"I mean, I can't imagine what you've been through. It's like you lost both parents in one day."
— Iris West to Barry Allen
Since The Flash is all about saying goodbye to the past, which includes the DC Extended Universe, there's no denying that tears will be shed for this travel through time.
- Ben Affleck's final appearance as Bruce Wayne has him reassuring Barry they'll hang out some other time. With the reshaping of history and Ben Affleck's retirement from the role, it's incredibly sobering to know this Bruce has no idea that by morning he'll be lost to time.
- Barry reaches out to Michael Keaton's Bruce Wayne and tells him that his Ben Affleck counterpart also had an Alfred. As the Burtonverse Alfred has long since passed away, you can see Bruce haunted by the loss of his only other parental figure.
- Michael Keaton's Batman - the Batman who kickstarted the Batman film franchise and set the standard for five successors and counting - meets his end in this movie, twice.
- His first death has him attempt an Heroic Sacrifice to destroy Zod's ship, which doesn't work.
- His second and final death has him give his life fighting one of Zod's goons, before he succumbs to his injuries. Keaton-Batman's final moments, in a way seems to be directed to the audience that grew up with him and wanted to see him back, with Barry asking Keaton-Bruce if there is a way to bring him back, to which Keaton's Bruce responds that he already has before he passes away. For added measure, a diminished version of his theme tune plays him out much like Darth Vader's death in Return of the Jedi.
- Additionally as result of Barry goes back in time to undo his previous disruption and restoring his universe back to normal, that ends up erasing Keaton-Batman, or at least this movie's version of him, from existence.
- Kara finding out that Zod killed Clark, Kara doesn't take the death of her little cousin well at all and goes in Roaring Rampage of Revenge.
- Zod doesn't look too happy with himself either. He'd do anything to save his people but even him pointlessly killing an infant, his best friend's infant, has left him far more subdued and self-loathing than the Prime Zod.
- 2013 Barry's start of darkness, which led to him becoming Dark Flash. Dragged into the hero life by Barry at 18 almost overnight which soon turned into an existential war that they are doomed to lose even with the help of Batman and Supergirl, and having to watch them die as he rewinds the war countless times as he desperately tries to "get it right", and failing every time, even unto his old age, leading to his insanity is simply heartbreaking.Barry: Can we please just take a minute?
Barry (Alternate): Sorry, d'you- Yeah, but, bro, of course! (Chuckles) That's the whole thing, we can take as much time as it takes!- And how is the Dark Flash beaten? Alternate Barry grabs onto Barry and turns around right as Dark Flash is about to impale Barry, leading to him accidentally stabbing himself in the back. Barry tries to get Alternate Barry to heal himself, but he refuses long enough to watch the Dark Flash crumble away into nothingness. His last words to Barry really make you feel bad for him, especially when Barry quietly weeps afterwards.Barry (Alternate): You tell mom I love her.
- To rub salt into the wound, as Barry finally goes back in time to undo his mother's survival, the sands of time within the Chronobowl wipe away Alternate Barry's corpse with every step taken.
- And how is the Dark Flash beaten? Alternate Barry grabs onto Barry and turns around right as Dark Flash is about to impale Barry, leading to him accidentally stabbing himself in the back. Barry tries to get Alternate Barry to heal himself, but he refuses long enough to watch the Dark Flash crumble away into nothingness. His last words to Barry really make you feel bad for him, especially when Barry quietly weeps afterwards.
- 2013's Barry world is doomed to be destroyed by Zod regardless of what he does to change it, as every time he tries to change the past it always results with Zod killing Kara and terraforming Earth.
- Much like Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice revealed for Bruce Wayne, this film reveals that a newly-empowered Barry was also present in Metropolis on the day of Zod's invasion, and was only able to save one young boy before having to retreat. The boy's father couldn't be rescued because he was caught in the World Engine's levitation effect, meaning an agonized Barry had to cover the kid's eyes to stop him from witnessing this impending death.
- On top of that, the alternate timeline shows that the boy is in Metropolis during the invasion again, but with Barry fighting and ultimately failing to stop Zod's army miles away, there's no one to save him this time.
- At the end of everything, Barry goes back to the day of his mother's death and undoes his previous disruption, dooming his mother to a horrible death but saving the future. While there, he takes the time to have one final talk with his mother, who demonstrates her kindness by hugging this supposed stranger. During this hug, Barry breaks down in his mother's arms and apologizes for what he needs to do next, something his mother doesn't, and never will, know. Barry has ultimately accepted that no matter what powers he has, sooner or later his mother will have to die and he can't endanger the multiverse for her sake, so he does what everyday people have to do with their loved ones: he cherishes the time they have together."Love you, Mom. I love you more. I loved you first."
- As a further twist of the knife, Barry doesn't stop his past self from placing the crushed tomatoes can into the cart but instead removes it himself. Even if the events that will happen next aren't his fault in the slightest, Barry still had to play an indirect role in what would become his mother's death if it meant saving the world and is in turmoil over having to make that choice.
- Sadder when Barry learns that his father needs to be in prison in order to fix the timeline. After Barry switches the tomato cans in his mom's shopping cart, he goes back to the present where his father is exonerated in his mother's killing. After Barry switched the placement of the crushed tomato cans on the shelf, his father's face is shown on the CCTV footage thus clearing him of any wrong doing. After Bruce Wayne shows up to congratulate him, Barry realizes he has to fix the timeline, by making his father be found guilty of murder, because the wrong Bruce Wayne showed up.
