Flash

*"Just keep moving forward."*
―Flash
***The Fastest Man Alive***

**Barry Allen** was a CSI, haunted by the unexplainable murder of his mother, when he was struck by lightning, imbuing him with a connection to the Speed Force and transforming him into the **Flash**. He is a founding member of the Justice League.

## Biography

### Origins

#### Childhood

Barry Allen was born to Henry and Nora Allen. Growing up, Barry seemed accident prone and gifted with an overactive imagination, often resulting in ridicule from other children. His habit of daydreaming did gain the attention of Iris West, who quickly became enraptured by his musings and dreams and ended up becoming his closest and only friend.

#### Unwanted Visitor

Barry awoke one night to the sound of thunder. When he heard his mother's screams, he ran downstairs to find streaks of red lightning surrounding his mother. Barry watched helplessly as his father held him back and ordered him to run and get help. However, Barry was paralyzed in fear until a streak of yellow began to solidify in the shape of a man clothed in yellow, who smiled. Snapped out of his fear by the act, Barry ran as fast as he could to Iris's house, knowing that her father, Joe West, was a cop. He frantically told them that someone was in their house and they needed to hurry. However, by the time Joe and Barry arrived back at the Allen residence, the house was wrecked, the man in yellow was gone, and Nora was dead, with Henry kneeling beside her covered in her blood.

Henry Allen was arrested for Nora's murder and was sentenced to life at Iron Heights prison. Joe West, took pity on Barry and took him in and raised him until early adulthood.

### More than Human

#### Forensics

After graduating college, Barry pursued a career of forensic science, but found nothing for the first few months. However, when a position at the Central City Police Department opened up, Joe offered the job to Barry, though he still required Barry to go through the application process to be fair to other applicants. Despite this, Barry managed to get hired as the new CSI. However, despite Barry's great talents and skills when it came to assessing a crime scene, the Department was not impressed by Barry's slow process when it came to investigating a crime scene, however it turned out that Barry's slow process was a result of him portioning his time to the case of his mother's murder, which was the true reason Barry pursued a career in forensics.

#### Lightning Strikes

*"I should've been able to figure it all out and get him out of there. But, story of my life, I wasn't fast enough."*
―Barry Allen
When Barry arrives at work one day, he finds Joe waiting for him. Joe informs him that his father had unexpectedly passed away the night before, dying in his sleep while in his cell. Overwhelmed with sadness, anger and guilt, Barry moved past Joe without a word. Once in his lab, Barry finally let his emotions get to him. Unable to focus for the day, Barry's attention was consistently on the board he had made to record the progress he was making on his mother's case.

Iris arrived, having heard the news and hoping to comfort Barry. She promises to him that she won't tell her father about his work on the side, however Barry ponders what would even be the point of continuing, knowing he had taken too long to prove his father's innocence. Suddenly, Barry becomes distracted by the fact that the chemicals on his shelf are not in the location they should be. As Barry goes to inspect them, a bolt of lightning strikes Barry, sending him into the shelf of chemicals, where he was doused with the contents and knocked into a coma.

Barry was rushed to the hospital, his chest charred where he was struck and flesh boiling where he was doused. Everyone involved was certain Barry would not survive, but Barry's heart kept beating and Iris would not let anyone give up on him. Barry's wounds were treated and he was monitored for any further complications. He would remain in that coma for the next three months as his wounds healed. Over the course of those months, Barry is visited by other members of the police department and Iris many times.

As he approached the end of his coma, Barry became inflicted with vivid nightmares of the night his mother was killed. He saw visions of the man in yellow, like a demon, speaking words that felt as though they were buried deep within his subconscious: "See You Soon."

#### Awakening

*"You okay?"
"Okay? Yeah, I'm okay, why wouldn't I be okay?"
"Well, you just got out of a coma after being struck by lightning and just finished three bowls of pasta, four burgers, and six milkshakes..."*
―Joe West and Barry Allen
Like a sudden jolt of energy hit him, Barry emerged from his coma suddenly, frightening Iris, who was once again visiting him. Barry was confused, disoriented, but quickly grew concerned with a growing and overwhelming physical hunger. Once Barry had been checked out of the hospital, Joe treated him to lunch, where Barry, as well as Joe, saw the reality of his newfound appetite, as Barry consumed dish after dish after dish until he was finally satiated.

Given the circumstances, a befuddled Joe instructed Barry to take a couple days before returning to work, which Barry reluctantly accepted.

## Personality

*"Nothing's set in stone, really."*
―Flash
As one of the world's youngest heroes, The Flash has been described as naive and immature. Flash is an excitable individual, who often will let his mouth run wild should he get the opportunity. On top of this, despite his accelerated mental processing, Flash has a habit of rushing in without fully thinking a situation through, often having to improvise his next steps instead, which, thanks to his powers and smarts, he is usually able to pull off successfully. However, it is rarely overconfidence or arrogance regarding his own ability that drives such actions, but rather a compulsion to help others and his desire to live up to his idealistic and unrealistic expectation of what someone with his kind of abilities *should* be able to do.

Flash often displays a playful, humble, good natured, yet endearingly awkward demeanor, with Hal comparing him to a golden retriever. Flash is a dork, who gushes over things like science and geek-culture, sometimes in the midst of battle, resulting in a number of his enemies finding him truly unbearable. However, despite Flash's kind demeaner, he isn't afraid to speak his mind, with some of his thoughts being conveyed through snark or rambling. And while Flash might indulge in more trickster antics while in costume, he actively avoids acts that could cause serious harm to others.

Flash is also exceptionally empathetic and gentle, often making kind gestures towards those he saves, such as remembering their names, replacing lost or destroyed items, and performing charitable work in general. Towards his enemies, Flash expresses a desire to better understand them and resolve their conflicts peacefully, though he is very quick to catch on when his adversaries have no interest in talking, though he'll likely keep talking anyway. Though once unable to let go of the past, Flash has become a hopeful and optimistic person, believing that the future is rarely set and that there is always a chance for things to change for the better.

### Likes

* Burgers
* Pizza
* Modern Pop

## Powers & Abilities

### Powers

* **Speed Force Conduit**: Barry is able to tap into the Speed Force which grants him control over the particles in his body. This allows him to move at super speed and vibrate his particles at high speed.
	+ **Superhuman Speed**
	+ **Enhanced Reflexes**: As a speed force conduit, Barry is able to perceive the world much faster than the average human. As such, he possesses an extraordinarily fast reaction time and reflexes.
	+ **Superhuman Stamina**
	+ **Regenerative Healing Factor**
	+ **Intangibility**: Barry can vibrate his particles at such high speeds and frequencies that he is capable of phasing through objects. This can range from solid walls to blasts of destructive energy.

### Abilities

* **Genius Level Intellect**
	+ **Criminology Expert**
	+ **Detective Skills**
	+ **Chemistry Knowledge**
	+ **Physics Expert**
* **Novice Combatant**

## Trivia

* Flash once broke the sound barrier by talking too much.