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126-1017: Barry Allen or Allan may refer to: Flash (Barry Allen) , the second fictional character named The Flash, a superhero in the DC Comics universe Barry Allen (Arrowverse) , the Arrowverse version of the character Barry Allen (DC Extended Universe) , the version of the character in the DC Extended Universe film series Barry Allan (1928–1962), New Zealand cricketer, an Otago representative cricketer Barry Allan (born 1942), former Australian rules footballer who played with North Melbourne Barry Allen (musician) (1946–2020), Canadian rock musician and record producer/engineer Barry Allen, one of four young African American men who became victims of Bernhard Goetz's 1984 New York City Subway shooting Barry Allan, British musician, member of

252-471: A "must have" rating. Fellow IGN writer Jesse Schedeen named Crisis on Infinite Earths one of the best DC crossovers, agreeing it was unprecedented and dramatic. Marc Buxton of Comic Book Resources named "Crisis on Infinite Earths" the greatest comic book crossover ever, saying that no crossover has been bigger or as ambitious: "where some events seem hesitant to actually leave a mark on their respective universes, Crisis did it with aplomb". He praised

378-528: A 6-issue miniseries bringing Barry Allen back to a leading role in the DC Universe as the Flash, much in the same vein as Green Lantern: Rebirth . When asked what Flashes would appear in the series, Johns and Van Sciver said, "All of them." The series begins with the cities of Central and Keystone celebrating the return of, "Central City's Flash", Wonder Woman having used her government contacts to create

504-511: A carefully-planned counterattack, culminating in a battle with Superboy of Earth-Prime, Kal-L , and Alexander Luthor Jr., with help from New Gods adversary Darkseid . In this final battle the Anti-Monitor, reduced to a flaming head, crashes into a star and is killed by Kal-L. Before the star explodes, Alex sends Kal-L, Earth-Two Lois Lane , Earth-Prime Superboy and himself to a pocket "paradise" dimension while Wonder Woman of Earth-Two

630-616: A conquest to overthrow reality, as part of a plan by Libra to conquer the Multiverse. The Justice League and Green Lantern Corps join forces in a desperate attempt to stop the upcoming onslaught. In 2022, a new DC Comics Crisis event occurred, named Dark Crisis On Infinite Earths which began in June 2022 and ended in December 2022. This series was written by Joshua Williamson and art by Daniel Sampere and Alejandro Sanchez. Following

756-533: A disaster for DC. Plotting became easier once a beginning and an ending had been determined and when Pérez became involved. Crisis on Infinite Earths was DC's first mainstream maxiseries , which was still a relatively new concept. Early in planning for Crisis on Infinite Earths , a list was made of characters that were part of the DCU; characters from other universes, such as those that formerly belonged to Charlton Comics , also were used. According to Wolfman, one of

882-502: A distraction from Doctor Light . The Anti-Monitor creates a new body for himself and tries to use an antimatter cannon to penetrate the limbo universe and destroy the five partially merged Earths. The Flash dies stopping this attempt by using his speed to channel energy. During a lull in the war, the villains unite under Brainiac . He kills Earth-Two's Alexei Luthor while recruiting the Earth-One Lex Luthor to conquer

1008-797: A map. An exclusive variant, based on the Sinestro Corps , was available at San Diego Comic-Con and Gen Con Indy conventions that year. DC Collectibles (then called DC Direct) released three series of action figures between 2005 and 2006. Based on the George Pérez artwork, the figures had a base with the logo of the series and certain figures included an accessory. The first series included Earth 2 Robin, Harbinger, Monitor, Psycho-Pirate, and Supergirl. Later series included Anti Monitor, Earth 2 Superman, Flash, Battle Armor Lex Luthor, Brainiac, Earth 1 Batman, Doctor Light, Earth Prime Superboy, Earth 2 Huntress, and Weaponer of Qward. Though it

1134-553: A meeting attended by president Jenette Kahn , Paul Levitz , vice president and executive editor Dick Giordano and DC's editors. In 1982, DC hired a researcher to go through their library and read every comic the company had published, a task that took two years. The series was delayed to 1983 due to the time for research, and again to 1985 when it was still not ready for 1983 and to coincide with DC's fiftieth anniversary. As an event like Crisis on Infinite Earths had never happened before, those working on it met for around two hours

1260-431: A new character: the shadowy, potentially villainous Monitor ; this laid the foundation for Crisis on Infinite Earths . In 1981, Wolfman was editing Green Lantern . He got a letter from a fan asking why a character did not recognize Green Lantern in a recent issue despite the two having had worked together in an issue three years earlier. Soon afterward, Wolfman pitched Crisis on Infinite Earths as The History of

1386-417: A number of tie-in issues. In the series, Kal-L, Alexander Luthor, and Superboy-Prime escape from the pocket dimension they were left in at the end of the original series; Luthor, having gone insane, attempts to recreate the multiverse using the Anti-Monitor's remains as a generator. Meanwhile, Superboy-Prime, having become disillusioned with the surviving Earth, engages in a destructive rampage after confronting

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1512-589: A parallel universe ( Earth-Two ), which allowed the character to exist without any continuity conflicts with Barry Allen (who existed on Earth-One ), yet allowed him to make guest appearances in Silver Age books. Barry Allen and Iris West were shown to get married in 1966 in Flash #165 "One Bridegroom Too Many!" Barry Allen is a forensic chemist with a reputation for being very slow, and frequently late, which frustrates his fiancée, Iris West . One night, as he

1638-518: A prologue to the July company crossover. At the grave of Bruce Wayne in Gotham City , Hal and Barry reflect on Batman's death and how the hero community is avoiding linking Wayne and Batman. This reflection turns to the pair looking at their deaths, comparing the sadness Barry's death engendered in others while Hal's death produced anger. Hal sums it up by telling Barry, "I died a sinner. You died

1764-523: A relationship because he feels his real love is Iris West, whom he ultimately marries. Allen also becomes a good friend of Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) , which would later be the subject of the limited series Flash and Green Lantern: The Brave and the Bold . In The Flash #123—" Flash of Two Worlds "—Allen is transported to Earth-Two where he meets Jay Garrick, the original Flash in DC Continuity; it

1890-609: A representation of "our" universe, where he seeks the aid of the Flash comic book's editor Julius Schwartz to build a cosmic treadmill so that he can return home. He also gains a sidekick and protégé in Iris' nephew, Wally West , who gains super-speed in an accident similar to that which gave Allen his powers. In time, Barry marries his girlfriend Iris West, who learns of his double identity because Allen talks in his sleep. She keeps this secret, and he eventually reveals his identity to her of his own free will with Moreno's persuasion. Iris

2016-609: A saint." (though he admits he is not and reflects on his past sins.) The conversation moves on to the world becoming "more dangerous" after Barry's death and observing that the deaths of Arthur Curry and Martian Manhunter cost the Justice League its "heart and soul." As they leave the cemetery, Barry expresses hope that their dead comrades will be returned to them. He specifically cites Batman noting, "If there's an escape, you can bet Batman's already planning it." Crisis on Infinite Earths Crisis on Infinite Earths

2142-452: A special gas that shrinks the suit. In addition, Allen invents the cosmic treadmill , a device that allows for precise time travel . Allen is warmly received by his superhero colleagues, so much so, that nearly all speedsters that come after him are often compared to him. Batman eventually says "Barry is the kind of man that I would've hoped to become if my parents had not been murdered." As presented in Justice League of America #9, when

2268-567: A treadmill to pass the ship through the dimensional barrier. With the Wasp , he is ordered by Captain America to find ways through Krona's defences, and alerts the group to a probably lethal force field. During the final battle, Barry saves Hawkeye from being killed when the Absorbing Man breaks the ground beneath him, but both of them are blasted and apparently killed by Dreamslayer . At

2394-450: A way to make the character seem more interesting and hopefully spare him. Wolfman wanted to make the series unforgettable; he said that many writers had expressed interest in simplifying DC's continuity and he wanted to be the one to do so. Pérez says he was not the intended artist for Crisis on Infinite Earths , but was excited when he learned about it, seeing it as an opportunity for "revenge" against Marvel, which he blamed for blocking

2520-402: A week, which was uncommon at the time. The groundwork for the series was laid the year before it was published. One of the greatest challenges for Wolfman and Giordano was coming up with a story. Wolfman cited making use of every DC character and creating a plot that was fun to read and filled with surprises as difficulties, as the series needed to sell well; if it did not, it could have caused

2646-453: Is a 1985 to 1986 American comic book crossover series published by DC Comics . Written by Marv Wolfman and pencilled by George Pérez , it was first released as a 12-issue limited series from April 1985 to March 1986. As the main piece of a crossover event, some plot elements were featured in tie-in issues of other publications. Since its initial publication, the series has been reprinted in various formats and editions. The idea for

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2772-617: Is an American comic book publisher best known for its superhero stories featuring characters including Batman , Superman , and Wonder Woman . The company debuted in February 1935 with New Fun: The Big Comic Magazine . Most of DC's comic books (as well as some published under its imprints Vertigo and Young Animal ) take place within a shared universe called the DC Universe (DCU) allowing plot elements, characters, and settings to cross over with each other. The concept of

2898-668: Is declared to be the "fastest man alive", a title he believes feels "right", though he never recovers his memory during his time in the universe. He later adopts the alias "FastForward", before being returned to his original universe with Makkari's assistance. Iris is pregnant and has two children who have super-speed powers, the Tornado Twins, who later meet the Legion of Super-Heroes . In the multiversal variant known as Earth-247, each of her children themselves have children with speed-based abilities. One, Jenni Ognats, grows up to become

3024-458: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Flash (Barry Allen) A forensic chemist, Barry accidentally gains superpowers following a lightning strike in his laboratory. Like other heroes who go by the Flash, Barry is a " speedster ", with powers that derive mainly from his superhuman speed. He wears a distinct red and gold costume treated to resist friction and wind, traditionally storing

3150-425: Is eventually revealed to have been sent as a child from the 30th century and adopted. In the 1980s, Flash's life begins to collapse. Iris is murdered by Zoom (a supervillain from the 25th century who had long loved her and been jealous of Allen), and when Allen prepares to marry another woman, Zoom tries the same trick again. Allen stops him, killing Zoom in the process by breaking his neck. Unfortunately, when Barry

3276-600: Is foreshadowed during Grant Morrison 's crossover story Final Crisis #2 (June 2008), preceding his full return in Geoff Johns ' accompanying The Flash: Rebirth (June 2009) limited series . He has since played a pivotal role in the crossover stories like Blackest Night (2009), Flashpoint (2011), Convergence (2015), DC Rebirth (2016), Doomsday Clock (2017-2019), Infinite Frontier (2021), and Absolute Power (2024). Barry Allen has been featured in several media, first appearing in animated form in

3402-402: Is not present are told from a third-person perspective. It also added some details, including internal monologue and updates to make the story more modern, such as characters having cell phones. In 2008, WizKids issued a toy pack centered around the Anti-Monitor as a part of its DC HeroClix toy line. The pack came with a large Anti-Monitor figure with LED-lit eyes, several smaller figures, and

3528-543: Is now alive after being dead for so long. It is then that Barry and Wally are confronted by Wonder Woman , Batwoman , Catwoman , and Giganta , who have all been transformed into the new Female Furies following the release of the Anti-Life Equation . Despite the fact that this new version of the Female Furies is equipped with the ability to track down speedsters, perceived by Libra and Darkseid as

3654-649: Is one of the heroes whose spirit Deadman helps to enter Heaven, and the Green Arrow storyline "Quiver" depicts Barry Allen in Heaven. His spirit seems to still be alive within the Speed Force, along with Max Mercury and other speedsters. In Quasar by Marvel Comics , released between December 1990 and May 1994, an amnesiac Barry Allen, misremembering his name as "Buried Alien" and the Speed Force as

3780-549: Is revealed that Jay Garrick's adventures were captured in comic book form on Earth-One . This storyline initiates DC's multiverse and is continued in issues of Flash and in team-ups between the Justice League of America of Earth-One and the Justice Society of America of Earth-Two. In the story from Flash #179—"The Flash – Fact or Fiction?"—Allen is thrown into the universe eventually called Earth Prime ,

3906-425: Is still the only one able to see "the shadow falling over everything", in the form of Darkseid . On the final page, the moon appears in front of a red sky, as a yellow lightning bolt strikes in front of it creating the logo of the Flash, as he remarks "and now I remember". A Daily News story released on the same day proclaims that Barry Allen has returned to life, with issue co-writer Geoff Johns stating, "When

Barry Allen - Misplaced Pages Continue

4032-532: Is taken to Mount Olympus by Zeus . This leaves the heroes of the remaining Earth, none of whom remember the original past, to sort out the aftermath of this crisis. Only Psycho-Pirate, who is locked up in Arkham Asylum , remembers the multiverse. After the Anti-Monitor's defeat, it was the Justice League who were forever trapped fighting in Ragnarok. The Justice Society/All-Star Squadron came in to rescue

4158-402: Is then attacked by Reverse-Flash, and realizes that the answers to this mystery, and restoring his good name, lie in the future, so Newbury uses a time device to send them forward. They discover that Abra Kadabra was disguised as Reverse-Flash to ruin the Flash's good name. Defeating Kadabra, he retreats to the future to be reunited with Iris, having learned that Iris' spirit was in fact drawn to

4284-409: Is unable to make an appearance at his own wedding, his fiancée eventually descends into madness. Placed on trial for murder in connection with Zoom's death, Allen is found guilty by the jury. When he is told by a juror Nathan Newbury, who is being possessed by a mind from the future, that Reverse-Flash (whom Allen knows to be dead) brainwashed the jury into this verdict, Flash flees his trial. The Flash

4410-488: Is working late on a new case, a lightning bolt strikes and shatters a case full of unspecified chemicals, drenching Barry, and temporarily knocking him out. As a result, Allen later finds that he can run at super-human speeds and possesses equally enhanced reflexes, senses, and healing. He later dons a red bodysuit, sporting a lightning bolt in the chest (reminiscent of the original Fawcett Comics Captain Marvel ), dubs himself

4536-457: The History of the DC Universe limited series to summarize the DCU's new history. In the post-Crisis history, during the "Crisis" many heroes fought the Anti-Monitor's army. He attempted to collapse the positive universe's past and future into a single point in time to destroy it, leaving only the antimatter universe. Many of DC's characters had their histories rebooted . Wonder Woman's comic

4662-482: The JLA/Avengers crossover he had been working on. He enjoyed working with Wolfman again, and took a leave of absence from The New Teen Titans to draw the series. DC initially did not know Pérez would want to work on it. According to Pérez, he was motivated by the fact that DC did not know if the series was going to be a success. He also wanted "to draw everybody I could get my hands on" and called illustrating

4788-697: The Anti-Monitor (the Monitor's evil counterpart) is unleashed on the DC Multiverse and begins to destroy the various Earths that it comprises. The Monitor tries to recruit heroes from around the Multiverse but is murdered, while Brainiac collaborates with the villains to conquer the remaining Earths. Eventually, both the heroes and villains are united by the Spectre ; the series concludes with Kal-L , Superboy-Prime and Alexander Luthor Jr. defeating

4914-587: The DC Extended Universe and the Marvel Cinematic Universe , said "We look at it as the multiverse. We have our TV universe and our film universe, but they all co-exist. For us, creatively, it's about allowing everyone to make the best possible product, to tell the best story, to do the best world. Everyone has a vision and you really want to let the visions shine through ... It's just a different approach." The storyline inspired

5040-501: The Grandmaster shows the heroes how reality should be but nevertheless resolves to help restore the timeline as it is not his place to play God. He talks with Hal Jordan over the similarity of their situation, stating that dying could not be so bad so long as they have left a legacy for others (Wally West and Kyle Rayner , in their cases) to fight for what they believe. He helps the team get into Krona 's base by using his running on

5166-565: The "Hyperforce", and surprised to have "form" again, enters the Marvel Universe in the middle of the great race to be the "Fastest Man Alive" after the players had passed the first warp junction, where he is discovered by the Runner co-ordinating it and invited to participate in his race. Beating several other speedsters ( Quicksilver , Quasar , The Whizzer , Captain Marvel , Speed Demon , Black Racer , Super Sabre , and Makkari ), he

Barry Allen - Misplaced Pages Continue

5292-470: The 1967 The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure and then in the related Super Friends program. Since then he has appeared in several DC Universe Animated Original Movies . Actor John Wesley Shipp portrayed the character in the live-action 1990s television show The Flash and the Arrowverse . The character was portrayed by Grant Gustin in the Arrowverse shows in a main capacity, especially

5418-474: The 2014 television series The Flash , while Ezra Miller portrayed the character in the DC Extended Universe films Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice , Suicide Squad , Justice League , the director's cut Zack Snyder's Justice League , the Arrowverse event Crisis on Infinite Earths , the HBO Max series Peacemaker , and the 2023 film The Flash . While the fictional "in world" history of

5544-763: The 2019 Arrowverse crossover, also titled " Crisis on Infinite Earths ", with the original date seen in the pilot episode of The Flash having been moved up by five years as a side effect of time travel. The comic book series was adapted as a novel by the original writer, Marv Wolfman. This novelization was then performed as an audio drama marketed as a "Movie in Your Mind" by publisher GraphicAudio. The story serves as inspiration for " Crisis on Infinite Earths ", an Arrowverse crossover event consisting of an episode each of Arrow , The Flash , Supergirl , Legends of Tomorrow and Batwoman . An animated film adaptation, Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths ,

5670-415: The 30th century, and given a new body (and was in fact the mind inhabiting Newbury). The final issue of The Flash ends with Flash and Iris kissing passionately and the caption "And they lived happily ever after... for a while". There are a few references in the final issue ( The Flash #350) to the upcoming events, and Flash's impending death. In the controversial storyline Identity Crisis (sets within

5796-444: The Anti-Monitor and the creation of a single Earth in place of the Multiverse. Crisis on Infinite Earths is noted for its high death count; hundreds of characters died, including DC icons Kara Zor-El (the original Supergirl) and Barry Allen (the Flash of the Silver Age ). The story's events resulted in the entire DCU being rebooted , dividing the fictional universe's timeline into "pre-Crisis" and "post-Crisis" eras. The series

5922-431: The Anti-Monitor is released and begins destroying many of the realities with a wave of antimatter, planning on becoming sole ruler of all realities. On Earth-Three , Alexander Luthor and Lois Lane teleport their son Alexander Luthor Jr. to another reality as Earth-Three is consumed by the antimatter wave. To combat this, the Monitor recruits heroes and villains from across time and space to set up five towers, to help merge

6048-452: The Anti-Monitor's plan to destroy the Earth with an anti-matter cannon, creating a speed vortex to draw the power in, but dies in the process as the power becomes too much for his body. It has been said that Allen travels back through time and becomes the very same lightning bolt that gives him his powers, but later it is also strongly implied that the soul of Barry resides in the Speed Force ,

6174-584: The Antimatter wave before being captured by the Anti Monitor. On Earth 1, various heroes attempt to save people from the approaching Anti Matter wave. During WWII, The Monitor's towers appear during a battle which Sgt. Rock , Haunted Tank , and the Losers are fighting together against Nazis. The Monitor is murdered by Harbinger who is possessed by one of the Anti-Monitor's shadow demons. However,

6300-700: The DC Multiverse a "convoluted mess". DC's comic book sales were also far below those of their competitor Marvel Comics . According to ComicsAlliance journalist Chris Sims, "the [DC] multiverse . . . felt old-fashioned. . . . Marvel, on the other hand, felt contemporary and when you stack them up against each other, there's one difference that sticks out above anything else: Marvel feels unified." Writer Marv Wolfman became popular among DC's readers for his work on Weird War Tales and The New Teen Titans . George Pérez , who illustrated The New Teen Titans , also began to rise to prominence in this era. In 1984, Pérez entered into an exclusive contract with DC, which

6426-437: The DC Universe , seeing it as a way to simplify the DCU and attract new readers. The History of the DC Universe ' s title was changed to Crisis on Infinite Earths because its premise, involving the destruction of entire worlds, sounded more like a crisis. Wolfman said when he pitched the series to DC, he realized it was going to be a completely new beginning for the DCU. "I knew up front, and they did too, how big this

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6552-533: The DCU has provided DC's writers some challenges in maintaining continuity , due to conflicting events within different comics that need to reflect the shared nature of the universe. " Flash of Two Worlds " from The Flash #123 (September 1961), which featured Barry Allen (the Silver Age Flash ) teaming up with Jay Garrick (the Golden Age Flash) was the first DC comic to suggest that

6678-609: The DCU was a part of a multiverse . The DC Multiverse concept was expanded in later years with the DCU having infinite Earths; for example, the Golden Age versions of DC heroes resided on Earth-Two, while DC's Silver Age heroes were from Earth-One. Since "Crisis on Earth-One!" (1963), DC has used the word "Crisis" to describe important crossovers within the DC Multiverse. Over the years, various writers took liberties creating additional parallel Earths as plot devices and to house characters DC had acquired from other companies, making

6804-474: The Earth is infiltrated by alien warriors sent to conquer the planet, some of the world's greatest heroes join forces, Allen among them. While the superheroes individually defeat most of the invaders, they fall prey to a single alien and only by working together are able to defeat the warrior. Afterwards, they decide to establish the Justice League . During the years, Barry is depicted as feeling slightly attracted to Black Canary and Zatanna but never pursues

6930-541: The Equation. The Allens and Wally West are left to fend in a conquered world. In the seventh and final issue of Final Crisis , Barry and Wally lead the Black Racer to Darkseid , dealing the cosmic tyrant a blow that, coupled with Batman shooting him in the shoulder with the god-bullet, would facilitate his ultimate defeat. In 2009, writer Geoff Johns and artist Ethan Van Sciver created The Flash: Rebirth ,

7056-405: The Flash (after his childhood comic book hero, Jay Garrick ), and becomes Central City 's resident costumed crime fighter and protector. Central City University professor Ira West (Iris's adoptive father) designed Allen's costume and the ring which stores it while Allen is in his civilian identity. The ring can eject the compressed clothing when Allen needs it and suck it back in with the aid of

7182-401: The Flash on the show, has said he thinks the goal of the series is to reach "Crisis on Infinite Earths": "Obviously we'd have to go, I think 10 years to reach that, so there's a possibility for sure. It'll be fun to get there." The concept of a multiverse has been explored several times throughout the history of the franchise. Talking in 2014, Geoff Johns , when discussing the difference between

7308-471: The Flash, the Justice League's roster was changed, and characters DC acquired from other companies, such as Fawcett Publications and Charlton Comics, were integrated into the DCU. The practice of re-envisioning characters in the new DCU lasted well into 1989, with properties such as Green Lantern , Hawkman , Black Orchid , and the Suicide Squad all being rebooted. The revamp raised sales 22% in

7434-524: The Legionnaire XS , while the other, Bart Allen , is born with an accelerated metabolism that rapidly ages him, and is sent back to the 20th century where he is cured by Wally West. He remains there as the superhero Impulse under the tutelage of Max Mercury , and later becomes the second Kid Flash as a member of the Teen Titans . One year after the events of Infinite Crisis , Bart becomes

7560-435: The Monitor knew this would happen and his death releases enough energy to project two of the last five parallel Earths into a protective limbo that nullifies the wave. The Anti-Monitor recruits Psycho-Pirate to his cause, infusing him with part of his power to manipulate the heroes of Earth-4, Earth-S and Earth-X against the rest; this fails when all five Earths enter the limbo universe. Harbinger then recruits heroes from

7686-619: The Speed Force, the real culprit reveals himself: Professor Zoom . Zoom reveals his plan: after Barry briefly aided Kid Flash against Superboy-Prime during the Infinite Crisis , Thawne was able to send a subliminal pulse into the Speed Force to draw back what was left of Barry's self-awareness. This led to the hero's reappearance during the Final Crisis . Afterward, Zoom transformed himself into "a new kind of speedster" and created his negative Speed Force to contaminate Barry and

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7812-467: The Time Barrier!" parallels the groundbreaking achievement of breaking the sound barrier, exploring the potential of time travel influenced by Einstein's theories, and highlighting the fascination with overcoming natural limits through science. Also introduced at this time was Iris West, Barry Allen's then love interest (and later wife), and "Lois Lane" to his "Clark Kent". Like Lois Lane, Iris West

7938-564: The band The Snap Elect See also [ edit ] Barry Allan Ackerley (1934–2011), American businessman [REDACTED] Topics referred to by the same term This disambiguation page lists articles about people with the same name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Barry_Allen&oldid=1256757876 " Category : Human name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description

8064-476: The battle against Superboy-Prime. After Superboy escapes, Barry suggests that someone has to absorb the whole Speed Force and cross the dimensional bridge back to Post-Crisis Earth. As Bart volunteers, Barry gives him his suit as a last gift, to keep the Force contained, and stays behind. Wally West did not go because of his wife and kids. Bart says he knows Barry would go if he could, but why Barry Allen could not make

8190-410: The bullet which kills Orion , outrunning the Black Racer and shouting to Jay and Wally to "Run!" During Final Crisis #3, Jay Garrick speaks to Barry's wife, Iris, and tells her that her husband is alive. Meanwhile, Wally and Barry run a few weeks into the future. When they come to rest, Wally asks Barry if it is really him. Lamenting on Orion's death, which he was unable to stop, Barry wonders why he

8316-555: The case on his mother's death and opts to take all the other cold cases they had after his death. Barry spends some time with Iris before racing to Washington to celebrate his return with the Justice League, apologizing for being late. Barry Allen is one of the main characters in Blackest Night alongside Hal Jordan. Allen appears alongside Jordan in the Free Comic Book Day issue Blackest Night #0 which acts as

8442-473: The character known as "The Flash" has been written and rewritten many times as DC Comics rebooted their fictional worlds again and again, the publication history of the character has followed a different path, not (quite) so prone to rewriting. The Flash, Barry Allen, (the name "Bartholomew" was not used until much later) first appeared in print in Showcase #4 (October 1956). The creative team on Showcase #4

8568-435: The characters, with the primary DC continuity referred to as Earth-One. They were created after renegade scientist Krona built a machine and used it to look back into the beginning of time. A cosmic being from the beginning known as the Monitor catalogues these realities, but he has an evil counterpart, the Anti-Monitor , who comes from an antimatter universe. After Pariah causes an accident with antimatter in his universe,

8694-584: The company "wonderful stepping-stones" for new characters and comics. The series was marketed with the tagline "Worlds will live, worlds will die and nothing will ever be the same". The series began in January 1985 and lasted for twelve issues, ending in December 1985 (issues cover dated April 1985 through March 1986). The close spacing of Crisis on Infinite Earths and Marvel's similar crossover Secret Wars caused some fans to create conspiracy theories about idea theft . According to writer Steve Gerber ,

8820-528: The concept of the Multiverse to DC Comics, which has played a large part in DC's many continuity reboots over the years. As a result, the Flash has traditionally always had a significant role in DC's major company-wide crossover stories, and in the crossover Crisis on Infinite Earths #8 (November 1985), Barry Allen died saving the Multiverse and would not appear again for 23 years. His return to regular comics

8946-482: The continuity established by decades' worth of stories to weave together a cohesive, metatextual tapestry that both appealed to long-time readers and brought in massive amounts of money". The series' success inspired DC to begin a tradition of "summer crossovers"; some of these include Invasion! (1988–1989), Armageddon 2001 (1991), Zero Hour: Crisis in Time ! (1994), and Identity Crisis (2004), and some mention

9072-757: The costume compressed inside a ring. Created as a reimagining of the popular 1940s superhero The Flash (Jay Garrick) , the success of Barry Allen's Flash comic book helped to bring about the Silver Age of Comic Books and contributed to a large growth in DC Comics' stable of science fiction comics and characters. During popular early volumes as the Flash, Barry established his own Rogues Gallery of colorful villains and sci-fi concepts like Gorilla City. Through crossovers with popular characters like Superman , Wonder Woman , and Batman , Barry Allen's Flash also helped establish DC's flagship Justice League title, whose success would define its publishing strategy for decades to come. Barry Allen's classic stories also introduced

9198-518: The damage dealt by Zoom, also allowing Wally to save his twins, and returns to his proper time, dragging his Zoom with him and later breaking his enemy's neck. In the fourth issue of Infinite Crisis , Barry Allen comes out from the Speed Force, along with Johnny Quick and Max Mercury , to help his grandson Bart deal with Superboy-Prime , taking the villainous teen with him in the Speed Force. Bart Allen appears wearing Barry Allen's costume in Tokyo near

9324-631: The end of Infinite Crisis #5 to tell the heroes that Superboy-Prime has escaped the Speed Force. Bart again reappears in Infinite Crisis #7 in Barry Allen's costume to combat Superboy-Prime once more. In Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #6 (2006) (with a portion taking place shortly before Infinite Crisis #5) it is told how Barry spent four years in an alternate Keystone City along with Max Mercury, Johnny Quick, and an alternate Jay Garrick, until he met Bart and Wally West, joining him after

9450-421: The end, it is revealed that Barry got the two of them out alive and at Captain America's suggestion they laid low. Because of this, Hawkeye is able to destroy Krona's machine with a TNT arrow while Barry distracts him and takes the twelve items of power. As a result, reality is restored, Barry disappears and Wally returns. Wally West, wrecked by grief for the loss of his unborn twins at the hands of Zoom , regrets

9576-505: The events of Crisis on Infinite Earths . The second part of one of DC's later crossovers, Convergence (2015), heavily references the series and sees DC's superheroes travel back to its era. The writers of Convergence all had fun writing stories set during Crisis on Infinite Earths , calling the series an exciting time for DC. The series had an immediate effect on DC, dividing the company's history into two eras: "Pre-Crisis" and "Post-Crisis". Wolfman and Pérez teamed again to produce

9702-654: The first year, and DC beat Marvel in direct market sales for the first time in August and September 1987. The Man of Steel #1 was the bestselling comic book issue of 1986. Crisis on Infinite Earths has been referenced several times in the various television series that comprise the Arrowverse , starting with the first episode of The Flash which aired in October 2014. It features a newspaper from 2024 that reads "Flash Missing, Vanishes in Crisis". Grant Gustin , who plays

9828-578: The fourth Flash until he is abruptly killed by his clone Inertia and the Rogues . Wally then retakes the identity of the Flash. Bart is later resurrected as Kid Flash by the Legion of Super-Heroes in the 31st century to combat Superboy-Prime . Barry Allen appears in issue 3 as the Flash in the JLA when the two realities start changing, along with Hal Jordan. When the two teams see their real futures, Barry witnesses his death during Crisis on Infinite Earths as

9954-473: The greatest evil comes back to the DC Universe, the greatest hero needed to return." Barry makes his corporeal return in Final Crisis #2. On the second to last page, Jay Garrick and Wally West feel vibrations to which Jay remarks, "but, don't you recognize those vibrations? It can't be... Not after all these years... Not after all this time." On the final page, Barry Allen is seen in hot pursuit of

10080-517: The heroes while Batman loses trust and faith in his allies. Following the trial, Allen retires and joins Iris in the 30th century. After only a few weeks of happiness, the Crisis on Infinite Earths intervenes, and Allen is captured by the Anti-Monitor and brought to 1985; according to the Anti-Monitor, the Flash is the only being capable of traveling to other universes at will, so the Anti-Monitor could not allow him to stay free. Allen escapes and foils

10206-574: The inking to Jerry Ordway despite Giordano's objections. The idea for Crisis on Infinite Earths was first noted in the December 1981 issue of The Comics Journal , which mentioned a twelve-part maxiseries scheduled for 1982. The series was announced in Giordano's "Meanwhile..." column DC ran in its titles cover dated June 1984. Giordano warned readers that "odd occurrences" would begin to happen throughout DC's comics. He also clarified it would commemorate DC's fiftieth anniversary and would provide

10332-541: The introduction of a new version of DC Comics' The Flash in Showcase #4 (October 1956). In 1956, DC Comics reinvented the Flash character, giving him a new costume, name, and background. Carmine Infantino alleged the character design was from a Captain Marvel homage he created earlier dubbed Captain Whiz. This new Flash, named Barry Allen, was completely unrelated to Jay Garrick. In fact, Garrick had never existed, as far as

10458-517: The journey himself is not stated. Twenty three years after his death in Crisis on Infinite Earths #8, Barry Allen's essence makes a return to the present DC Universe proper in DC Universe #0, preceding his full-time return in the pages of Final Crisis . DC Universe #0 features an unnamed narrator who initially associates himself with "everything". He begins to recall his past and association with Justice League members, particularly Hal Jordan and Superman . The lettering in which he speaks to

10584-410: The loophole in his introduction to the original Crisis collected edition hardcover, and later then fully explained on his website. This loophole would allow a writer to pull Barry out of his desperate run to annihilate the anti-matter cannon. However, Barry would know he must someday finish his death run, and would become more determined to use his speed to help others. In Deadman: Dead Again , Barry

10710-619: The man in the costume (he wore no mask) was named Jay Garrick. He rose in popularity and appeared in three comic book titles. After World War II, superheroes declined in popularity, causing many of the Flash's comic book series to be canceled. All-Flash was canceled in 1948 after 32 issues. Flash Comics was canceled in 1949 after 104 issues. All-Star Comics was canceled in 1951 after 57 issues, marking Garrick's last Golden Age appearance. The popularity and circulation of comic books about superheroes had declined following World War II, and comic books about horror, crime and romance took larger shares of

10836-486: The market. However, controversy arose over alleged links between comic books and juvenile delinquency, focusing in particular on crime, horror, and certain elements of superheroes. In 1954, publishers implemented the Comics Code Authority to regulate comic content. In the wake of these changes, publishers began introducing superhero stories again (as preferable to crime and horror), a change that began with

10962-543: The modern Superboy, Connor Kent. The battle culminates in the two Superboys colliding with Luthor's multiverse generator, restoring the Earth (with slight alterations to continuity) and recreating the lost multiverse. The conclusion to the trilogy, Final Crisis , began in May 2008 and ended in January 2009. The series was written by Grant Morrison , with art by J. G. Jones , Carlos Pacheco , Marco Rudy, and Doug Mahnke . In Final Crisis , Darkseid arrives on Earth and begins

11088-429: The multiverse back into one to make it stronger. The Monitor dispatches a team of heroes across time and space to defend mysterious machines that could be the key to saving the remaining universes. Meanwhile, we learn Flash didn't disappear after his trial, but rather traveled to the future, and Pariah, constantly witnessing the destruction of worlds, arrives on the doomed Earth-1. Barry Allen of Earth-One encounters

11214-441: The murder of Barry's mother, was caused by Zoom. Zoom then decides to destroy everything by killing Barry's wife, Iris, before they met. Barry chases after Zoom, and is joined by Wally, who tells Barry to push as hard as he can to break the time barrier. They reach Thawne, and their lightnings turn Barry's past self into the Flash in the altered timeline (preserving Barry's destiny) as they are able to stop Zoom from killing Iris. As

11340-447: The mystical source and Valhalla open to all dead speedsters, and from which the living ones draw their powers. After Allen's death, Kid Flash Wally West , his nephew and sidekick, takes up the mantle of the Flash. Marv Wolfman , scribe for the Crisis on Infinite Earths , has repeatedly stated he left a loophole in the script allowing Barry Allen to be reintroduced, without a retcon , into DC Universe continuity. Wolfman first hinted at

11466-521: The new books were concerned. Barry Allen's first appearance shows him reading a copy of Flash Comics, lamenting that Garrick was "just a character some writer dreamed up". Readers welcomed the new Flash, but still had an interest in the old one. 1956's Showcase #4 featured two Flash stories, "Mystery of the Human Thunderbolt!", and "The Man Who Broke the Time Barrier!". During an era marked by rapid scientific advancements and Cold War anxieties,

11592-461: The only obstacle left between them and world domination, Barry's expertise allows him to overcome their foes and run through the ruined Earth. Barry stops to see his wife Iris and save her from the slavery of the Anti-Life Equation . Seeing his wife again for the first time in years, Barry is overcome with emotion and gives his brainwashed wife a deep kiss. While kissing her, the Speed Force sparkles out of his body, enveloping Iris and freeing her from

11718-667: The other heroic speedsters. Before Barry can fight any further, Zoom fades away. Wally enters the Speed Force to retrieve his uncle, and after venturing deeper into the Speed Force, Max reveals to Barry that it was Allen himself who created the Speed Force. Meanwhile, Wally manages to reach Barry and Max, and the three begin their escape. As the heroic speedsters are recharged with energy, Barry, Wally, Jay, Max, and Bart charge towards Zoom. The seven speedsters (the 5 men plus Jesse Chambers and Iris West-Park) battle against Zoom, and despite being outnumbered, Zoom pulls Barry away. He reveals that everything horrible that happened to Barry, including

11844-533: The post- Zero Hour continuity), it is revealed that six months after Iris' death, Barry and four other members of the Justice League voted to allow Zatanna to edit Doctor Light 's mind, essentially lobotomizing him. When Batman discovers what the League was doing, the League has his memories edited as well despite the objection of Green Arrow . Both Doctor Light and Batman eventually recover from their respective mindwipes; Doctor Light vows to get his revenge against

11970-441: The public knowledge of his identity. Barry appears from somewhere in time—stating that he is from a period shortly before his death—counseling his nephew, and talking the Spectre into granting his wish, erasing all public knowledge of Wally and Barry's identities as the Flash (Although Wally himself also loses his memory of his identity for a time). Barry then disappears, telling his nephew that he will come to his aid three times, on

12096-408: The purposes of Crisis on Infinite Earths was to showcase all the characters DC had. The series is infamous for its high death count. Hundreds of characters died; among the most noted was Barry Allen's. Wolfman has said he did not want to kill Allen, but DC ordered him to because it perceived the character as dull. Therefore, he conceived Allen's death—in which he runs through time before vanishing—as

12222-408: The reader is yellow on backgrounds that are initially black. As the story moves forward, the background slowly begins turning red. In the final pages, the narration boxes feature a yellow lightning bolt. Over time, as he recalls friendships and connections with other people, his mind begins to narrow, remarking "I...know him. I am no longer everything. I am a shaft of light split through a prism". Yet he

12348-460: The remaining Earths to lead an assault on the Anti-Monitor in the antimatter universe, using the powers of Alexander Luthor Jr. , the last survivor of Earth-Three , to open a portal between the limbo and antimatter universes. Pariah tracks down the Anti-Monitor at his fortress, and the heroes destroy a converter, powered by stellar energy, used to destroy the last five Earths; the injured Anti-Monitor retreats and Supergirl dies from his attacks after

12474-414: The remaining Earths. A furious Anti-Monitor absorbs the energy of millions of worlds and vows to travel back through time to prevent the creation of the multiverse. The Spectre unites the heroes and villains by warning them about the Anti-Monitor's plan; the heroes travel back in time to stop the Anti-Monitor, while the villains travel back in time to the ancient planet Oa to prevent Krona from creating

12600-541: The rest of the world needs me for." It is then revealed that Flash's mother was murdered when he was a child, and his father was arrested for the crime (this is pointedly contrary to previous Flash stories, in which both his parents appear alive). Flash describes this as "the only one open case I left behind." Before he can contemplate this any further, the speedster villain Savitar escapes the Speed Force through Flash. When Flash manages to put his hand on Savitar's shoulder,

12726-430: The series "got virtually no promotion ... How many handouts did you see? How many posters did you see in people's windows? How much information was really distributed to the press and how much was gotten just by individual reporters going to Marv Wolfman and [ Crisis artist] George Pérez?" Elements to set up Crisis on Infinite Earths were put in DC's comics years before the crossover took place; an example of this

12852-401: The series as "a crucial turning point for DC Comics" and credited it with saving the company. Goldstein called Wolfman's idea to simplify the DCU bold and unprecedented, noting the story's exceptional size and saying the story was "unbelievable", if somewhat aged. He also praised Pérez's detailed artwork, saying no other artist could have possibly illustrated it as well as he did and gave the book

12978-440: The series for exploring the entire DCU and felt it was a fitting event for DC's fiftieth anniversary. Nerdist News noted that many of the series' central events—such as the deaths of Supergirl and Barry Allen—have become iconic moments in DC's history. Not all reviewers have been as positive. Chris Sims wrote the series was messy and built awkwardly, describing it as "a textbook definition of style over substance". Sims said it

13104-583: The series some of the most fun he ever had. Pérez was excited because not only did he get to draw the Teen Titans again, but also obscure characters he was not familiar with, saying he could possibly have never gotten another chance. Wolfman has said one panel in Crisis on Infinite Earths shows the Marvel Universe being destroyed. When Giordano (the series' initial inker ) had difficulty meeting deadlines while continuing as DC vice president and executive editor, editorial coordinator Pat Bastienne reassigned

13230-608: The series stemmed from Wolfman's desire to abandon the DC Multiverse depicted in the company's comics—which he thought was unfriendly to readers—and create a single, unified DC Universe (DCU). The foundation of Crisis on Infinite Earths developed through a character called the Monitor , introduced in Wolfman's The New Teen Titans in July 1982 before the series itself started. At the start of Crisis on Infinite Earths ,

13356-401: The series. When Wolfman and Giordano reiterated this in a 1984 meeting, some editors were not pleased; one was so miffed he did not speak for the rest of the meeting. Tie-ins for Crisis on Infinite Earths were published in DC's ongoing series . Unlike the 1991 Marvel crossover storyline The Infinity Gauntlet , where Marvel only published tie-ins in titles that needed a boost in sales,

13482-500: The speedsters, though Wally West manages to catch a glimpse of Allen directly afterwards, and sees him as the new Black Flash . When he realizes that his presence could damage or kill other innocents, Barry flees back into the Speed Force, where he encounters old friends Johnny Quick and Max Mercury . Max attempts to tell Allen that his becoming the Black Flash is not his fault. When Max and Barry are pulled into another pocket of

13608-460: The stories in "Showcase #4" reflect contemporary themes of technological triumph and societal stability. "Mystery of the Human Thunderbolt!" introduces Barry Allen, a police scientist who gains super-speed powers, symbolizing the era's optimism about scientific progress and the need for heroes who embody justice. The inclusion of a bank robber as a villain resonated with readers due to prevalent fears about financial security and crime. "The Man Who Broke

13734-478: The story that Barry was in witness protection to account for his resurrection. Avoiding the parades, parties, and other celebrations of his return, Barry instead contemplates why he is alive again. A visit to the Flash Museum and from his friend Hal Jordan is not enough to put his mind at ease as he runs off as the Flash. "I can't be late," he says. When asked by Hal late for what, Flash replies, "For whatever

13860-484: The superheroes return to the present; only those present at the dawn of time remember the original realities. A cosmically empowered Anti-Monitor attacks again, transporting the new Earth to the antimatter universe and summoning a horde of shadow demons. There are casualties ranging from Dove , Lori Lemaris , Green Arrow of Earth-Two, Prince Ra-Man, Clayface II, Bug-Eyed Bandit , Kole , Huntress of Earth-Two, Robin of Earth-Two, Sunburst, and Ten-Eyed Man . He falls in

13986-474: The team but were outmatched by Surtur. Alan Scott then sacrificed himself by becoming the pawn of Surtur known as the Dread Lantern, leading Surtur to other worlds in exchange for his promise that he will always spare Earth. Despite relatively limited marketing and DC being unsure if the series would be successful, Crisis on Infinite Earths was a bestseller. IGN ' s Hilary Goldstein summarized

14112-409: The technology necessary for the Anti-Monitor's plan to succeed. The villains fail, and Krona continues his experiment. The Anti-Monitor waits for Alexander Luthor Jr. to reopen the portal between the positive and antimatter universes, capturing the heroes, but a magically empowered Spectre creates an energy overload which shatters space and time. The five Earths merge into a single shared universe, and

14238-419: The three most difficult days of his life of which this is the first. In fact, when Zoom enlists the aid of the original Professor Zoom to make Wally relive the loss of his beloved twins, Barry is already there, trying to stop his "own" Reverse-Flash; Zoom apparently retrieved Eobard Thawne from the day that he attempted to kill Fiona Webb, with Barry following his nemesis. For the second time, he helps Wally undo

14364-566: The two Flashes push Zoom back through time to the present, they see that the Justice League, the Justice Society, and the Outsiders have built a device specifically for Thawne. Barry tosses him in and activates the device, severing his connection to the negative Speed Force. The Flashes tie Zoom up to stop him from running. With the threat ended, everyone celebrates by welcoming Barry back and the speedsters in general. Later, Barry closes

14490-410: The vast majority of DC's comics featured events that directly tied to the crossover. The following comic book issues were labeled as part of the crossover; their covers contained a banner that read "Special Crisis Cross-Over", along with the logo for DC's fiftieth anniversary. The conflicting stories of the DCU are explained as a Multiverse, containing many parallel universes and alternate versions of

14616-473: The villain screams in agony and crumbles into dust, not before telling Flash, "...You were the beginning, Allen...and you're the end." At that moment, Wally West , West's children Iris and Jai, Liberty Belle , Jay Garrick , and Kid Flash all experience painful convulsions and are engulfed in lightning. Barry's conflict with the speed cult culminates in the death of their new leader who was attempting to avenge Savitar's death. It causes pain once again to all

14742-543: Was Julie Schwartz , editor; Robert Kanigher , writer, Carmine Infantino , penciler (illustrator); Joe Kubert, inker (assistant illustrator). Robert Kanigher is on record as saying he still considers Gardner Fox as "the creator of The Flash" and his creation of Barry Allen is a reworking of that original work. As a result, no one name is easily identifiable as the character's creator. Fox's superhero, "The Flash" first appeared in Flash Comics #1 in 1940. In this story

14868-406: Was a bestseller for DC. The story is credited with popularizing the idea of a large-scale crossover in comics. Crisis on Infinite Earths is the first installment in what became known as the Crisis trilogy. It was followed by Infinite Crisis (2005–2006) and Final Crisis (2008–2009). Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths (2022) also served as a sequel to Crisis on Infinite Earths . DC Comics

14994-422: Was a reporter, in this case for Picture News. Wally West, the nephew of Iris West Allen, first appeared in Flash #110 (1959), which depicted his transformation into Kid Flash, the "Robin" to the Flash's "Batman". Wally West would later go on to become the new Flash many years later. Jay Garrick made a guest appearance in 1961 in Flash #123 " Flash of Two Worlds ". In this issue, Garrick was treated as residing in

15120-464: Was far from the best work of Wolfman and Pérez; however, he still thought it was groundbreaking, saying, "It's the first time in comics history that EVERYTHING was in danger". A novelization of Crisis on Infinite Earths was written by Wolfman and published by iBooks in 2005, with cover art by Pérez and Alex Ross . The book follows the events of the original series; most of the story is presented from Barry Allen's point of view , while parts where he

15246-418: Was going to be," he said. "But, no-one knew how well it would sell, or whether it would sell at all. It was a risk DC was willing to take, because my thoughts were that DC needed a lot of help at that time, and they did too." Wolfman also said he saw it as an attempt to improve DC's reputation for storytelling which many readers at the time saw as old-fashioned. The crossover was fleshed out and coordinated at

15372-458: Was later extended one year. Although The New Teen Titans was a major success for DC, the company's comic book sales were still below Marvel's. Wolfman began to attribute this to the DC Multiverse, feeling "The Flash of Two Worlds" had created a "nightmare": it was not reader-friendly for new readers to be able to keep track of and writers struggled with the continuity errors it caused. In The New Teen Titans #21 (July 1982), Wolfman introduced

15498-409: Was not the first large-scale comic book crossover, Crisis on Infinite Earths is generally credited with popularizing the idea. Comics historian Matthew K. Manning wrote that Crisis on Infinite Earths paved way for all future crossovers of similar scale, and Andrew J. Friedenthal said " Crisis showed the two major superhero comic book publishers (DC Comics and Marvel Comics) how they could utilize

15624-457: Was relaunched entirely by Pérez, Wein, and Greg Potter . Superman was first re-envisioned in the limited series The Man of Steel by John Byrne ; his comic was retitled The Adventures of Superman to make way for a new Superman series . Batman was minimally affected by the reboot, and his comic was not relaunched. However, he was still given an updated origin , courtesy of Frank Miller . In addition, Wally West replaced Barry Allen as

15750-407: Was released in three parts during 2024, beginning with Part One on January 9. Crisis on Infinite Earths is the first installment in what became known as the Crisis trilogy. The second part of the trilogy, the seven-part Infinite Crisis , was written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez , Pérez, Ivan Reis , and Jerry Ordway . It was published from October 2005 to June 2006, with

15876-506: Was the Monitor's appearance in The New Teen Titans . In a January 3, 1983 memo, Giordano, Wolfman, and Len Wein instructed editors and writers to use the Monitor twice in the coming year but not to show him: "Because this series involves the entire DC Universe we do ask that each Editor and writer cooperate with the project by using a character called The Monitor in their books twice during the next year". This served to set up

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