Wikipedia

Iris West

For the television character, seeIris West-Allen (Arrowverse).

Iris West-Allenis a fictional character, asupporting characterappearing inAmerican comic bookspublished byDC Comics.She has been the main love interest and later wife ofBarry Allen,thealter egoof the Silver Age version of the superheroThe Flash,and the aunt and grandmother, respectively, of the Modern Age variations of the charactersWally WestandBart Allen.[1]

Iris West-Allen
Iris West-Allen inThe Flashvol.5 #70 (May 2019).
Art byHoward Porter.
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
First appearanceShowcase#4 (October 1956)
Created byRobert Kanigher
Carmine Infantino
In-story information
Full nameIris Ann West-Allen
SpeciesMetahuman[citation needed]
Team affiliationsGalaxy Broadcasting System
Central City Picture News
Supporting character ofThe Flash

On television, she has appeared in various adaptations in other media; the character has been portrayed byPaula Marshallin the1990 CBS television seriesand byCandice Pattonin the2014 The CW television seriesalong with appearances in otherArrowverseshows. In theDC Extended Universefeature films, she was portrayed byKiersey ClemonsinZack Snyder's Justice League(2021) andThe Flash(2023).

Publication history

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Created byRobert KanigherandCarmine Infantino,[2]the character made her first appearance inShowcase#4 (October 1956).

Fictional character biography

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Iris Westworks as a reporter forPicture News,based inCentral City,and is the fiancée ofBarry Allen,who is secretly the Flash. Prior to Barry becoming the Flash, Iris often chides Barry for his frequently being late due to his repeatedly being lost in thought at work as a forensic scientist, a tendency which continues even after he becomes a high-speed superhero. When Iris and Barry marry, Iris learns that, not only is Barry the city's heroic speedster, but her nephew,Wally West,isKid Flash.She is not told by Barry, but discovers her husband's secret on their wedding night when Barry talks in his sleep.[3][4]She reveals this to him on their first wedding anniversary.[5][6]During this time, the couple discovers that Iris was born in the 30th century.

After years as a prominent presence in the Flash's life and in Central City, She was killed byProfessor Zoomduring a costume party. Zoom vibrated his hand into Iris’s head, solidifying it just enough to kill her.[7][8]Years later, Barry killed Zoom while trying to prevent him from murdering his new fiancée, Fiona Webb.[9]However, Iris did not stay dead for long as Iris' biological parents, the Russells (with the help of a future Flash, John Fox), sent then-infant Iris to the past, where she was adopted by Ira West, her "death" causing a paradox that was resolved after the Russells placed her consciousness into a new body. Barry is reunited with Iris in her time,[10]however, the couple knows that if Barry returns to the past, he will die in theCrisis on Infinite Earths.[11]They are able to spend a month together in the 30th century, until Barry is kidnapped by theAnti-Monitorand returns to 1985.

During their time in the future, 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. Dawn marries Jeven Ognats of Aarok and has a daughter, Jenni. Her powers eventually manifest when she witnesses her father being tortured, and she becomesXSof theLegion of Super-Heroes.Don and Dawn die saving 30th centuryEarthfrom an invasion by theDominators.[12]

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. Iris disappears for a while, feeling out of place in the 20th century. She contactedJohnny Quickat a country diner and tried to warn him of his upcoming battle withSavitar,but he did not heed her. Afraid to change the future by giving vital information about the present, Iris refused to go into the details of how Savitar could be defeated, but finallyLinda ParkandJenni Ognatsconvinced her to tell them the key to Savitar's defeat, which was to give him what he wanted: to be one with theSpeed Force.[13]

Iris again disappeared. This time she is kidnapped by Polaris andAbra Kadabraand forced to write everything she knew about the future so that they could have a "roadmap into tomorrow" for their plan of world conquest.[14]

After this incident, Iris went someplace where no one would find her so that she could concentrate on writing the bookThe Life Story of the Flash,which was published by Keystone Press in 1997.[15]

Some time later, Iris returns to adopt the child of Wally's ex-girlfriend, officer Julie Jackman, upon her death, having befriended the girl during her time in the present. While in the future, Iris learnt that the child, Josh Jackman, was destined to become a great hero and was believed to be Wally's illegitimate child; however, it turns out that in reality, the child is Mark Mardon's, who had a one-night-stand with Julie after Wally dumped her. Realizing that what was told in the future was wrong, Iris decided to come out of hiding and reconnect with her grandson and nephew.[16]

One Year Later

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Main article:One Year Later

A mysterious hooded figure enlists the help of Zoom[17]to attack Bart while he confrontsCaptain 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; however, her plan is corrupted by Bart's clone "brother"Inertiaand a weakened Bart is beaten to death by theRogues.[18]

InFinal Crisis: Rogues' Revenge#1, Iris has since moved to her old home in Central City where she is seen tearfully looking over photographs of her late husband, when a disembodied voice calls her name: her late husband, Barry Allen.[19]Iris spends some time as part of aDarkseid-resistance cell operating out of theHall of JusticealongsideBlack Lightning,Green Arrow,the Ray,Linda Parkand her two children.[20]Soon after, Iris is corrupted by theAnti-Life Equationbut Barry breaks its hold over her by kissing her and enveloping her in theSpeed Force.Iris starts crying at the sight of Barry, who reassures her everything will be okay.[21]

Afterthe 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.[22]She is also shown to be much younger than she previously had appeared (she was depicted as a middle-age woman after the events ofCrisis), about the same age as when Barry first met her. It is later implied by the resurrected Professor Zoom that Iris's rejuvenation is a side effect of close contact to her husband's Speed Force sinceFinal Crisis.She resumes her career as a crime reporter at Central City.[23]

The New 52

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In September 2011,The New 52rebooted DC's 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.[24]She is accidentally trapped in the Speed Force byTurbine,but is freed by Barry's alter-ego.[25]Later issues confirm that she is in love with Barry. Barry does not yet reciprocate Iris' affections, though he hints at it when he is forced to take on the role of theBlack Racerand goes to Iris for help.[26]

DC Rebirth

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During theDC Rebirthevents, when Iris andWally West IIwere attacked by Eobard Thawne, Iris had glimpses of her pre-Flashpointlife with Barry, including them as husband and wife and had a family in the other timeline, and learning that he is the Flash in the process. Knowing that Barry is indirectly responsible for the alteration of their lives through time-travel and kept it a secret from her, Iris now distrusts Barry. She also kills Thawne after he lost his powers in retaliation of him hurting Wally II after Barry rescued them,[27]though Thawne later again resurrected from his death. She later appears at the cemetery where Barry asks her for her forgiveness for lying to her. She forgives him, because she is curious about the Flash. He takes her to the Watchtower. She is interested in other secrets Barry is keeping from her.

Since the Flash Family defeated Grodd and stop the Negative Speed Force from spreading Central City, both she and Barry have rekindled their romances with each other. She is subsequently re-introduced to the pre-FlashpointWally West, swiftly regaining her memories of him when she sees him, simultaneously inspiring Wally's own memories of those he has forgotten.[28]She is later brought to trial in the 25th century for Eobard Thawne's murder. She and Barry later have Wally to be taken care of in the rehabilitation center called the Sanctuary, in which she is so happy about Wally being a better hero today. During her romance with Barry, she begins to remember their marriage, and beginning to put pieces together about the new forces that appear in Central City.[29]

Other versions

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The New Frontier

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InThe New Frontieruniverse, Iris West is a reporter and engaged to crime forensic Barry Allen. During the Cold War and the rise of McCarthyism, Iris wrote her article "Washington Declares War On Mystery Men" on the current events following the death of Hourman and the social bias against masked vigilantes. In 1957, Iris was interviewingTed Grantin Las Vegas. While on a phone call with Barry Allen, Captain Cold appeared and froze Iris's hand that was on the phone. Barry heard everything that happened and traveled to Las Vegas as The Flash. In the process he freed an unconscious Iris and stopped Captain Cold. A year later in 1958, after Barry had retired from crime fighting and the subsequent appearance of the Centre, Iris had known for some time that her husband was the Flash and did not reveal this until she convinced him to become a hero once again.

Amalgam Comics

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In theAmalgamuniverse, Iris was combined with Marvel'sRoxanne Simpsonto form Iris Simpson. When Iris became married to Blaze Allen, her life and soul were taken by theNightSpectre,which threw Blaze into a depression until he bonded with the demonEtriganto become Speed Demon. Her soul was eventually freed by Blaze and her nephew Wally, who became the third Speed Demon.[30]

Flashpoint

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In theFlashpointminiseries (an event prior to the New 52 relaunch, when an alternate timeline was created by theFlash[31]), Iris West is unmarried and in a relationship with someone called "John" at theCentral City Citizen,where she works.[32]Later Iris is seen with her nephew and cameraman,Wally West,covering a battle betweenCitizen ColdandMister Freeze.[33]Iris was invited to dinner by Citizen Cold. When she asks him for an interview, he is interrupted by his emergency calls. Later, Citizen Cold is injured during his battle with theRoguesand while collapsing in his car, confronts Iris.[34]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 fromPied Piper,that Citizen Cold is a criminal and murdered her nephew. Citizen Cold attacks Pied Piper, but Iris uses one of his own weapons to freeze him in a block of ice, just as he had Wally.[35]Afterwards, Iris visits her nephew's grave along with her husband John.[36]

Injustice: Gods Among Us

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In theInjustice: Gods Among Usprequel series, Barry met with Iris sometime after Superman killed the Joker where she expressed her disapproval of Superman's actions. She's convinced that Flash would not do the same if he was in Superman's scenario (where Iris would be murdered instead of Lois), and tells Barry to not condone Superman's actions and to promise her that he will stand up to Superman if he goes down the wrong path. Five years later, Barry goes to see Iris after Superman lashes out at him for letting Batman get away, where it's shown that they've broken up as Iris is upset with Barry for breaking his promise and supporting Superman. Later, Flash sees Iris being arrested by Girder and King Shark for treason against the Regime from joining a Central City Insurgent group.[37]Flash tries to defend them from the two villains and ends up killing King Shark in the process. Iris is disgusted by Barry's actions and offers to arrest herself just to not deal with Barry. Barry talks with her, and she tells him that her faith in him was shattered five years ago when she was undercover in Australia where she witnessed Superman and Wonder Woman brutally beat and cripple a rebellious hero named Galaxor while Flash did nothing to help the young man (who committed suicide shortly afterwards though that later turns out to be a myth). Iris ultimately rejects Barry and tells him that he's not the man she thought he was. Iris and the rest of her group afterwards are arrested by Flash and Girder, and was set to stand trial for her actions.[38]

In other media

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Television

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Film

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DC Extended Universe

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Miscellaneous

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Iris Allen is featured in the Justice League novelFlash: Stop Motionwritten by Mark Shultz.[45]

References

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  1. ^Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Korte, Steve; Manning, Matt; Wiacek, Win; Wilson, Sven (2016).The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe.DK Publishing. p. 326.ISBN978-1-4654-5357-0.
  2. ^Greenberger, Robert (2008), "Iris Allen", in Dougall, Alastair (ed.),The DC Comics Encyclopedia,London:Dorling Kindersley,p. 10,ISBN978-0-7566-4119-1
  3. ^The Flash,no. 165 (November 1966).
  4. ^Wells, John (2014).American Comic Book Chronicles: 1965–1969.TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 120.ISBN978-1605490557.
  5. ^Flash#174
  6. ^Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Manning, Matthew K.; McAvennie, Michael; Wallace, Daniel (2019).DC Comics Year By Year: A Visual Chronicle.DK Publishing. p. 113.ISBN978-1-4654-8578-6.
  7. ^The Flash#275 (July 1979),The Flash#283 (March 1980),The Flash#323 (July 1983).
  8. ^Jimenez, Phil(2008), "The Flash", in Dougall, Alastair (ed.),The DC Comics Encyclopedia,New York:Dorling Kindersley,pp.124–127,ISBN978-0-7566-4119-1,OCLC213309017
  9. ^The Flash#324 (August 1983).
  10. ^The Flash#350 (October 1985)
  11. ^As depicted inCrisis in Infinite Earths#8 (November 1985)
  12. ^Legion of Super-Heroes(vol. 4) #17 (April 1991)
  13. ^The Flash(vol. 2) #111 (March 1996)
  14. ^The Flash(vol. 2) #115 (July 1996)
  15. ^Waid, Mark(1997),The Life Story of the Flash, by Iris West,DC Comics,p. 96,ISBN978-1563893896
  16. ^The Flash(vol. 2) #180
  17. ^The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive#10
  18. ^The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive#13
  19. ^DC Universe#0 (June 2008)
  20. ^Final Crisis#2 (August 2008)
  21. ^Final Crisis#4 (November 2008)
  22. ^The Flash: Rebirth#1 (April 2009)
  23. ^The Flash(vol. 3) #1 (April 2010)
  24. ^The Flash#1
  25. ^The Flash(vol. 4) #7
  26. ^Justice League: Darkseid War – The Flash#1
  27. ^The Flash(vol. 5) #24 (August 2017)
  28. ^The Flash(vol. 5) #45
  29. ^The Flash(vol. 5) #52
  30. ^Speed Demon#1 (1996)
  31. ^Flashpoint#5 (August 2011)
  32. ^Flashpoint#1 (June 2011)
  33. ^Flashpoint: Citizen Cold#1 (June 2011)
  34. ^Flashpoint: Citizen Cold#2 (July 2011)
  35. ^Flashpoint: Citizen Cold#3 (August 2011)
  36. ^Flashpoint: Kid Flash Lost#3 (August 2011)
  37. ^Injustice: Gods Among Us Year Five#27 (June 2016)
  38. ^Injustice: Gods Among Us Year Five#28 (June 2016)
  39. ^abcd"Iris West Voices (Flash)".Behind The Voice Actors.RetrievedNovember 11,2024.A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
  40. ^Burlingame, Russ (November 10, 2017)."Crisis on Earth-XArrowverse Crossover Description Released ".ComicBook.com.RetrievedNovember 11,2024.
  41. ^Harvey, James (December 5, 2023)."Justice League: Crisis On Infinite Earths, Part OneArrives January 2024, Press Details ".The World's Finest.RetrievedDecember 5,2023.
  42. ^Laman, Lisa (6 May 2022)."Why George Miller's Justice League Never Happened".Collider.
  43. ^"Justin Krol".Twitter.
  44. ^Kroll, Justin (July 25, 2016)."'The Flash' Movie:Kiersey Clemons to Star as Iris West ".Variety.
  45. ^The Flash: Stop Motion by Mark SchultzISBN0-7434-1713-5
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