Jim Lee Teases Ezra Miller's Flash Gets His Name From Meeting Grant Gustin's Version

As fans have speculated (and hoped) since January, DC executive Jim Lee seemingly confirmed today during DC FanDome that Ezra Miller's verison of Barry Allen will take the name "The Flash" from Grant Gustin's version from The CW TV show. The characters met during the "Crisis on Infinite Earths" crossover event on The CW, and the dialogue teased the possibility. During the Multiverse panel, people like Lee, Greg Berlanti, and Warner Bros.' Greg Hamada all gave indications that there could be more cross-platform crossovers happening down the line. The multiverse will enter the DC Films in earnest with The Flash, which makes sense, all things considered.

In the fourth hour of the crossover, Ezra Miller appeared as The Flash, sharing the screen with Grant Gustin's version of the hero at S.T.A.R. Labs. After a brief bit where the two figure out that they're the same person, the Gustin Flash seemingly gives Miller's version of Barry Allen the inspiration for his superhero code name, telling him "I'm The Flash, too." Miller's Barry Allen is first confused, and then inspired, by the choice of moniker. But of course, before we have a chance to find out exactly how or whether this interaction will impact anything in the future, Miller blinks out of existence, saying as he does that he "told Victor" that a multiverse was possible. That has led a lot of fans to wonder about Cyborg's role in the planned The Flash movie.

The grounded take that Zack Snyder tried to introduce to the DC movies seemingly precluded anybody being too enthusiastic about embracing their colorful codenames. Other than Batman and Superman, who were named between films, more or less everybody in the movies went the whole time without their actual superhero identity being named onscreen.

It felt like a particularly smart place for Miller's Flash to turn up, since his strange cameo -- leaping out of the Speed Force to yell at Batman -- in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice reminded fans of the way the character appeared to Batman in the Crisis on Infinite Earths comic books.

"Anyone who knows anything about Barry Allen knows that he's always late. But then when he arrives, he gets stuff done. And that's definitely how this film's production schedule is proceeding. We're a little late," Miller explained recently. "But the reason why we are late, and this is the honest to god truth... We're all — and I include myself in this — we are very meticulously focused on making a movie that's not just one of the greatest superhero movies that we can possibly make. This movie's also going to be a gift to the fans."

The Flash is currently set to release in theaters on July 1, 2022. Here's how you can stream "Crisis on Infinite Earths."