Barry Allen / The Flash

Barry Allen / The Flash

4323
    DC Extended Universe
Photo Credit: Everett Collection

Character Analysis

(Avoiding Spoilers)

Grew Up... happily, with his loving parents Henry and Nora Allen. But when Barry was only 11 years old, his mother was killed by a mysterious supernatural force and his father was sent to prison for her murder. Young Barry was taken in by Detective Joe West and his daughter Iris. Over the years Barry grew close with his foster dad and now believes, “I was born with one father, but that tragedy gave me two.”

Living... in Central City. Though Barry has his own apartment, he spends most of his time either at the Wests’ house or at S.T.A.R. Labs, where he works with scientific genius Dr. Harrison Wells and his assistants Cisco Ramon and Caitlin Snow.

Profession... forensic assistant and secret superhero. By day Barry uses his scientific expertise to help the Central City Police solve cases. But he’s also secretly leading a double life as a superhero called The Flash. After being struck by lightening, Barry gained the ability to run at supersonic speeds. He believes it’s his responsibility to use his powers to help people.

Interests... science, books about science, and famous scientists. One could say Barry is a little single-minded. His idols are scientists like Dr. Wells and he loves spending his time learning about new scientific theories.  

Relationship Status... lovelorn. Barry has been pining over Iris since they were kids. But his feelings were complicated by the fact that they grew up in the same house. Iris just sees Barry as her best friend, so as Barry puts it, “My social life consists of running at super human speed and Netflix.”

Challenge... solving his mother’s murder. Barry went into criminology hopping to one day prove his father’s innocence. Now that he has superpowers, he’s more dedicated than ever to finding his mother’s killer, who he realizes may have been another speedster. After seeing what Barry and other metahumans can do, Wells, Cisco, Caitlin, and Joe are on his side too. 

Personality... a total nerd. Barry is unabashedly geeky and socially awkward, although that usually just makes him more charming. Before he got his powers he was constantly running late and now he’s equally frazzled by his busy double-life. His newfound abilities occasionally make him a bit cocky, but Barry’s core characteristic is his huge heart. He has an instinct to help people, which serves him well as The Flash.  

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