Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, 2013
November 13, 2022 | ANA CHRISTALDI
Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox is a 2013 movie directed by Jay Olivia, written by James Krieg, and based on the graphic novel “Flashpoint” by Geoff Johns and Andy Kubert. The story follows protagonist, Barry Allen, aka the Flash (voiced by Justin Chambers), in a journey to save the world from an alternate timeline in which a war is ravaging the globe.
The Flash is a hero with the ability of super speed, traveling beyond the speed of light. Inspired to be a forensic scientist after his mother’s murder as a child, Barry wanted to help save the world before his powers. He quickly chooses to use them to meet that goal and becomes a member of the Justice League, a group of superheroes organized to protect the people of the world. Joining the Flash as core members are Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Cyborg, and Aquaman.
However, after foiling a plot by his nemesis, Eobard Thawne, known as the Reverse Flash (voiced by C. Thomas Howell), Barry suddenly wakes up in a world in threat of being destroyed by a war between the Amazons and the Atlanteans. The leaders of this war are Wonder Woman (Vanessa Marshall) and Aquaman (Cary Elwes), respectively. Significantly, Barry also discovers his mother is alive and well and that he doesn’t have his powers. He decides to find Batman for help and goes to meet him at his home at Wayne Manor.
Barry barges in looking for Bruce Wayne, also known as Batman. But he finds a jaded Thomas Wayne (Kevin McKidd) in the classic cowl instead. In this timeline, Bruce was the one who died in the alleyway and his parents survived instead.
Barry concludes that the timeline was ruptured by Eobard Thawne as soon as he discovers Eobard’s suit in his possession instead of his own. Speedsters have the ability to run so fast that they can tap into the timestream, an extremely dangerous ability which can send spider cracks throughout history from the smallest change. After some convincing, Thomas believes him and attempts to help Barry regain his powers.
Barry asks Thomas to help him regain his connection to the Speedforce which would in turn give him his powers back. Barry willingly douses himself with various chemicals and gets struck by lightning in order to regain his speed. After the first attempt is unsuccessful, he is knocked unconscious and begins to gain memories from this new timeline through his dreams, highlighting some significant changes. It is revealed that Superman was captured by the government and imprisoned as a baby instead of being adopted by the loving family from Smallville. Aquaman’s wife, Mera, was murdered by Wonder Woman after she caught the two of them together, the event that triggered the war. Commonly known villains like Lex Luthor, Captain Cold, Deathstroke, etc are working on the side of the heroes. The Amazons and the Atlanteans are rapidly destroying the world and the effort to stop it is less than fruitless.
As soon as he regains consciousness, covered in 3rd-degree burns, he immediately decides to do it again. This time, the experiment works and Barry quickly heals due to the hyper speed cellular regeneration speedsters’ possess.
His first action is attempting to time travel, using the Speedforce to tap into the timestream. But something, or someone, is blocking him. Knowing that Eobard is here and responsible for both the timeline changes and the inability to fix them, the path to setting everything right gets just a bit clearer. Now with the power to make a difference, he recruits Thomas to help him fix the timeline and erase the horrors of this world.
The pair recruit Cyborg (Michael B. Jordan) on a mission to find Superman for help. Discovering him malnourished in government custody he is cut off from his power supply and unaware of what he can do. Once they reach the rays of the yellow sun, however, his powers manifest and he is unable to control them. Frightened, he flies off and they lose one of their best shots.
Still determined to fight, the trio enters the warzone. But with Superman MIA, Green Lantern never gaining his powers, and Wonder Woman and Aquaman their opponents instead of allies, the chances are slim. Surrounded by ragtag heroes in a failing attempt at resistance and soldiers from both sides, the scene is packed with fear, destruction, and death.
In the heart of the horror, Eobard finally makes his appearance to fight Barry. As they race across the city, Eobard reveals how the timeline was destroyed: Barry did it. Barry Allen went back in time and saved his mother from being murdered. Doing so sent a shockwave through the timeline and changed things just enough to turn the world into hell on Earth. But despite Eobard’s superspeed, his intelligence, his time traveling ability, he has one glaring flaw in which he is incapable of not gloating. Distracted by his taunts, Thomas Wayne sneaks up behind him and shoots him in the head, killing him. Now that Eobard can no longer lock Barry from using the Speedforce, he runs to stop his past self from saving his mother just as Aquaman’s forces use a captured hero, Captain Adam, to create a nuclear blast strong enough to destroy the world.
When Barry wakes up, he is back in his timeline. There is no war, the heroes are still the heroes, and his mother is still dead. He stops by Wayne Manor to tell Bruce what happened, giving him a letter from his father that somehow was able to remain in this timeline.
The movie ends with a classic superhero shot of the Flash running around the city, prepared to fight whatever threat comes next.
Consequentialism is an ethical theory that analyzes the consequences of an action and uses them to determine the ultimate morality of it. A sub-form of Consequentialism is Utilitarianism, originally theorized by Jeremy Bentham in the 18th century. Bentham summarized his theory by stating, “It is the greatest happiness of the greatest number that is the measure of right and wrong.” (Bentham). This essentially means that happiness, or pleasure, derived from an action is what ultimately matters. However, he also states that the happiness should be had by the greatest number, therefore integrating the idea that personal happiness should not directly interfere with the happiness of others.
Barry Allen struggles with the concepts introduced in Consequentialism throughout the duration of The Flashpoint Paradox. The simple action of going back in time to save his mother causes the happiness of himself as well as his mother, who gets to live. But in doing so, he inadvertently creates a world where his friends are imprisoned, dead, evil, or locked from their true potential. Innocent civilians are in constant threat, villains are heroes, heroes are villains, and there is barely even a scrap of hope left. The drastic difference between the happiness of Barry and his mother versus the entire rest of the planet represent that this is not the greatest happiness for the greatest number. Further, Barry and his mother themselves are unhappy as they have to face this new reality. This easily identifies the action of saving his mother as morally wrong according to the standards of Consequentialism. The consequences, no matter the intentions, are problematic to the point of ruling the decision immoral.
Another of Barry’s choices that can be analyzed is his decision to step up and stop the war. Barry could have been content to have his mother back. He could’ve taken her to dinner like she said he was supposed to, he could’ve accepted the loss of his powers, he could’ve stood by this new timeline in which his mother lives. But he doesn’t. He chooses to get his powers back and throws himself into the fray in order to help as many people as he can. Because of Barry’s actions, Superman is freed from government custody in which he was mistreated and kept from his powers. If it weren’t for Barry, this timeline’s Superman would have never gained his freedom or his potential. This positive effect suggests that Barry’s attempt to make a difference were not only successful, but also morally right.
The final choice Barry makes is to undo his first one and stop himself from saving his mother. Once Eobard is dead, he can access the Speedforce to time travel again. He catches up to his past self and stops him from saving his mother, effectively resetting the timeline. The choice to let his mother die is steep, but he does it for the good of the world. The consequences of this action are the world’s safety, the happiness of his friends, and his life returned to him the way he actually lived it. He has to sacrifice his mother for the world and according to Consequentialism, this choice is ethically correct because it results in the greatest happiness for the greatest number.
Ultimately, the course of this movie happens because of an immoral choice made by Barry. Despite the best of intentions, the consequences are severe, unpredictable, and life-threatening. However, every choice he makes after this is done to fix the original mistake. These choices result in improving the lives of some of the people in the new timeline, even temporarily, and ultimately returning the world to the way it was. These results are positive and establish Barry as a morally right character who, despite his mistake, has the best interests of everyone at heart and is willing to do anything to right wrongs. Even if he himself created them.