- For other uses of "The Flash", see The Flash (disambiguation).
- "No matter what, I know that the love that we share and the connection that we have can never be broken, because we will never stop fighting for it. I felt so powerless today, but I guess this is me saying that I'm standing on my own two feet. And I'm gonna be strong. And I know we'll find our way back to each other. We always do."
- —Iris West-Allen to Barry Allen[src]
Iris Ann West-Allen[1] (née West; born June 24, 1989)[2] is the co-leader of Team Flash,[3][4] a former journalist of Central City Picture News, a former waitress at CC Jitters, and the owner/editor-in-chief of The Central City Citizen. She is the daughter of Joe West and the late Francine West, the older sister of Wally West, the older paternal half-sister of Jenna West, the ex-fiancée of Eddie Thawne, the wife of Barry Allen, the mother of Nora West-Allen and (in a potential future) Bart West-Allen and the daughter-in-law of the late Henry and Nora Allen.
In the Flashpoint timeline, Iris and Joe seemed to have some tension since Iris didn't know about Francine being alive. She also knew that Wally was the Flash and they formed a brother-sister crime-fighting duo. After Flashpoint was removed from existence when Barry let Eobard Thawne kill Nora Allen in an attempt to restore the original timeline, Iris was estranged from her father Joe only to reconnect after hearing of Barry's time traveling. The life of Iris was later threatened by a powerful villain named Savitar, which they could foresee due to Barry accidentally traveling into the future trying to trap the villain, which was a future time remnant of Barry. Iris survived thanks to the sacrifice of H.R. Wells, and in the final battle, she killed Savitar, erasing him from existence.
After Barry's disappearance into the Speed Force, she took over Team Flash and coordinated the superhero activities of Vibe and Kid Flash. After Barry's return, she continued her position as team leader until she decided to retire and be a reporter again, serving as mission control, giving herself the code name "Eye in the Sky".[5] During an encounter with the meta-human Melting Point, Iris briefly gained her husband's superspeed and took over as The Flash, before tracking down Kim and having him return the powers to Barry. She later helped Barry and his friends defeat Clifford DeVoe and became an older sister to her father and Cecile's new daughter, Jenna.
When Iris and Barry's future daughter, Nora, arrived in the present, Iris found out that her future daughter held a grudge against her for implanting a power-dampening chip inside Nora. Iris was shocked at this, but she was determined to not do that to her daughter in the future, causing the two to bond as they worked with Team Flash to stop Orlin Dwyer and a future murderous Grace Gibbons. When Iris found out her daughter was working with Reverse-Flash, she showed no animosity to her after finding out why Nora started working with Thawne. After destroying Cicada's dagger, Nora was erased from existence, leaving Iris and Barry devastated.
During the Anti-Monitor Crisis, Iris was instrumental in convincing Ryan Choi, the Paragon of Humanity, to join their fight to save the multiverse. Unfortunately, she was vaporized by antimatter soon after. Upon being restored on the new universe, Iris began an investigation into the assassin guild called Black Hole, but her curiosity caused her to be trapped in another dimension called the Mirrorverse while a double took her place. She was released months later thanks to Barry.
When the Forces were created, Iris was supposedly killed along with Alexa Rivera and Bashir Malik by the Speed Force and Deon Owens, only to be revealed as alive a few seconds later. After the final battle, she and Barry bid farewell to the Forces. During the Godspeed war, Iris had developed a "time sickness" and was being treated by Deon in order to fix it. However, during Armageddon, Iris asked Deon to undo all of her treatments, which resulted in her sickness getting more out of hand.
After the Negative Forces killed Eobard Thawne, they also killed Iris in order to bring Thawne back to life. She was brought back to life when Barry defeated Thawne.
Biography[]
Original multiverse[]
Early life[]
Iris was born on June 24, 1989 to Joe and Francine West in Central City.
When Iris was two years old, her parents took her to the park to cheer her up after she was given some shots. There, Iris had ice cream for the first time and voiced a desire for it nearly every day for the next month.[6]
When Iris was around six years old, her mother nearly overdosed on pills while Joe was at work. Francine subsequently ended up unresponsive on the couch, causing Iris to call the police. While Joe and his partner drove to the house, the stove caught fire since Francine had left the oven on. Iris was almost killed, as she was standing in front of the flames when Joe and his partner finally reached her, but the pair managed to get both Iris and her mother to safety. Iris came to repress her memories of this traumatic incident.
Soon after, Joe told Iris that her mother had died. In reality, Francine was a drug addict who had left them but Joe didn't want his daughter to grow up believing that she'd been abandoned. Instead, he told Iris stories of the mother he knew she deserved, not the mother Francine really was. However, both Iris and Joe were unaware that Francine was pregnant with another child - a son - when she left them.[7]
At school, Iris met Barry Allen and the two became best friends, though Barry secretly harbored a crush on Iris that he was never able to vocalize during their childhood. Iris held those same feelings for Barry deep down and though the two never acknowledged their romantic interest in each other, Joe and Barry's parents, Henry and Nora Allen, were well-aware of the connection between their children. Another boy at school, Tony Woodward, also had a crush on her and frequently bullied Barry.[8]
When she was nine years old, Iris dreamed of becoming a ballerina. During her ballet recital, she suddenly froze from stage fright, much to her embarrassment. However, Barry then came onto the stage and helped Iris complete her dance routine.[9] After her mother's alleged death, Iris always wore Francine's wedding band on a necklace. However, she lost the original ring in the fifth grade when she and Barry went to the zoo on a field trip. Iris was devastated over this loss, crying about it for weeks.[10]
On March 18, 2000, when Barry was 11 years old,[11] Nora was murdered by the Reverse-Flash and Henry was wrongfully convicted of her murder. Barry was subsequently taken in by Joe and went to live with him and Iris at their house.[12] When Joe and Barry arrived at the house, Barry was not crying, due to shock.[13] Joe asked Iris to show Barry the guest room, and Barry told Iris that his father did not kill his mother, to which Iris responded that she believed him.[14] Later that night, Iris found Barry crying alone and comforted him.[13]
Early on in his stay, Barry repeatedly attempted to run away. One time when Joe went to get groceries, Iris allowed Barry to run away, refusing to tell her father exactly where to, despite understanding the implication.[15]
When Iris was 16, she and Barry switched bedrooms so that she would be able to sneak out the window past curfew, which was 8:00 pm. They claimed to Joe that reason they switched rooms was because Barry didn't like the noise from the streets.[1] When Iris was 17, her appendix burst and she was sent to the hospital.[16] At some point, Barry and Iris took Joe's convertible out for a joy ride and ended up crashing it into an oak tree on Fairmont Drive.[16]
Original timeline[]
Between 2013 and 2020, Barry confessed his love to Iris and they got married. She founded The Central City Citizen newspaper. In 2020, Iris began reporting on Barry's exploits as the superhero the Flash after the S.T.A.R. Labs particle accelerator exploded and gave him his powers. In 2024, a Crisis caused the skies to turn red and all of reality was threatened by erasure via antimatter. However, the Flash saved the world by reversing the flow of power to the antimatter cannon, sacrificing himself in the process. Seemingly unaware of Barry's fate, Iris simply reported that the Flash had vanished in the Crisis.[17] In 2049, Iris release a follow up article stating that the Flash had yet to return.[18]
Revised timeline[]
Particle accelerator explosion[]
After dealing with his case in Starling City, Iris and Barry went to S.T.A.R Labs for the activation of the Particle Accelerator by Dr. Harrison Wells. During the event Barry tried to admit his feelings for her but was unable to as Iris assumed he was afraid to talk to her about romantic relationships. When a thug attempted to steal Iris' laptop bag, Barry went after him only for the criminal to beat him up. Fortunately, Detective Eddie Thawne managed to subdue him.
At the CCPD headquarters, Iris discussed her annoyance of Eddie's pride in catching the mugger, although did admit he was attractive. Later that night, the Particle Accelerator exploded and Barry was struck by a lightning bolt putting him into a coma. At the hospital, a horrified Iris attempted to rush to his side.
Over the nine months Barry was comatose, Iris began a secret relationship with Eddie.[12]
The Flash is Born[]
Barry awakens[]
In 2014, Barry finally awoke and visited Iris at CC Jitters. The two hugged and then visited the police station to show Joe that he was finally awake. Unbeknownst to her Barry began to slowly discover that he had acquired the ability to move at superhuman speeds. Later at C.C Jitters while sharing a romantic moment with Eddie, Iris noticed Barry watching them kissing; unaware of how heartbreaking it was to Barry. As she explained how she and Eddie became a couple the two were nearly hit by a car. Fortunately Barry was able to get them to safety.[12]
Discovering the Streak[]
Over the weeks Iris discovered that a superhuman figure was active in Central City. Not only saving people but also fighting criminals as well. Determined to discover brought Iris into contact with various meta humans. Some were familiar such as former classmate Tony Woodward who kidnapped until the Streak managed to save her and defeat. Starting a blog that was dedicated to writing about his deeds, Iris came up with the idea to name this figure The Flash thanks to Barry. While she faced resistance to her blog in the form of her father and Barry at first Iris continued on as she sought to discover The Flash not only for her curiosity but to also show to others that Barry was not crazy and prove that "the impossible" existed.[8]
Her faith in The Flash was temporarily broken when he was affected by the criminal meta-human Rainbow Raider that caused The Flash to rage out as he attacked Eddie who was trying to arrest The Flash as the time. Fortunately Eddie was saved by the Starling City vigilante The Arrow.[19]
A few days before Christmas, Iris was too excited to wait and wanted her and Barry to exchange presents now. Iris discovered much to her joy that Barry had gotten her a replica of her mother's wedding band which she had lost. Iris had gotten Barry in return a microscope which was supposed to be the best on the market. Eddie then dropped by to take them "tree trimming".
While At C.C Jitters Eddie gave Iris his gift to her: A key to his house. Since they were practically living together already Eddie thought he make it official. He also proposed the thought to her that Barry might have feelings for her although Iris insisted they were just friends and nothing more.
While working her shift at Jitters, Iris was visited by Caitlin who wanted information on the "Burning Man" on her blog. Iris told her that while she hadn't updated it in awhile she would send her reports she had collected. She also asked her if Barry was hiding something from her. Caitlin told her this was unlikely but if she felt Barry wasn't telling her something she should probably just ask him herself.
Later at the police department, Iris found Barry looking at the board of his mother's case. Barry admitted that in recent times he hadn't looked at it as much as he should have. Iris then told Barry the news of her and Eddie living together and also told him about Eddies suspicions he had feelings for her. Barry denied and claimed he was just surprised by how much time had passed.
However the next night, Barry finally admitted his feelings for Iris; he had intended to tell her shortly after the S.T.A.R. Labs particle accelerator went active. However, thanks to his coma, Iris ended up becoming romantically involved with Eddie instead. Iris left shocked and in tears, feeling not only confusion but also guilt for not only causing Barry to hurt since he woke and never noticing his feelings for her.[10]
Iris worked as a junior reporter at Central City Picture News alongside Spencer Young.[20]
On Christmas Day at a party at Joe's house Barry congratulated the two on moving in together. Iris however began to discover over the next few months her own feelings for Barry. When her co-worker Linda Park was dating Barry, Iris vaguely mentions how Barry had been in an unrequited love with someone for a while so he might not be ready for a relationship. After getting a call from Linda, Barry rushing off to talk to Iris about it. He is upset with her for possibly ruining it. He says that he doesn't have the feelings for her anymore, something that upsets Iris.[21]
While confused and angry by Barry's bizarre mood swings having him be affectionate and rageful in the last year, Iris was tricked by Caitlin into believing Barry was suffering "Lightning Psychosis" that made his brain process his emotions poorly.[22]
Reverse-Flash intervenes[]
Unknown to Iris, she would never stay together with Eddie: Reverse-Flash's newspaper clip stated she wrote her story about the Crisis as "Iris West-Allen" and not "Thawne", meaning she would finally act on her real feelings for Barry.[23]
Discovering Barry's secret[]
Just as Eddie was about to propose to Iris with a ring he got from his grandmother, they were attacked by the Reverse-Flash. Iris quickly recognized him as Nora Allen's murderer and pleaded with him not to hurt anyone else. The yellow speedster refused to answer and moved to kill her, but the arrival of Barry as The Flash prompted the Reverse-Flash to abduct Eddie and fled. The Flash assured a distressed Iris that he would find Eddie and as he sped off a surge of lightning passed from Barry to her. In that second she remembered that she only experienced it before when she touched Barry while he was still in a coma after the S.T.A.R. Labs particle accelerator exploded. In that second she realized and still in shock that Barry was the The Flash.[17]
When Iris figured out that Barry is The Flash, she confronted him about his activity as The Flash, telling him that she was disappointed about why he lying to her about his secret identity, but nonetheless she decided to help Barry and join Team Flash. At the time, the team was searching for Grodd, a psychic gorilla. Iris told them about a news headline from two years prior that linked them to Grodd. They sent Barry, Joe, and Cisco Ramon down to the sewers, where Joe was captured by Grodd while the latter used his psychic abilities to knock Barry unconscious, forcing Cisco to take Barry and flee. Later however, Barry went back and overcame Grodd's psychic attacks and rescued Joe.[23]
Since then, Iris became become an active member of Team Flash, and occasionally used her contact with Barry to deal with some meta-human cases.
Iris feels betrayed by Barry for keeping secrets and further upset at her father for conspiring with him. She chooses Eddie, and she and Barry decide to let things proceed between them naturally; though the 2024 byline implies Iris would leave Eddie eventually (as the byline still said "West-Allen") however, Eddie kills himself to prevent Reverse-Flash from being born.[24]
Iris remained unable to move on from grief of Eddie for some time, resulting in Barry using some of his time while traveling back to 2015 to get Eddie to record a message to Iris that encouraged her to move on if he died and to love again.[25] She later got the tattoo of Eddie's name removed from her right shoulder; though the scarring embarrassed her.[26]
War against Zoom[]
Francine's return and meeting Wally[]
Looking into a housing scheme involving two men illegally evicting people from their homes, Iris was attacked by the two men who tried to kill her. When she called Barry asking for help, he told her to jump from the building she was in. Iris trusted him and fell almost 20 stories before Barry caught her. With the facts she needed, she wrote a story on the subject and her co-worker Linda told her it had scored the front page, much to her joy. Later that day, Joe sat Iris down and confessed that her mother was a drug addict and told her what happened when she was a child, that she'd almost been killed by their burning stove when Francine overdosed, which Iris vaguely remembered as he told her. More shockingly, Joe revealed that Francine was in fact alive and wanted to see her.[7]
Reluctantly agreeing Iris visited Francine but expressed understandable anguish towards her for leaving them but wished her no ill regardless, but insisted they keep living separate lives. Later Joe revealed to Iris that Francine confessed to be dying of MacGregor's Syndrome, but Iris was skeptical to believe her. Iris investigated Francine's claims and discovered she was telling the truth but discovered another shocking revelation, that the latter had another child, Wally West, born 8 months after she left her and Joe. Iris later visited Francine again and confronted her about this and told her to leave and never return. She also told her to never tell Joe about him about Wally, believing if Joe knew he had a son that grew up without knowing him, he'd never forgive himself.[27]
Around Christmas time, Iris, unable to keep Wally's existence a secret anymore, confessed her secret to Barry who encouraged her to tell Joe, offering to help her. Later, Iris told Joe about Wally, who was distraught to learn he had a son and needed time to accept it. Later at a Christmas party in their house, Joe and Iris were stunned when Wally arrived at their doorstep.[16]
As Team Flash kept battling Zoom in many ways, Iris started to look upon Barry with romantic feelings, as she took the fact that they were married on Earth-2, and supposedly in the future.[28]
It was later revealed that Jay was actually Hunter Zolomon[29], who was holding the true Jay Garrick prisoner. Iris and Team Flash managed to defeat Zoom but not before he killed Barry's father. Traumatized by his father's death, Barry traveled back in time and prevented his mother's death, causing Flashpoint.[30]
Flashpoint timeline[]
In the Flashpoint timeline, Iris does not instantly recognize Barry. This suggests that the two do not have a lot of contact with each other in the timeline. It is also shown that Iris seems to have a strained relationship with her father, Joe West. She also knows that Wally is the Flash and is an ally of his missions to fight against The Rival.[31]
Changing the future[]
Post-Flashpoint timeline[]
In the post-Flashpoint timeline, Iris continued to hold a grudge against her father for not telling her that her mother was still alive and as a result doesn't speak with him. She also did not share a kiss with Barry prior to him creating Flashpoint. She however remains a member of Team Flash.[32]
After learning of Flashpoint, Iris begins to patch things up with her father and finally starts up a relationship with Barry. She continues to assist Team Flash in taking down meta-humans and other threats including The Rival, Magenta,[33] Mirror Master, Top,[34] and Shade taking a supportive role and continuing her relationship with Barry unhindered. She becomes concerned when Wally becomes a target for Alchemy even going so far as to knock him out when Alchemy took control of him. She later begged her teammate Caitlin Snow, who had cryokinesis, but had no control over it, to use her powers to rescue Barry from the then-unknown enemy Savitar. Iris later questions whether Flashpoint really had caused the death of Cisco's brother Dante or Caitlin's transformation into Killer Frost, her cryokinetic alter-ego, or if these things would've happened even without Barry changing the timeline.[35]
Versus Savitar[]
- "I'm sorry you have to die, Iris. But it's either you or me."
- —Savitar to Iris West
When Barry traveled to the future to get rid of the Philosopher's stone, he saw Savitar killing Iris.[36]
After it was revealed Savitar was a future evil clone of Barry and that he would earn the memories of his past persona,[37] Iris was finally sent to Earth-2 with Harry Wells' S.T.A.R. Labs. After Lyla agreed to give Barry the energy from the dominators, Savitar tricked H.R. on revealing Iris' hideout by impersonating the still heroic Barry. To atone for his mistake, H.R. used a piece of Savitar's armor to lead him to his hideout, cut Iris' leash, switch appearance with Iris to deceive Killer Frost and Savitar and ask Killer Frost for mercy to "H.R.". In any case, Iris had left a loving farewell in a video.[1]
When Iris as H.R. went to Infantino Street to try to stop Savitar on her own, Savitar had already killed H.R., much to her devastation. H.R. then restored his and Iris' appearances. After Barry got Savitar to S.T.A.R. Labs, Barry and Iris were willing to negate his erasure from existence, but he ultimately rejected the offer. In the forest, after Barry pushed Savitar out of his armored suit and destroyed it, Savitar went to kill Barry but Iris shot Savitar dead before he hurt her fiancé. Then Savitar's corpse disappeared. Everyone thought the fight was over, but after H.R.'s funeral, the Speed Force began leaking energy onto Earth-1's Central City, due to the prison's vacancy. The Speed Force, appearing as "Nora Allen" told Barry to come with her. Barry then willingly entered the prison to stabilize the Speed Force, leaving Iris heartbroken.[38]
When Barry was in the Speed Force, Iris would have Cisco vibe her to the waterfront to watch her first kiss with Barry, from the timeline that Barry inadvertently erased when attempting to stop the tidal wave.[39]
The Fastest Man Alive vs The Fastest Mind Alive[]
Barry Allen's return[]
In Barry's absence, Iris became the leader of Team Flash. She was very heartbroken after her fiancé left. Then a Samuroid was claiming that Team Flash was to restore Barry or else it would destroy the city.
Cisco reveals to Iris that he and many of the technological allies of Team Flash had helped him to release Barry from the Speed Force, while Caitlin returned to the team, albeit not without being scolded by Iris. They opened a portal, but it appeared elsewhere, over a bus, where a naked, unkempt and bearded Barry appeared and stopped a car before fainting. Cecile led the team to a secret area, where Barry was seemingly mad, writing strange signs and claiming that he did not kill anyone. When Barry was sent to S.T.A.R. Labs, he was running for all the labs, and Caitlin used a Cold gun to neutralize him and shut him on the pipeline. Joe shaved Barry's beard off.
Joe and Iris had a conversation about faith, which motivated Iris to deliver herself to the Samuroid so Barry would return to normalcy. It worked, and Barry could easily destroy the Samuroid and rescue Iris.[40]
Wedding and Crisis on Earth-X[]
Iris invited most of her friends to her wedding with Barry in St. Paul Lutheran Church. When they were about to marry, the church was assaulted by Nazis. Everyone in the church started to fight, and Iris with other people got out of the church to safety. Barry and Iris decided to put the wedding off until later. Iris and Felicity tried to break out some of the people who were the meta-dampening cells, but it didn't work. So, they sent an SOS to the Legends. When Kara's heart was going to be cut out, Felicity and she turned of Star Lab's power in an attempt to save Kara, but failed. Luckily, the Legends arrived on time to fight the Nazis in S.T.A.R. Labs and rescue Kara.
After the Earth-X Nazis were defeated, they could finally marry. Barry brought John Diggle to request them to marry him to Iris. They said their vows, but before Diggle could declare them husband and wife, Felicity stopped Diggle and asked him to marry her to Oliver. When Oliver and Felicity acknowledged they could not do better vows than Barry and Iris, Diggle had both couples married.[41][42][43][9]
After the marriage[]
They enjoyed their honeymoon. Unfortunately, it was interrupted when Ralph pressed the alarm button causing Barry and Iris to rush to Star Labs. This, therefore, ruining their honeymoon a little bit. While talking about a wedding gift given by Oliver and Felicity, Barry and Iris decided to reject the gift on the basis that Oliver and Felicity stole their moment without consulting them and that the gift, a coffee maker, was not in their wishlist. Clifford DeVoe kidnapped Barry in front of her, while Caitlin was kidnapped by Amunet at approximately the same time. Team Flash tried programming the S.T.A.R. Labs satellite to search for both of them, but the system began to overheat as a result. Because of this, Iris had to decide who to find first rather than search for them both. This proved difficult for Iris, upset that she was being forced to choose between saving her husband or one of her friends, but ultimately, since Caitlin was in a more vulnerable situation than Barry, Iris decided to rescue her first and had all resources dedicated to finding Caitlin.
Cisco and Dibny were able to locate were Caitlin was, however, she had managed to escape Amulet along with another Meta-human named Dominic Cisco then proceeded to breach them all to safely escaping Amulet. Later Barry returned to S.T.A.R. Labs having managed to escape DeVoe much to Iris relief. The group attempted to find Devoe or his wife, but their facial recognition software was unable to pick anything up. Joe mentioned that he'd still like to have a Christmas party and invited everyone over to celebrate the holidays. As the group celebrated, there was a knock on the door, and it was Dominic. At the same time, Barry got a call on his phone, as the security alarm at his and Iris's loft was going off and he sped off to see what going on. However unknown to everyone else Barry was arrested as DeVoe's mind had managed to transfer to Dominic and had placed his old body in Barry's place with a knife embedded in it, framing Barry for murder.[44]
Barry's trial and getting him released from prison[]
Released on house arrest (with Cisco hacking the tracking cuff Barry had to wear to convince it that Barry was at Joe's house (where he was supposed to be), when he was actually with the team at S.T.A.R. Labs, Iris and the rest of Team Flash at S.T.A.R. Labs tried thinking of ways to get Barry out of trouble, however Barry insist that he go through the justice process the right way. Later at Barry's trial opening statements were given with Cecile acting as Barry's lawyer. During the trail, the prosecution called Captain Singh as a witness, and he is questioned by both the prosecutor and Cecile. While Cecile managed to get Captain Singh to speak favorably about Barry's character the prosecutor brung up all the times Barry had been late or missing work due to his activities as The Flash painting Barry as someone with more than enough free time to stalk and murder DeVoe. During a recess Cecile pulled Barry and Iris aside and recommended one of two routes: taking a plea deal or Barry admitting that he's the Flash.
When the trial resumed, Marlize had now taken the stand. Joe and Dibny walked in with photos they took of the Devoe's kissing (with Clifford in Dominic's body) and handed them to Cecile to enter into evidence. The judge allowed the photos into evidence, and Cecile started questioning Marlize on the photos. However Marlize told the jury a story of how she met Lance, the body Cliff took over, at a gala for ALS, and that Clifford encouraged her relationship with him. It seemed like the jury believed her, and she stepped down from the stand. Iris followed Marlize out of the court room and questioned her on her motives for framing Barry for murder. Marlize revealed they have a master plan for the world, but stopped short of revealing what it was. Marlize also told Iris that while she was willing to do anything for her husband she questioned what Iris was willing to do for Barry.
Walking back into the court room and interrupting the trial Iris was about to tell everyone that Barry was the Flash when Barry used a power that allowed both of the pair to move faster than anyone else so they could not be seen or heard. Barry reassured her that he's made the decision not to tell anyone as they would not be only putting themselves in danger but also their friends and family. Iris agreed that his identity must remain a secret as Barry raced back to his table and the trial continued. Eventually both the prosecution and defense rest their case when suddenly Barry's phone rings with a warning that the meta human Fallout that the rest of the team had been pursuing was about to explode. Barry was able to convince the judge to let him leave and with the rest of the teams help managed to contain Fallout's radiation and saving Central City. Barry and Iris along with everyone at S.T.A.R. Labs, discovered thanks to the television, that Barry had been found guilty. Barry entered the courtroom for sentencing and the judge gave Barry a sentence of life imprisonment without parole.[45]
Later, with Ralph's help, Iris managed to clear Barry and he was released from prison.[46]
Fight against DeVoe[]
- "You're the bravest person that I know."
- —Barry Allen[src]
The team later encounter another bus meta Matthew Kim, who has the ability to swap people's DNA. He causes Barry's speedster powers to be transferred to Iris. He also accidentally creates a new meta-human when he gives Jaco Birch powers drained from a bank robber, although Birch wasted no time using his newfound powers to turn to a life of crime. Iris manages to defeat the criminal and Matthew not only manages to give Barry back his powers but also joins the team as a new trainee.[3]
Devoe managed to put his plan into practice and began Enlightenment, but with the help of Ralph and Barry, DeVoe was defeated, but parts of the Enlightenment satellite still fell in Central City, creating new metahumans.[47]
Cicada arrives[]
Meeting her future daughter[]
After Devoe's defeat, the Team Flash went to celebrate at the West house. Suddenly someone knocks on the door, and it's your daughter, Nora West-Allen. Nora revealed that she went back in time to meet Barry because she never got to know him in the future but her arrival had caused some problems in the present. Barry and the team eventually decided to let her stay and be a part of the team. She helped them take down both William Lang[18] and Vanessa Jansen. However, after defeating Jansen, they ran into a meta-human killer named Cicada who killed Lang and preceded to kill Jansen.[48]
Eventually, Iris hired Kamilla Hwang to take photos of an Easter Egg for her newspaper.[49]
When the team persuaded Orlin to take the cure and he was a normal human again, another Cicada took him away and killed Vanessa Ambres.[50] The second was actually Grace Gibbons of the future. Grace was part of the Reverse Flash plan to be released from prison. After Team Flash defeated Cicada by administering the meta-human cure to her younger self and destroying her uncle's dagger, Nora sacrificed herself to fix her mistakes and was erased from existence once a new timeline began to set.[51]
Bloodwork[]
- "That's not Barry."
- —Iris warns Caitlin and Cisco of Dark Flash
Even after Nora's loss, Iris continued her work as a journalist and secretly as a member of Team Flash. This time the threat was a metahuman named Ramsey Rosso, who had blood-related powers. Iris and Team Flash defeated Ramsey but the Anti-Monitor Crisis started.[39]
Anti-Monitor Crisis[]
A short while before the crisis, Barry Allen used the neural hyper-collider to project his consciousness forward past the antimatter wall blocking the Speed Force; there he witnessed a possible future of the Crisis in which Iris was consumed by the antimatter.
During the Anti-Monitor Crisis, Iris went to search for the Paragon of Truth with Clark Kent and Lois Lane. They went to Earth-167, encountering that Earth's Clark Kent. However, they were sent back to the Waverider by Lex Luthor before they could talk to him. After that, they went to Earth-96 and after discovering that he is the Paragon of Truth, they warned that Earth's Clark Kent about Lex Luthor. After Lex arrived, he used the Book of Destiny to control Earth-96 Clark and make him fight Earth-38 Clark. Lois then managed to knock out Lex and free Earth-96 Clark from his control by reminding him that the people he lost would not have wanted that.[52]
She later went to Ivy Town with Ray Palmer and Ralph Dibny to find Dr. Ryan Choi, the Paragon of Humanity. He originally did not believe them, but after Ralph showed him that he is Elongated Man, Ryan stated that he is not a hero, like them and needs to be with his wife and child and leaves the room. Iris then went to talk to him and congratulated him on his family. He asked her if she is a superhero too and she told him that she is not. After noticing her ring, Ryan asked her if she wants to be with her husband in their final moments. Iris then explained her husband is not like them and is a hero. He then said he is not like her husband. She agreed, but stated people like them remind superheroes what they are fighting for. Iris then asked him if he wants to hold his daughter, knowing he had helped to make the world safer. Ryan then reluctantly agrees. Ray then said Lois had informed him Earth-1 is the only Earth left and they return to the Waverider.
The Waverider crew and ship, following Earth-1 itself, were destroyed by an antimatter wave when the Anti-Monitor possessed Harbinger, [53] but Iris was restored a month later when the Paragons (including her husband Barry) and the Spectre created a new universe.[54]
New multiverse[]
After her freshman year in college, Iris moved back in with Joe while working as a waitress and writing her dissertation, though she would often get into unnecessary arguments with her father.[55]
At some point in the history of Earth-Prime, Iris was a speedster and had access to the Speed Force. When she was a speedster, Iris emitted purple energy.[56]
After the Anti-Monitor Crisis, Iris had her memories of Earth-1 restored.[57]
Black Hole and the Mirror Minarch[]
Investigating the mystery of Black Hole[]
Eventually, Iris meets a man named Gene Huskk, who had recently worked at McCulloch Technologies for a considerable length of time, only for a shady organization to infiltrate the company and steal a prototype gun. Iris requests him to go on the record secretly, and he concurs. He at that point discloses to her that the obscure association is called Black Hole. She and the remainder of the staff at the Citizen think of a course of events for Black Hole's association.
Iris composes a proper gathering with McCulloch's CEO, Joseph Carver, yet doesn't anticipate that him should give an official remark. Iris meets with Carver, who has assumed control over the organization without Eva McCulloch, his wife. Iris stands up to Carver about the firearm, and he takes her to a mystery part of the office. Carver contends that Gene was distrustful and made up bogus data about Black Hole. Iris chooses to run the story as is at any rate.
Later in her office, Iris distributes the article, and is quickly sued by McCulloch for slander. Cecile distinguishes that something isn't right - similarly as the Dr. Light discharge the firearm through the Citizen workplaces. Iris chooses to discover Gene and ensure he's sheltered, and solicits the rest from the staff to escape all alone. Iris discovers Gene, however he is killed by Dr. Light. Iris snatches Gene's trusted status card and drives away, as the killer marginally harms her.
Iris goes to Star Labs and makes sense of who the professional killer is - Kimiyo Hoshi. Joe goes up against Iris about seeking after the story, and contends that overcoming Black Hole won't occur without any forethought. In the mean time, Iris goes up against Carver, and blames him for being the pioneer of Black Hole. Carver doesn't deny it, however blames Iris for not knowing the entire story. Iris uncovers that she's set up a dead man's switch, which will distribute every last bit of her data in the event that anybody is slaughtered.[58] Before confronting him about it and knowing that he was the leader of the assassin's guild, Iris talks to Kara Danvers, who instructs her to have a dead-man's switch that will print her story if she is harmed.[59] She later goes to her apartment with Barry.
Trapped in the Mirrorverse[]
- "Barry wouldn't give up; the woman he married won't either."
- —Iris[src]
Afterward, Iris starts to presume that Black Hole had something to do with Eva McCulloch's vanishing. Before going to McCulloch Technologies, she wrote in a notebook a note with "Eva" written to be read by being reflected. While exploring McCulloch Technologies, [58]she was taken to the Mirrorverse by Eva McCulloch,[60] although Iris did not see that it was Eva who took her. She saw a mirror duplicate of herself acting romantically to Barry. She was trying to tell Barry that the Iris he was hugging was not her, to no avail.[61]
She was in the McCulloch Technologies from the Mirrorverse, where she met Eva McCulloch. She started to lose hope of escaping after repeatedly trying. Iris was encouraging to her and reminded her that she was a great scientist. However, Eva was the one who trapped her and sent the mirror clone, although Eva genuinely wanted to escape.[62]
Iris inquires as to Eva whether she can possibly fabricate a machine to get them out of the mirror measurement. Eva chooses to be courageous, as a result of Iris' model. When it comes time to utilize the machine, Eva frenzies, and shows Iris that the machine won't work - it'll open up a gateway, yet the individual strolling through will get scorched. Eva discloses that she needed to demonstrate the machine didn't work, on the grounds that in any case Iris wouldn't confide in her. Iris later leave the room.[63]
When Wally West reunited with the team, she was happy for him despite not being able to meet him physically.[64]
Iris discloses to Eva she thoroughly considers she's discovered a way. Iris discloses to Eva that Barry is the Flash and that he may be the way to getting them out of the Mirrorverse.[65]
After Eva's suspicious attitude, she entered to a secret room hidden in a mirror wall and realized that Eva kidnapped her and that Kamilla Hwang and David Singh were also trapped in this dimension. After this, Eva tied her to a chair and showed her Barry fighting Mirror Iris with his weakened powers. When Iris said that Eva still loved Joseph Carver, Mirror Iris stopped fighting. When Mirror Iris expressed her wishes to be herself, she was killed by Eva. After that, Eva used Ramsey Rosso's blood to cross to Earth-Prime. Iris promised Barry to be strong through the mirror and stated that she would rescue Kamilla and Singh.[60]
The place was degenerating Iris' mind. It started being evident since Iris entered to the secret room. Iris filmed a video for Barry in a computer in the chance he could find her. Iris found Kamilla in S.T.A.R. Labs making experiments with the Lightning dagger to find an exit. Kamilla initially did not trust Iris out of fear she was the mirror clone that sent her to the Mirrorverse, but after Iris told her about Kamilla being one of the only people allowed to use Cisco's Chewbacca's t-shirt, both shared a hug.[66]
Iris was adapting more to the place when she was searching for David Singh. On one of the computer monitors, she saw a heat signature. She persisted searching despite Kamilla's reservations. She determined that he was at Central City Hospital before she suddenly vanished.[67]
Release[]
Iris was sent to the Central City Citizen to be tortured by Eva. She had a vision of her and Barry dining a dish Clark Kent advised, but it was revealed to be false. Iris was broken by reflections of other parts of her life, like when she worked on CC Jitters, when she was almost killed by Savitar or her old self that dampened Nora's powers. Since Iris discovered Eva was using these reflections to break her, she got to stop her. She got an idea to get out of the Mirrorverse and sent a message to Kamilla and David to meet on the Speed Lab.[68]
Iris found Kamilla making a grafitti to tell Iris about her whereabouts and both went to the Speed Lab. When they met David Singh, Kamilla and David fainted due to the mind damage caused by being sent to the Mirrorverse through the Mirror gun. For unknown reasons Iris got knowledge about the Mirrorverse's effects on the mind.
When Iris was to send them to the infirmary, Barry opened a portal to release her. However, since Barry was mentally affected to not have empathy and was adamant about only releasing her, she fought against it. Barry released her, but she fainted after being released.[69]
Reviving the Speed Force[]
When Iris eventually awakened, she walked from the infirmary to the Artificial Speed Force machine and touched it; Iris was focused on giving Barry his speed. The Team theorized that Iris had residual Speed Force in her cells which the machine absorbed and shunned into Barry, restoring his powers as The Flash. The energy release was so massive that it exited from S.T.A.R. Labs and exploded into four different directions.
With Barry, Cisco, and Frost gone to fight Eva, Iris joined the B-squad at comms. When Eva began to get the upper-hand, Iris realizes that brute force would not bring victory, so she uses a smoke bomb to teleport to Eva's location and try persuading her to desist.
When Eva attempted to launch mirror particles at Iris, she could stop them due to having acquired some control over mirrors during her stay in the Mirrorverse. Iris convinced Eva that she was bringing destruction to the world. Eva wanted to stop the invasion, but did not have the force to do it alone, so Barry and Iris held hands with her. Afterwards, Eva retreated to the Mirrorverse.[56]
The Forces of Nature[]
Aftermath[]
Iris had trouble writing an article for the newspaper, because she tried to remain detached from her experiences in the Mirrorverse; Allegra advised her as Iris' editor that people wanted to know the truth about had happened to her in the other dimension. After Iris went to a support group for those who were duplicated by Mirror Monarch, she wrote a better article.[70]
Encountering the Speed Force[]
Time sickness[]
Godspeed War[]
Likely after his "exorcism" from Nash Wells,[71] Eobard Thawne used the Negative Still Force to infect Iris with a time sickness, imbuing the Negative Still Force particles with his negative tachyon essence, turning her into a ticking time bomb, with the ultimate plan of regaining a physical form.[72]
Later, Deon Owens preserves Iris in a time loop due to the dangers the Godspeed war is causing.[73] Iris could see everything at Still Force, and when Nora and Bart appeared, she returned to Earth-Prime.[74]
Iris briefly regained her speedster status when Speed Force Nora gave everyone with a connection to it a boost to fight Godspeed.
Since the Negative Speed Force could not be absorbed by Godspeed or his clones, she assisted the Speed Force to give Eobard Thawne a body back so he could fight Godspeed.
After August Heart was arrested, Barry Allen proposed Iris to have a wedding vow renewal. Cisco Ramon was the minister and after Bart sung "1949" for his parents, Barry and Iris made their vows and kissed while Barry used Flashtime to feel the kiss more passionately.[75]
Armageddon[]
During Armageddon, Iris suspected of someone caused her father's death, and asked Deon to undo all of her treatments, which resulted in her sickness getting more out of hand. Deon discovers that someone has taken advantage of the Negative Still Force.[76]
Deathstorm[]
To take her mind off of her illness, Iris decided to go with Sue Dearbon for Coast City to investigate the "Coast City Phantom", which is actually Tinya Wazzo, a teenage metahuman they found in Jitters using a meta tracker app. They approached Tinya but she left and broke Iris's cell phone with her powers. As Tinya was looking for her mother, Iris and Sue managed to track her again and promised to help her. They then went to a luxury hotel to rest at night.[77]
When they found her mother; Renee Wazzo, Iris' time sickness caused Renee to disappear. Consumed by the loss and rage, Tinya phases Iris away, but Iris reappears because of her time sickness.[78]
Return[]
Iris would then go on to infect the Still Force, which infected the Sage and Strength Forces as well, allowing the Negative Forces to take over. She replaced an older version of her in 2049 and was tended by Nora, Bart and Joan Williams. The Negative Still Force then decided to teleport Iris in front of him and the other forces so Barry would accidentally strike them with his lightning. When Iris was impacted and fell unconscious, her body dissolved into those particles and went into another version of Eobard Thawne, who underwent a metamorphosis where the one wearing Harrison Wells's face was resurrected, and ripped himself out of the one with his true face.[72] Barry believed that he had killed his wife. However, she was actually sent to the time stone that Damien Darhk previously gave Joe. She encountered a remnant of Darhk there that guided her to see that she was a survivor and helped her return to the real world. With the aid of future Jay Garrick, she met Barry and dissuaded him from continuing to fight Thawne since it would end up damaging the city. After Barry meditated to undo Thawne's damage in the city and reunited with the team, Iris was found to no longer have a time sickness.[79]
Era of the Red Death[]
A week later, as Iris was set to return to work, Allegra told her about a purchase offer that Central City Citizen had gotten from CatCo Worldwide Media. Though Iris was opposed, Barry showed her his mapbook which he used to write down future events and told her it would lead to the start of her future media empire. Despite this, Iris was opposed to the idea and became trapped along with her husband in a time loop repeating the events of that day. In the end, Iris took out a loan from Sue Dearbon to purchase the Coast City Gazette and expand her newspaper the way she wished. She also stayed with Barry throughout the day, and attempted to help him stop Owen Mercer's robbery of a Kord Industries battery, though he teleported away before they could.[80]
Later, she met Khione, the result of Caitlin's attempt to resurrect Frost. While Team Flash debated whether to save Caitlin or Frost from Khione's body, Iris chose to save Frost. However, Khione decided to live as her own person and the Team agreed, welcoming her. Also, in anticipation for Nora's birth, she and Barry decided to travel around the world for a "babymoon". For one of their trips, the couple went to Paris and met a chef.[81][82]
While Team Flash and the Rogue Squad worked to defeat Red Death and her Rogues, Red Death confronted Iris, pretending to be Ryan Wilder who had vanished. Iris managed to see through her lies, though it was too late and she was kidnapped to use as bait for her timeline's Barry. With Mark Blaine's help, she managed to escape her captivity. After the defeat of Red Death, Iris and the rest of Team Flash attended Joe's going away party. There, Khione revealed that Iris was pregnant, despite the mapbook saying she wasn't supposed to be pregnant for another three months.[83][84]
Pregnancy[]
To celebrate the pregnancy, Iris went on a trip to Barry. When they returned to their apartment, Team Flash held a surprise baby shower for her.[85]
Fever Dream[]
Iris had went to see Nia for their monthly mimosas.
Possible future[]
In one possible future, Barry and Iris have two children, Nora and Bart West-Allen, around 2023 and 2030 respectively. Barry and Iris teach their children that rule number one of the West-Allen family is to protect the timeline at any and all cost.[86]
Erased futures[]
When Eobard Thawne's past self changed the timeline in an attempt to undo "Flashpoint", the future changed once more.
In one potential future of May 23, 2017, Savitar confronted the Flash with Iris as his hostage. He claimed to finally be "free" of the Flash. Despite the Flash's pleas, Savitar simply told Flash that he "lost". Iris then tearfully told Barry that she loved him and Savitar proceeded to murder Iris before the Flash could get to him in time, and Savitar fled as the Flash was left to his loss. Seemingly unbeknownst to Savitar, Flash, or Iris a younger version of the scarlet speedster from 5 months earlier was watching the event from the nearby trees, though he was pulled back to his own time by Jay Garrick. After this, her name on the article changes to Julie Greer.[36][87]
There have been many versions of this event, for example one is seen with H.R. with Plunder's rifle fixed on Savitar while another version did not contain anyone on top of the roof.
After the defeat of Savitar, Iris's name appeared on the article once again, meaning that this future was erased.
Between 2018 and 2024, Iris gave birth to her and Barry's daughter, Nora West-Allen, named in honor of Barry's mother.[18]
In 2024, Barry, aided by Green Arrow, the Atom, and Hawkgirl, engaged in a battle with Reverse-Flash atop two oil trucks in the streets. The battle ended with both speedsters vanishing in an explosion of light. After her husband's disappearance, Iris wrote an article on the subject titled Flash Missing Vanishes In Crisis, which ended up on the front page of the Central City Citizen, published on April 25, 2024.[23]
Iris secretly had a power-dampening chip implanted in Nora to keep her inherited speedster powers hidden, also asking family and close friends to stay silent about them. As a result, Nora remained unaware of her meta-human powers. Nora discovered this years later.[88]
After that Nora was erased from existence due to Cicada's dagger being destroyed, the article was written earlier and erased Nora's birth meaning that this future was erased.[51]
According to Barry's mapbook, Iris' pregnancy was meant to begin in May 2023, though it instead began in February.[84]
Personality[]
Iris wants nothing more than to help those around her, she is highly intuitive and has an innate curiosity, being amazed and intrigued by the fantastical events that are happening in Central City, particularly the Flash, after becoming a reporter under Mason Bridge, she becomes even more so in investigating the mysterious circumstances surrounding Harrison Wells and S.T.A.R. Labs. Iris is more stubborn than her father, Joe and holds true to her morals, despite what others may want of her, she isn't afraid to take risks and or jump into action when need be, as seen when she helped take down Tony Woodward and William Tockman. Her ability to gather and analyze evidence and come to accurate conclusions is also noteworthy.
When Iris finally figures out that Barry is the Flash - and finds out Barry, Joe, and Eddie - individuals she's explicitly trusted all kept it from her, she feels immensely betrayed and disappointed. However, soon after she came to overcome her feelings of betrayal, and proved her worth to the team and reconciled with her father since he pushed for her to be kept in the dark after Grodd's attack.
Iris is proven to care a great deal about Barry since they were kids, having thought of him as a brother-figure, unaware that Barry has actually been in love with her since childhood, as such she can be seen as a little oblivious in regards to Barry's feelings for her until he confessed he loves her, despite being in a committed relationship with Eddie Thawne, Iris showed slight jealousy when Barry started going out with Linda Park, this suggests, and later confirmed, that she is unaware of her own romantic feelings for Barry; though it also shows that on a subconscious level, Iris regrets choosing Eddie, eventually in the wake of Mark Mardon's impending tsunami threat Iris, fear about they were about to die, finally realized her romantic feelings and she and Barry shared their first kiss. However, since Barry inadvertently erased those events she remains unaware of these feelings deep down.
After discovering that Barry is the Flash (although technically for the second time) Iris begins to realize her romantic feelings for the latter.
Upon Iris reuniting with her long-lost mother, Francine and learning of the existence of her brother, Wally West, Iris felt betrayed and angered that her mother kept Wally out of her and Joe's lives, and initially wanted nothing to do with her, although her anger towards Francine was justified, but not her behaviour, as Iris unfairly treated her mother badly; even after the latter explained why she left; was to turn a life around, as she was a drug addict at the time. However, she didn't hold any ill will against her father for not telling her Francine was alive, understanding he was trying to protect her from feeling abandoned. Iris was eventually able to forgive her mother on the latter's deathbed.
- "You're my lightning rod, Iris."
- —Barry Allen to Iris West-Allen[src]
After Barry Allen reluctantly allowed Eobard Thawne to kill his mother, Nora Allen, in order to undo the damage caused when he created Flashpoint, Iris wasn't on speaking terms with her father, Joe, because of his lie about her mother. Upon learning the truth about Barry's time-traveling actions though, Iris eventually made amends with Joe.
Iris is a very devoted and protective older sister to her brother, Wally West.
Like her father, Iris can be very stubborn; to the point of being Opinionated, short-sighted & narrow-minded. She doesn't like to admit when she is wrong, only doing it when she is faced with cold hard facts; after her trip to the future, she told her husband, Barry that he was right about Eobard manipulating their daughter, Nora West-Allen.
Iris still hasn't learned that she can't talk Barry out of anything once his mind is made up about something throughout the entire series, despite Barry's bad experiences with Eobard Thawne and Hunter Zolomon respectively, Iris and everybody in Team Flash (except Barry) is still fooled by an individual's ability to appear kind-natured, Iris didn't suspect that Clifford DeVoe was a meta-human (even after the Council of Wells informed Team Flash that the latter was the mastermind behind the bus meta-humans) despite the fact that he did not have a criminal record, Iris's concern increased when Barry's suspicions of Clifford increased when he and his wife Marlize lied to his superior officer, David Singh, claiming that he was harassing Clifford (when in truth, he was only conducting the necessary investigation) when Iris tried to persuade Barry to let it go, he refused, even when every member of Team Flash (including Iris) believed Clifford was innocent - Barry's suspicions were proven to be correct yet again; regarding Clifford. Then when Nora West-Allen revealed that she's been working with Eobard to stop Cicada, she stubbornly refused to see the danger of working with him (despite the past numerous times that Eobard has used and manipulated everyone on Team Flash and murdered Barry's mother).
Once getting together with and eventually marrying Barry, Iris provides both tactical and emotional support to him regarding the latter's duties as the Flash, when Cisco and Caitlin grew alienated from Barry for a time; due to the repercussions of Flashpoint, Iris stood by his side. She didn't hold Barry responsible, understanding that he didn't mean to cause so much damage to the timeline and actively tried to help him take down Savitar, Iris is also fiercely protective of her husband, as seen when Clifford and Marlize DeVoe framed Barry for Clifford's murder, she confronted Marlize about destroying their lives and threatened retribution (implying she would resort to murder if angered enough) Iris was also unwilling to trust Marlize to help them prevent the Enlightenment until seeing firsthand how Marlize regretted her actions.
In an erased timeline, after Iris' husband, Barry Allen had mysteriously disappeared following the events of the Crisis of 2024, she had placed a power-dampening chip inside her daughter, Nora West-Allen so she couldn't use her speed, to (presumably) keep her from ending up like her father, she also never told her the truth, that her father was the Flash.
Iris believed that her future-self did this to protect her daughter, Nora, however, Nora corrects her, stating that her future-self did this to control her, taking away her choice to be a superhero like her father, Barry; as a result, Nora lost complete trust and respect for her mother, she became even more estranged from her mother, after she learned the truth that her father was the Flash, which Iris kept from her, as she had lied, stating that Barry was killed by a meta-human, when in truth, he had actually mysteriously disappeared.
Even when Nora confronted Iris (after discovering that she had placed a power-dampening chip inside her) she is proven to be delusional in her own lies, stating that she put the power-dampening chip inside her to protect her daughter from herself, as these lies of Iris', completely destroyed her relationship with Nora.Powers and abilities[]
Powers[]
- Retrocognition: Due to Iris's unique connection to the Speed Force and the Still Force, She retains her memories from before Crisis, She can remember alternate timelines, such as Reverse-Flashpoint, something that even Deon Owens, the host of the Still Force, couldn't recall.
Former powers[]
- Mirrorverse adaptation: After being trapped in the Mirrorverse for so long, Iris' body began to adapt to the mirror realm allowing her to control it and being able to read and use its technology. She uses this power to read the monitors to locate David Singh who also is trapped within the Mirrorverse. It was pointed out by Kamilla Hwang that Iris had the power to control the Mirroverse but this also comes with a price of maddening her as a weakness. However after leaving the Mirrorverse Iris seemingly retained some of her new skills and apparently doesn't suffer from neural dissonance anymore. When Eva returned to the mirrorverse, Iris lost all her powers.[67]
- Vitrikinesis: Iris was able to manipulate mirrors after she was trapped in the mirrorverse for a while. She was able to fend off Eva's shards thrown at her.[56]
- Speed Force connection: Despite not apparently having a meta-gene, Iris seems to possess a unique connection to the Speed Force that allows her to connect with speedsters, namely her husband. This ability first showed itself when Iris felt a jolt of electricity when she touched Barry while he was in a coma. Iris seems to be able to generate and store Speed Force's energy in her body unconsciously. She was able to provide enough energy to jumpstart the Speed Force itself after it "died" due to corruption from the Spectre. Between her connection to Barry and the brief time she inherited his powers through Matthew Kim, the Speed Force was able to grant her full access to speedster powers to battle against the Godspeeds. Despite having them for only a short period, Iris quickly adjusted the usage of them, effectively working as a superhero, in certain capacities showing even more ingenuity than Barry. After the battle, Iris' connection with the Speed Force seemed to end, losing her speedster powers.
- Accelerated healing factor: Iris' transferred powers let her heal in a fraction of the time a normal person would. After breaking her leg and suffering severe smoke inhalations, she made a full recovery hours later.
- Electrokinesis: Iris' Speed Force energy uniquely generates purple electricity.
- Superhuman agility: Iris was able to maneuver through enclosed areas with great coordination and dexterity. This enabled her to repeatedly traverse a tall building's staircase to save 14 people from a fire, one after another.
- Superhuman speed: Iris was able to move at such vast speeds that even Barry was amazed at how fast she could move despite being new to her powers. With her speed, she can easily traverse Central City or change outfits in an instant. Her speed also enabled her to run on an ocean.
- Aerokinesis: Iris was able to use her speed to generate air flows on various levels. While she struggled to use this ability to properly smother a fire, she proved able to use this build-up to gather and direct enough water into a tidal wave capable to disperse a giant fire cyclone of over 6000° Fahrenheit.
- Superhuman stamina: Iris was able to run tremendous distances with no signs of fatigue.
Abilities[]
- "It's my job to find out the truth. I'm a reporter."
- —Iris West to Nora West-Allen[src]
- High-level intellect/Expert investigator/Skilled tactician/Leader: Iris is very intelligent individual and an excellent investigator; as she follows every lead and rumor to discover the truth behind any story; she eventually discovered that the S.T.A.R. Labs particle accelerator explosion was what gave the Flash his powers. Iris' background as a psychology student has sharpened her natural wits and intuition, which she presumably inherited from her police officer father and grandfather, and gave her a methodical approach to studying and investigating the several meta-human cases around the city, starting off with the Flash. Iris' detective skills made her a prime candidate for the police academy, which she only backed out; due to Joe West's disapproval. On her own, Iris figured out that Barry Allen was the Flash upon remembering how Barry gave off similar electrical shocks as the speedster while comatose. Iris is a capable tactician and leader; after Barry reluctantly went into the Speed Force, she took over the leadership role of Team Flash, though nearly 1 in 3 of the criminal meta-humans they have gotten into a confrontation with have managed to escape. She has a creative intelligence, which was evident when she got the idea of using the Quark Sphere from the Speed Force to stop a nuclear bomb or using A.M.A.Z.O.'s weaknesses against it.
- "You need to go after her."
- "Oh, come on. Give me a break. Have you seen her right hook?"
- —Cecile Horton and Ralph Dibny[src]
- Expert hand-to-hand combatant: Planning for his daughter's safety, Joe extensively taught Iris since her childhood how to defend herself. During sparring matches against Barry as children, Iris was never once hit by her friend, though it should be noted that Barry was not actually trying to hurt her. As an adult, Iris was able to knock out the much larger Tony Woodward (when not in his metal form) after he had been dazed by the Flash.[8] She also showed considerable reflexes, able to dodge a sucker-punch from the Alchemy-possessed Wally West before knocking him out herself.[36] Iris was also able to hold her own against and eventually subdue Marlize DeVoe after deliberately getting impaled on the latter's katana.[89] She even managed to take down several Earth-X Nazis[43] and knock out Peter Merkel with two punches.[90]
- "I'm alive, thanks to Iris. Turns out she's as badass with a gun as she is with a pen."
- "Yeah, she is."
- —Linda Park and Barry Allen[src]
- Expert markswoman: Iris is skilled in the use of firearms, having been taught by Joe in case of emergencies. She was able to accurately shoot off Dr. Light's mask from a distance.[91] Iris also shot and killed Savitar to protect Barry[38] and used a laser gun to defend herself from a katana-wielding Marlize.[89] Iris is capable of defending herself with various types of laser guns and she has used them on many occasions such as helping Team Flash fight Eobard Thawne[51], fighting Cecile Horton while she was under the control of the Psycho Pirate mask[92], and defending the team from a mind-controlled Mia Queen.[93]
- High tolerance for pain: Though not seen often, Iris can tolerate intense pain when needed; she deliberately impaled herself with Marlize's katana, allowing her to pull Marlize towards Clifford DeVoe's chair, knock her out, and transport her out of S.T.A.R. Labs despite her injury.[89]
- Stealth: Iris was able to sneak up behind and knock out Shawna Baez without being noticed.[94] During the Earth-X invasion, she and Felicity infiltrated S.T.A.R. Labs to save Kara from Thawne.
Weaknesses[]
Former weaknesses[]
- Neural dissonance: Iris' prolonged stay in the Mirrorverse gradually degenerated her mind; the more she adapts there, the more she loses her sanity. Iris even developed Eva McCulloch's tic of scratching her arm.[67] However, she recovered from this after being released from the Mirrorverse.
- Time sickness: Iris had a time sickness that caused her to lose consciousness and move forward in time. Deon Owens was containing it, although he undid the treatment so they could investigate about the Negative Still Force. As the sickness has worsened, her time episodes can send people or objects into the Still Force, via a green energy that seems to be Still Force energy or an energy similar to Timeless Wells's. The Negative Still Force was revealed to be infecting Iris to get a sacrifice to restore Eobard Thawne's powers so that he can be the avatar of the Negative Speed Force. It was cured after Iris left the time stone.
Equipment[]
- Guns: Iris is very proficient in using guns.
Former equipment[]
- The Flash suit: After Melting Point transferred Barry Allen's speedster powers to Iris, she briefly took on the mantle of The Flash. Cisco Ramon modified a purple jacket Iris wore for day-to-day use to be friction proof, which she wore along with an extra mask of Jesse Quick's while operating in the field. After the speedster powers were returned to Barry, Iris stopped wearing the suit.[3] In an erased future,[51] Nora West-Allen reused this suit when she began operating as the speedster heroine XS.[47]
Appearances[]
Arrow[]
Season 2[]
- "Three Ghosts" (indirectly mentioned)
- "The Man Under the Hood" (mentioned)
Season 6[]
Season 7[]
- "Elseworlds, Part 2" (mentioned)
The Flash[]
Stretched Scene[]
Supergirl[]
Season 3[]
Season 5[]
- "Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part One" (mentioned)
Season 6[]
- "Welcome Back, Kara!" (mentioned)
DC's Legends of Tomorrow[]
Season 3[]
- "Crisis on Earth-X, Part 4"
- "No Country for Old Dads" (mentioned)
Season 6[]
- "Bored On Board Onboard" (mentioned)
Batwoman[]
Season 1[]
Comics[]
The Flash: Season Zero[]
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EARTH-PRIME[]
Novels[]
The Chronicles of Cisco[]
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Gallery[]
Promotional images[]
The Flash[]
Season 4[]
Season 5[]
Season 7[]
Armageddon[]
Trivia[]
- Iris' favorite childhood toy was a stuffed turtle she named "McSnurtle".[95]
- She loves mint chocolate chip ice cream,[96][18] having had an "obsession" with it since the age of 2.[6]
- Iris enjoys dark roast coffee.[96]
- She is bad at cooking.[97][20]
- In an erased timeline, under the threat of Weather Wizard's tsunami, Iris admitted to Barry she loved him and they shared a kiss. She also discovered Barry was the Flash. However, because Barry later time traveled, he ruptured the time continuum and these events were erased in the alternate timeline.[98]
- When Barry attempted to romance Iris in the new timeline where this disaster never occurred, he only alienated her. Eobard Thawne would explain that the trauma of the impending doom was what awakened Iris to her feelings for Barry.[99]
- In a second erased timeline, Iris, presumably along with everyone else in Central City, was killed by Vandal Savage using the Staff of Horus in his efforts to kill Carter Hall and Kendra Saunders. However, due to Barry changing the time continuum, this disaster never occurs.[100]
- Iris has had three love interests in the series: Eddie Thawne, Scott Evans, and Barry Allen. She also caught the romantic interest of Tony Woodward and Cisco Ramon.
- Additionally, Iris is shown to have a crush on Oliver Queen,[19][101] which appears to grow deeper when she learns he is Green Arrow.[87]
- Joe and Francine planned on naming her "Wallace" if their first born child was a boy,[16] a name later used for Iris's brother.
- In the portion of "Flash Back" that took place during the time period of "The Sound and the Fury", which aired in late January and presumably took place around the same time in-universe, Eddie stated that Iris' birthday was in two months, which would place it sometime in March or April. However, Iris's birthdate was later shown in "The Once and Future Flash" to be June 24.
- Iris and Barry got married on November 28, 2017.[102]
- Iris is the seventh character in the Arrowverse to have her civilian name in an episode title ("Run, Iris, Run"), after Sara Lance, Felicity Smoak, Harrison Wells, Oliver Queen, Alex Danvers, Zari Tomaz, and Harry Wells.
Behind the scenes[]
- In DC comics, Iris West is the fiancée and later wife of Barry Allen, the second Flash.
- In most variations of the DC comics, Iris is Caucasian and has red hair.
- In pre-Flashpoint canon of DC comics, Iris actually originates from the 30th century and her real name is Ann Russell. This is referenced in the series by her middle name being Ann.
- Both in the DC comics and in the Arrowverse, Iris had to assume the identity of a man in certain crises; in the DC comics her consciousness possessed Nathan Newbury, one of the jurors in the Trial of the Flash, while in the Arrowverse she used a device that alters perception of appearance to switch identities with H.R. Wells.
- It is revealed in "The Once and Future Flash", that Iris's birthday is June 24, 1989, making her a year younger than her actress, Candice Patton, who was also born on that day the previous year.
- The Flash isn't the only time Iris has taken the "Allen" surname upon marrying Barry; she took Barry's surname name (hyphenated with her own) in the animated series Young Justice and various comic book issues. In the abandoned Justice League Mortal film, Iris was given Allen as her last name, abandoning the West name all together.
- In a deleted scene for "Marathon", Kamilla asks who was Iris' contact for the deadman switch and Iris revealed she had help from a "friend" who is revealed to be Kara Danvers as she glances towards of picture of both of them.[59]
- Originally, Iris was supposed to be a psychology graduate student instead of a journalist.[103]
References[]
Other versions of Iris West-Allen | ||||
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To see other versions of this character, click the Earth name below for that Earth's counterpart of Iris West-Allen. | ||||
New multiverse | ||||
Earth: Prime • 4125 • Mirrorverse | ||||
Original multiverse | ||||
Earth: 1 • 2 | ||||
Transmultiversal multiverse | ||||
Earth: |