In the beginning, he’s more of a rumor. It’s really Iris’s story. Iris is the one who first really believes in this mysterious streak, this blur. He doesn’t even get called The Flash until a little deeper into the season. But it’s fun. It’s fun and it’s different. And we try to treat it as it would happen in the real world, where if somebody tells you about this mysterious red blur that pulled somebody out of a building, you would have skepticism and trepidation. There are a lot of people who are afraid of him at first too. But pretty soon, in the early part of next year, The Flash is going to make a big public appearance and Central City will be on its way to celebrating The Flash rather than fearing him.

—“How do the citizens of Central City react to The Flash?” TV Guide