Bartholomew Henry "Barry" Allen, also known by his alter ego The Flash, is a fictional character in The CW's Arrowverse franchise, first introduced in the 2013 episode "The Scientist" of the television series Arrow, and later starring in The Flash. The character is based on the DC Comics character of the same name, created by Robert Kanigher and Carmine Infantino and was adapted for television in 2013 by Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg and Geoff Johns. Grant Gustin portrayed Barry Allen, with Logan Williams and Liam Hughes portraying younger versions.
In the series, Barry is 25 and portrayed as a smart, goofy and quirky character, who works at the Central City Police Department as a forensic chemist. When he was younger, he witnessed the murder of his mother by the Reverse Flash, which resulted in the false imprisonment of his father for the crime. Later in life, while working at the Central City Police Department he is struck by lightning created by the explosion of the S.T.A.R. Labs particle accelerator sending him to a nine-month coma. After waking up he finds himself in S.T.A.R. Labs and develops metahuman powers; the power of speed and he becomes friends with Cisco Ramon and Caitlin Snow. Throughout the series, he constantly trains to become the fastest speedster across the multiverse. Barry uses his powers, along with his team's help, to fight criminals and other metahumans who have misused their powers. He is a friend and frequent ally of Star City-based vigilante archer Green Arrow and Kryptonian superheroine Supergirl.
Gustin appeared as Barry Allen and his superhero persona in crossovers on the television series Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl, Batwoman and the animated web series Vixen, all set within the Arrowverse. The character has also appeared in a digital comic book series. Gustin received critical acclaim for his performance and won an IGN award.
Storylines
Arrow
Crime-scene investigator Barry Allen was introduced in the second season of Arrow, in which he arrives in Starling City to personally investigate a superhuman-related crime. He is a fan of the Arrow's exploits and learns Oliver Queen is the vigilante; they become friends. Sometime after Barry returns to Central City, he is struck in his laboratory by lightning which was affected by dark matter from the explosion of S.T.A.R. Labs' particle accelerator.
The Flash
In The Flash, Barry finds himself with superhuman amount speed, using his powers to fight crime and hunt other metahumans in Central City as a masked superhero known as the Flash of Earth-1 with the assistance of Caitlin Snow, Cisco Ramon and Harrison Wells at S.T.A.R. Labs. When he was a child, his mother Nora Allen was murdered and his father Henry Allen was incorrectly sentenced for the crime. Barry was fostered by detective Joe West, the father of his friend and childhood crush Iris West.
In the first season, Barry awakens from a nine-month coma and eventually identified "Wells" as his mother's murderer as well as the futuristic speedster Eobard Thawne / Reverse-Flash in disguise. Eobard killed Nora after the plan to travel back in time to kill Barry as a child was foiled by the Flash of the future and left stranded in the present day. After capturing Eobard with the assistance of Oliver, Martin Stein and Ronnie Raymond, Barry is given the opportunity to rescue his mother by helping Eobard return to the future. He initially decides to go through with Eobard's offer but Barry decides not to at the last minute as he's warned by his older self not to interfere and instead returns to the present and fights with Eobard, stopping his nemesis from returning to the future. Barry is almost killed but police detective Eddie Thawne sacrifices himself to destroy Eobard.
In the second season, the Flash is recognized as Central City's hero after a singularity event occurs but the event brings the interdimensional speedster Hunter Zolomon / Zoom from a parallel earth who seeks to eliminate all speedsters throughout the multiverse. Barry discovers Eobard's confession of Nora's murder that clears Henry of all charges, and inherited Wells's fortune and resources. Though rich, Barry chooses to continue working for the Central City Police Department while using Wells's money to fund his and his allies's activities with additional assistance from Harry and Jesse Wells. After Zoom kills Henry, Barry defeats Zoom and travels back in time to save his mother's life.
In the third season, Barry alters the timeline by changing the past, resulting in the alternate timeline "Flashpoint". Though he is somewhat able to restore the timeline, this creates new threats, including the god-like speedster Savitar as well as Killer Frost who both have grudges against Barry. When he accidentally travels to the future and sees Iris killed by Savitar, Barry is desperate to change the future to prevent that from happening by working with Vibe, Wally West and Jay Garrick. He learns Savitar is a future version of himself. After saving Iris and defeating Savitar, Barry takes his place in the Speed Force in order to repent for his creation of Flashpoint.
In the fourth season, Barry is freed from by Team Flash after being stranded in the Speed Force for six months. The team later encounters an adversary with the fastest mind alive: Clifford DeVoe / The Thinker. The Thinker has orchestrated Barry's return from the Speed Force as well as the bus metas. DeVoe frames Barry for murder shortly afterwards; not wanting to risk compromising his loved ones and allies by revealing his secrets, Barry allows himself to be sentenced to life imprisonment. However, private detective Ralph Dibny uses shapeshifting power to help clear Barry of all charges. Following the Thinker's defeat, the team is approached by Nora West-Allen, Barry and Iris's daughter from the future.
In the fifth season, Nora arrives from the future, wanting to change the events that lead to Barry's disappearance in the future. However, Nora's presence has altered the timeline and unleashed the serial killer Cicada bent on killing metahumans. Furthermore, Sherloque helps the team eventually learn Eobard orchestrated Nora's arrival and Cicada. Barry and Nora succeed in subduing Eobard but are forced to let his nemesis go and Nora is erased from the timeline to avoid the Negative Speed Force's corruption.
In the sixth and seventh seasons, Barry deals with various antagonists while working with new allies Chester Runk, Allegra Garcia and Nash. Barry and Iris learn that the date of the crisis in which Barry disappears has moved up from April 2024 to December 2019, and that the Flash must die in order to save billions while dealing Ramsey Rosso as the bloodthirsty metahuman Bloodwork. Following Rosso's defeat, Barry surviving the crisis, and the multiverse's destruction and rebirth, Team Flash try to navigate the world post-crisis all while the secret organization Black Hole, and quantum engineer Eva McCulloch move forward with plans. Barry later discovers that Oliver enhancing his speed during the crisis has damaged the Speed Force which dies and all speedsters will permanently lose their speed. Barry gets the idea to create an artificial Speed Force to save his speed. Barry eventually develops an artificial Speed Force and finishes his fight with Mirror Monarch before dealing with the emergence of several new Forces, the Strength, Still and Sage forces, that were born by Barry and Iris recreating the Speed Force. Trouble soon ensues when the Speed Force goes mad and begins to threaten the city but Barry is able to tame it. Soon after, the new speedster Godspeed from the future threatens Barry but he is joined by his future children, Nora and Bart West-Allen, to take the villain down.
The eighth season sees Barry dealing with the reemergence of Eobard, the psychic alien Despero, the malevolent entity Deathstorm that feeds on people's grief, and the rise of the Negative forces via Eobard Thawne.
The ninth and final season sees Barry dealing with the speedster Red Death, the return of Ramsey Rosso and the Negative Speed Force which resurrected Eddie as the speedster Cobalt Blue.
Crossovers
In the season one episode "Worlds Finest" of Supergirl, Barry accidentally enters the universe of Kara Danvers / Supergirl and Clark Kent / Superman after passing through an extradimensional breach while testing a tachyon accelerator. He teams up with Kara in order to take down Livewire and Silver Banshee, after which Kara assists him in returning to his universe.
In the crossover "Crisis on Earth-X", Barry and Iris's friends come to Central City for their wedding, only to be interrupted when villains from Earth-X disrupt the proceedings. After defeating the invaders from Earth-X, Barry and Iris are married by John Diggle.
In the crossover "Elseworlds", Arkham Asylum doctor John Deegan rewrites reality, which results in Barry and Oliver swapping lives. In the new reality, they are the only ones that know that they are in the wrong lives and have each other's powers, which results in them going to Gotham City with Kara to confront Deegan.
In the crossover "Crisis on Infinite Earths", the Monitor recruits Barry, Oliver, Kara, Kate Kane / Batwoman, Sara Lance / White Canary, Ray Palmer / Atom, and several others from throughout the multiverse to stop the Anti-Monitor from destroying reality. Barry's fate during the crisis is altered by the intervention of Earth-90's Flash who sacrifices himself in Barry's place. Following Oliver's sacrifice and the Anti-Monitor's defeat, Barry leads a new group of heroes who agree to work together to protect their new world, dubbed Earth-Prime, in memory of Oliver.
In the season four episode "Dude, Where's My Gar?" of Titans, when Garfield "Gar" Logan / Beast Boy from Earth-9 travels the multiverse for the first time via the Red, he encounters a yellow flash zipping by. A portal opens, revealing Barry running through the Speed Force. Barry's lightning accidentally hits Gar and knocks him into Earth-2, where he briefly encounters Courtney Whitmore / Stargirl.
Legacy Possible future
In a possible future, Barry as the Flash is one of the several heroes remembered in the era called the "Age of Heroes".
Sometime before 2032, the Flash Museum was built to honor Barry and Team Flash for their heroics. The museum included exhibits for Barry's old enemies; including Reverse-Flash, Zoom, Savitar, DeVoe and Cicada. Following Barry's disappearance in a future crisis an in a now-erased future, Barry's daughter, Nora West-Allen went to the Flash Museum on a regular basis to learn about her father who was never able to raise her.
Costume