James Gunn’s DCU might explore a different scarlet speedster after the DCEU’s The Flash bombed despite Gunn’s claims about the film.

James Gunn’s DCU is officially underway with Creature Commandos and the latest episode indicated what the future of the universe holds with a nightmare sequence. In a scene that barely lasts a minute, the fate of the universe and its protectors is hinted at, officially confirming heroes like Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and Hawgirl to be a part of it.

The nightmare sequence also has a few heroes that are not as clear and that includes the Flash. However, the showrunner confirmed that the speedster shown in the scene is not Barry Allen but Wally West. After James Gunn’s controversial statement about 2023’s The Flash, there are speculations that Allen may not be the DCU’s Flash.

Creature Commandos showrunner confirmed the existence of Wally West’s Flash

James Gunn | Credits: YouTube/ScreenSlam

While James Gunn’s Superman will be the big screen debut of the DCU, the universe was officially kickstarted with the Max series Creature Commandos. The animated series features a ragtag team of beasts hired by Amanda Waller to take down the sorceress Circe who has attacked Pokolistan. The show has been written in its entirety by Gunn.

Apart from showing the tragic backstory of Weasel, the latest episode revealed a grim future in the DCU should Princess Ilana Rostovic continue to be in power. Circe shows Waller a nightmarish vision that sees Ilana join hands with Gorrila Grod to take over the world and kill all the protectors, including Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and Peacemaker.

A still from Creature Commandos | Credits: Max

Among the several casualties predicted by Circe and impaled among the heroes is a glimpse of a speedster in Flash’s costume. As fans speculated that it was Wally West, showrunner Dean Lorey confirmed that West was indeed among the dead. He said to The Direct,

Yeah [to Wally West’s Flash]…It was a lot of fun. We spent a lot of time on that sequence, as you might guess. I don’t know that it’s representative, necessarily, of anything that James [Gunn] has planned in the DCU outside of the show, just because I simply don’t know…

Lorey did not confirm whether West’s inclusion meant that James Gunn would not explore Barry Allen in the DCU. However, Gunn has written all the episodes of the show and it might be possible that he included this hint for a reason.

James Gunn may hold off on The Flash despite his comments about the 2023 DCEU film

A still from The Flash | Credits: Warner Bros.

The one thing that James Gunn seems to be doing differently from the DCEU is to preemptively greenlight several projects at once without developing them first. As of now, only three films in the DCU have been officially greenlit i.e. Superman, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, and Clayface. Gunn has been clear that he will not approve anything without a solid script.

Even Clayface, which seems to be an odd film to be in development in a DC universe that does not have a Batman yet, was reportedly the result of screenwriter Mike Flanagan nailing his pitch. However, when it comes to Barry Allen and the Flash, Funn seems to be apprehensive, especially after his controversial comment about 2023’s The Flash.

The Ezra Miller starrer was one of the final projects of the DCEU and it was a colossal disaster. Apart from being marred by Miller’s controversies, the film was a box-office bomb, earning only $227 million against a $200 million budget (via Box Office Mojo).

Before the film’s release, Gunn had made tall claims about the film (via Deadline). He said,

I will say here that Flash is probably one of the greatest superhero movies ever made.

He also responded to a fan’s question about one of his favorite films of the year 2023 with The Flash (via X). However, the film’s final result may have deterred him from putting a Flash film in production so soon after the 2023 film. He also mentioned in a Threads response that they were holding off on developing the Flash at the moment.

Creature Commandos is streaming on Max.