A Big The Flash Spoiler Is Out There, And You Should Try To Avoid It If You Can

Warning: This article discusses a major spoiler revealed ahead of the release of "The Flash."

Well, here we go again. Believe it or not, a massive spoiler for one of the most exciting surprises from Warner Bros.' latest superhero movie has made its way online. But this time, bizarrely enough, it wasn't the result of annoying and unsanctioned leaks. Instead, it's come straight out of the mouth of "The Flash" director Andy Muschietti. Only months after the biggest names involved in "Black Adam" couldn't stop themselves from teasing that super-powered showdown in the post-credits scene of "Black Adam" and mere weeks after a certain cameo appearance for "Shazam! Fury of the Gods" appeared in the marketing before the film debuted in theaters worldwide, "The Flash" has become the next victim of the age-old adage that bad news comes in threes.

Unlike some bigmouths out there, however, rest assured that /Film has absolutely no interest in ruining this for anyone who would rather preserve their theater experience for opening weekend. This post is exclusively meant for those individuals out there (present company included) who simply can't help themselves when they see "spoiler" in a headline. So consider this yet another spoiler warning about a major reveal from "The Flash" that, frankly, has no business floating around out in the internet ether this far ahead of release. But since this news comes courtesy of Muschietti himself, the superhero fan community now finds itself in the unenviable position of having to dodge secrets that members of the creative team are now openly blabbing about. Honestly, isn't this the absolute perfect conclusion to one of the most tortured blockbuster productions of the last two decades?

Anyway, if you're still here, here's one last spoiler warning for good measure.

For anyone who's ever wondered how many spoiler warnings would be appropriate for an article discussing specific details from the latest highly-anticipated superhero movie, this should hopefully put that question to rest for good. For those somewhat less interested about lessons in movie spoiler etiquette, well, here's an absolute doozy of a reveal for you.

"The Flash" has made no secret about including certain appearances and supporting roles for major figures in DC history. That includes Michael Keaton reprising his role as Batman/Bruce Wayne from the Tim Burton movies, Michael Shannon making his surprising return as the Kryptonian General Zod/Doomsday after getting killed off (twice!) in Zack Snyder's "Man of Steel" and "Batman v Superman," and Ben Affleck making his final appearance as Batman/Bruce Wayne. But as much as the multiverse and time-travel shenanigans in this "Flashpoint" adaptation make it easy to anticipate all sorts of other surprises, nobody could've anticipated what director Andy Muschietti just revealed earlier today.

Brace yourselves, folks. In an interview shared by Variety, Muschietti let the cat out of the bag about one heck of a DC cameo straight out of superhero trivia lore. As it turns out, none other than Nicolas Cage himself was brought back in "The Flash" to put on the cape as Superman after originally being cast in the role in Tim Burton's ultimately unmade "Superman Lives" film back in the 1990s. Here's what Muschietti had to say about the "Pinch me" moment of working with Cage as a version of Superman:

"Nic was absolutely wonderful. Although the role was a cameo, he dove into it ... I dreamt all my life to work with him. I hope I can work with him again soon."

Just when you thought "The Flash" couldn't possibly get any more packed, Warner Bros. had to go and arrange an interview with the bombshell revelation that Nicolas Cage would be making his grand return as Superman in the upcoming crossover event film.

Decades after the ambitious (and, in all likelihood, profoundly misguided) Tim Burton project fell apart in spectacular fashion, "Superman Lives" has officially found a way to live up to its title. It's an incredible and utterly shocking conclusion to one of pop culture's most enduring "What if" scenarios, having resulted in a documentary titled "The Death of Superman Lives." It even managed to stir up a fresh wave of buzz as recently as five years ago, when fans finally got a good glimpse of the actual Superman costume that Cage would've worn in the feature. Although we still don't know the exact circumstances surrounding this cameo and how it fits into the ongoing storyline in "The Flash," which sees Ezra Miller's Barry Allen all but breaking the universe's timeline in an attempt to save his mother's life, Cage's appearance puts a fitting bow on the infamous saga of trying to get "Superman Lives" into production.

Word is Cage's take on the Man of Steel isn't even the last significant cameo that "The Flash" has up its sleeve, but thankfully fans still have plenty of time to find out for themselves ... provided that nobody else involved in the film decides to spoil that, too. Barring any more last-minute shockers, "The Flash" will speed into theaters on June 16, 2023.