Iris West Allen
Encyclopedia
Iris West Allen is a fictional character
who appears in various DC Comics
publications. She is a one-time wife of the second Flash
(before Flashpoint), Barry Allen, the aunt of the third Flash, Wally West
, and the grandmother of the fourth Flash, Bart Allen
. Iris Allen first appears in Showcase #4 (September-October 1956).
, and the girlfriend of Barry Allen, who is secretly the Flash. Eventually, she learns that Barry is not only the city's heroic speedster, but her step-nephew, Wally West, is Kid Flash
. In Flash #165 (November 1966), she marries Barry, discovering on their wedding night that Barry is the Flash (through Barry talking in his sleep). During this time, the couple discovers that Iris was born in the 30th Century (c 2945 AD), and had been sent back to the present shortly before "Earth-East" attacked "Earth-West," when Central City was a self-contained city. After years as a prominent presence in the Flash's life and Central City, she is killed by Professor Zoom
during a costume party. Zoom vibrated his hand into her head, solidifying it just enough to kill her.
Iris did not stay dead for long. As Iris's biological parents, the Russells (with the help of a future Flash, John Fox), sent the then-infant Iris to the past, where she was adopted by Ira West, her "death" caused a paradox that was resolved after the Russells placed her consciousness into a new body. Barry is reunited with Iris in her time, and they are able to spend a month together. However, the couple knows if Barry returns to the past, he will die in the Crisis on Infinite Earths
. During their time together, they conceive the Tornado Twins
, Don and Dawn. Don marries the descendant of Professor Zoom, Meloni Thawne
, hoping to end the feud between the two families. They have a son, Bart, whose powers manifest at an early age and cause him to age at an accelerated rate. Don and Dawn die saving 30th Century Earth
from an invasion by the Dominators
. Iris takes Bart to the past to enlist the aid of her nephew (by then, Wally had taken the mantle of the Flash) in saving her grandson. After Bart's accelerated aging slows down, he takes the name of Impulse. Not much is known about her after that, but Iris volunteers to take care of the Weather Wizard
's orphaned son. Wally West later names his daughter
Iris in honor of his aunt.
to attack Bart while he confronts Captain Cold
, and later reveals herself as Iris. Her plan is to somehow put her grandson, who, by then, had taken up the Flash mantle, out of commission for a week to protect him from a future she is determined to change. Unfortunately, a weakened Bart is killed by the Rogues
, thanks to an elaborate plan by his clone "brother" Inertia
.
In Final Crisis: Rogues' Revenge
#1, Iris is seen tearfully looking over photographs of her late husband, when a disembodied voice calls her name. Barry returns to life in DC Universe #0 and Final Crisis #2. Iris spends some time as part of a Darkseid-resistance cell operating out of the Hall of Justice
. Other members include Linda Park and her two children. In Final Crisis #4, Iris is shown to have been corrupted by the Anti-Life Equation
; Barry is able to break its hold over her by kissing her and enveloping her in the Speed Force
. Iris starts crying at the sight of Barry, who reassures her everything will be okay.
After the return of her husband
, Iris is shown fully returning to her life alongside the rest of the Flash family. Still overjoyed by the return of Barry, she does not get much time to spend with him, as Barry is still mentally scarred from his deathly ordeal and staunchly refuses to stop and enjoy even a moment of "normal" life. She is also shown to be much younger than she previously had appearred, later implied by the resurrected Professor Zoom that Iris's currently youthful appearance is a side effect of closet contact to her husband's Speed Force since Final Crisis. She resumes her career as a crime reporter at Central City.
miniseries (an alternate timeline is created by the Flash), Iris West is unmarried and in a relationship with someone at the "Central City Citizen", where she works. Later Iris is seen with her nephew and cameraman, Wally West
, covering a battle between Citizen Cold
and Mister Freeze. Iris was invited to dinner by Citizen Cold. When she asks him for an interview, he was interrupted by his emergency calls. Later, Citizen Cold is injured from his battle with the Rogues
and was collapsing his car, until he confronts to Iris. Iris then brings him to her home. After he recovers, he gives her a key to his penthouse, and an offer to join him when he leaves Central City. When Citizen Cold returns home, Iris learns with Pied Piper
, who had revealed that Citizen Cold is a criminal and murdered her nephew. Citizen Cold attacks to Pied Piper, but Iris uses one of his own weapons to freeze him in a block of ice, just as he did to Wally. Afterwards, Iris visit her nephew's grave along with her husband John.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
who appears in various DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
publications. She is a one-time wife of the second Flash
Flash (comics)
The Flash is a name shared by several fictional comic book superheroes from the DC Comics universe. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in Flash Comics #1 ....
(before Flashpoint), Barry Allen, the aunt of the third Flash, Wally West
Wally West
The Flash is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. He is the first Kid Flash and the third Flash....
, and the grandmother of the fourth Flash, Bart Allen
Bart Allen
Bartholomew "Bart" Allen is a superhero in the . Allen first appeared as the superhero Impulse. He would later go on to become the second Kid Flash and the fourth Flash. Allen's first cameo appearance was in The Flash #91, while his first full appearance was in issue #92...
. Iris Allen first appears in Showcase #4 (September-October 1956).
Fictional character biography
In her first appearance, Iris is a reporter for the Picture News, based in Central CityCentral City (DC Comics)
Central City is a fictional city that appears in stories published by DC Comics, and is the home of the Silver Age version of the Flash, Barry Allen. It first appeared in Showcase #4 in September-October 1956.-Location:...
, and the girlfriend of Barry Allen, who is secretly the Flash. Eventually, she learns that Barry is not only the city's heroic speedster, but her step-nephew, Wally West, is Kid Flash
Kid Flash
Kid Flash is the name of several fictional characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, originally created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino, as a junior counterpart to DC Comics superhero The Flash. The first incarnation of the character, Wally West, debuted in The Flash #110...
. In Flash #165 (November 1966), she marries Barry, discovering on their wedding night that Barry is the Flash (through Barry talking in his sleep). During this time, the couple discovers that Iris was born in the 30th Century (c 2945 AD), and had been sent back to the present shortly before "Earth-East" attacked "Earth-West," when Central City was a self-contained city. After years as a prominent presence in the Flash's life and Central City, she is killed by Professor Zoom
Professor Zoom
Eobard Thawne, who has gone by the codenames "Professor Zoom" and "Reverse-Flash", is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain in the DC Universe. Thawne is the Arch enemy of the superhero Barry Allen, the second hero to be called the Flash...
during a costume party. Zoom vibrated his hand into her head, solidifying it just enough to kill her.
Iris did not stay dead for long. As Iris's biological parents, the Russells (with the help of a future Flash, John Fox), sent the then-infant Iris to the past, where she was adopted by Ira West, her "death" caused a paradox that was resolved after the Russells placed her consciousness into a new body. Barry is reunited with Iris in her time, and they are able to spend a month together. However, the couple knows if Barry returns to the past, he will die in the Crisis on Infinite Earths
Crisis on Infinite Earths
Crisis on Infinite Earths is a 12-issue American comic book limited series and crossover event, produced by DC Comics in 1985 to simplify its then 50-year-old continuity...
. During their time together, they conceive the Tornado Twins
Tornado Twins
The Tornado Twins are fictional characters, superheroes in the DC Comics Universe. The twins are Don and Dawn Allen, the children of Barry Allen and Iris West-Allen. They first appeared in Adventure Comics #373 .-Don and Dawn Allen:In their first appearance, the twins are 30th century descendents...
, Don and Dawn. Don marries the descendant of Professor Zoom, Meloni Thawne
Meloni Thawne
Meloni Thawne-Allen is a fictional character in the DC Comics Universe, and the mother of the superhero Impulse. She first appeared in Impulse #23...
, hoping to end the feud between the two families. They have a son, Bart, whose powers manifest at an early age and cause him to age at an accelerated rate. Don and Dawn die saving 30th Century Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
from an invasion by the Dominators
Dominators
The Dominators, collectively known as the Dominion, are a fictional alien race from the outer cosmos of the DC Universe. They are highly technologically advanced, and live in a rigid hierarchical society, in which one's caste is determined by the size of a red circle on one's forehead...
. Iris takes Bart to the past to enlist the aid of her nephew (by then, Wally had taken the mantle of the Flash) in saving her grandson. After Bart's accelerated aging slows down, he takes the name of Impulse. Not much is known about her after that, but Iris volunteers to take care of the Weather Wizard
Weather Wizard
Weather Wizard is a fictional DC Comics supervillain. The Weather Wizard first appeared in Flash #110 .- Early life :...
's orphaned son. Wally West later names his daughter
Kid Flash (Iris West)
Kid Flash is a superheroine in the alternate future of Kingdom Come in the DC Comics universe. She first appeared in Kingdom Come #3 .-Publication history:...
Iris in honor of his aunt.
One Year Later
A mysterious hooded figure enlists the help of ZoomZoom (comics)
Zoom is a fictional comic book supervillain from the DC Comics universe. He is primarily associated with the superhero Wally West, the third Flash and is the third of the Reverse-Flashes...
to attack Bart while he confronts Captain Cold
Captain Cold
Captain Cold, real name Leonard Snart, is a comic book villain created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino as one of the archenemies of Flash. He is a leader of the Rogues...
, and later reveals herself as Iris. Her plan is to somehow put her grandson, who, by then, had taken up the Flash mantle, out of commission for a week to protect him from a future she is determined to change. Unfortunately, a weakened Bart is killed by the Rogues
Rogues (comics)
Some of the enemies of the comic book superhero the Flash, led by Captain Cold, constitute a loose criminal association who refer to themselves as the Rogues, disdaining the use of the term "supervillain" or "super-criminal"....
, thanks to an elaborate plan by his clone "brother" Inertia
Inertia (DC Comics)
Inertia or Kid Zoom is a fictional character, a supervillain in the DC Comics universe.-Creation:When questioned as to who created Inertia, Ethan van Sciver wrote that he could only accept five percent of the credit. The rest was offered to Mike Wieringo , Grant Morrison , and Todd Dezago...
.
In Final Crisis: Rogues' Revenge
Final Crisis: Rogues' Revenge
Final Crisis: Rogues' Revenge is a three-issue 2008 mini-series produced by DC Comics. The series is a tie-in to Final Crisis, and is written by Geoff Johns and penciled by Scott Kolins. This reunites the creative team for the first time since their critically acclaimed run on The Flash Final...
#1, Iris is seen tearfully looking over photographs of her late husband, when a disembodied voice calls her name. Barry returns to life in DC Universe #0 and Final Crisis #2. Iris spends some time as part of a Darkseid-resistance cell operating out of the Hall of Justice
Hall of Justice (comics)
The Hall of Justice is the fictional headquarters of the Super Friends, in the eponymous animated series. It has subsequently been incorporated into the DC Comics main shared universe, the DC Universe as the new headquarters of the Justice League....
. Other members include Linda Park and her two children. In Final Crisis #4, Iris is shown to have been corrupted by the Anti-Life Equation
Anti-Life Equation
The Anti-Life Equation is the equation for total control over the free will of sentient beings, for which the DC Comics villain Darkseid is searching in the Jack Kirby's Fourth World setting. It is for this reason that he sends his forces to Earth, as he believes part of the equation exists in the...
; Barry is able to break its hold over her by kissing her and enveloping her in the Speed Force
Speed Force
The Speed Force is a concept presented in various comic books published by DC Comics, primarily in relation to the various speedsters in the DC Universe.-Empowered:...
. Iris starts crying at the sight of Barry, who reassures her everything will be okay.
After the return of her husband
The Flash: Rebirth
The Flash: Rebirth is a six issue monthly American comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Ethan Van Sciver. Published by DC Comics, the series features characters from throughout the nearly seventy year history of Flash comics. This is the creative team's second...
, Iris is shown fully returning to her life alongside the rest of the Flash family. Still overjoyed by the return of Barry, she does not get much time to spend with him, as Barry is still mentally scarred from his deathly ordeal and staunchly refuses to stop and enjoy even a moment of "normal" life. She is also shown to be much younger than she previously had appearred, later implied by the resurrected Professor Zoom that Iris's currently youthful appearance is a side effect of closet contact to her husband's Speed Force since Final Crisis. She resumes her career as a crime reporter at Central City.
DC Relaunch
In September 2011, the Flash title was rebooted with a new continuity. In this new timeline, Iris is not married to Barry, but they still know each other because of their respective occupations. It is hinted that Iris has a romantic attraction to Barry.Flashpoint
In the FlashpointFlashpoint (comics)
Flashpoint is an American comic book crossover story arc published by DC Comics. Consisting of an eponymous core limited series and a number of tie-in titles, the storyline premiered in May 2011...
miniseries (an alternate timeline is created by the Flash), Iris West is unmarried and in a relationship with someone at the "Central City Citizen", where she works. Later Iris is seen with her nephew and cameraman, Wally West
Wally West
The Flash is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. He is the first Kid Flash and the third Flash....
, covering a battle between Citizen Cold
Captain Cold
Captain Cold, real name Leonard Snart, is a comic book villain created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino as one of the archenemies of Flash. He is a leader of the Rogues...
and Mister Freeze. Iris was invited to dinner by Citizen Cold. When she asks him for an interview, he was interrupted by his emergency calls. Later, Citizen Cold is injured from his battle with the Rogues
Rogues (comics)
Some of the enemies of the comic book superhero the Flash, led by Captain Cold, constitute a loose criminal association who refer to themselves as the Rogues, disdaining the use of the term "supervillain" or "super-criminal"....
and was collapsing his car, until he confronts to Iris. Iris then brings him to her home. After he recovers, he gives her a key to his penthouse, and an offer to join him when he leaves Central City. When Citizen Cold returns home, Iris learns with Pied Piper
Pied Piper (comics)
Pied Piper is a fictional character in the DC Universe. He first appeared in the pages of The Flash #106 .-Fictional character biography:...
, who had revealed that Citizen Cold is a criminal and murdered her nephew. Citizen Cold attacks to Pied Piper, but Iris uses one of his own weapons to freeze him in a block of ice, just as he did to Wally. Afterwards, Iris visit her nephew's grave along with her husband John.
Television
- Iris Allen made a guest appearance in the two-hour pilot episode of The FlashThe Flash (TV series)The Flash is a 1990 American television series that starred John Wesley Shipp as the superhero, the Flash , and co-starred Amanda Pays. The series was developed from the DC Comics characters by the writing team of Danny Bilson and Paul De Meo, and produced by their company, Pet Fly Productions, in...
played by actress Paula MarshallPaula MarshallPaula Marshall is an American actress.-Career:In 1992, Marshall had a three-episode guest role on The Wonder Years and later guest-starred on shows such as Seinfeld, Nash Bridges, Grapevine and Diagnosis: Murder. In 1994, she got her first sitcom role on Wild Oats...
. Here, she is portrayed as Barry's girlfriend, just as she is in the comics, but they break up and she went to France, and so they do not get married. Unlike the comics books, she's not a reporter instead a graphic artist.
- Iris West appears in Young JusticeYoung Justice (TV series)Young Justice is an American animated television series created by Greg Weisman and Brandon Vietti for Cartoon Network. Despite its title, it is not an adaptation of Todd Dezago and Todd Nauck's Young Justice comic series, but rather an adaptation of the entire DC Universe with a focus on young...
voiced by Nicole DubucNicole DubucNicole Dubuc is an American writer, perhaps best known for her work on Kim Possible and My Friends Tigger and Pooh, and as an actress on Major Dad.-Biography:...
. In "Downtime" she and Barry are shown attending Jay GarrickJay GarrickJay Garrick is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the DC Comics universe and the first to use the name Flash.-The Flash:...
's birthday party with Wally West. In "Failsafe," Iris was reporting on an alien invasion. She and Barry are killed during an alien invasion of Earth. The entire situation is later revealed to be part of Martian Manhunter's mind-training exercise.
Film
- Iris Allen appears in the animated film Justice League: The New Frontier voiced by Vicki LewisVicki LewisVicki Lewis is an American film, stage, television and voice actress best known for her role as Beth in the NBC sitcom NewsRadio.-Personal life:...
. Here, she is also portrayed as the wife of Barry Allen.
Novel
- Iris Allen is featured in the Justice League novel Flash: Stop Motion by Mark Shultz. The novel explains that Iris and her deceased husband Barry Allen raised Wally West after his parents died. As an adult, Wally now has to defend her from a creature called the Superluminoid that can travel faster than the speed of light. Wally discovers that both he and his aunt Iris possess the 'metagene' that gave the former his powers when the gene was triggered by the lightning bolt in the lab that gave him his superspeed. The novel indicates that Iris's metagene has never manifested itself with any remarkable powers, although the potential is there under the right circumstances.