thunder."

Until the film comes out, it's all guesswork, but in truth, as time travel doesn't exist, the writers can make up whatever explanation they want and it will be as valid as any other.

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[–] FootOfDavros (8716) 2 years ago

True, they can do whatever they like as to the mechanism of time travel.

But like I was saying, if it's not his past he is in, then it's not really his mom and therefore the emotional pull of the story is gone.

I was really hoping that this is going to be great, so hopefully that won't be the case. As per your comments, hopefully he overshoots on his first "run" back in time and lands up way further back in time and something happens which causes the butterfly effect.

But from what we've seen trailer-wise, I'm not sure that's going to happen.

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[–] FilmBuff (7438) 2 years ago

I guess so. For me, that's utterly immaterial. No superhero film will ever hold up to even the most basic scrutiny in terms of scientific plausibility, so I don't care if the time travel "makes sense." Time travel is impossible to begin with, just as is a man running so fast that he goes back into time. Both are patently absurd, and if I'm willing to accept that a man can run that fast, I'll accept any outcome the storyteller offers as long as the story itself is compelling.

That said, with the exception of a couple outside-the main-narrative exceptions, specifically Joker and The Batman, every single DC film since the Dark Knight has been complete shit, and I expect no less from the coming Flash film.

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[–] FootOfDavros (8716) 2 years ago

Time travel is impossible to begin with, just as is a man running so fast that he goes back into time. Both are patently absurd, and if I'm willing to accept that a man can run that fast, I'll accept any outcome...

I guess I'm the same in terms of accepting the daftness of being able to run really fast being a mechanism which would allow one to time travel - I guess that's much the same as Superman spinning around the Earth very fast to go back in time! But like I say, I'm different in terms once I've accepted that device, the actual story has to make sense from there...

As to the quality of Superhero films, I'm not really a DC vs Marvel person, I just decide on what I like on a case by case basis. I do think that, in general (obviously not going to be the case here!), DC properties definitely work better as standalone though.

I know there was the "Wayne Industries" easter eggs in Man Of Steel but I wish we'd just got a straight up standalone sequel to that film rather than DC diving in trying to copy the MCU.

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[–] FilmBuff (7438) 2 years ago

I'm not a Marvel or DC person either, but the MCU films are nearly always great and before this one the DCEU films have been terrible. The only great ones-- Joker and The Batman-- aren't part of the ongoing story. The Flash is the exception. I saw it tonight and absolutely enjoyed it. I won't spoil anything by saying that they answer your time travel and multiverse question in a way that makes sense, or at least as much sense as any other time travel movie.

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[–] FootOfDavros (8716) 2 years ago

Good to hear re the time travel explanation and that you enjoyed it!

Right, I'm going to stay away from this thread as well as this board now until I've seen it...

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[–] M1sterDoct0r (4576) 2 years ago

That's why I wish they didn't go the multiverse route.

In the comic, the act of Barry saving his mom has a ripple effect that changes history.

The entire future is fucked cause of that single choice. Butterfly effect & all that

Superman's ship crashed in Metropolis instead of Smallville & caused massive damage & countless deaths.

He was imprisoned for his entire life by the government & was skinny af.

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[–] FilmBuff (7438) 2 years ago

In what funny book can one read that story? Sounds like a good read.

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[–] M1sterDoct0r (4576) 2 years ago

It's a comic. The arc/story is called Flashpoint.

There's also a pretty good (r rated) DC animated film called Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox. Would definitely recommend that.

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[–] FootOfDavros (8716) 2 years ago

In the comic, the act of Barry saving his mom has a ripple effect that changes history.

So the ripple effect changes stuff in the past from that point?

That's what I don't really get re this film - Clark would already be on Earth and living in Smallville at the point Barry goes back to. Does the comic suggest a backwards through time effect to his time travel?

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[–] DoctorThirteen (15335) 2 years ago

DC's explanation is that when you 'drop' something into a point in time it creates ripples in all directions, in the same way that a stone dropped into a river creates ripples in all directions, not just in the direction in which the river is flowing.

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[–] M1sterDoct0r (4576) 2 years ago

Yap. Nailed it.

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[–] DoctorThirteen (15335) 2 years ago

👍

Completely agree about Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, btw. One of my favourite animated DC movies. It'll be interesting to compare the two.

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[–] M1sterDoct0r (4576) 2 years ago

I'm always recommending that film. It's one of my favorite comicbook films, period.

There was no way we were ever getting that story in live action. They complained about Snyder's films being too dark.

That's nothing compared to Flashpoint.

I mean Wonder Woman freaking murders children in Flashpoint.

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[–] DoctorThirteen (15335) 2 years ago

As you say, can't see that happening in live action! As much as I like the Flashpoint comic (and tie-ins), I actually prefer the animated version.

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[–] M1sterDoct0r (4576) 2 years ago

As much as I like the Flashpoint comic (and tie-ins), I actually prefer the animated version

Same! The film "trimmed the fat" & give us an excellent adaptation.

Unlike that abysmal Injustice animated movie

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[–] FootOfDavros (8716) 2 years ago

Thanks.

Don't really buy that personally as a possibility but if it's an explained reason within the comic then I'll be able to go with it - if explained similarly within the movie.

I guess that lets the emotional aspect work as well, i.e. it would be his mom up until the (flash) point...

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[–] DoctorThirteen (15335) 2 years ago

Hey, I don't accept time travel as a possibility at all! But that's how it works in DC's universe.

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[–] javie (2225) 2 years ago

He could be facing 400 years behind bars

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[–] tvfan (14573) 2 years ago

Based on different films/tv-series I have watched on time-paradox, they usually propose two methods:

1. Single time line: when something is changed then the single time line is reset.
2. Multiple time lines: when something is changed it creates multiple/alternate branches of time lines.

Considering that this film is to reset the DCU, it appears that it is based on a single time line paradox regardless that the source material used the multiple/alternate time line paradox.

From reading about the source for this film, it was Superman and not Supergirl that was used, but since they fired Cavill, they decided to go with the woke version.
Keaton was also not from the source as it was supposedly his father Thomas instead.

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[–] FootOfDavros (8716) 2 years ago

Keaton was also not from the source as it was supposedly his father Thomas instead.

Yeah, think I'd read that before - Bruce died instead and Thomas Wayne become a much colder, ruthless Batman instead.

Actually, thinking about this, another issue is that Bruce Wayne should still look like Ben Affleck if that's the established Bruce within the universe. It's a bit like how with Spider-Man, it was fun to see the previous actors all together, but really they should all have just looked like Tom Holland. Maybe they'd act differently but same thing here - Batman shouldn't really be physically different just because certain experiences in his life were different.

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[–] DoctorThirteen (15335) 2 years ago

And Martha Wayne snapped and became Flashpoint's Joker.

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[–] DarthAckbar (2318) 2 years ago

they explained it in the film

when he goes back, he changes the future AND the past

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[–] mikeflatley (761) 2 years ago

Runnin fast don’t mean u can go back in time. Makez no centz

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[–] [deleted] 2 years ago

I guess you don't get the concept of the DC multiverse and it's different realities. A bit of a shame, actually, as those at least exist.

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