‘Rick and Morty’ fired Justin Roiland, so how can Peter Safran defend Ezra Miller as the DCU’s Flash?

In a day full of bombshells and surprises from DC Studios, one of the biggest was that in what’s growing to be an uncharacteristic move for the studio, they are retaining at least one of the actors involved in Justice League, the movie that should have been the flagship film of a shared DC universe — and to make matters more complicated, it’s the actor long considered to be the most problematic: Ezra Miller of The Flash.

Miller is reportedly now in treatment following a string of bizarre and often allegedly criminal actions, including drug possession, assault, harassment, and burglary, as well as accusations that they were responsible for grooming minors and displaying what People Magazine reported as “cult-like and psychologically manipulative, controlling behavior.”

In a year that has already seen Adult Swim part ways with Rick & Morty creator Justin Roiland over accusations of domestic abuse, many DC fans are asking how it is even possible that Miller is being kept on the DC roster when fan favorites like Henry Cavill have been dismissed from their superheroic roles in the DCU.

First of all, it should be noted that the admission of mental illness is not an admission that one no longer realizes the difference between right and wrong, while a valid explanation of someone’s behavior is not necessarily an excuse for it. With that said, Miller has reportedly been in treatment since August for what they stated were “complex mental health issues”. The statement went on to say that they are “committed to doing the necessary work to get back to a healthy, safe, and productive stage in my life.”

For his part, Peter Safran, the co-CEO of the studio and, along with James Gunn, the architect of the new DC Cinematic Universe, seems to be taking Miller at face value. “Ezra is completely committed to their recovery. We’re fully supportive of that journey that they’re on right now,” Safran told Deadline. “When the time is right, when they feel they are ready to have the discussion, we’ll all figure out what the best way forward is,” added the DC co-boss, “But right now, they are completely focused on their recovery.”

It might not hurt Miller’s tenure in the DCU that The Flash appears to be slated as the inciting event to kick off the newest iteration of the DCU. Gunn has called the upcoming movie “a fantastic movie that I really love that resets the entire DC Universe.” It may be that the two CEOs are reluctant to call out Miller’s past behavior until The Flash has done its job of resetting the DC Universe.

Safran maintains that Miller’s prognosis is legitimate. “In our conversations with them over the last couple of months, it feels like they’re making enormous progress,” he stated to Deadline. That may indeed be the case, but until the movie proves itself worth standing by Miller’s past behavior, diagnosis, and treatment notwithstanding, fans aren’t being unreasonable with leveling side-eye at both Gunn and Safran.