The Flash (Barry Allen) is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Barry Allen is the second character to be known as the Flash. The character first appeared in Showcase #4 (October 1956), created by writer Robert Kanigher and penciler Carmine Infantino.^[1] His name combines talk show hosts Barry Gray and Steve Allen.^[2] Barry Allen is a reinvention of a previous character called The Flash that had appeared in 1940s comic books as the character Jay Garrick.

The Flash's power consists mainly of superhuman speed. His abilities allow him to move at the speed of light, and in some stories, even beyond that real-world limit. Various other effects such as intangibility are also attributed to his ability to control the speed of molecular vibrations. The Flash wears a distinct red and gold costume treated to resist friction and wind resistance, traditionally storing the costume compressed inside a ring.

Barry's classic stories introduced the concept of the Multiverse to DC Comics, and this concept played a large part in DC's various continuity reboots over the years. The Flash has traditionally always had a significant role in DC's major company-wide reboot stories, and in 1985's crossover Crisis on Infinite Earths, Barry died saving the Multiverse, removing the character from the regular DC lineup for 23 years. His return to regular comics occurred subsequently in 2008 within the pages ofGrant Morrison's Final Crisis crossover story and Geoff Johns' accompanying The Flash: Rebirth limited series. He has since played a pivotal role in the crossover stories Blackest Night (2009), Flashpoint (2011), and DC Rebirth (2016).

Allen has appeared in various adaptations in other media, John Wesley Shipp played the character in the 1990 CBS television series and Grant Gustin currently plays the character in the 2014 CW television series. The character is played by Ezra Miller in the DC Extended Universe, beginning with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice & Suicide Squad in 2016, followed by Justice League in 2017, and a standalone film, The Flash, set for release in 2018.

Flash
Barry Allen, The second Flash. Textless variant cover art Flash #1, by Ivan Reis.
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Showcase #4 (October 1956)
Created by	Robert Kanigher Carmine Infantino
In-story information
Alter ego	Bartholomew Henry "Barry" Allen
Species	Human
Place of origin	Central City
Team affiliations	Justice League Central City Police Department
Partnerships	Kid Flash (Wally West) Green Arrow Green Lantern (Hal Jordan)
Abilities	Immense superhuman speed Superhuman agility and stamina Ability to vibrate body to phase through objects Possibility of time travel by moving faster than thespeed of light Supercharged brain activity Accelerated metabolism Creation of vortexes Rapid healing abilities Can throw lightning

The Flash is an American television series developed by Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg and Geoff Johns, airing on The CW. It is based on the DC Comics characterBarry Allen / Flash, a costumed superhero crime-fighter with the power to move at superhuman speeds. It is a spin-off from Arrow, existing in the same fictional universe. The series follows Allen, portrayed by Grant Gustin, a crime scene investigator who gains super-human speed, which he uses to fight criminals, including others who have also gained superhuman abilities.

Initially envisioned as a backdoor pilot, the positive reception Gustin received during two appearances as Barry on Arrow led to executives choosing to develop a full pilot to make use of a larger budget and help flesh out Barry's world in more detail. Colleen Atwood, costume designer for Arrow, was brought in to design the Flash's suit. The creative team wanted to make sure that the Flash would resemble his comic book counterpart, and not simply be a poor imitation. The series is primarily filmed inVancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

The Flash premiered in North America on October 7, 2014, where the pilot became the second-most watched premiere in the history of The CW, after The Vampire Diaries in 2009. It has been well received by critics and audiences, and won the People's Choice Award for "Favorite New TV Drama" in 2014. The series was renewed for a third season in March 2016,^[1] which premiered on October 4, 2016.^[2] The series, together with Arrow, has spun characters out to their own show, Legends of Tomorrow, which premiered on January 21, 2016.

• Grant Gustin as Barry Allen / Flash:

A Central City assistant police forensic investigator. Moments after an explosion at the S.T.A.R. Labs particle accelerator, Barry is struck by lightning in his laboratory and doused by chemicals affected by the accident. When he awakens from a nine-month coma, he has superhuman speed.^[8] In September 2013, Grant Gustin was cast in the titular role.^[8] Andy Mientus, who would eventually be cast as Hartley Rathaway, also auditioned for the role.^[9] Gustin began researching the character during the audition process, and reading as many comics as possible. Gustin primarily focused on The New 52 series of comics, because he knew it would be difficult to read everything and he felt the New 52 was the closest to the show's "look and feel".^[10] Gustin also portrays the Earth-2 version of the character, Barry Allen, who is not the Flash on this Earth.^[11]

• Candice Patton as Iris West:

She is the daughter of Detective West and Barry Allen's best friend and longtime crush.^[12] She works at Central City Picture News as a journalist.^[13] Patton also portrays the Earth-2 version of the character, Iris West-Allen, who is a detective at the Central City Police Department.^[11]

• Danielle Panabaker as Dr. Caitlin Snow:^[14]

Named after the civilian identity of the DC Comics character Killer Frost. A highly intelligent bioengineering expert, Caitlin believed her fiancé, Ronnie Raymond,^[14] was killed during the particle accelerator explosion at S.T.A.R. Labs,^[15] until he returned part way through first season. Ronnie and Caitlin get married in the first season finale, "Fast Enough".^[16] Panabaker also portrays the Earth-2 version of the character, Caitlin Snow / Killer Frost.^[11][17] In season 3 she is a metahuman now with the same powers as Killer Frost.

• Rick Cosnett as Eddie Thawne:

A recent transfer to the Central City Police Department, Eddie's past is a mystery and he harbored a dark secret.^[15] He is partner to Detective Joe West and Iris West's love interest. Cosnett left the series after the first season, following his character's sacrifice to wipe Eobard Thawne, his distant descendant, from history.^[16]

• Carlos Valdes as Cisco Ramon / Vibe: A mechanical engineering genius, Cisco is the youngest member of the team of scientists at S.T.A.R. Labs.^[18] Valdes also portrays the Earth-2 version of the character, Cisco Ramon / Reverb, a metahuman who works for Hunter Zolomon / Zoom.^[11]
• Tom Cavanagh as Dr. Harrison Wells:

The mind and money behind Central City's S.T.A.R. Labs Particle Accelerator, Wells becomes a pariah after the lab explodes.^[19] He serves as Barry’s mentor after he gains his powers, teaching him how to further develop his abilities. He is eventually exposed as the Reverse-Flash, Professor Eobard Thawne (portrayed by Matt Letscher), the Flash's time-travelling archenemy and a descendant of Eddie from the future, who murdered the real Harrison whilst transmuting his appearance as his own.^[20] Cavanagh later portrays the Earth-2 version of Harrison Wells, nicknamed Harry, in subsequent seasons. Harry travels to Earth-1 to seek help in rescuing his kidnapped daughter Jesse, and becomes a part of Barry's team.

• Jesse L. Martin as Joe West: A police detective who acts as a surrogate father to Barry, after his mother's death and father's imprisonment, and who is the father of Iris^[6][21] and Wally.^[22] Martin also portrays the Earth-2 version of the character, a musician.^[11]
• Keiynan Lonsdale as Wally West / Kid Flash:

The son of Joe and brother of Iris, born without their knowledge after his mother left Central City.^[22] The producers disliked the introduction of relatives of characters that were never previously mentioned, feeling it was "weird", and opted instead to introduce Wally as unknown even to his relatives. They also chose to make him Iris' brother, a departure from the comics where he was her nephew.^[22] Speaking on Lonsdale's casting, Kreisberg explained that “Just like when we met Grant [Gustin] for the first time, we instantly knew Keiynan embodied all the heart and courage of a hero."^[23] Wally becomes Kid Flash in season 3.[24]

The Flash is the name of several fictional characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in Flash Comics #1 (January 1940).^[1] Nicknamed the "Scarlet Speedster", all incarnations of the Flash possess "super speed", which includes the ability to run and move extremely fast, use superhuman reflexes, and seemingly violate certain laws of physics.

Thus far, four different characters – each of whom somehow gained the power of "super-speed" – have assumed the mantle of the Flash in DC's history: college athlete Jay Garrick (1940–1951, 1961-present), forensic scientist Barry Allen (1956–1985, 2008–present), Barry's nephew Wally West (1986–2011, 2016–present), and Barry's grandson Bart Allen (2006–2007). Each incarnation of the Flash has been a key member of at least one of DC's premier teams: the Justice Society of America, the Justice League, and the Teen Titans.

The Flash is one of DC Comics' most popular characters and has been integral to the publisher's many reality-changing "crisis" storylines over the years. The original meeting of the Golden Age Flash Jay Garrick and Silver Age Flash Barry Allen in "Flash of Two Worlds" (1961) introduced the Multiverse storytelling concept to DC readers, which would become the basis for many DC stories in the years to come. Like his Justice League colleagues Superman and Batman, the Flash has a distinctive cast of adversaries, including the various Rogues (unique among DC supervillains for their code of honor) and the various psychopathic "speedsters" who go by the name Reverse-Flash. Other supporting characters in Flash stories include Barry's wife Iris West, Wally's wife Linda Park, friendly fellow speedster Max Mercury, and Central City police department members David Singh and Patty Spivot.

A staple of the comic book DC Universe, the Flash has been adapted to numerous DC films, video games, animated series, and live-action television shows. In live action, Barry Allen has been portrayed by Rod Haase for the 1979 television special Legends of the Superheroes, John Wesley Shipp and Grant Gustin in the 1990The Flash series and the 2014 The Flash series, respectively, as well as by Ezra Miller in the DC Extended Universe series of films, beginning with Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016). Shipp also portrays a version of Jay Garrick in the 2014 The Flash series. The various incarnations of the Flash also feature in animated series such as Superman: The Animated Series, Justice League, Batman: The Brave and the Bold and Young Justice, as well as the DC Universe Origina

The Flash
The Flash (Wally West) in the red mask, Jay Garrick with the silver helmet and Kid Flash (Bart Allen) in the yellow mask on the cover of The Flash vol. 2 #208 (May 2005). Art by Michael Turner.
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Flash Comics #1 (January1940)
Created by	Gardner Fox (writer) Harry Lampert (art)
Characters	Jay Garrick Barry Allen Wally West Bart Allen