Bartholomew "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.
When he was a child, Barry Allen's mother was killed, with the blame 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.[2]
At some point after obtaining his superpowers, Barry Allen was caught on a security camera stopping a mugger at super speed, with that footage later being obtained by Lex Luthor.[3]
The Dawn of Justice
After the death of Superman, a saddened but inspired Batman asks Wonder Woman to help him bring together the metahumans from Luthor's footage (including the Flash) into a team, remembering how a version of the Flash from a possible alternate future emphasized the importance of finding them (while briefly speaking to Batman), and forming the Justice League.
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 costumed 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
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 Enchantress.
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 he accepts his decision. Barry, admiring the batarang, asks Bruce if he can keep it.
"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 and an "apocalypse", 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,[3] 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 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.
Despite his tragic childhood, Barry is quite laid-back, witty, 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 he caught at super-speed while demonstrating his powers. He seems to idolize and admire Superman just as much, however, as the Man of Steel's heroic death at Doomsday's hands is what inspired Barry to also more openly use his own metahuman powers and come out into the light as the scarlet costumed speedster superhero Flash.
Powers and Abilities
"So, you're fast." "That feels like an oversimplification."
Metahuman Speed Force Physiology: Barry Allen's powers come from the Speed Force, a mysterious extra-dimensional energy field that he first accessed after gaining his powers from a lightning strike. The lightning altered Barry's DNA to supercharge his cells with enormous amounts of electricity, and likewise augmented his physiology to beyond peak human condition, obtaining a lean-built frame to properly handle his new abilities. Barry, now a metahuman, is shown able to directly access the Speed Force, however it is currently unknown if he can do so at will.
Flash, after being struck by lightning (and doused with some nearby chemicals in the process), gained a metahuman connection to the Speed Force, making him capable of moving at tremendous supersonic speeds, slightly faster than even Superman, making Flash the fastest member of the Justice League. He can even vibrate himself on a microscopic level to allow him to move through solid matter, inducing jolt or tremors with physical contact, or enhance the amount of force in his attacks to superhuman levels. As his speed extends to him on a microscopic level, and thus, his cells and biochemistry work considerably faster than normal, allowing him to heal and recover completely in hours from any bone or flesh injuries without lingering side-effects, even if the injuries are highly crippling. The intensity of his speed allows Flash to run up vertical surfaces, and across the surface of water.[2]
Super Reflexes: Flash's speed extends to his reflexes as well, as he managed to easily dodge a batarang thrown at him by Batman, with it appearing to be moving at him in slow motion (and Batman himself frozen in place) from Flash's perspective.
Super Momentum: Flash, due to his great speed, has superhuman momentum, and while this does not enhance his strength (which is on a normal human level), 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 crook flying through the air by colliding with him at immense speed, and latter easily taking down Captain Boomerang in the same swift manner. This force, however, is not enough to harm beings of tremendous nigh-invulnerable durability, like Superman and Wonder Woman but it may momentarily stun them.
Super Stopping: Flash also has superhuman stopping power, which makes him able to come to a full stop, despite the extreme momentum of his motion. 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, with only Lex Luthor's security camera able to perceive it (and even then, only because they slowed down the time between each consecutive shot).
Intangibility: Flash, due to his incredible speed, can vibrate any part of his body, allowing him to thereby phase himself through solid objects.[4]
Inter-Frequency Travel: Flash's incredible speed allows him to move into another plane of frequency, where another reality is located.[2]
Time-Travel: 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 dictator, and Earth is conquered by Parademons) in the form of a nightmarish dream.
Accelerated Metabolism/Healing Factor: As his speed extends to him on a microscopic level, and thus, his cells and biochemistry work extremely faster than normal, allowing him to heal and regenerate from any bone or flesh injuries without lingering side-effects, within a short timespan. He can even recuperate from injuries that are highly crippling.
Electrokinesis: Flash, when moving at incredible speeds, generates bolts of blue Speed Force lightning (similar to the lightning that he was originally struck by), which can cause electric technology nearby to short-circuit, overload or even burst into sparks.
Gifted Intelligence: Barry Allen is exceptionally smart, 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's innocence in the murder of his mother, 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.
First Flash Suit: Barry Allen wears a protective scarlet suit (with quite a few wires, 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 super-speed).
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 an altered version of the suit in a seemingly alternate reality, where Superman became a malevolent vengeful tyrant opposed by Batman. This suit is metallic and armored probably to protect from Parademons and may be even Superman himself, while also having a protective helmet, that covers Barry's head and face, while the traditional cowl is underneath it.
