The Justice League Appears in The Flash, but One Member is Left Out
Five members of the Justice League team appear on-screen in The Flash, with one member, unfortunately, left absent.
The Justice League assembled for the first time ever on the big screen in 2017 with a movie that was mired with problems due to studio interference, leading to the “Release the Snyder Cut” movement which wouldn’t pay off until 2021.
The team has never been seen properly together again since, aside from a shadowed cameo scene in Peacemaker. But The Flash has now come along to deliver something of a new Justice League, albeit less powerful.
Ray Fisher’s Cyborg Left Out The Flash
The Flash included appearances in one form or another from every member of the Justice League from the 2017 movie, except Ray Fisher’s Cyborg.
Obviously, Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen took the lead for The Flash, playing not one but two versions of his Speedster debut throughout the DC blockbuster.
Ben Affleck’s Batman had a major role in the opening action sequence where he brought the Flash on board to help him chase down Alberto Falcone in a “robbery gone wrong.” He also showed up shortly after as Bruce Wayne, where he talked with Barry outside his apartment about the risks of time travel.
Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman had one of the more surprising appearances, making a cameo to save Batman and Alberto Falcone from falling off a bridge using her famous Lasso of Truth. This led to a truly hilarious scene with the lasso and even some flirtatious energy with Affleck’s Batman.
Henry Cavill’s Superman may not have taken on a major role, but the Man of Steel did appear with a faceless cameo on a TV screen where he was shown to be pre-occupied with a volcano eruption in Guatemala while other members of the Justice League chased down Falcone.
Although absent through the majority of the movie, Jason Momoa’s Aquaman made a last-minute appearance in the post-credits scene as the drunken hero stumbled through the streets after a night out at a bar with Barry Allen.
Victor Stone is the only one of the six Justice Leaguers not to be seen physically in any form, but he does catch a couple of mentions in the movie as Barry Allen calls him a “friendly terminator” when listing members of the Justice League.
He is also mentioned when Barry looks up members of the Justice League when arriving on Michael Keaton’s Earth, only to discover Stone hasn’t become Cyborg, at least not yet, in this alternate timeline.
Why Ray Fisher’s Cyborg Skipped The Flash
Ray Fisher has been rather open about his dislike of Warner Bros. after the toxic treatment he received during the development of Justice League. He even celebrated the departure of former DC Films boss Walter Hamada before going after his replacement of DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn.
At one point, Fisher’s Cyborg was supposed to have a supporting role in The Flash which was diminished to a cameo – likely during the Justice League-filled opening action sequence – before he was ultimately cut from the movie altogether.
Fisher had been clear since then that he was not closing the door on appearing as Cyborg in The Flash, but, unfortunately, that never came to pass. It seems the plan was only to include the Justice League founder in a similar capacity to Ben Affleck’s Batman while he was holding out for a bigger role.
When HBO Max rebranded to Max in May 2023, Fisher’s Cyborg was the only absent Justice League member for the profile picture options until he was eventually added later after social media backlash from some fans.
With the DCU now set to reboot under James Gunn and much of the Justice League set for a recast, Fisher’s Cyborg will almost certainly never return. Whenever Cyborg does eventually show up once again, it will likely be with a new actor in the leading role, but who knows when that will happen.
The Flash hits theaters on Friday, June 16.