The Flash Showrunner Says “Crisis on Infinite Earths” Will Inject Energy Into the Show

Last night, Arrow‘s finale gave fans a sense of how “Crisis on Infinite Earths” will happen in the Arrowverse — and The Flash showrunner Todd Helbing says that he is excited by the story, which has been teased since the beginning of The Flash. In the pilot, fans got to see a newspaper from the future that said that The Flash would die in a “Crisis,” with another headline alluding to red skies. Fans of the comics immediately knew these as references to Crisis on Infinite Earths, the ’80s crossover mega-event in which the Silver Age Flash (Barry Allen) died, and remained dead until more than 20 years later (real-world time).

During the “Elseworlds” crossover in December, Oliver Queen seemingly struck a deal with The Monitor that would give Barry (and Kara Zor-El) a reprieve, in exchange for…well, something. We are still not 100% sure what he and The Monitor will be doing together, but we do know that his daughter grows up without him and resenting vigilantes, so that probably gives a pretty good idea of what is going on. Over on The Flash, though, Barry will likely be learning tonight that the event he has been dreading for years — the one originally slated for 2024…has been moved up to later this year.

“When I first read the pilot, and then I saw the pilot, I always assumed that that fight would be the series finale,” Helbing admitted. “So yeah, I like it a lot, moving it up. Look, there are so many things we can do after that. I think it’s a nice way to get to that sooner than later, and it has changed my view of the show. I think it actually sort of is going to inject a new sense of energy into the show, which in a season-six show you always want. I think the timing is perfect.”

Now that the Crisis is upon the characters (and the writers), there will undoubtedly be some questions that need answering. See if you can read between the lines in our full Q&A with Helbing, which will run later today. The Flash airs on Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. ET/PT on The CW. Tonight marks the season five finale, and after that begins the long march to next season’s “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover event.

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