Earlier this week, The CW concluded its ambitious “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover event, which adapted the same-named comic book storyline from the 1980s and squeezed in a lot of cameos on top of the already stacked main lineup of characters. Among the most surprising appearances, if not the top-ranked, came in the Arrow episode when Grant Gustin’s Flash and Ezra Miller’s Flash came face to face.
Having the movie and TV versions of the Scarlet Speedster cross paths is something that had been a pipe dream for years, and as it turns out, bringing Ezra Miller into “Crisis on Infinite Earths” was not only something that came together late into the creative process, but at the request of Warner Bros president Peter Roth. "Crisis" executive producer Marc Guggenheim recalled:
We were series wrapped on Arrow, and we were wrapped on the whole crossover. We were in post and some episodes were locked, and some were soft-locked. I got a phone call from [Warner Bros. boss] Peter Roth saying, ‘I know you’re locked, but can you put Ezra into the crossover?’ And I said, ‘Yes.’ And he said, ‘How, you’re series wrapped? And you’re wrapped on the crossover.’ And I said, ‘Yeah, I know, but if you’re telling me Ezra Miller can be in the crossover, I can make it happen.’
From there, as Marc Guggenheim explained to Variety, he called The Flash showrunner Eric Wallace to inform him about the Ezra Miller cameo, and Wallace then called series star Grant Gustin to see if he was “100% onboard” with this. He was, and once Guggenheim spoke with Miller and explained the scene he’d written, they were good to go. Miller traveled to Vancouver, the cameo was never leaked and it served as a true surprise in a time when spoilers are more rampant than ever.
In case you didn’t tune in to “Crisis on Infinite Earths” Part 4, while traveling through the Speed Force, Grant Gustin’s Barry Allen ended up in a simulation of his Earth’s S.T.A.R. Labs, which is where he met Ezra Miller’s DC Extended Universe Barry Allen, who had no idea where he was. The two had a brief back-and-forth where they compared costumes and Miller’s Barry learned of his counterpart’s superhero identity. Before disappearing, the DCEU Flash finally realized the multiverse was a thing, which will make his life a lot more interesting going forward.
Ezra Miller’s “Crisis on Infinite Earths” cameo marked his fourth appearance as The Flash, having previously appeared in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad and Justice League. There’s also been a Miller-led Flash movie in the works for over half a decade, but it’s dealt with numerous delays and setbacks, and now it’s scheduled for a 2022 release.
The fact that Peter Roth asked for Ezra Miller to be included in “Crisis on Infinite Earths” indicates there’s definitely still interest in this version of The Flash. While the direction of the DCEU has changed significantly post-Justice League, Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman and Jason Momoa’s Aquaman are still leading their own film series, and while I won’t believe the Flash movie is really happening until cameras start rolling, it seems like Miller’s Flash stands a better chance of sticking around too.
As for whether or not Movie Flash and TV Flash will meet again, that’s hard to say, and Marc Guggenheim added that that question is up Warner Bros and DC. However, he added that the companies, including DC Comics’ Co-Publisher and Chief Creative Officer Jim Lee, have a “wonderful vision” for not just the cinematic Flash, but the entire DC Universe. So perhaps there will be an opportunity for these Flashes of two worlds to have a proper team-up in the years to come.
The Flash is slated to race into theaters on July 1, 2022. Find out what other DC movies are on the way with our comprehensive guide.
