Barry Allen

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Barry Allen

Barry Allen
Aliases:	The Flash; Fastest Man Alive (epithet); Sultan of Speed (epithet); Scarlet Speedster (epithet); Monarch of Motion (epithet); Black Flash; Parallax; Blue Lantern; Trans-visible Man
Continuity:	Swamp Thing
Type:	Scientist
Gender:	Male
Location:	Central City
Associations:	Justice League; Flash Family; formerly Blue Lantern Corps; White Lantern Corps
Known relatives:	Henry Allen (father, deceased); Nora Allen (mother, deceased); Malcolm Thawne (brother); Iris West-Allen (wife); Don Allen (son); Dawn Allen (daughter); Bart Allen (grandson); Jenni Ognats (granddaughter); Wally West (nephew)
Introduction:	Swamp Thing, Vol. 2 #24

"Hey, kid. Name's the Flash; nice to meet ya."

―Barry Allen

Overview[]

Barry Allen is the second incarnation of The Flash, the fastest man alive. Using his super-speed powers, he taps into the Speed Force and becomes a costumed crime-fighter. His position is a legacy in the Flash Family, successor to the original Jay Garrick and predecessor to Wally West. He is a founding member of the Justice League of America.

Biography[]

Origins[]

Barry Allen and a twin brother were born two weeks late, to Henry and Nora Allen in the small midwestern town of Fallville, Iowa. The brother was pronounced stillborn by Dr. Gilmore. However, in actuality, he had been born healthy, but given to another family, the Thawnes, whose child had died during birth. The lateness of Barry's birth only foreshadowed his bad habit of always being late. Barry grew up reading the adventures of his favorite superhero, Jay Garrick, the original Flash and acted many of his hero's adventures out with his friend and future actress, Daphne Dean.

When he was a child, his mother was killed and his father was convicted of the crime. The drive to prove his father was innocent gave Barry a strong belief in justice.

In high school, Barry had a reputation for being slow and easy-going. On his first date, he went to a carnival. His date had wanted to put a little motion in his life, and they went on the roller-coaster first thing. Because of this, he developed a fear of roller-coasters, a fear that he didn't get rid of until much later in his life.

Barry loved chemistry from an early age, and that helped his skills as a farmer. He won first place in the Fallville County Fair Agricultural Competition, a prize which included a scholarship to Sun City University. He graduated in three years with a major in organic chemistry and a minor in criminology.

While a senior, Barry helped the authorities apprehend a bank robber, and he was offered a job as a police scientist for the Central City Police Department Scientific Detection Bureau. Eager to be in the sister city of his childhood hero's home, Keystone City, he accepted the offer.

After moving to Central City and getting an apartment with a laboratory in the back, Barry began dating Picture News reporter Iris West, whom he met while examining an apparent murder that she was reporting. She was charmed by his honesty and stability.

That night during an electrical storm, Barry returned to an experiment after a short break. All of a sudden, a bolt of lightning streaked through a window, shattered a chemical cabinet and covered Barry in the electrified chemicals. Dazed, he decided to return home in a taxi. However, the taxi started to pull away without noticing him. Barry sprinted after it, only to run straight past it as if it had been standing still. He decided to sit down and recollect his thoughts at a diner. A passing waitress accidentally spilled the items of her tray onto Barry, who amazingly caught them all in mid-air and returns them to the tray. The next day, Barry saved Iris from a stray bullet. There was no question about it: the freak accident had somehow given Barry superhuman speed!

The Flash[]

Deciding to use his powers to help humanity, Barry designed a special costume. He used a special cold cast polyester he developed in college, which could be molded into miniature outfits from liquid material, that, when submerged in a special liquid, became sensitive to hydrogen, expanding on contact with the hydrogen in the air. A charge from a battery-powered ring he wore on his finger caused the fabric to release the extra hydrogen and shrink into the ring. He later revised the process, making the fabric sensitive to nitrogen instead. He called himself the Flash, a tribute to his childhood idol He briefly considered wearing a costume that would show his face, like Jay had, but decided that it would be best to wear a mask to conceal his true identity. The first villain he faced was the Turtle Man.

Justice League[]

As the Flash, Barry later became a founding member of the Justice League of America, where he befriended Hal Jordan, the Green Lantern, with whom he had many adventures both with and without the Justice League. Later still, he discovered that Jay Garrick was real, and became friends with him as well.

Kid Flash[]

During one summer, Iris's nephew Wally came to visit her in Central City. He was an incredible Flash fan, and he knew his aunt's boyfriend was a "friend" of the Flash, so a meeting was arranged. The Flash offered to answer all of Wally's questions, so Wally asked how the Flash had gained his powers of super-speed. The Flash explained the events of what had happened, causing Wally to wish out loud that something like that would happen to him. It just so happened that Barry had set up the chemical cabinet in his lab just as it had been during that fateful night, and there was a thunderstorm on the afternoon of Wally's visit. All of a sudden, almost in answer to Wally's wish, the freak accident that gave Barry his powers repeated itself, this time covering Wally in electrically-charged chemicals. Now possessing the same powers as the Flash, Wally at first donned a smaller-sized copy of Barry Allen's Flash costume, with the Picture News dubbing the young crime fighter 'Kid Flash' in a headline. Wally's original costume was later transformed into a new yellow and red design with which the Flash had been toying, following an accident with a matter-transforming machine. As Kid Flash, Wally wore this costume for many years until he outgrew his teenage appellation and became the new Flash, exchanging it for the outfit originally worn by Barry.

Marriage[]

Eventually, Barry proposed to Iris on a Ferris wheel at the fair. She accepted, and they were married, in spite of the efforts of Professor Zoom, who attempted to foil the ceremony. Barry hid his identity from Iris for a year, although she had known the entire time because he had spoken in his sleep on their honeymoon. He was worried that the accident had made him less human and that they would not be able to have children. However, after performing many tests that first year, he determined that they still could, and he revealed his secret.

However, it was not long before Professor Zoom took Iris's life at a masquerade party. Barry chased him into the timestream and left him there.

Trial of the Flash[]

Barry met and began to date another woman, Fiona Webb. However, on the day they were supposed to be married, Zoom showed up again, claiming that he would once again kill the wife of the Flash. Barry chased him across the world and failed to show up for his own wedding. In the end, Zoom was about to kill Fiona, but Barry unwittingly killed him. The Flash was charged with manslaughter and had to face a long trial.

Barry's face was disfigured severely in a battle with Big Sir. He went to Gorilla City to have his face repaired. Since Barry Allen had supposedly been missing, he decided to have it reconstructed into a completely new face, so that he could keep his secret identity dead.

Retirement[]

Later, Barry was brought to the 30th century, where Iris was from and had been reborn. For about a month, they lived in happiness and thanks to great advances in reconstructive surgery that had been made in this era, Barry's original features were restored. Iris would later have twins, Don and Dawn Allen.

Barry made a stop in time during his trip to the future and met up with Wally West in a battle against Professor Zoom. There were two Zooms at the time and they each took one. Barry fared much better than Wally and sent his Zoom through the timestream. It is unclear what happened to him, but he does end up in the 30th century.

Crisis on Infinite Earths[]

The Crisis on Infinite Earths brought Barry out of retirement. The 30th Century was beginning to fall apart: natural disasters were occurring despite the technology that had been created to stop them, and reality itself was fraying. Flash returned to the 20th century to warn his fellow heroes. Just as he started to warn Batman, he was pulled into the Antimatter Universe by the Anti-Monitor, where he was mentally tortured by the Psycho-Pirate. Finally, he used the Psycho-Pirate to turn all of the Anti-Monitor's servants, the Thunderers, against him. This gave him enough time to destroy the Anti-Monitor's anti-matter cannon by running around it and destroying the outer casing. He ran so incredibly fast that he entered the Speed Force forever.

Afterlife[]

There are several differing accounts on what happened to Barry following his death. He has been shown to transform into electricity as he goes back in time, eventually becoming the lightning bolt that first struck him and gave him his powers.

There was an extra-dimensional amnesiac character who later showed up in the Marvel Universe, implied to be Barry and remembering his name as something like Buried Alien. He later adopted the alias Fastforward.

The Terminal Velocity storyline introduces the concept of the Speed Force, portrayed as a sort of Valhalla for speedsters. Barry is shown to have joined the ranks of legendary speedster heroes throughout time in death. This still allows him to become the lightning bolt that struck him in the chemical accident.

Oliver Queen later met Barry when he visited an aspect of Heaven following his own resurrection in Quiver. Hal Jordan and Jason Todd were also seen, as Barry gave Oliver advice on the afterlife.

The Witch Thessaly also encounters him at the Dead Legends Cafe. In death, he is portrayed as an amnesiac who doesn't even remember his own name, but still, maintains some of his heroic characteristics.

Identity Crisis[]

In a flashback, it is revealed that Barry was part of a conspiracy where Zatanna brainwashed Doctor Light, and mind wiped Batman's memory of the event. He was also the one who decided to do so, not wanting an instance like when Professor Zoom killed Iris to happen again.

Infinite Crisis[]

Barry Allen's soul appeared from the Speed Force, along with Johnny Quick and Max Mercury, to help his grandson Bart deal with Superboy-Prime, taking the villainous lad with him into the Speed Force. Bart Allen later emerges from the Speed Force, wearing Barry Allen's costume, in Tokyo to tell the heroes that Superboy-Prime has escaped. Bart again reappears to combat Superboy-Prime once more. Barry spent four years in an alternate Keystone City along with Max Mercury, Johnny Quick and an alternate Jay Garrick, until he met Bart and Wally West, joining him after the battle against Superboy-Prime. After Superboy-Prime escapes, Barry suggests that someone of the still living speedsters has to absorb the whole Speed Force and cross the dimensional bridge back to Post-Crisis Earth. As Bart volunteers, Barry gives him his suit as a last gift, to keep the Force contained, and stays behind.

Final Crisis[]

Barry Allen has recently re-appeared during the Final Crisis. He has been seen chasing the bullet fired backward through time that killed Orion, and being chased by the Black Racer and what appears to be the Morticoccus Virus. He simply says to Wally West and Jay Garrick "Run!". Barry and Wally accelerate one month into the future, only to find that Darkseid has conquered the world. They are soon discovered by a group of Female Furies composed of the Anti-Life corrupted Wonder Woman, Batwoman, Catwoman and Giganta. Evading the Furies, they head to Iris's apartment, where Barry is able to break the Anti-Life Equation's hold over her with a kiss, assuring Iris that everything is going to be all right.

Shortly afterward, Jay Garrick made his way to Iris's home and reunited with Barry and Wally. Once Jay was there, Barry explained his plan: because they had led the Black Racer to the present, Barry would lead him to Darkseid and let his soul be claimed. Although Barry wanted to go alone, Wally insisted on going with him, and Barry relented, asking Jay to keep Iris safe. Managing to hit light speed, Barry and Wally lead the Black Racer to Darkseid's base in Bludhaven. Aware of the threat the speedsters posed, Darkseid fired his Omega Beams through his Anti-Life slaves, but the two Flashes managed to outrace them. At the last second, Barry told Wally to save himself, but both Flashes went through together, running past Superman (who was naturally surprised to see Barry) and vibrated through Darkseid, causing the Omega Beams to hit Darkseid and allowing the Black Racer to remove Darkseid's essence from Dan Turpin.

Rebirth[]

Shortly afterward, although his family and friends were overjoyed that he was back, Barry himself was uneasy, as he was unable to explain how he alone escaped the Speed Force, while others such as Max Mercury and Johnny Quick were still trapped inside. Deciding not to waste this second chance, Barry went to the Flash Museum to catch up on what he had missed. While there, he met up with his old friend, Hal Jordan, who had also died and returned. Barry discussed his unease over his return with Hal, and how he felt that he did not need to come back. Barry told Hal to tell Wally and Jay that he wasn't going to the parties that had been set up in honor of his return, then sped off on patrol. While running, a rogue speedster Wally had encountered named Savitar somehow escaped the Speed Force through Barry. When Barry managed to catch him, Savitar disintegrated before Barry's eyes.

Recently Barry and Wally found the Black Flash "apparently dead". After that Barry became the new Black Flash. When he realizes that his presence could damage or kill other innocents, Barry flees back into the Speed Force, where he encounters old friends Johnny Quick and Max Mercury. Max attempts to tell Allen that his becoming the Black Flash is not his fault, and when Max and Barry are pulled into another pocket of the Speed Force, the real culprit reveals himself: Professor Zoom.

Zoom reveals the depth of his plan: after Barry briefly aided Kid Flash against Superboy-Prime during the Infinite Crisis, Thawne was able to send a subliminal pulse into the Speed Force to draw back what was left of Barry's self-awareness. This led to the hero's reappearance during the Final Crisis. Afterward, Zoom transformed himself into "a new kind of speedster and created his negative Speed Force to contaminate Barry and the other heroic speedsters. Before Barry can fight any further, Zoom fades away. Wally enters the Speed Force to retrieve his uncle, and after venturing deeper into the Speed Force, Max reveals to Barry that it was Allen himself who created the speedsters' source of power. Barry unknowingly did the same throughout his career to create the normal Speed Force. Meanwhile, Wally manages to reach Barry and Max, and the three begin their escape. As the heroic speedsters are recharged with energy, Barry, Wally, Jay, Max and Bart charge towards Zoom.

The seven speedsters battle against Zoom, and despite being outnumbered, Zoom pulls Barry away. He reveals that everything horrible that happened to Barry's life, including the murder of Barry's mother, was caused because of Zoom. He, then, decides to destroy everything by killing Barry's wife, Iris, before they even met.

Barry chases after Zoom and is joined by Wally, who tells Barry to push as hard as he can to break the time barrier. Doing so, they reach Thawne, becoming the lightning bolt that turns Barry into the Flash as they are able to stop Zoom from killing Iris. As the two Flashes push Zoom back through time to the present, the two Flashes see that the Justice League, the Justice Society and the Outsiders have built a device specifically for Thawne. Barry tosses him in and activates the device, severing his connection to the negative Speed Force. The Flashes tie Zoom up to stop him from running. With the threat ended, everyone celebrates by welcoming Barry back and the speedsters in general. Later, Barry closes the case on his mother's death and opts to take all the other cold cases they had after his death. Barry spends some time with Iris before racing to Washington to celebrate his return to the Justice League, apologizing for being late.

Blackest Night[]

A few months later, at the grave of Bruce Wayne in Gotham City, Hal Jordan and Barry Allen reflect on Batman's death and how the hero community is avoiding linking Wayne and Batman.

This reflection turns to the pair looking at their own deaths, comparing the sadness that Barry's death engendered in others while Hal's death produced anger. Hal sums it up by telling Barry, "I died a sinner. You died a saint." The conversation moves on to the world becoming "more dangerous" after Barry's death and observing that the deaths of Arthur Curry and Martian Manhunter cost the Justice League its "heart and soul". As they leave the cemetery, Barry expresses hope that their dead comrades will be returned to them. He specifically cites Batman noting, "If there's an escape, you can bet Batman's already planning it."

Barry also appears alongside Hal in the July issues of Green Lantern tying into the event. Recently, in a fight with Black Lantern J'onn J'onzz, he found a mysterious black residue at Bruce Wayne's grave-a black form coagulating much like blood that started corrupting him by partly decaying his skin and muscle during the fight against his former friend, who is intent on killing both Hal and Barry, seeing how they both died, and in the eyes of the Black Lanterns, must return to that state to keep the universe in balance.

After fighting off the undead Martian and the subsequent Black Lanterns with Hal and the arriving Atom, Mera, Firestorm and two of the Indigo Tribe members, Barry, along with Wally and Bart, races across the globe to warn every superhero community across the planet. His message also inadvertently warns the Rogues, who all realize that their deceased members would come after them and decide to strike first at Iron Heights Penitentiary, unaware that Sam Scudder, the original Mirror Master, who is now a Black Lantern, is watching them. While doing so, Barry meets a Black Lantern version of Professor Zoom for a brief battle. Barry decides to go to Gorilla City to seek aid from its ruler Solovar, unaware the gorilla leader had been killed years before. Finding the city attacked, Barry assumed Grodd had struck only to be horrified to learn Solovar was now a Black Lantern. Their fight was shortened by Barry racing to Coast City.

After he stops at the city's memorial, where he witnesses the arrival of the Black Lanterns' demonic lord, Nekron and his disciples Scar and Black Hand. The Justice League, the Titans, Wally and Bart arrive to aid Barry to take a stand against Nekron. However, Nekron reveals however that all the resurrected heroes are tied to him because he allowed them to rise again. And as such, they belong to him. Nekron then used a series of black rings to turn Superman, Green Arrow, Bart and several other resurrected heroes into Black Lanterns. Barry himself soon finds himself being targeted by a black ring and is forced to flee or risk joining the others as Black Lanterns. When it was decided to deputize an individual for each Lantern Corps for 24 hours, the Flash was chosen as the deputy for the Blue Lantern Corps. During the battle, Barry is forced to fight his own grandson, who his ring detects is still alive but would eventually die if not free from the black ring soon. Barry is shown to be skilled with his ring in creating energy constructs based on his imagination (possibly because of the understanding with his friend Hal Jordan's ring), as he is able to create images of Bart as Impulse and Kid Flash against him in order to make him feel again. Barry's plan almost works as Bart reacts to the images of his past and the constructs begin to attempt to take the black ring from him, but later is interrupted by the Black Lantern Professor Zoom and Solovar. Wally and Walker later join Barry to fight against them.

The Rise and Fall[]

Afterwards, Barry and Hal begin searching the country for Prometheus, who had escaped after destroying Star City during Cry for Justice. The pair goes to the Shade, who then reveals that he helped Ollie track down Prometheus and that he killed the villain in cold blood. After confronting Ollie with this knowledge, he flees through use of a transportation key that Prometheus had used to escape during a previous encounter with the JLA. Barry then vows that he and the League have to track down Ollie before he kills again.

With Hal and Dinah by his side, Barry searches the city for Green Arrow, and at some point tells Ollie's son Connor Hawke about his father's crime. After eventually tracking down Ollie, the trio confronts him, with Barry telling his old teammate that he hates him more and more everytime he sees him. Barry makes the foolish mistake of trying to grab Ollie and is electrocuted after touching the archer's booby-trapped quiver.

Dastardly Death of the Rogues[]

Barry reintegrates himself into life in Central City. Under the cover of having been in witness protection, Allen returns to the Central City Police Department's crime lab and returns to the streets as the Flash. While readjusting to life as the Flash, a man appears out of thin air in the costume of Flash rogue the Mirror Master, and promptly dies on the street.

When Barry arrives on the scene to investigate, he sees the man is neither original Mirror Master Sam Scudder, or the current Rogue, Evan McCulloch. Hearing of another portal appearing, Barry transforms into the Flash and runs to investigate. When he arrives, a group of people in costumes similar to the Rogues, called The Renegades appear and tell Barry that they are from the 25th century, and that he is under arrest for murdering the "Mirror Monarch." Barry tells the crew that he hasn't killed anyone, to which their leader, "Commander Cold," tells him, "Not yet. But you will."

After a brief struggle, the Renegades retreat but accidentally destroy an apartment building in their jump back to the 25th century. Barry saves everyone in the building, even rebuilding the building in minutes, and goes on to search for the true killer of Mirror Monarch. He is attacked again by the Renegades, but only before Captain Boomerang shows up, now wielding explosive energy boomerangs. Boomerang fights both the Flash and the Renegades and a confused Top (one of the Renegades from the 25th century) questions his teammates on whether or not Barry Allen is the man they are looking for, pointing out that in their timeline, Boomerang never showed up.

The Renegades finally corner Captain Boomerang when the Rogues arrive with a giant mirror left by the previous Mirror Master that says "In Case The Flash Returns Break Glass." An all out brawl ensues as the Rogues battle the Renegades. Meanwhile, Flash is confronted by Top who warns him that the reason he will eventually kill Mirror Monarch is because of Iris's death, which he claims will be caused when the giant mirror breaks, releasing the Mirror Lords. Top tells Barry that one of the Mirror Lords will possess Iris and take her away from him. Barry races to stop the mirror from breaking, with Top at his side. However, when the White Lantern entity reaches out to Captain Boomerang, telling him to "Throw the Boomerang", Boomerang responds by throwing dozens of boomerangs in every direction. One of them hits the glass and it begins to break. Top tells the Flash to stop the Mirror Lords, while he goes and protects Iris. Flash questions, "This doesn't make any sense," but Top throws him into the mirror and flees.

In the mirror, Flash is exposed to strange visions of his mother. Outside, the Rogue Mirror Master tells the others that the mirror is actually a slow acting poison and they flee. Barry escapes the mirror confused and asks, "Where are the Mirror Lords?" He is then arrested by the Renegades, who realize that this was all a setup by Top to frame the Flash for his own personal gains. Barry is transported to a 25th-century court, while Top confronts Iris.

Barry escapes the 25th-century court and goes after Top. Top reveals that the reason for all of his crimes is because Barry reopened a previously closed case. Barry felt that the person convicted was actually innocent. The person who is actually guilty of the crime is one of Top's ancestors. Top reveals that they do not allow anyone in the Renegades who have any ancestors with a criminal record. The Flash is able to beat Top and convict the right man for murder, letting go the innocent man who was sent to prison. Afterward, the 25th-century court and the Renegades go over the facts, realizing that the Flash was right and that their entire record of history is wrong.

Hot Pursuit[]

That morning, Barry arrives late for work after having battled Gorilla Grodd at the zoo. He is sent to investigate a potential homicide. The victim's prints and costumed match those of the Elongated Kid. However, the body is that of a very old man. The investigation causes Barry to miss a family picnic.

That night, Barry calls his old colleague, Patty Spivot, hoping to get her help on the case. However, the power suddenly goes out and the crime lab is attacked by the mysterious Hot Pursuit. Changing into the Flash, Barry chases him to the river. Here, Hot Pursuit reveals himself to be an alternate version of Barry.

Hot Pursuit explains to the Flash that he came to New Earth to investigate about a mysterious anomaly that could affect New Earth and all realities as well. Then, Kid Flash rushes in front of them, explaining that he came to check on him since he didn't go to the family picnic. Hot Pursuit is interested in Bart and his connection to the Speed Force. Hot Pursuit explains that since Bart is from the future, he could cease to exist due to the anomaly. Barry offers to help Hot Pursuit, but Hot Pursuit simply wants to work alone. But somehow, Hot Pursuit's Cosmic Motorcycle pulls the Speed Force right out of Barry, and he falls to the ground. When Bart catches up to him he automatically assumes that he is going to help Barry, but he refuses. Bart then says that Barry is no better than Hot Pursuit, then begins to question Barry's absence from the picnic even further, and says that the only reason Barry wasn't there, is because Bart was there. He then runs off.

Later, back as Barry Allen, he is in his crime lab, analyzing some DNA he pulled from Hot Pursuit. The analysis confirms that he is Barry Allen. Soon after, Patty Spivot walks in, and after a small reunion, Barry asks her to help with the case regarding the Elongated Kid. But, she declines, saying that because she no longer works at the crime lab, she can't get involved. Then, Barry gets a call from David Singh. They have another body. At the crime scene, they notice that he, like the Elongated Kid, looks very old, however, he is identified as 30 years old, airman Jay Nicolosi, because he has a wallet on him, and near the crime scene they find a rut in the ground that looks like a tire track. Then, something in the distance gets their attention, it's a little boy, a witness.

In the crime labs, Barry and Patty continue investigating the case. David Singh then walks in, saying that the kid is in child services and that he's alright, but they can't find his parents. And the kid isn't saying a word. In the front lobby, the kid is curled up in one of the chairs. Patty tells Barry that he should talk to him, maybe he can make the kid more comfortable. But just then the kid leaps from his chair and clings to Patty. She once again says that she can't get involved, but as Barry asks her again, she accepts and brings the boy down to the cafeteria for something to eat.

Once again at the crime lab, Barry and James Forrest brainstorm on the tire tracks found at the scene of both crimes. However, they don't get far, because Barry gets a text from Iris, reading: "Need You Home. 911." Barry races home, to find his entire family all in his living room. Iris says that they need to talk about how Barry has been going nonstop, about why Barry wasn't at the picnic. Barry explains that he's been really busy and that there is someone really dangerous on the loose out there. Jay reminds him that every second counts and that he needs to slow down and live his life. Wally West then says that Barry taught him that same principle that Jay just said years ago. He then asks, why won't he live it. Then, Iris asks Bart Allen if there is anything he wants to say. Bart declines, and Barry apologizes to him for being so distant. Bart jumps from his seat and just wants to know why Barry can't be the person he's supposed to look up to and respect. He runs off, and Barry chases after him. Hot Pursuit rushes up to Bart on the street and grabs him, but before he can take him, the Flash steps in his way. Hot Pursuit explains that Bart is the anomaly and must be sent back to the future.

As Flash and Hot Pursuit fight, Hot Pursuit's club detects the actual anomaly. Hot Pursuit goes after the anomaly, and Flash and Kid Flash follow him. The anomaly is, in fact, Professor Zoom, who is attacking Patty. The Flash takes Patty to safety, and Patty reveals to him that Zoom transformed himself into the boy the police found in Jay Nicolosi's murder scene. The Flash then returns to attacks Zoom. Hot Pursuit uses his stick to drain the Speed Force out of Zoom and tells the Flash and Kid Flash to evacuate the building because when the Speed Force process ends, everything within one hundred feet will age to dust. The Flash and Kid Flash evacuate the building, but Zoom overcomes Hot Pursuit's club and kills him. The Flash and Kid Flash pursue Zoom to a park, but Zoom disguises himself as an old man, and the two heroes lose him. The Flash and Kid Flash then check up on Hot Pursuit's empty suit, and the Flash reveals to Kid Flash that Thawne is the one who killed his mother.

In the police station, Barry checks on Patty. Although Patty is unscathed, she feels she made a mistake in coming back to Central City, revealing that when she worked as Barry's assistant, she had a crush on him. However, she felt that since he was obsessed with his mother's case, she felt that she had to back away until Barry could close that chapter of his life. But when Barry finally became more open, he fell in love with Iris. In that moment, Iris appears, and Patty leaves, not wanting to have an awkward moment.

Later on, Barry and Iris are having a talk in the coffee house. She is concerned because he is turning into a workaholic again. He explains that he grew out of that because he managed to stop blaming himself for his mother's death. However, with the revelation that Professor Zoom - one of his enemies - traveled through time and killed his mother, those feelings have come back. Iris says that he has friends and family, and he can forgive himself for the actions of his enemy.

Later that day, Barry goes to leave flowers on his mother's grave and apologize for his part in her death. He then walks away as the day ends. Suddenly, Professor Zoom begins his plan to destroy the Flash once and for all.

Flashpoint[]

Waking up suddenly at his desk, Barry Allen has only a few seconds to puzzle out the fact that something in his work environment has changed before he hears that a Rogue named Miss Alchemy is engaging in a felony. Barry starts running to get there, only to fall down a nearby flight of stairs. This alone is a puzzle to him, but then he is greeted by an even bigger shock Nora Allen, still alive in the present day and coming to visit him.

After some investigation he is struggling to find any heroes to help as Superman is missing and Wonder Woman and Aquaman leading their respective nations in a war, his wife Iris is unmarried and himself currently powerless. Barry seeks Batman who might help, and he drives to Gotham City and enters a run-down Wayne Manor and explores a small Batcave until he is attacked by Batman. Barry tries to explain who he is by saying he knows Batman is Bruce Wayne, although then he realizes that Batman is Thomas Wayne.

While Barry is being beaten up by Batman, he explains about his secret identity as the Flash and his relation to Bruce Wayne. Barry's memories spontaneously change and learn that the world of Flashpoint is not an alternate dimension, but his own. Barry uses his ring, which he uses to contain his Flash outfit, but the ring, instead ejects Professor Zoom's costume and Barry tells Batman that Zoom is taunting him with it. Barry explains that both he and Zoom have the ability to alter time, leading Batman to ask him about how Bruce was to have lived in his place and if he can really change the world, Barry needs his speed first. Later, Barry and Batman create an electric chair-like device to try and recreate the accident that gave him his speed, however, the first attempt met with failure, leaving Barry severely burned.

Barry awakens on an operating table in the Batcave and is covered in bandages and third-degree burns. Despite Thomas' advice, Barry sits back down in the electric chair device. When lightning strikes grant Barry's super-speed to return and he then saves the Batman from being impaled on a fence, Barry's injuries are healing rapidly the speed-enhanced regeneration and he recreates his Flash costume. The Flash researches the incarnations of heroes of the DC timeline, believing that Zoom deliberately changed their lives to prevent the Flash from creating a Justice League and learns of a rocket that crashed into Metropolis which carried the infant Superman, who instead of being raised in Kansas was taken in by the government. They then contact Cyborg for his help in sneaking into the government bunker of "Project: Superman" that is 'raising' Superman after his rocket destroyed Metropolis upon its arrival, only to be disappointed at Superman's frail appearance. They head towards Project: Superman's underground base via the sewer. The group comes across a giant vault door bearing the Superman logo. After they open the door, the three see a pale, weakened form of Superman. Despite his appearance, Barry says that no matter what, Superman will always be a good person. When the arrival of guards forces them to escape, Superman gets his powers that begin to manifest and he flies off leaving them at the hands of the guards.

While they fend off the guards, they are rescued by Element Woman. Barry's memories begin to change much more drastically, altering his past and states that he is running out of time and soon he will not be able to restore the timeline to normal. After Barry is recovering, he asks the heroes to stop the Atlantean/Amazon war from creating more casualty, although the heroes are not willing to unless Batman wants to join them. Cyborg explains to him that they believe Batman was invincible. However, Barry convinces him that no one is invincible; the Marvel Family are agreeing to join him which Batman is agreeing too as well. The heroes arrive at New Themyscira to stop the Atlantean/Amazon war and appear to be winning until Enchantress reveals herself as the Amazon spy and uses her magic to separate the Marvel Family and restore them to their mortal forms. Penthesilea kills Billy Batson just as Professor Zoom reveals himself to Barry.

Professor Zoom reveals to him that the Flashpoint universe was actually created by Barry himself after he traveled back in time to stop Zoom from killing his mother. He continues to taunt Barry with this knowledge, but he was stabbed in the back by an Amazonian sword and killed by Batman. Before Barry returns the timeline to normal, Batman thanks him for all he's done and gives him a letter addressed to his son. After this, Barry bids a farewell to his mother, knowing he must travel back in time to stop his younger self from altering time. Barry merges with his past counterpart in an attempt to stop him, creating a new different timeline. After Barry restores the timeline, he visits the original Bruce Wayne and gives him a letter from his alternate father. Bruce is grateful to Barry of informing him of the events of the Flashpoint before the timeline was apparently returned to normal.

Convergence[]

Barry and his whole city were pulled out from the timestream by a version of Brainiac and Telos before the first Crisis, specifically, right before he was tortured by Psycho-Pirate. After the dome goes down, he fights Superman of Earth-9 and loses. During that time, Barry learned about his fate. He was willing to make the sacrifice anyway, but Brainiac stated a heroic sacrifice wouldn't fix the timestream: they had to destroy the Anti-Monitor before he obliterated the Multiverse. Brainiac sent Barry, Supergirl of Earth-1, Parallax Hal Jordan and Superman of New Earth together with his wife and son back to the first Crisis. They managed to defeat the Anti-Monitor and prevent the death of the Multiverse.

Powers and Abilities[]

Powers[]

Speed Force Generation: Barry Allen is the very source and creator of the Speed Force, and generates it with every step he takes. For this very reason, he is unaffected if any other speedster tries to steal or drain his speed. Barry has shown that he cannot be stopped by any force if he absorbs the Speed Force.
- Superhuman Speed: Barry has the potential to be the fastest of the Flashes, and is arguably one of the fastest beings in all of existence. He is fast enough to easily outpace Superman, as well as break any dimensional barrier and even enter the Speed Force itself, and is one of the few people to have ever escaped from it.
  - Invisibility: On Earth-1, Barry Allen could use his super-speed to turn invisible
- Superhuman Reflexes: Barry possesses reflexes far greater than a normal human being. This allows him to easily react to danger and events, and perceive the world in slow motion.
- Superhuman Stamina: Barry's body can handle the stress of moving at superhuman speeds for extended periods of time without getting tired or weak.
- Superhuman Agility: Barry's agility, balance, and bodily coordination are enhanced to superhuman levels. This allows him to easily make sharp turns and leap far distances while moving at superhuman speed.
- Speed Force Aura: The Speed Force manifests an aura around the speedster and whatever they are carrying, protecting them from adverse effects of their speed, such a friction with the air, airborne particulate matter, kinetic impacts, G-Force and the like.
  - Superhuman Durability: Barry is capable of resisting tremendous kinetic impact forces that could easily crush or kill a human, without suffering any serious external or internal injuries, making him much more durable than any human.
- Accelerated Healing: Like all conduits of the Speed Force, Barry is capable of regenerating from harm much faster than any normal human.
- Dimensional Travel: Barry is capable of breaking the dimensional barrier with his speed to traverse between dimensions, to enter the Speed Force at will.
- Decelerated Aging: Along with every speedster that draws from the speed force, the loved ones of the speedsters will gain eternal youth like Jay's wife and Barry's wife ages have shown.
- Electrokinesis: As the generator of the Speed Force, Barry is the very source of the electrical Speed Force energy that all speedsters generate. This Speed Force lightning emanates off of him, especially when moving at super-speed.
  - Negate Anti-Life Equation: Barry is capable of negating the effects of Darkseid's Anti-Life Equation, through physical contact of his Speed Force energy.
- Enhanced Mental Process: Barry's mental capacities are greatly enhanced by the Speed Force, allowing him to think at the speed of light and perceive events that last less than an attosecond. He is also capable of reading at superhuman rates, accumulating mass amounts of knowledge in seconds. However, unlike his grandson, the knowledge does not stay in his memory very long and disappears after a short time.
- Enhanced Senses: The Speed Force grants Barry enhanced senses that allow him to perceive the world at a rate attuned to his reaction speed.
  - Superhuman Hearing: Barry can hear supersonic sounds, due to his super swift body being geared to those vibrations.
  - Enhanced Vision: Barry can see objects and beings that are rendered invisible at normal speed, but visible to him at superspeed.
- Flight: Barry can achieve aerial locomotion either by creating cyclones or spinning his body like a propeller. Like his nephew Wally, Barry's capable of running in the frictionless vacuum of space/time or even from beyond the life barrier without need of a solid surface to run along.
  - Interstellar Travel: One of the most advanced ways Speed Force users fly is by directing one's own atomic-molecular motion in the direction one wishes to travel in, i.e. syncing his vibrational frequency with those of ultra-light waves to traverse planetary distances with ease.
- Molecular Acceleration: Barry can vibrate his own molecular structure at varying degrees for a number of purposes, by adjusting to different frequencies.
  - Phasing: By vibrating his molecules on an atomic level, and by doing so at just the right frequency, Barry can allow himself to become momentarily intangible, and phase through objects such as walls.
- Time-Travel: Barry is capable of using his speed to break the time barrier, allowing him to travel throughout various point in time.
  - Reality Alteration: By preventing events in the past while time-traveling, Barry can unintentionally alter the present reality. This was displayed when Barry traveled back in time and saved his mother from being killed, and accidentally altered the entire universe, creating the Flashpoint timeline.
- Vortex Creations: By rotating his arms at super speed or running in a circular motion, Barry can manipulate the airflow around him to create strong vortexes of wind.

Abilities[]

Hand-to-Hand Combat (Advanced): Barry reveals that he was trained by Batman.
- Boxing
- Judo
- Karate
- Military Protocol: Barry spent weeks fighting alongside and training with the Black Hawks during World War II.
Weaponry:
- Swordsmanship: Made brief use of sword combat, while in Japan and Eastwind.
- Archery
Chemistry
Criminology
Investigation
Genius Level Intellect
Disguise: Was trained by Dexter Myles in the art of make-up.
Forensic Pathology
Ventriloquism
Hope
Peak Human Balance: Barry has shown to been able to run and walk on high wires, proving that he has good balance.
Adaptability: Barry has shown that he can adjust to almost any scenario, such as when he was switching between powers unexpectedly, between Green Lantern, Hawkman, Aquaman and the Atom.

Weaknesses[]

Hyper-Metabolism: While moving at accelerated speeds, Barry burns calories much faster than a normal person. While breaking down food far more efficiently, it requires him to consume large amounts of nutrients.

Paraphernalia[]

Equipment[]

Costume Ring
Blue Power Ring

Notes & Trivia[]

First Appearance as the Flash was in Showcase, Vol. 1 #4.
The Flash was created by Robert Kanigher and Carmine Infantino.

External links[]

Barry Allen on Wikipedia
Barry Allen on DC Wiki
Barry Allen on Swamp Thing Wiki

Swamp Thing Character
This article relates to characters featured in and pertaining to the Swamp Thing comic, television and film franchise.
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