Barry

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Barry Allen (巴里)
Alias(es)	The Flash; Red Runner
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Central City Police Department; Superpower Handling Team; Bruce Wayne's defense team
Occupation/Role	Forensic evidence technician; superhero
Status	Active
First Appearance	Chapter 4

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Forensic technician	4	A Central City Police Department evidence-department trainee during university who becomes an official forensic evidence technician.
Lightning-struck and comatose	66	Lightning passes through the forensic laboratory window, strikes Barry, and throws him into a chemical rack.
Speed Force integration	69	While unconscious, his magnetic field undergoes a transformation beyond Alex's ability to measure; the Speed Force appears to be merging with him.
The Flash / Red Runner	198 205	Awakens with the Speed Force and begins operating as Central City's red-suited speedster, using nonlethal super-speed interventions.
Established Flash	225 226	Uses the Flash identity openly to Bruce Wayne, catches a Bat-arang in Speed Force mode, and joins Bruce's team to defend Earth.

Background / History

Barry and Alex have known one another since Central City Elementary School. During Barry's childhood, after his mother died and his father was imprisoned, Alex supported him; Barry came to regard Alex as both his closest friend and a brother. Their friendship later broke down in middle school after Barry reported Alex's secret relationship with a teacher to the police, believing he was protecting Alex. 4 53 54

Barry's father, Henry Allen, was convicted of murdering Barry's mother despite maintaining his innocence. Barry pursued forensic science because he believes evidence may eventually clear Henry's name. 53

While still at Central City University, Barry entered the Central City Police Department's evidence department as a trainee. Within roughly half a year, he became an official forensic evidence technician, recognized for his care and precision at crime scenes. 4 15

Appearance

Barry is tall, sunny-looking, and typically presents himself with a warm, approachable expression. Before becoming the Flash, he commonly wears jeans, plaid shirts, and autumn jackets; his superhero identity uses a red, form-fitting suit with yellow lightning motifs. 4 44 204

• Short golden hair, broad forehead, high-bridged nose, and deep blue eyes. 225
• Usually wears casual plaid shirts, jeans, and jackets while working as a forensic technician. 4 44
• His first Flash suit has a red bodysuit, a cowl covering the upper face, and yellow lightning-bolt symbols on its chest and ears. 204
• The first-generation suit feels restrictive, prompting him to consider developing a second-generation version. 225
• His speedster footwear has anti-friction, high-temperature-resistant soles that leave black skid marks and a rubber smell when he stops abruptly. 225

Personality

Barry is sincere, trusting, cheerful, and strongly motivated by compassion. He continues to view Alex as a friend despite being assaulted, rejected, and repeatedly disappointed by him. He also interprets Alex's past “rescues” and the loss of his own girlfriends as proof that Alex is more worthy, rather than blaming Alex. 4 5

His kindness can leave him vulnerable to manipulation. Al Swan exploits Barry's visible reactions and trust to confirm that Alex is the Music Hero, leading Barry to disclose information he believed Swan already possessed. Barry recognizes the mistake and feels guilty for putting Alex at risk. 58 60

Barry's moral line is nonlethal and protective: he wants criminals brought to justice through evidence and lawful arrests rather than killing. This principle repeatedly clashes with Alex's methods and eventually drives Barry to confront him over the Severed Hand Gang. 52 60 209

Abilities & Skills

Speed Force

Barry channels the Speed Force as the Flash, granting extreme movement and reaction speed accompanied by yellow electrical arcs. 205 226

• Perceives bullets, people, and surrounding motion as slowed while in Speed Force mode. 205 226
• Catches bullets in midair; the Speed Force protects his body from the bullets' momentum and kinetic force. 205
• Disarms and restrains multiple armed criminals in moments, using available rope rather than lethal force. 205 206
• Creates yellow afterimages and can conceal his identity by blurring his face through rapid movement. 205 206
• Can react quickly enough to dodge and catch Batman's thrown Bat-arang. 226
• His high-energy metabolism leaves him frequently hungry and dependent on substantial food supplies. 225
• He initially struggles to stop precisely at high speed, nearly colliding with a car during an early encounter. 204

Forensic Expertise

Barry is a trained forensic evidence technician with notable attention to detail and an ability to connect small clues. 15 45

• Collects fingerprints, fibers, shoeprints, weapon evidence, and other traces at major crime scenes. 15 45
• Connects the Music Hero's size-10 shoeprint, Desert Eagles, Silver Glow throwing knives, Chinese opening music, and movement style to Alex. 45 46
• Chose forensic science in part to seek evidence that could overturn Henry Allen's conviction. 53

Other Skills

Barry identifies several abilities beyond super-speed. 225

• Viola playing.
• Web design.
• Understanding gorilla sign language.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• First-generation Flash suit — red, form-fitting speedster suit with cowl and yellow lightning-bolt insignia; considered uncomfortable by Barry. 204 225
• Forensic evidence collection kit — used during his work with the Central City Police Department. 45
• Shared underground base — formerly Alex's base; later used by Barry and Battle Maiden Betty for training, operations, and high-energy food resupply. 225

Relationships

• Alex — Childhood friend whose support helped Barry through the loss of his parents. Their relationship is repeatedly strained by Barry's faith in lawful justice and Alex's violence, criminal control, and secrecy. 4 60 209
• Darryl Frye — Adoptive father who raised Barry after his mother's death and Henry Allen's imprisonment. Darryl worries that Barry's heroism will cost him a normal life. 66 206
• Henry Allen — Biological father, imprisoned for Barry's mother's murder; Barry became a forensic specialist in hopes of proving his innocence. 53
• Betty / Battle Maiden — A woman Barry liked before being struck by lightning. They later share Alex's former base and work together to clear Central City's underworld. 197 225
• Patty Spivot — Colleague and friend from the forensics laboratory. Barry speaks highly of Alex to her, though her interactions with Alex leave her hostile toward both men. 11 15
• Al Swan — Police colleague who manipulates Barry into confirming Alex's identity as the Music Hero. Barry later regrets trusting him. 45 58 60
• Bruce Wayne / Batman — Recruits Barry after testing his speed and revealing an anticipated alien threat; Barry immediately agrees to help defend Earth. 225 226
• Harrison Wells / Eobard Thawne — Barry's hidden enemy, who intends to siphon Barry's Speed Force while posing as Harrison Wells. 199
• Reverse-Flash — A speedster whose Speed Force originates from Barry's; after his imprisonment, Alex plans to use Barry's Speed Force to recreate Reverse-Flash's power. 269

Story Role / Major Arcs

Reconciliation Attempts and Police Work

Barry tries to reconnect with Alex when they become colleagues at the Central City Police Department. Alex responds by shoulder-charging him into a wall and declaring that he has never forgiven Barry, but Barry continues to insist they remain friends. 4 5

Barry later asks to join Alex's superpowered-crime team as a forensic and logistical supporter. Alex initially rejects him as too kind and unsuitable for the team's darker work, but eventually accepts him for practical support. 15 52

Discovering the Music Hero

While investigating the Music Hero's massacre of the Russian Gang, Barry identifies clues that point to Alex. He is excited by the possibility that his friend is a hero, then horrified by the number of deaths involved. 45 46

His efforts to investigate discreetly instead expose him to Al Swan's manipulation. Barry inadvertently confirms Alex's identity, damaging Alex's trust in him and intensifying Barry's fear that Alex has become a killer. 58 60 65

Birth of the Flash

After confronting Alex over Al Swan's death, Barry is struck by lightning in the police forensic laboratory and falls into a coma. During his unconscious transformation, the Speed Force fuses with him. 65 66 69

When Barry finally wakes, he is disturbed by an unexplained impulse urging him to kill Alex, a thought fundamentally opposed to his own nature. 198

Red Runner and the Severed Hand Gang

As the Red Runner, Barry intervenes in armed crimes without killing, catching bullets, protecting police officers and criminals alike, and binding suspects for arrest. 205 206

His faith in the police is shaken when Darryl Frye releases Severed Hand Gang members despite Barry's captures. Believing Alex's control of the gang is corrupting him, Barry confronts Alex and demands that the gang be disbanded. 206 207 209

Alliance with Batman

Bruce Wayne infiltrates Barry's base, tests his speed with a Bat-arang, and reveals himself as Batman. After hearing of a looming alien threat, Barry agrees to join Bruce's team and recommends Alex as another recruit. 225 226

Notable Quotes

“As long as I find any evidence of the Severed Hand Gang's crimes, I will send them to prison without hesitation!” 210

“Don't say another word, I'm in!” 226