Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Flash (2023).
Twitter is both the best and worst place to talk about TV and movies. After a popular show’s finale, there’s nothing like commiserating with random people on the Internet, or joining in on the excitement of an upcoming movie (Barbie will do incredible in ticket sales from Twitter users alone). On the other hand, it’s frustrating scrolling through the social media app and seeing endless spoilers of a movie that’s been out for only a few days. In the case of The Flash, the strange (but somewhat funny) discourse going on right now is all about a common kitchen appliance and a baby. Seriously.
The new The Flash movie follows Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) in a multiversal adventure stemming from the realization of a new power: he can travel back in time if he runs fast enough. Of course, he tries to undo one of the most traumatic and defining moments of his life and ends up causing a ripple effect impacting everything and everyone around him. But the microwave scene? That shows up early on in the film, long before anyone travels to another timeline and even before any other superheroes actually show up.
So in case you’ve been scrolling through social media and see a short clip involving The Flash, a microwave, and a baby, and have absolutely no idea what’s going on, we can explain. We promise, it’s not that confusing. There’s no need to know any comic book lore or DCEU background. And no, no babies were cooked in the scene. We promise.
What is The Flash scene with the microwave and the baby?
In the beginning of the film, Batman’s butler, Alfred (Jeremy Irons) calls Barry to save civilians trapped in a collapsing wing of a hospital. Of course, the way Barry completes the task is by working within the span of seconds to move various people out of the way of harm before the entire building falls in on itself. And as it’s a hospital, Barry has to save the many, many newly born infants in the hospital’s East Wing.
With so many babies to catch, Barry improvises. He throws objects around to prevent shrapnel from harming the kids, prepares a stretcher to lie them all down gently, and yes, he puts a baby in a microwave to protect it from everything flying through the air and to stop it from coming to any harm during the fall. When time restarts, he takes the baby out and lays it down on the stretcher, along with the others. Just another day in the life of a superhero.
That’s it, that’s the scene. But of course, out of context (or played in reverse) it’s very, very strange. Not to mention all the babies have strange CGI faces akin to Polar Express. And the Internet loves making jokes about it.
Internet Reactions to The Flash and the Microwave Baby
Tom Cruise got a little dig for his supposed love of The Flash:
And a few kind people have explained why the clip is going viral and what’s actually happening in the movie:
Milan Polk is an Editorial Assistant for Men’s Health who specializes in entertainment and lifestyle reporting, and has worked for New York Magazine’s Vulture and Chicago Tribune.
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