Justice League: The Flash's Dad Is Actually a Very Famous Actor

OK, maybe Justice League isn't the best superhero movie that's ever been made, but there's still plenty of room to enjoy it. Once you look beyond the sad Amazonian costume redesign (and the other myriad issues), it's still an action-packed, much more lighthearted, overall sort of entertaining addition to the cinematic branch of the DC Extended Universe. All things considered, some of the best fun during Justice League comes from the little Easter eggs that are sprinkled throughout. You know, like the postcredits scene and the little superhero cameo. Oh, and then there's the (very handsome) man who plays the father of the Flash aka Barry Allen aka Mr. Ezra Miller, who is also very handsome.

Barry's dad, Henry Allen, only pops up in a couple of Justice League scenes. Henry is in prison for allegedly murdering Barry's mom, Nora Allen. Near the beginning of Justice League, Barry goes to visit his father. Henry tells Barry that the prison visits are unnecessary; Barry needs to get on with his life. By the end of the film, Barry has locked down a new job, and he visits his dad again to share the good news. If you found yourself recognizing Henry Allen's very angular face, that's because he's played by Billy Crudup!

Perhaps Crudup's most memorable role was as Russell Hammond in Almost Famous. Russell is, if you haven't seen the film, the romantic opposite of Penny Lane (Kate Hudson). But Crudup's two-decade career spans far beyond Almost Famous; he also played Will Bloom in Big Fish and appeared in Mission: Impossible III, Eat Pray Love, Without Limits, and Waking the Dead.

More recently, he's been getting even meatier roles. You might remember him as the journalist who interviews Jackie Onassis (Natalie Portman) in Jackie, Eric MacLeish in Spotlight, and William in 20th Century Women. He also plays Oram in Alien: Covenant aka the guy who gets the classic facehugger treatment. Crudup has also been cast in the upcoming adaptation of Where'd You Go, Bernadette?

The coolest part about Crudup's inclusion in Justice League is the fact that he's already kind of, sort of a part of the DC Extended Universe. In 2009, he appeared as Dr. Manhattan aka Jon Osterman in Watchmen. Of course, there's a catch. While Watchmen and Justice League are technically both under the DC Comics umbrella, they don't necessarily tie directly into each other. Even so, it's pretty cool that Crudup appeared in another DC-adjacent comic book movie that was also directed by Zack Snyder.

Anyway, we all know the real reason Henry Allen is imprisoned in Justice League, right? It's because he's — yep, you guessed it — criminally good-looking. I'll see myself out.