The Flash: Why Wayne Manor (& The Batcave) Are Deserted — Every Theory

Fans got their first look at The Flash in a brand new trailer released at DC FanDome, showing off what appears to be a deserted layout of Wayne Manor and the Batcave. The DCEU film is set to feature not just one, but two distinct versions of the Dark Knight, with Justice League‘s Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton both returning to reprise their respective roles. With multiple versions of Bruce Wayne starring in the film alongside Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen, there are a number of promising theories as to why Wayne Manor and the Batcave appear to be abandoned.

In the acclaimed Flashpoint comics that The Flash is based on, Barry Allen creates a nightmarish, nearly apocalyptic alternate timeline after traveling to the past to stop the death of his mother. In that timeline, Bruce Wayne’s father Thomas became Batman after Bruce died, leading to a new, more brutal version of the iconic character. The DCEU movie is clearly taking things in a different direction, with major characters like Wonder Woman, Superman, Aquaman, and Cyborg—all of whom play major roles in the original Flashpoint story—all being absent from the film. However, the general idea of a darker, scarier timeline seems to still be part of the upcoming movie, and it could explain why Batman appears to have deserted his old haunts.

DC hasn’t revealed much about the exact details of The Flash’s story, but there’s enough to develop a few likely theories as to Bruce Wayne’s mysterious absence. There’s also the possibility that, since The Flash will involve multiple timelines, the Wayne Manor and Batcave seen in the teaser could be two completely different places belonging to two completely different versions of Batman. Here are some of the possibilities for why the Dark Knight’s home is empty in The Flash.

Theory: Batman Is Dead In The Flash

Perhaps the most obvious theory as to the deserted nature of Wayne Manor and the Batcave in The Flash is simply that Batman is dead. It’s been confirmed that Keaton’s Bruce Wayne is the same version who appeared in Batman and Batman Returns, which means that his world is probably an alternate universe to the DCEU entirely, rather than an altered timeline created by the Flash. That means that the Wayne Manor seen in the Flash trailer could belong to Affleck’s Batman, and that it might be in such disrepair because the alternate timeline created by the Scarlet Speedster’s disastrous time travel caused Affleck’s Bruce Wayne to die. Because Barry and Affleck’s Bruce are so close in the DCEU, the latter’s death could be what causes Barry to undo any potentially altered timelines in the first place.

Theory: Batman Is Retired In The Flash

A similar but less gruesome theory explaining the empty Wayne Manor and Batcave in The Flash’s teasertrailer is that Bruce Wayne has retired his Batman persona. That would suggest the shots are of Keaton’s universe. Because Keaton’s Batman is older, and because in the trailer he appears somewhat disillusioned with the good fight he once led, it’s likely that his version of Bruce Wayne simply gave up on Batman, retreating to the isolation of his ancestral family home and letting the outside of the estate decline into ruin.

It seems that Keaton’s Dark Knight takes some convincing from the Flash (all versions) to aid them in their quest, which supports the idea that he’s pulled back from his heyday of hero work. The Wayne Manor in the Flash teaser trailer mirrors the same property featured in The Dark Knight Rises–a house similarly neglected and home to a Christian Bale’s reclusive Batman. Even mainline DC Comics arcs like The Dark Knight Returns have set precedent for a disillusioned, hermit-esque Batman, which could be exactly what Keaton is delivering. It’s also worth noting that a retired Batman arc does not preclude Affleck’s Bruce Wayne from being dead. Indeed, the two stories could both end up being part of The Flash.

Related: Is Ezra Miller Playing Both Versions Of The Flash?

Theory: Batman Has Gone Into Hiding In The Flash

Depending on how grim things have been for the Dark Knight, he could have retreated beyond his own home and gone into full-on hiding in The Flash. That could apply to either applicable version of the character – Keaton’s or Affleck’s Batman. In the Flash teaser trailer, Miller’s Barry Allen confronts Keaton’s Bruce Wayne in what appears to be the Batcave, suggesting that the Caped Crusader could be hiding in plain sight. Affleck’s Batman doesn’t appear at all, which could indicate his own chosen disappearance. If this theory holds true, the more interesting question is why Batman would go into hiding at all. Did he suffer some great loss, as Flashpoint’s Thomas Wayne did? Was his secret identity revealed to the world, forcing him even further into the shadows? Or did he simply grow tired of Gotham – a city that he spent his life trying to heal, but that never truly did. For now, the answer remains unclear.

Theory: Batman Has Gone Missing In The Flash

Lastly, it’s possible that Batman has simply gone missing in The Flash. Perhaps, after saving his mother’s life and returning to his original time period, Miller’s Barry Allen finds that Bruce Wayne simply vanished. Because Affleck hasn’t yet been shown in any official trailer footage, that theory seems to have some decent support already. The idea of a missing Batman has been explored recently in the Arrowverse’s Batwoman series, as well as in DC comics like The Return of Bruce Wayne.

If Batman didn’t disappear by choice, it’s possible that he could have been kidnapped by an as-yet unknown villain. The Flash movie has no official villain announced at this stage, but that surely won’t be the case in the final version. Because of the parallels to the Flashpoint storyline, some have theorized that Eobard Thawne, AKA Professor Zoom/Reverse Flash, could be the film’s big bad, and he’s definitely someone capable of removing Batman from the picture if Barry messes up the Speed Force or the timestream. For now, there’s no way to know for sure why Wayne Manor has been deserted in The Flash, but it should be exciting to discover the answers when the film finally releases.

About The Author

Rick Stevenson
(1221 Articles Published)

Rick Stevenson is a writer, editor and performer based in Brooklyn, NY. He’s written on TV, film and games for over six years, in addition to assorted stints in bookselling, carpentry, and TV production. Rick studied writing at the College of William & Mary and Oxford University, and can report with some authority that they are both old. He lives and dies for Avatar: The Last Airbender.

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