With most superhero movies these days, there are two types of post-credits scenes: the teaser for the next movie, and the gag scene. The gag scene has its roots in the post-credits scenes of ‘80s comedies — think the “you’re still here?” stinger at the end of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off — and still lives on today even in superhero movies. Usually they’re the final coda after a meatier mid-credits scene teased the next film in the franchise, but in the case of The Flash, there’s only the one. And, surprisingly, it’s a gag scene.
What Happens in The Flash Post-Credits Scene?
In the post-credits scene, Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) and Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa) stumble back from the bar after Arthur had finished his latest bender. Barry tries to explain to Arthur why Batman looks different to him: unlike their multiversal variants, every alternate version of Bruce Wayne looks different from the other. This is why the Batman of Barry’s new altered timeline looks like George Clooney (from 1997’s Batman & Robin) instead of Ben Affleck.
But Arthur doesn’t currently have the capacity to process the multiverse, and instead collapses into a puddle of water on the street. Barry protests, as Arthur was supposed to crash on his couch, but Arthur just takes off his ring and tells him to pawn it for another drink. Barry heads off, grumbling about using real Atlantean jewelry to buy alcohol, leaving Arthur facedown in the puddle.
A Gag Scene Teasing More Aquaman
No, Arthur probably won’t drown to death (he’s Aquaman, duh). But he’s clearly onto his next adventure in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom ... after he’s recovered from his hangover, of course. It’s a short scene obviously meant as a lighthearted gag after the shocking reveal of Batman’s new face. But the problem with this scene is that it neither functions well as either a gag scene or a teaser.
The issue is that The Flash doesn’t have a handle on Aquaman’s bombastic, hilariously dumb brand of comedy. That was a movie that opened with an octopus playing the drums. It’s a movie which saw Aquaman dropping zingers like, “Permission to come aboard” after he had already burst into a flooding submarine. It’s a movie where each conversation was interrupted by an explosion. Instead, in The Flash, Aquaman is just portrayed as a drunkard who falls asleep in street puddles.
It’s not a huge deal that Aquaman is a little out of character from how he’s portrayed in his solo films. But the least The Flash could’ve done was interrupt Barry and Arthur’s conversation with an explosion.
