Bartholomew Henry "Barry" Allen is a man who was struck by lightning, gaining the metahuman ability to move and vibrate his molecules at incredible superhuman speeds. Using these powers, he became the superhero known as The Flash.[2]
He would eventually be recruited by Batman and Wonder Woman to be a member of the Justice League (ironically due to a future version of himself warning Batman to do so), in order to help defend Earth against the imminent alien invasion of Steppenwolf and his Parademon army.
Bartholomew Henry "Barry" Allen was born on September 20, 1992, in Fallville, Iowa, to Henry Allen, a doctor, and Nora Thompson-Allen, an optimistic farmgirl. At age 11, his mother was killed at home, and the blame for her murder was wrongly placed on his father, who was sent to prison as a result. Due to this, Barry became obsessed with forensic science, hoping to one day personally prove his father's innocence. One night, while working on his mother's case, Barry was struck by lightning, which gave him the power to run at incredible speeds, as well as the ability to vibrate his atoms at tremendous rates[3]
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Monitored by Lex Luthor
Barry Allen caught on a security camera.
Lex Luthor kept an eye on Barry (whom he nicknamed "The Flash" and "Red Streak"), as he did with other recorded metahumans. LexCorp Industries recorded a video of him while he was shopping at a pharmacy. The security camera showed Barry walking over to a fridge getting some milk, picking up a bottle, but then his attention is drawn away when he sees a mugger holding the cashier at gunpoint.
With his super speed, Barry races over to the counter and knocked the mugger out cold as his lightning trail killed the lights. Barry did all of that at such incredible speeds, that by the time he'd run back to the fridge where he'd left the milk bottle, it was still in the same place in the air, not having enough time to fall down.[4]
After Superman's heroic death, he became a beacon of hope and inspiration for Barry, inducing the latter to also more openly use his metahuman powers and come out into the light. Thus, now operating openly with his powers as the scarlet speedster superhero nicknamed "The Flash", Barry is able to swiftly and easily stop Captain Boomerang's attempted bank robbery, knocking the infamous Australian mercenary out with his extreme momentum, leading to Boomerang's imprisonment in Belle Reve.
Amanda Waller's files
ARGUS's files on Barry.
After her Suicide Squad successfully defeats the mystical duo of Enchantress and Incubus in Midway City and saves her, Amanda Waller meets up with billionaire Bruce Wayne, asking him to take care of the rumors following the aftermath of the calamitous events, and in exchange, she gives Bruce her files on multiple notable metahumans, including that of the Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg.
Barry returns to his apartment and puts his hand to a circuit breaker, which turns on with just a few sparks. The lights come on and reveal Barry's home, which is filled with monitors tuned to just about everything, including a Rick and Morty cartoon. In the dark, sitting in Barry's "second favorite" chair, is Bruce Wayne, who was able to swiftly track the young Metahuman down using Amanda Waller's files. He introduces himself to a dismayed and confused Barry (whom Bruce recognizes as the past version of the scarlet time-traveler that appeared in his "dream"), promptly handing him a printout of the security camera tape he found on the LexCorp files. Barry instantly recognizes himself in the photo and tries, and unsuccessfully, to dismiss the person (him) as someone who looks like him, Jewish and someone who drinks milk, claiming that he does not do so himself. Bruce surveys his apartment and tells Barry that he knows he latter has abilities, but just needs to know what they are. Barry nervously rambles about his personal skills, including competitive ice dancing. Bruce turns and suddenly hurls a batarang at him as hard as possible, but Barry uses his speed to dodge and catch it. Recognizing it, an awed Barry deduces that Bruce is Batman. Bruce deduces that he is fast, but Barry calls that an oversimplification. Bruce tells him about the "team" he is putting together and almost immediately, Barry wants in. Bruce is momentarily confused, but when Barry tells him that he needs friends, he accepts his decision. Barry, admiring the batarang, asks Bruce if he can keep it.
The Flash
To be added
Possible future
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"Bruce, listen to me now! It's Lois, it's Lois Lane! She's the key! Am I too soon?! Aaaah, I'm too soon! You were right about him! You've always been right about him! Fear him! Find us, Bruce, you have to find us!"
The Flash traveled back from a possible future to the Batcave, appearing in a vortex of bright blue Speed Force light and lightning, warning Bruce Wayne of the dangers that the future might hold, regarding Superman becoming the ruthless totalitarian dictator of Earth, that Bruce had always been right about and should fear "him", which could only be avoided if "she" was saved from death, and that Lois Lane is "the key". Bruce quickly wakes up shortly thereafter, and whether or not this was a dream remains unknown, but Batman himself appears not to think so,[4] so he heeds the Flash's request, which leads to him and his new ally Wonder Woman tracking down the metahumans (including the present-day version of the Flash), and forming the Justice League with them.
Barry Allen is a remarkably intelligent and determined individual, becoming a highly skilled forensic scientist in an effort to prove the innocence of his imprisoned father Henry Allen in the death of his mother. As the Flash, he is determined to keep his secret identity a secret from others, demonstrated by the many excuses he came up with when confronted by Bruce Wayne, though notably, none of them were convincing enough to fool the latter. When finally exposed by Bruce, Flash is quick to agree to join the Justice League, due to his great desire to gain friends.
Barry, excited at the prospect of making new friends.
Despite his tragic childhood, Barry is quite laid-back, witty, bubbly, somewhat childish and humorous, in stark contrast to the very calm, mature, and serious Batman. Regardless of these differences though, Flash somewhat idolizes Batman, promptly expressing a desire to keep the batarang that he caught at superspeed, while demonstrating his powers. Flash seems to idolize and admire Superman just as much, however, as the Man of Steel's heroic death is what inspired Barry to also more openly use his own metahuman powers and come out into the light as the scarlet speedster superhero Flash. Barry's humorous attitude, however, initially annoys his fellow Justice Leaguers, Batman and Aquaman in particular, as well as Cyborg, and even the considerate Wonder Woman, though she still treats him with compassion[5].
Powers and Abilities
"So, you're fast." "That feels like an oversimplification."
Speed Force Physiology: After being struck by lightning (and doused with some nearby chemicals in the process), the Flash, gained a metahuman connection to the Speed Force, an extra-dimensional energy field, granting him many speed-based abilities.
Flash is capable of moving at tremendous supersonic speeds, faster than even that of Superman, which makes Flash the fastest member of the Justice League. Flash notably ran away from a fridge, knocked out a pharmacy mugger, and ran back to the fridge (all so quickly, that the milk bottle left by him in the air was still in the exact same place, not having enough time to fall); easily dodged a Parademon's plasma bolts, and then promptly proceeded to run behind the latter's back and send the Parademon flying (all before it could even react)[6]. The intensity of his speed allows Flash to run up vertical surfaces, across the surface of water, through solid matter, into other planes of frequency, and even though time.[2]
Super Reflexes:
Barry's slow motion speedster perception.
Flash's speed extends to his reflexes as well, even if he is not moving at super speed, as he managed to easily dodge a Batarang thrown at him by Batman, with it appearing to be moving at him in slow motion (62 times slower than in reality), and Batman himself almost frozen in place, from Flash's perspective. While in this state, he was shown to still able to outpace not only moving objects, but the speed of other forces, such as gravity, allowing him to move faster than an object can be affected by gravity and begin falling, as he did when stopping a mugger while leaving a milk jug in the air for him to return to and grab before it started falling.
Flash, due to his great speed, has superhuman momentum, and while this does not enhance his strength (which is that of a normal human), it does greatly increase the force behind Flash's blows, making them equivalent to those of considerable superhuman strength. Hence, Flash was able to easily send a pharmacy mugger flying through the air by colliding with him at immense speed, to effortlessly take down Captain Boomerang in the same swift manner, and even to send a superhumanly tall and heavy Parademon flying at least 20ft with a single push[6]. This force, however, is not enough to harm beings of tremendous nigh-invulnerable durability, like Superman, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman, but it may momentarily stun them.
Momentum Negation: Flash also has superhuman stopping power, which makes him able to come to a full stop, despite the extreme momentum of his motion, with Flash notably not breaking a milk bottle after running back and catching it in mid-air at super speed. This allows Flash to further the illusion of having not moved at all if he moves at super speed and then returns to the exact position he started at, before anyone can perceive it (as Flash notably ran over, knocked out a pharmacy mugger, and ran back to the fridge so quickly, that the milk bottle left by him in the air was still in the exact same place, not having enough time to fall), with only Lex Luthor's security camera able to perceive it (and even then, only because Lex slowed down the time between each consecutive shot just enough).
Momentum Absorption: Flash, according to Amanda Waller's files can extend his momentum negation towards others, temporarily stealing their speed, adding it to his own and possibly to other targets around him.
Super Stamina: Flash possesses immense superhuman stamina (though not quite on par with that of Superman or Wonder Woman), which allows him to withstand the stress of moving at superspeed for extended periods of time without growing tired or weak.
Super Agility: Flash possesses agility, balance, and bodily coordination on superhuman levels, which allows him to easily maneuver while moving superhumanly quickly.
Intangibility: Flash, due to his incredible speed, can vibrate any part of his body, allowing him to thereby phase himself through solid objects.[2]
Inter-Frequency Travel: Flash's incredible speed allows him to move into another plane of frequency, where another reality is located.[2]
Time-Travel:
Future Flash's message to Batman
Flash can run fast enough to break open holes in the fabric of the space-time continuum, allowing him to travel back in time and re-visit past events, which is arguably the most powerful facet of Flash's speed. Hence, the Flash from a possible future briefly traveled back to the past, appearing to Batman in a vortex of bright blue light and Speed Force lightning, warning him of the upcoming potential dangers regarding Superman, Lois Lane, and an upcoming apocalypse.[2], and showing Batman a vision of this potential future (where Superman is a ruthless totalitarian dictator, and Earth is conquered by Parademons) in the form of a nightmarish dream. However, Flash is not always precise with this ability, as he notably travels too far back in time when delivering this message to Batman, which leaves the latter unable to fully understand the meaning of future Flash's warning, as Batman was not as well informed on upcoming events as the version of Batman that future Flash had intended to contact.
Aerokinesis: Flash, in another side-effect of his tremendous speed, can create vortexes of wind by rotating his arms at incredible speeds, or by running in a circular fashion. According to Amanda Waller's files, Flash can also charge these vortexes with Speed Force electricity, thereby further increasing their offensive capabilities.
Accelerated Metabolic Healing Factor: Flash's speed extends to him on a microscopic level, and thus, his metabolism is far faster than that of a normal human, allowing him to heal and regenerate from any bone or flesh injuries without lingering side-effects within a short time span, with Flash even able to recuperate from injuries that are highly crippling. However, because of his ability to move at high speeds, Flash burns through calories at an accelerated rate, keeping his body slim and fit. Due to this, Flash needs to intake a high amount of calories (typically in the form of whatever food he can find) in order to function normally.
Speed Force lightning path generated by Flash's running.
Flash, when moving at incredible speeds, can generate bolts of blue Speed Force lightning (similar to the lightning that he was originally struck by), which can cause electronic technology nearby to short-circuit, overload or even burst into sparks. According to Amanda Waller's files, Flash can also charge the air vortexes that he generates with Speed Force electricity, thereby further increasing their offensive capabilities.
Gifted Intelligence: Barry Allen is exceptionally intelligent, capable of making his Flash Suit from the specific anti-friction fibers employed by NASA, even impressing Bruce Wayne with the sophisticated craftsmanship.
Forensic Expert: Barry Allen is a highly skilled forensic scientist, and is confident in his ability to ultimately prove his father Henry Allen's innocence in the murder of his mother Nora Allen, while exposing the enigmatic true murderer in the process.[2]
Limited Durability: Flash, since he has no invulnerability, can be stabbed, shot or otherwise damaged or injured like any normal human if he is caught moving at normal speeds (especially if attacked by more powerful beings), though his metahuman metabolic healing factor keeps this weakness from being too crippling.
Fueling of Accelerated Metabolism: Flash's speedster metabolism, despite being beneficial, also burns through calories at an accelerated rate, keeping his body slim and fit. Due to this, Flash needs to every so often intake an immense amount of nutritional calories (requiring him to eat immense amounts of food) in order to function normally, since Flash will otherwise be rendered disoriented and weak before ultimately passing out from low blood glucose.
First Flash suit: Barry Allen wears a protective scarlet suit (with quite a few wires holding the various pieces together, and a golden lightning bolt design on the chest) as his superhero alter-ego, the Flash, to hide his identity from his enemies when he fights crime. The suit is composed of specific fibers, with Batman noting that it is the material that NASA uses to protect spaceships from burning up as they re-enter Earth's atmosphere (in order to avoid the suit burning up from the immense air friction created when Barry runs at superspeed).
Second Flash suit: Barry Allen's second more updated suit, made for him by Batman. Its is slightly similar to Bruce's suit though is armor plated and overall heat resistant.
Alternate future Flash suit: Barry Allen wore a machanically altered version of the suit in a seemingly alternate reality, where Superman became a malevolent vengeful tyrant opposed by Batman. This suit is more armored and streamlined, probably to protect from Parademons, and maybe even Superman himself, while also having a retractable protective helmet, that covers Barry's head and face, while the traditional cowl is underneath it.
