Flash


 * This article is about the second and current Flash. For the previous Flash, see Jay Garrick.

Flash (real name Barry Allen) is a superhero speedster from Central City and a of the Justice League. He is the former mentor of his nephew, Kid Flash, and the "Fastest Man Alive". Barry is the second person to have taken up the identity of the Flash, the first being Jay Garrick.

Personality
Although not much has been revealed about Barry Allen, he has so far demonstrated to be one of the more approachable members of the Justice League. Laid back, witty and always taking every possible moment to talk. He has a habit of being late to important events, which often annoys Kid Flash to no end. He is kindhearted and well-mannered, something Wally's parents wish would rub off on their son as well.

Physical appearance
Flash has short blond hair and green eyes. His superhero costume is a full-body suit that is all red, but has two small yellow lightning bolts across the waist and wrists. Like Kid Flash, he also has the yellow lightning bolt logo on his chest and boots. As for normal clothing, he wears an olive green shirt with a red sweater vest and a black tie with khaki pants and black shoes.

Early career
Barry Allen is a native of Central City, married to Iris. He has a degree in forensic science, and works as a CSI for the police in his hometown.

Barry Allen was a fan of Jay Garrick, the original Flash, and talked for hours with his idol. He eventually learned of the chemical explosion that gave Garrick his powers, and set out to recreate it. He succeeded in doing so, but his controlled experimental explosion was even more effective than Garrick's original accident, making the current "Flash" significantly faster than the original. Barry met Jay around 1999, and started his own career in the year 2000.

Flash was a founding member of the Justice League, and his nephew Wally West was a big fan of his hometown hero. When he discovered his favorite uncle was his favorite hero, Wally suggested that he'd become the Flash's sidekick. Barry was reluctant, and did not want to bear the responsibility of mentoring a young partner like Batman and Green Arrow had been doing. But Wally was determined, and he stole Barry's notes. After recreating the chemical explosion with his chemistry set, Wally ended up in the hospital. No solace from Iris could convince Barry it wasn't his fault. Wally made a full recovery, and it turned out the experiment worked on him as well, though to a lesser degree. Flash eventually agreed to let him become "Kid Flash", but only if his nephew did everything he said.

July 2010


Flash and Kid Flash stopped Captain Cold after he robbed a jewelry store. Kid Flash was very impatient, and excited about the events that would come later. Flash was calm throughout it all.

Flash took Kid Flash into the Hall of Justice for the first time, as part of his his induction into the Justice League. Flash then joined the League in battling the sorcerer Wotan, who was attempting to block out the Sun by using the Amulet of Aten.

He is the last League member to arrive at the destroyed Cadmus facility, after the Team's battle with Blockbuster.

Superman and Flash respond to a disturbance at Central City Mall. They find Kid Flash and Superboy fighting the Terror Twins. Flash is disappointed his protégé couldn't keep a low profile for three whole days.

Flash accompanied Wally to the Cave where Batman formed the Team. After meeting everyone, they left together.

August 2010
The League battled Amazo, and eventually managed to defeat him. The android copied Flash's super speed.

Flash attended the funeral of Kent Nelson at the Tower of Fate.

The Allens, the Wests and the Garricks celebrated Jay Garrick's birthday at the West family home.

September 2010
Flash called in his sidekick to help him with returning escaped animals to the Central City Zoo. After herding and containing them, they investigated a disturbance in the herpetology labs. Flash discovered a missing vial of concentrated cobra venom, and Kid Flash saw a footprint with pollen on them. They traced the pollen to Minneapolis.

Flash and Kid Flash convened with Batman, Robin, Green Arrow and Artemis, who had also investigated robberies that brought them to the city. They discovered the culprit was Kobra, who planned to perform a ritual on his brother.

Flash and the others fought Kobra's minions at the new-age temple, but were unable to stop Kobra from completing a ritual to create a giant cobra. Batman, Green Arrow and Flash went in pursuit of the snake as it left the temple, leaving their protégés to deal with Kobra.

As the snake attacked Nicollet Mall, Flash moved several civilians out of harm's way. After the snake moved on to Guthrie Theater, Flash distracted the snake by running across its body. Batman threw an explosive down its throat, killing the snake.

Flash, Batman and Green Arrow returned to the new-age temple. Flash was not concerned by Kobra's apparent escape and was pleased the young heroes had saved the hostage and captured Kobra's minions.

After communications with the Cave broke down, the League investigated. Flash found his protégé trapped in molten steel, and helped free him and Superboy with help from Captain Atom.

October 2010
Flash, Captain Atom and Blue Devil fight one of Poison Ivy's giant plant creatures at a nuclear power plant near Taipei. The plant crushes one of the chimneys, but Captain Atom manages to absorb the radioactive spill.

November 2010
Flash was at his nephew's surprise party, though spent most of the time talking with Aqualad and Superboy. After Batman called in for an emergency, Flash received orders to head to one of five mysterious ice fortresses.

With Batman, Robin, Aquaman and Aqualad, Flash attacked the first fortress. He managed to destroy one of its defensive guns by running circles around it.

Flash accompanied Batman to talk to Hugo Strange about the ice fortresses, but they did not get the information they were hoping for.

At a Justice League meeting about expansion of the ranks, Flash's suggestion for extra power in the form of Guy Gardner was strongly opposed by the other Green Lanterns, Hal Jordan and John Stewart. His second suggestion, to reconsider Captain Marvel's admission because he lied about his age, sparked a more lively debate.

December 2010
Flash was present at the press conference about the induction of Atom, Doctor Fate, Icon, Plastic Man and Red Arrow into the League.

After being made a slave of the Light's mind control, Flash welcomed Vandal Savage aboard the Watchtower with a silent kneel of obedience.

Along with Aquaman and Green Arrow, Flash attacked Red Arrow.

Flash was battling Kid Flash and Artemis along with Aquaman and Green Arrow. When Aqualad arrived he opened the airlock and Flash would have been sucked into the void of space but Aqualad shut the airlock and Flash was knocked out. The Team put Cure-tech on his neck and he was freed from Vandal Savage's control but was left unconscious.

December 2015
Flash was one of several Justice League members who had responded to the emergency in Metropolis. He was unable to vibrate through the force field surrounding the city.

Flash and the others looked on as the alien ship fired an energy beam at the force field, to no apparent effect. Atom realized the field was probably generated from inside, but Flash was unsure how to tell the heroes inside. Nightwing came up with a simple solution.

Martian Manhunter decided to confront Metropolis's attacker. He levitated Flash and himself to the ship and hailed it. They were backed up by a squad of Team members inside an invisible bubble generated by Zatanna.

Flash and Manhunter, along with a microscopic Atom, infiltrated the alien ship. They were quickly confronted by the Collector of Worlds, who introduced himself and informed the heroes that he could not be persuaded from his mission. Flash moved to attack, but was easily deflected–the Collector could think faster than Flash could move. Manhunter and Atom's attacks were similarly unsuccessful.

The Collector of Worlds defeated the heroes and opened a hatch in the floor, dropping them out of the ship.

The three heroes fell on top of the bottle.

After Nightwing contacted Martian Manhunter that they were inside the ship, J'onn lifted Flash and Atom to safety.

Flash and Atom made it back inside the ship, and met up with Alpha Squad at exactly the same time as former prisoners of Kylstar, who were teleported aboard. Lagoon Boy used the Bio-Ship's cannon to destroy the coludroid. When Superboy asked what it was, Flash told him what he remembered from their brief encounter about an hour earlier.

Dozens more coludroids showed up and surrounded the heroes. Flash watched as Nightwing and Atom persuaded the Collector to shut down the beam that shrunk the city.

Back on the ground, Flash listened to Captain Atom and Nightwing as they discussed what to do next.

January 2016
After Gamma Squad saved the hostages from the Kroloteans, Flash arrived on the scene with the rest of the Justice League members and the Team.

February 2016
While celebrating the Garricks' 70th wedding anniversary, Nightwing called Barry and informed him that his alleged grandson from the future, Bart Allen, was on his way. The boy, who also went by Impulse, soon arrived to explain the story, and enthusiastically greeted everyone present. Barry was perplexed, as he did not have any children, but Iris informed him she was pregnant. Just become of the shock of becoming a father, Barry learned Iris was pregnant with twins because Impulse greeted his father and aunt in Iris's belly.

Wally arrived, on a request from Nightwing, to help figure out who Impulse is. Iris received a warning from Pete, her editor, who notified her of a new menace downtown. Barry changed into his costume, and headed towards the source of the destruction, but not before Impulse tried to persuade him not to go.

Flash secured bystanders first, and then took on the villain. He charged at him, dodging debris in the process, but was beaten back by a wave of radiation. Impulse created a wind funnel to catch him before he slammed to the ground. They regroup with Kid Flash and a police captain, and discussed a new strategy. Flash ordered the police to handle the evacuation of civilians; and with Impulse, he devised a plan to create a funnel around the villain, whose name he learned was Neutron, to lift him to safety.

Flash, Impulse and Kid Flash created a wind funnel, trapping Neutron inside and causing him to rise into the air. This caused the energy blasts to rise with him where he could not harm anyone. Neutron's containment suit was destroyed by the pressure caused by the wind funnel. Flash and Impulse had to drag Kid Flash away from the blast. At a safe distance, they observed Neutron was about to blow up again. Flash thought it best to carry him out of the city to explode in the desert. Impulse followed him and tripped him; Kid Flash and Jay Garrick had to bail them out. After the second explosion, Impulse walked up to Neutron, and it appeared he powered down. He was arrested; the threat to the city was averted, but at the cost of huge damage.

Back at Mount Justice, Impulse is revealed to have been telling the truth about his relations with the Allens. Barry told him that he was looking forward to meeting the baby Bart and watching him grow up. Impulse boarded the time machine, but it doesn't work. Flash asked him if he could fix it, but the circuits were fried. Impulse was seemingly frustrated with the situation.

May 2016
Flash, along with Aquaman and Atom, guarded the Warworld's crystal key chamber.

June 2016
When magnetic field disruptors planted by the Reach threatened the Earth, Flash joined 39 other heroes of Earth in a briefing in Metropolis City. The heroes would use a computer virus provided by Lex Luthor to safely disable the disruptors. The heroes were paired off with another into twenty squads: one member would run interference against weapons guarding the disruptors, allowing the other to get close enough to plant the virus.

Within thirty minutes, all squads had succeeded in their mission.

Upon learning that a twenty-first MFD was hidden in the Arctic, Flash volunteered to defuse it -- there was no zeta tube service there, and he was the only one fast enough to reach it in time. Once there, he was joined by Impulse, and the pair rush towards the ice cavern where the MFD was located. It was too late -- the MFD had already gone "chrysalis", and Luthor's virus was already useless.

Flash and Impulse retreated from the cavern just as the resulting disturbance swallowed it up. A vortex soon formed, threatening to destroy the Earth. Lex Luthor proposed a last and desperate solution -- if the speedsters were to run in a direction opposite to the vortex's energy flow, they may be able to siphon off its energy using the kinetic energy from their energy trails. Atom warned them not to slow down at any time.

The speedsters implement the plan, but it was not enough. Their efforts did result in the energy field weakening, but not stopping. Kid Flash's timely arrival turned the tide, providing enough kinetic energy to defuse the Reach weapon. Unfortunately, victory came at a price. Kid Flash's slower speed made him the target of the deflected energy -- having absorbed it, his body had started to dematerialize. By the time Flash noticed, it was too late. Before Wally vanished, he asked his uncle to "tell Artemis and his parents".

After the vortex vanished, the team celebrated the victory. Artemis quickly noted Kid Flash's disappearance, and broke down in the hands of Miss Martian after Barry told her Wally wanted her to know that he loved her.

When the Team was summoned to the mission room for a face-to-face meeting with members of the League, Flash was among the leaguers present. Batman informed them that they would now operate side-by-side with the Justice League from the Watchtower. Not because Mount Justice was destroyed, but because they earned the right to do so. The League then left the Team to its own devices.

Powers and abilities

 * Super speed: He can move at speeds faster than the speed of sound. This speed extends to his speech and perception, enabling him to speak at higher frequencies and see objects at speeds far higher than what the typical human eye could perceive..
 * Molecular vibration: He is capable of moving his molecules at high enough frequencies to vibrate through other matter.

Equipment
Costume ring: Flash stores his costume in a special ring, and changes at super speed.

Iris West-Allen
Iris is Barry's wife. They share a happy marriage, and they are expecting twins in 2016. Iris knows her husband is the Flash.

Kid Flash (Wally West)
Wally is Barry's nephew, Thought they are not blood related their family relationship allows for the two of them to interact in a more friendly and less formal manner than the other sidekicks and mentors do. However, while Barry was more laid back and easy going, Wally seemed to get impatient with his mentor.

Jay Garrick
Jay Garrick is a "retired speedster" who was in fact the original Flash and a member of the Justice Society of America. Barry was a devoted fan of the original Flash, and he spent hours talking to Garrick about his adventures. His enthusiasm extended to successfully being able to re-create his powers under laboratory conditions. Jay and Barry, along with their families, were close friends.

Background in other media

 * Barry's costume is designed to look more like Wally's adult Flash costume from the comics and from the Justice League animated series, rather than the costume more commonly associated with Barry. For example the use of the opaque white lenses in the mask, and the dual lighting bolt at the waist.
 * Wally's annoyance at Barry's easy going attitude and complaint of them being late is a reference to the fact that in the comics, Barry was famous for being the "Fastest Man Alive", but also being always late to events.
 * This marks Barry Allen's seventh animated appearance. He first appeared during animated shorts for the Superman/Batman Hour, and later appeared in The Superfriends, The Batman, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Justice League: New Frontier and, Justice League Doom.
 * Barry Allen previously had one live-action TV show, The Flash. He is also referenced to in the live-action Smallville show, where Bart Allen (Impulse) occasionally uses the alias of "Barry Allen".