Director Andy Muschietti's explanation for The Flash's poor reception doesn't bode well for his upcoming DCU Batman movie, The Brave and the Bold. The DCU's first wave of movie and television projects are quickly taking shape, and more actors are joining the franchise in major roles. Being the first Batman movie in James Gunn's DCU, Andy Muschietti's upcoming The Brave and the Boldis certainly one of the most anticipated live-action projects in the DCU's Gods and Monsters chapter. However, little is known about The Brave and the Bold's plot and cast beyond its two main characters, Batman and Damian Wayne.
Andy Muschietti broke into Hollywood with his 2008 horror short film Mamá, which he took to the big screen in 2013 with support from Guillermo del Toro. Muschietti then directed the two Bill Skarsgard-led It movies; It in 2017, and It: Chapter Two in 2019, before taking on his first superhero film, 2023's The Flash. Unfortunately, Andy Muschietti's The Flash was riddled with controversy, from Ezra Miller's legal problems to the movie's multiple delays and The Flash's odd cameo choices, its heavily criticized CGI, and a divisive send-off to DCEU characters as big as Henry Cavill's Superman, Ben Affleck's Batman, and Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman.
Andy Muschietti Blamed Lack Of Interest, Especially From Women, For The Flash's Failure
Andy Muschietti's Explanation For The Flash Failure Doesn't Address The DCEU Movie's Flaws
On January 12, 2025, Andy Muschietti weighed in on The Flash's failure, explaining that the Flash isn't a popular DC hero, saying, "I've found in private conversations that a lot of people just don't care about The Flash as a character." Muschietti subtly acknowledged The Flash's other flaws, but explained that The Flash wasn't a movie aimed for everyone, stating, "The Flash failed, among all the other reasons, because it wasn't a movie that appealed to all four quadrants." Muschietti also added, "When you spend $200 million making a movie, Warner wants to bring even your grandmother to the theaters."
The Flash has been heavily criticized for having "bad VFX," but the film's abnormal aesthetic is actually created by other stylistic choices.
The four quadrants Muschietti mentions refer to four types of audiences: Male viewers under 25, male viewers over 25, female viewers under 25, and female viewers over 25. Typically, Hollywood blockbusters that are deliberately designed to target all four quadrants are considered safe bets at the box office, and they're usually family-friendly action films. In the past decade or so, live-action comic book adaptations have dived deeper into lesser-known source material, but the superhero movie genre's popularity has allowed deep-cut Marvel and DC properties to appeal to all four quadrants and succeed both with critics and general audiences.
Why Andy Muschietti Is Wrong About Interest In The Flash Character
The Flash Is Still One Of The Most Popular Comic Book Heroes Of All Time
The Flash may not have as many live-action movie adaptations as Superman or Batman, but he continues to be one of the most easily-recognizable superheroes in pop culture. Apart from the Flash's A-list status in DC Comics, Barry Allen starred in nine seasons of The CW's The Flash. Despite starting with Arrow, The CW's Arrowverse franchise gradually moved its focus to Grant Gustin's Flash and other speedsters. Back in 2015, USA Today reported that 40% of The Flash's audience was female — a considerablly high percentage for a male-led superhero network TV show that's also part of a complex cinematic universe.
The Flash has altered (and saved) DC Comics' entire timeline multiple times. While Barry Allen appeared to be doing the same in The Flash, the 2023 DCEU movie doesn't explain why or how the DCEU ended and the DCU started.
The Flash has been one of the longest-recurring members of the Justice League since the team's inception in 1960, and universe- and multiverse-wide crossover events such as Crisis on Infinite Earths and Flashpoint have centered around the Flash, both in the comic books and in television. Andy Muschietti's The Flash adapted some elements from these storylines, meaning that the whole fate of the DCEU and the live-action DC multiverse depended on Barry Allen. It's difficult for die-hard fans and casual moviegoers alike to ignore such a significant event. On the other hand, Ezra Miller's controversial incidents involving multiple women from 2020 to 2022 are much harder to ignore.
Andy Muschietti's The Flash Comments Suggest He Isn't Looking At The Whole Picture When It Comes to The DC Universe
Custom Image by Lewis Glazebrook
Considering how many controversial elements The Flash had, Andy Muschietti's explanation of audiences' lack of interest seems rather misguided. Muschietti is now attached to direct the DCU's The Brave and the Bold — one of the most important installments in the entire franchise given Batman's role in the DC Universe. If Andy Muschietti believes a character as popular as The Flash isn't interesting for general audiences, then he might not understand why Batman and his supporting characters are so beloved. Batman and Flash are both popular in all four audience quadrants, including under-25 and over-25 women, so they don't need any extraordinary changes in order to succeed.
Some of The Flash's spoilers have proved to be controversial, but George Reeves' black-and-white Superman cameo appearance is especially problematic.
Andy Muschietti's The Flash had an odd fixation on Batman and other DC characters not strictly related to the Flash, like Supergirl and General Zod. Despite adapting Flashpoint, Barry Allen's archnemesis Reverse Flash was nowhere to be seen in the live-action adaptation of his biggest comic book storyline. Also, The Flash's multiversal cameos provided the perfect opportunity to honor Grant Gustin's legacy as Barry Allen, especially after Ezra Miller's cameo in the Arrowverse's Crisis on Infinite Earths. Yet, Muschietti's The Flash didn't include Grant Gustin's Flash, but did include little-known or outright unpopular character portrayals such as Nicolas Cage's Superman and George Clooney's Bruce Wayne.
The Brave And The Bold Needs A Director Who Doesn't ONLY Care About Batman
The DCU Needs Directors Who Understand All Characters Inside And Outside Their Own Projects
Custom image by Andy Behbakht
The Flash's exaggerated focus on Batman, Supergirl, and General Zod might have had a lot to do with the DCEU's need to give its main characters a definitive farewell. However, Andy Muschietti's comments suggest he wasn't too interested in the Flash himself. Unlike most previous Batman movies, The Brave and the Bold takes place in a shared cinematic universe filled with characters from all over the DC Universe, which means that Batman will inevitably interact with heroes, villains, and anti-heroes that have little to do with Gotham City. In fact, Creature Commandos already confirmed that Batman has been active for a while.
Batman's first-ever appearance in the DCU shows him in an apocalyptic vision alongside Superman, Wonder Woman, Starfire, Peacemaker, and other DCU characters.
Whoever directs the DCU's Batman needs to care for all kinds of DC characters, regardless of whether they're famous outside the franchise or not. After almost 90 years of comic book history, James Gunn's DCU is finally giving Batman the chance to share the big screen with an unlimited variety of characters right from the start. Batman's often overlooked enemies, other members of the Bat-Family, and characters as outlandish as Bat-Mite and Bat-Cow may not have an established following previous to The Brave and the Bold's release, but they could work just as effectively as the Dark Knight himself if the whole team behind their adaptation have the same love and care for them as they do for Batman.
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Director
Andy Muschietti
Studio(s)
DC Entertainment
, Warner Bros. Discovery
, Warner Bros.
Custom image by Nicolas Ayala
Custom Image by Lewis Glazebrook
Custom image by Andy Behbakht
English (US) ·