Spoilers below for anyone who hasn't yet watched the latest episode of The Flash.
For five seasons, The Flash has called back to one particularly troublesome newspaper headline from the future, and despite its characters' actions and best intentions to alter time, Team Flash has been unsuccessful in changing that newspaper's headline. We finally know why now, as showrunner Todd Helbing has confirmed the headline will be addressed soonish-ly, in an event where The Flash is supposed to disappear without a trace.
We've certainly been teasing [the headline] a long time, but it's a major factor in next year's crossover. There will be little tidbits here and there that people will be able to start to put together.
Confirming that the "Crisis" in this headline is the one comic fans have hoped for, Todd Helbing is finally coming out and admitting that Barry's disappearance will be linked to the upcoming "Crisis On Infinite Earths" crossover. That's good to know, especially given Helbing told TVGuide that "little tidbits" about the event will start being scattered across the series for fans to take note of. Now's the time to be keeping tabs on the smallest of details in order to dissect them on the internet!
Fans may want to get their eagle eyes checked with the quickness, because there has to be a reason why The Flash staff is finally confirming details of the newspaper after years of non-answers and vague responses. The clock is ticking down to the big crossover, so it's fair to expect clever clues leading into "Crisis On Infinite Earths" will be doled out sooner rather than later in upcoming episodes.
One particular detail that's been on the mind of The Flash faithful is how each show intends to handle the fact that "Crisis On Infinite Earths" takes place in the year 2024. Is The Flash going to undergo a massive five-year time jump in Season 6, and will the other Arrow-verse shows go along with it? Todd Helbing gave fans squat in regards to that information, but the newspaper's date does seemingly confirm when the Infinite Earths Crisis is going down for these shows.
Todd Helbing's revelations offer a somewhat clearer vision for the future for The Flash, and are a breath of fresh air compared to when its former showrunner was in charge. The creative team's additional planning shows in Season 5, as even the one-off villains' episodes carry more weight tied to the main plot than many have in past seasons. Perhaps "Crisis On Infinite Earths" is the cause of that, given there's only so much time to prepare the audience and the various storylines for that event.
The Flash will be dropping its breadcrumb-shaped clues and references on The CW every Tuesday night at 8:00 p.m. ET. Be sure to keep up with CinemaBlend for all the latest theories and analysis on the speedster drama, and take a look at what else is happening on television in the first half of 2019 by visiting our midseason premiere guide.
