DC Character Facts: The Flash

There have been many who have taken the mantle of The Flash including Jay Garrick, Barry Allen, Wally West, and Bart Allen. Moving forward, the majority of this post will be about Barry Allen who is the current Flash in the DC Universe.

Real Name: Barry Allen
City of Operations: Central City
First Appearance: Flash Comics #1 (1940)
First Appearance (New 52): The Flash #1 (2011)
Occupation: Forensic Scientist
Abilities: Super Speed... (more detail later)

Origin of Superhuman Abilities:

While getting ready to head home after a long day of work, a freak bolt of lightning came crashing down in his laboratory, breaking a shelf which caused Barry Allen to be doused with an array of various unknown chemicals granting him his Superhuman abilities.

Abilities (continued):

The Flash is easily one of the most powerful (if not THE most powerful) characters in all of the DC Universe. The Flash is able to tap into an energy source known as the "Speed Force". The Speed Force allows Flash to not only possess his famous Superhuman Speed but also grants him...

- Accelerated Healing
- Increased Perception (is noted to be able to process thoughts in an attosecond which is one quintillionth of a second)
- Enhanced Reaction Time (within one quadrillionth of a second)
- Superhuman Stamina
- Ability to steal kinetic energy
- Throw Balls of Energy (resembling lightning bolts)
- Ability to move his molecules SO fast he can phase through solid objects in a process called "quantum tunneling"
- Ability to travel through time (one point he builds a "cosmic treadmill" to assist with this)
- Even drag others into the Speed Force Dimension to enhance his powers even further..

The Speed Force:

The Speed Force is a mysterious & vaguely defined extra-dimensional energy force from which many different speedsters in the DC Universe draw their enhanced abilities.

Notable Speed Force users include each incarnation of The Flash; Jay Garrick, Barry Allen, Wally West, and Bart Allen. But also Johnny Quick, Jesse Quick/Liberty Belle, XS, the Tornado Twins, and Max Mercury.

The Speed Force is a source of many mysteries, and has been known to have differing effects on some of its users. Such an example would be the first Flash, Jay Garrick, experienced a decelerated aging process whereas Bart Allen underwent over-accelerated aging.

DC Multiverse:

Due to the unique aspects of his abilities, Barry Allen introduced the DC Comics concept of the "Multiverse", which would play a large role in DC's various continuity reboots. Arguably the largest of these reboots would take place after the Flashpoint storyline which would reset DC's entire line of ongoing monthly issues.

Flashpoint:

Flashpoint was an event within the DC Universe that occurred when Barry Allen travelled back in time to stop Reverse-Flash from murdering his mother.

By preventing this murder in the past, Allen shatters the timeline creating an alternate reality different then the present known by Allen. This new present reality differs greatly from the original one Allen knew. Such differences include Bruce Wayne died as a child instead of his parents. This leaving Thomas Wayne to take up the mantle of The Batman, and Martha Wayne mirroring The Joker. This new timeline finds Cyborg being the main hero of this reality (much like Superman was in the old reality), as well as Superman being held as a captive government lab-rat.

The New 52:

Knowing the point at which the original timeline fractured and created this new reality, Barry Allen decides to go back and attempt to fix his mistake of altering the past.

Traveling back in time, once again, Barry merges with his formal self as he witnessed 3 distinct timelines merge to create one Universe. This convergence of timelines gives birth to the new DC Universe continuity known as the "New 52".