''Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox'' is a 2013 American

animated Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby image, still images are manipulated to create Motion picture, moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on cel, transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and e ...

superhero film Superhero film/movie is a film genre categorized by the presence of superhero characters, individuals with extraordinary abilities who are dedicated to fighting crime, saving the world, or helping the innocent. It is sometimes considered a sub ...

directed by

Jay Oliva Jay Oliva (born 1976) is an American film director, producer, and storyboard artist working at Los Angeles–based animation studio Lex+Otis. Career Oliva first started in animation as a cleanup artist for the animated Fox TV series ''Spider ...

and written by Jim Krieg. It is the adaptation of the 2011

comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...

crossover " Flashpoint" by

Geoff Johns Geoffrey Johns (born January 25, 1973) is an American comic book writer, screenwriter, and film and television producer. Johns's work on the DC Comics characters Green Lantern, Aquaman, Flash (comics), Flash, and Superman has drawn critical accl ...

and

Andy Kubert Andrew Kubert (; born February 27, 1962) is an American comics artist, letterer, and writer. He is the son of Joe Kubert and brother of Adam Kubert, both of whom are also artists, and the uncle of comics editor Katie Kubert. Kubert is a graduat ...

. The film stars Justin Chambers as Barry Allen / Flash, C. Thomas Howell as Eobard Thawne / Professor Zoom, Michael B. Jordan as Victor Stone / Cyborg,

Kevin McKidd Kevin McKidd (born 9 August 1973) is a Scottish actor and television director best known as Dr. Owen Hunt in ''Grey's Anatomy'' and Tommy Mackenzie in Danny Boyle's '' Trainspotting'' (1996). McKidd played Colin in the 2008 film Made of Hono ...

as Thomas (Bruce Wayne's father) Wayne / Batman and

Cary Elwes Ivan Simon Cary Elwes (; born 26 October 1962) is an English actor. He starred as Westley in ''The Princess Bride (film), The Princess Bride'' (1987), and also had lead roles in films such as ''Robin Hood: Men in Tights'' (1993) and the Saw (fr ...

as Orin / Arthur Curry / Aquaman. The film also sees actors reprising roles from other DC animated series, including

Kevin Conroy Kevin Conroy (November 30, 1955 – November 10, 2022) was an American actor. He appeared in a variety of stage performances, television series, and television films. Conroy earned fame for voicing the DC Comics superhero Batman in various anim ...

as Bruce Wayne / Batman,

Nathan Fillion Nathan Christopher Fillion (born March 27, 1971) is a Canadian and American actor. He played the leading roles of Captain Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds on ''Firefly'' and its film continuation '' Serenity'', and Richard Castle on ''Castle''. , he sta ...

as Hal Jordan / Green Lantern,

Ron Perlman Ronald N. Perlman (born April 13, 1950) is an American actor. His credits include the roles of Amoukar in ''Quest for Fire (film), Quest for Fire'' (1981), Salvatore in ''The Name of the Rose (film), The Name of the Rose'' (1986), Vincent in th ...

as Slade Wilson / Deathstroke,

Dana Delany Dana Delany (born March 13, 1956) is an American actress. After appearing in small roles early in her career, Delany received her breakthrough role as Colleen McMurphy on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television drama ''China Beach'' (1 ...

Lois Lane Lois Lane is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, she first appeared in ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1 (June 1938). Lois is an award-winning ...

, Vanessa Marshall as Princess Diana / Wonder Woman and

Dee Bradley Baker Dee Bradley Baker (born August 31, 1962) is an American voice actor. Much of his work has consisted of vocalizations of animals and monsters. Baker's roles include animated series such as '' Adventure Time'', ''American Dad!'', '' Avatar: The Las ...

Etrigan Etrigan the Demon is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Jack Kirby, Etrigan is a demon from Hell who, despite his violent tendencies, usually finds himself allied with the forces of good, mainly beca ...

. It is the 18th film of the

DC Universe Animated Original Movies The DC Universe Animated Original Movies (DCUAOM; also known as DC Universe Original Movies or DC Universe Movies or DC Animated Movies) are a series of American direct-to-video superhero animated films based on DC Comics characters and stories. ...

and the first film of the

DC Animated Movie Universe The DC Animated Movie Universe (DCAMU) is an American media franchise and shared universe of Animation, animated films distributed between 2013 and 2024 by Warner Bros. Animation and DC Entertainment. Based on characters from the DC Universe ...

. ''Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox'' was released on July 30, 2013, and was re-released on September 10 as a 2-disc special edition.

Plot

While visiting his mother's grave,

Barry Allen Bartholomew Henry "Barry" Allen is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is the second character known as the Flash, following Flash (Jay Garrick), Jay Garrick. The character first appeared in ''Showcase (comic ...

, known as the

Flash Flash, flashes, or FLASH may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional aliases * The Flash, several DC Comics superheroes with super speed: ** Flash (Jay Garrick) ** Barry Allen ** Wally West, the first Kid Flash and third adult Flash ...

, is alerted to a break-in by

Captain Cold Captain Cold (Leonard Snart) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino, the character first appeared in '' Showcase'' #8 (June 1957). In his comic book appearances, ...

Captain Boomerang Captain Boomerang is the name of two supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, who respectively serve as enemies to both the Barry Allen and Wally West versions of the Flash (DC Comics character), Flash. Created by wr ...

Heat Wave A heat wave or heatwave, sometimes described as extreme heat, is a period of abnormally hot weather generally considered to be at least ''five consecutive days''. A heat wave is usually measured relative to the usual climate in the area and ...

Mirror Master Mirror Master is the name of several supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is a recurring foe of the Flash (comics), Flash with considerable technical expertise and skills involving the use of mirrors. Three ...

, and

Top Top most commonly refers to: * Top, a basic term of orientation, distinguished from bottom, front, back, and sides * Spinning top, a ubiquitous traditional toy * Top (clothing), clothing designed to be worn over the torso * Mountain top, a moun ...

at the Flash Museum. Defeating the rogues, he discovers that they have been hired by his arch-enemy

Professor Zoom Eobard Thawne, also known as the Reverse-Flash and Professor Zoom, is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by John Broome (writer), John Broome and Carmine Infantino, the character first appeared in ''T ...

as part of a plan to destroy Central City. With the help of the

Justice League The Justice League, or Justice League of America (JLA), is a group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). Writer Gardner Fox conceived the ...

, Zoom's plot is thwarted. While being taken to prison, Zoom taunts Flash over the death of his mother. The next day, Barry discovered that the world has changed: his powers are gone, his mother is alive, his wife Iris is married to someone else, and the Justice League does not exist.

Aquaman Aquaman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, the character debuted in ''More Fun Comics'' #73 (November 1941). Initially a backup feature in DC's anthology titles ...

and his Atlantean forces have sunk

Western Europe Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's extent varies depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the Western half of the ancient Mediterranean ...

, while

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superheroine who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''All Star Comics'' Introducing Wonder Woman, #8, published October 21, 1941, with her first feature in ''Sensation Comic ...

has led the

Amazons The Amazons (Ancient Greek: ', singular '; in Latin ', ') were a people in Greek mythology, portrayed in a number of ancient epic poems and legends, such as the Labours of Hercules, Labours of Heracles, the ''Argonautica'' and the ''Iliad''. ...

in conquering the United Kingdom. Both forces have been at war since an alliance between them collapsed after Wonder Woman killed Aquaman's wife Mera, who had confronted her for having an affair with Aquaman.

Cyborg A cyborg (, a portmanteau of ''cybernetics, cybernetic'' and ''organism'') is a being with both Organic matter, organic and biomechatronic body parts. The term was coined in 1960 by Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline.Batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...

to join them, but his refusal leads the government to scrap the plan, and instead recruit pilot

Hal Jordan Harold "Hal" Jordan, one of the characters known as Green Lantern, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created in 1959 by writer John Broome (writer), John Broome and artist Gil Kane, and f ...

to fly an alien spacecraft to bomb the Atlanteans. Barry visits the Batcave, but is attacked by Batman, who he realizes is not Bruce Wayne but his father

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...

. Attempting to explain things to Batman, Barry tries to show him his Flash costume, but the costume in his ring turns out to be Professor Zoom's, causing Barry to believe Zoom is responsible for the timeline alteration. Convinced of Barry's good intentions, Batman helps him recreate the accident that gave him his powers, but the attempt fails and Barry is severely burned as a result. In London,

Steve Trevor General Steven Rockwell Trevor is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with the superhero Wonder Woman. The character was created by William Moulton Marston and first appeared in ' ...

attempts to extricate reporter Lois Lane, but is discovered by the Amazons and killed. The Amazons hunt down Lane, who is rescued by the local resistance. Meanwhile, in the remains of Paris, Deathstroke and

Lex Luthor Alexander "Lex" Joseph Luthor () is a supervillain in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the character first appeared in ''Action Comics'' #23 (published on February 22, 1940, with a cover d ...

are attacked and killed by Aquaman's forces while tracking the energy trail of Aquaman's new weapon, which is powered by a captive

Captain Atom Captain Atom is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books, initially owned by Charlton Comics before being acquired in the 1980s by DC Comics. All possess some form of energy-manipulating abilities, usually relating to nuc ...

. At the Batcave, after realizing that his memories are changing, Barry asks Batman to recreate the accident again. The second attempt is successful. Barry regains his powers but cannot travel through time because Zoom is also using the

Speed Force A speedster is a character, primarily in superhero comics, whose powers primarily relate to superhuman speed (also known as superspeed). Primary abilities shared by all speedsters include running at speeds far in excess of human capability (to var ...

. Barry recruits more allies, beginning with

Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...

, who is a prisoner of the U.S. Government after his ship crashed into Metropolis. With the aid of Batman and Cyborg, they liberate Superman, who, after being empowered by Earth's yellow sun, fends off the facility's security before fleeing in fear and confusion. Barry collapses as his memories continue to change and is taken to Billy Batson's home to recuperate. There, he learns that Jordan's attack has failed, and the final battle between Amazons and Atlanteans has begun. Barry convinces the superheroes to help stop the war, and they depart for Britain aboard Batman's jet, only to be shot down upon arrival. Batson and his siblings combine into Captain Thunder to fight Wonder Woman, while Barry, Cyborg and Batman occupy Aquaman. Zoom reveals himself and viciously beats Barry. He explains that Barry is responsible for this alternate timeline: Barry traveled back in time to save his mother, fracturing the fabric of reality. Wonder Woman uses her lasso to force Captain Thunder back into Batson and kills him. Superman arrives but cannot save Cyborg from Aquaman, who remotely detonates his Captain Atom-powered bomb. As the explosion tears across the landscape, Zoom is killed by Batman. The dying Batman urges Barry to run, giving him a letter addressed to Bruce. Barry races back in time and stops his earlier self, again fracturing time and creating a new timeline. Barry awakens at his desk and finds that reality is apparently back to normal. He visits Bruce to tell him about everything that occurred and gives him the letter. Wayne thanks him before Barry runs off. In a

post-credits scene A post-credits scene (also known as a stinger, end tag, or credit cookie) is a short teaser clip that appears after the closing credits have rolled and sometimes after a production logo of a film, TV show, or video game has run. It is usually ...

, a hole Tube opens in space above Earth and a horde of Parademons emerges.

Voice cast

* Justin Chambers as Barry Allen / The Flash * C. Thomas Howell as Eobard Thawne / Professor Zoom *

as Bruce Wayne / Batman *

as Thomas Wayne / Batman * Michael B. Jordan as Victor Stone / Cyborg *

Etrigan the Demon Etrigan the Demon is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Jack Kirby, Etrigan is a demon from Hell who, despite his violent tendencies, usually finds himself allied with the forces of good, mainly beca ...

''(credited)'',

''(uncredited)'', Canterbury Cricket ''(uncredited)'' *

Steve Blum Steven Jay Blum (; born April 29, 1960) is an American voice actor. Known for his distinctively deep voice, his roles include Spike Spiegel from the anime series ''Cowboy Bebop''; Amon from ''The Legend of Korra''; Heatblast, Ghostfreak, and ...

''(credited)'', Captain Thunder ''(uncredited)'' * Sam Daly as Clark Kent / Kal-El / Superman *

as Orin / Arthur Curry / Aquaman *

as Hal Jordan / Green Lantern *

Grey DeLisle-Griffin Grey DeLisle (; born Erin Grey Van Oosbree; August 24, 1973), sometimes credited as Grey Griffin, is an American voice actress and singer-songwriter. DeLisle is known for various roles in animated productions and video games. On September 27, ...

as Nora Allen ''(credited)'', Young Barry Allen ''(uncredited)'', Martha Wayne / Joker ''(uncredited)'' * Jennifer Hale as

Iris West Iris Ann West-Allen is a fictional character, a supporting character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. She has been the main love interest and later wife of Barry Allen, the alter ego of the Silver Age version of the supe ...

''(credited)'', Billy Batson ''(uncredited)'' *

Danny Huston Daniel Sallis Huston (born May 14, 1962) is an American-British actor, director and screenwriter. A member of the Huston family of filmmakers, he is the son of director John Huston and half-brother of actress Anjelica Huston. He is known for ...

as General Sam Lane * Danny Jacobs as Cole Cash / Grifter ''(credited)'', Leonard Snart / Captain Cold ''(uncredited)'' * Peter Jessop as Dr. Vulko *

Lex Lang Lex Lang is an American voice actor and voice director, who has provided voices and served as a director for a number of animations and video games. He is best known for voicing Doctor Neo Cortex in the '' Crash Bandicoot'' franchise, Suguru ...

as Nathaniel Adam / Captain Atom ''(credited)'', Funeral Presider ''(uncredited)'' * Vanessa Marshall as Princess Diana / Wonder Woman *

Candi Milo Candyce Anne Rose Milo (born January 9, 1961) Timestamps: (00:27:12-00:27:45) Milo states that she is "firmly 51". (00:06:40-00:06:47) Milo states that she was born in Palm Springs. (00:16:23-00:16:25) She says her birthday is in January. (00:48 ...

as Persephone ''(credited)'', Pedro Pena ''(uncredited)'' *

as Slade Wilson / Deathstroke *

Kevin Michael Richardson Kevin Michael Richardson (born October 25, 1964) is an American actor. Known for his distinctively deep voice, he has mostly voiced villainous characters in animation and video games. In film, Richardson voiced Goro in ''Mortal Kombat'' (1995) ...

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

''(credited)'', James Forrest ''(uncredited)'' * Andrea Romano as Doris ''(credited)'', Central City Newsreader ''(uncredited)'' *

James Patrick Stuart James Patrick Stuart (born June 16, 1968) is an American actor. He portrays Valentin Cassadine on the daytime soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and tel ...

''(credited)'', George "Digger" Harkness / Captain Boomerang ''(uncredited)'', Orm Marius / Ocean Master ''(uncredited)'' *

Hynden Walch Hynden Walch (born February 1, 1971) is an American actress best known for voicing Starfire in the ''Teen Titans'' franchise and Princess Bubblegum in ''Adventure Time''. She also voiced Penny Sanchez in '' ChalkZone'', Elsie in ''Stanley'', ...

as Yo-Yo

Soundtrack

The soundtrack to ''Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox'' was released on September 10, 2013. The music was composed by Frederik Wiedmann.

Reception

Critical reception

The

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

reported an approval rating of 100%, with an average score of 7.3, based on 6 reviews.

IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...

gave a ''Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox'' 8.5/10, and said it has outdone its source material. It called the style "sleek and hard-hitting", praised C. Thomas Howell's voice acting which it said brought "unnerving dread", and stated that it is the "most hardcore DC animated movie to date", although it also warns against the level of violence and said that the numerous cameos "detract from the main story".

Sales

The film earned $5,263,980 from domestic home video sales.

DC Animated Movie Universe

The post-credits scene in ''Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox'' sets up the film '' Justice League: War'' which officially began the

. A plot point towards the end of the film is also revisited and expanded in '' Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay'', which also belongs to the DC Animated Movie Universe continuity. It is also revisited in the final film '' Justice League Dark: Apokolips War'' of this continuity when

John Constantine John Constantine (), also known as Hellblazer, is an antihero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. He was created by Alan Moore, Steve Bissette, and John Totleben, and first appeared in ''Swamp Thing'' #37 (June 1985). I ...

looks into Barry Allen's mind after freeing him from

Darkseid Darkseid () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer-artist Jack Kirby, the character first made a cameo appearance in ''Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen'' #134 (December 1970), before being fully in ...

's slavery.

Notes

References

External links

*
Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox
' at

Internet Movie Database IMDb, historically known as the Internet Movie Database, is an online database of information related to films, television series, podcasts, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and biograp ...

''Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox''
at {{Studio 4°C 2013 American animated direct-to-video films 2013 films 2010s direct-to-video animated superhero films 2010s animated superhero films American animated science fiction films Films about adultery Apocalyptic films Animated apocalyptic films 2010s English-language films Cultural depictions of Barack Obama DC Universe Animated Original Movies DC Animated Movie Universe American dystopian films Flash (comics) in other media Animated Justice League films Films about nuclear war and weapons Films based on works by Geoff Johns Films scored by Frederik Wiedmann Films set in London Films set in Paris Animated films about time travel Films directed by Jay Oliva 2013 science fiction films Flash (comics) films English-language science fiction films English-language action films 2010s films about time travel Joker (character) in other media