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Bart Allen
Comics character From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Bartholomew Henry "Bart" Allen II is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. A speedster, he first appeared under the alias Impulse and later became the second Kid Flash and the fourth Flash. Created by Mark Waid and Mike Wieringo, Bart first made a cameo in The Flash (vol. 2) #91 in 1994 before his full debut in issue #92.[1] He has since been featured as the lead character in Impulse (1995–2002) and The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive (2006–2007). Bart also appears in the series Young Justice and Teen Titans as a member of both superhero teams.[2]
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As first conceived by writers, Bart was born in the 30th century to Meloni Thawne and Don Allen, and is part of a complex family tree of superheroes and supervillains. His father, Don, is one of the Tornado Twins and his paternal grandfather is Barry Allen, the second Flash. His paternal grandmother, Iris West, is also the adoptive aunt of the third Flash, Wally West (Bart's first cousin once removed). Additionally, Bart is the first cousin of XS, a Legionnaire and daughter of Dawn Allen. On his mother's side, he is a descendant of supervillains Professor Zoom and Cobalt Blue as well as the half-brother of Owen Mercer, the second Captain Boomerang. In addition to these relatives, he had a supervillain clone known as Inertia.
For most of his superhero career, Bart was the teenage sidekick to Wally West. After West's apparent death in the Infinite Crisis crossover event in 2006, Allen grew up and became the Flash. His tenure as the Flash was brief and concluded with his death in issue 13 of The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive. Allen was subsequently absent for nearly two years after his apparent death, but resurfaced—young again—as Kid Flash, in 2009's Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds. During DC's The New 52 era, Bart Allen was reintroduced in Teen Titans as the alias of an amnesiac revolutionary from the future named Bar Torr; the character was later written out of comics, and his tenure erased from continuity by the subsequent DC Rebirth initiative. The original Bart Allen was brought back as part of DC Rebirth's Wonder Comics Young Justice series.
Outside of comics, Bart has been portrayed by Kyle Gallner in the live-action television series Smallville. Jason Marsden voiced the character in the animated series Young Justice. Jordan Fisher portrays a variation of the character as the future son of Barry Allen and Iris West-Allen starting in the seventh season of The CW Arrowverse television series The Flash as a recurring character.
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Fictional character biography
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Initial depiction
As depicted in a Legion of Super-Heroes story, Barry Allen's children Don and Dawn, also known as the Tornado Twins, are arrested in A.D. 2995 by the government of Earth, which had fallen under the control of the Dominators. Following a one-day trial on charges of treason, the Twins are executed. Don Allen is survived by his wife Carmen Johnson (whose real name was Meloni Thawne), his mother Iris West, and his two-year-old son Barry Allen II.[3] This timeline was wiped out by the events of Zero Hour: Crisis in Time! miniseries.[4]
Impulse
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In post-Zero Hour continuity, Bart Allen is the son of Don Allen and Meloni Thawne (a descendant of Eobard Thawne). The Tornado Twins of this timeline were killed in an invasion by the Dominators that took place when Bart was an infant, years before the Legion of Super-Heroes were founded. Bart was born with full super-speed; his cousin Jenni Ognats, daughter of Dawn Allen and Jeven Ognats, did not at first display any signs of super-speed. At the sight of seeing her father tortured, her latent super-speed powers activated and would go on to join the Legion under the name XS. It is later revealed that these events took place on the parallel world of Earth-247, with the Tornado Twins and their families having traveled there from the main universe.[5]
Due to his Speed Force abilities, Bart undergoes rapid aging, causing him to appear to be twelve when he is chronologically only two years old.[6] To prevent him from developing mental health problems, he is raised in a virtual reality world that adheres to his sense of time. When it becomes clear that this method is not working, Bart's grandmother Iris West takes him to the 21st century, where Wally West tricks Bart into overexerting his abilities and returning his metabolism to normal.[7] Because he spent most of his childhood in a simulated world, Bart has no concept of danger and is prone to reckless behavior. Bart proves to be more trouble than Wally can handle and is placed in the custody of Max Mercury, who moves with him to Manchester, Alabama.
Bart joined the Teen Titans early in his career before going on to become one of the founding members of the superhero team Young Justice alongside Robin and Superboy.[8] Impulse stayed with Young Justice for an extensive period of time, during which he develops the ability to create Speed Force energy duplicates. One of Bart's clones is killed during the "Our Worlds at War" storyline, causing Bart to quit Young Justice temporarily as he comes to terms with his mortality.[9]
Following Max Mercury's disappearance, Bart is adopted by Jay Garrick, the first Flash, and his wife Joan. After Young Justice disbands, Bart joins some of his former teammates in the Teen Titans.[10]
Kid Flash
Shortly after Bart joins the Teen Titans, he is shot in the knee by Deathstroke (who at the time was possessed by Jericho)[11] and receives a prosthetic kneecap. While recovering, Bart reads every single book in the San Francisco Public Library and reinvents himself as the new Kid Flash.[12]
In the "Titans Tomorrow" storyline, an alternate timeline counterpart of Bart assumes the mantle of the Flash after the current Flash is killed in a "Crisis". He is able to steal the speed of others, a power he uses on his past self. Bart works as a spy working on the behalf of Titans East against the future Teen Titans.[13]
Infinite Crisis
During Infinite Crisis, Superboy-Prime attacks Conner Kent (Superboy) and injures or kills several Teen Titans, thus prompting Bart to stop his rampage. He accomplished this by running him at top speed into the Speed Force with the help of Wally West and Jay Garrick. Wally and Jay disappear into the Speed Force, leaving Bart alone in the fight against Superboy-Prime. Barry Allen, Johnny Quick, and Max Mercury, all of whom had been previously absorbed into the Speed Force, appear and aid him.[14]
After Superboy-Prime escapes prison, Bart follows him, spending four years in an alternate reality Keystone City. Bart returns to his own universe, having sustained amnesia, and participates in the Battle of Metropolis. After regaining his memories, Bart attacks Superboy-Prime, who killed Conner Kent in battle. When the battle is over, Bart explains to Jay where he had been, and claimed he used up the last of his speed, leaving him powerless.
The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive (2006–2009)
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Bart secretly retains his powers, but they threaten to overwhelm him. He gets a job as a factory worker at Keystone Motors and tries to leave super-heroics behind. When his roommate Griffin Grey gains super-powers and becomes the supervillain Griffin, Bart assumes the mantle of the Flash. Not long after defeating Griffin, Bart moves to Los Angeles and enrolls at the Los Angeles Police Academy, where he studies forensics. Bart is considered for Justice League membership and gets particular support from Batman, who feels he is more than ready for the position.
Death and return
Bart reveals himself as the Flash to fight the Rogues. During the battle, the Rogues use a machine built by Inertia, Bart's evil clone, to drain his powers. Inertia's machine proves unstable and threatens to destroy the West Coast if the Speed Force was not safely released from it. Bart battles the Rogues before chasing after Inertia, distracting them while Valerie Perez releases the Speed Force from the machine. In a panic, Captain Cold, Heat Wave, and Weather Wizard kill Bart.[2][15] Marc Guggenheim, writer of the story arc in which Bart was killed, stated that his death was an editorial decision, and that he was instructed that his five-issue run would have to end with Bart's death and the involvement of the Rogues.[16]
In Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds, Brainiac 5 and the Legion of Super-Heroes resurrect Bart as part of their plan to defeat Superboy-Prime and the Legion of Super-Villains.[5] Soon after Bart's resurrection, the Legion also revive Superboy. Together, the pair aid the Legion in defeating Superboy-Prime.[17]
The Flash: Rebirth
In The Flash: Rebirth storyline, Bart quickly discovers that things had changed significantly between his death and resurrection. Barry Allen, who was killed during Crisis on Infinite Earths, had also returned from the dead. At Titans Tower, where Robin and Wonder Girl have planned a welcome home party for Bart, Bart views Barry's return with skepticism and is angered that Max Mercury has not returned.[18]
Bart, along with others connected to the Speed Force, are struck with severe pain when Barry accidentally kills the speedster Savitar by merely touching him. When Barry accidentally kills another evil speedster, it is revealed that he is now the new Black Flash.[19] The Justice League and the Justice Society of America contain Barry in a machine that will sever his ties to the Speed Force. rushes to the scene and confronts Barry over the reason why Max has not returned, but his grandfather cannot provide an answer. The Black Flash part of Barry quickly takes over, shattering the machine and attempting to reach out to the speedsters, including Bart, in the area. Barry is rushed away by his friends as Bart, Wally, Iris, and Jay look on.[20]
Superman tells Bart and the others that Barry has decided to return to the Speed Force to protect them. Wally decides to follow Barry and bring him back, and Bart asks him to bring back Max. Shortly after Wally leaves, Linda contacts Jay and Bart to tell them that Eobard Thawne is at her house attacking Jay and Iris. Bart and Jay rush to the scene, and fight Thawne through the city. During their fight, Thawne bests Bart with ease and is about to stab him when Max Mercury suddenly returns from the Speed Force. Wally and Barry return as well and help Bart battle Thawne.[21]
Flashpoint
When Iris West Allen calls Barry home, she, Jay Garrick, Wally West, and Bart Allen are all troubled by the way that he has been isolating himself from everyone. Bart believes that Barry dislikes him and runs off until he is attacked by Hot Pursuit. Barry arrives too late, when Hot Pursuit discharges electricity at Bart with his baton and is engulfed in lightning.[22] However, Hot Pursuit mistakenly believes that Bart is not one of the anomalies that are affecting the timeline, known as the Flashpoint.[23]
The Earth is a changed alternate timeline, where Bart Allen wakes up in the 31st century in Brainiac's stasis pod chamber and has lost his powers. He is confronted by a female Hot Pursuit and with her help, escapes from Brainiac. This Hot Pursuit reveals herself to be Patty Spivot, Barry Allen's assistant. Bart must find a way to get his super-speed back before being erased from existence.[24] Bart learns that Patty stole Hot Pursuit's motorcycle and has taken his place. Bart allows himself to be recaptured by Brainiac and is placed into a stasis pod, destroying Brainiac's security program from the inside. Patty holds off Brainiac and breaks an energy projector, which returns Bart's powers. Bart then runs through time to the 21st century, and promises Patty he will return and rescue her.[25] However, Bart becomes connected to the Black Flash and is forced to drain energy from other speedsters. Bart sacrifices himself by giving his energy to Barry Allen so that he can restore the timeline and is absorbed into the Speed Force.[26]
DC Rebirth
(March 2019). Art by Derrick Chew.
Prior to Bart Allen's reappearance, the Titans Tomorrow version of Bart Allen reappears in the 2018 crossover storyline "Super-Sons of Tomorrow". A shattered figure of Bart Allen wearing his Impulse costume is also seen in the Flash Museum in the 25th century.[27]
The original Bart Allen returns after Wally West and Barry Allen break the barrier of the Speed Force. Once again wearing the Impulse costume, he emerges from the Speed Force and races through a city street triumphantly declaring that he is back.[28]
Shortly afterward, he reunites with his former Young Justice and Teen Titans teammates Robin (Tim Drake) and Wonder Girl (Cassie Sandsmark).[29] Bart is the main driving force behind the revival of the Young Justice team; after being transported to Gemworld and reunited with Superboy (Kon-El), the team officially re-forms.[30]
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Powers and abilities
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Bart's primary power is speed, along with abilities that are common to comics speedsters, such as creating whirlwinds, running on water, and vibrating through matter. The latter ability results in "molecular taffy" if Bart does not concentrate; he also possesses an aura, that prevents air friction while running. Bart does possess some abilities that other speedsters do not have. He has the ability to produce "scouts", Speed Force avatars that he can send through the timestream, but has used it infrequently.[31] Bart has also displayed the ability to create powerful radio waves by rotating his arms at high speeds and using the resulting vibrations in conjunction with his teammate Static's electromagnetic abilities.[32]
After Infinite Crisis, Bart's connection to the Speed Force is more difficult to control because he now contains the Speed Force and, in essence, is the Speed Force. When he taps into the Speed Force, Bart appears to have electricity crackling around him, and the Speed Force inside him becomes so lethal that he initially wears the Flash suit while running to prevent it from killing him.[33] After remembering his experiences on an alternate Earth during a fight with Griffin, he began to gain a measure of control over the Speed Force before it was released from his body just prior to his death.
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Other versions
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Numerous versions of Bart have appeared throughout comics.
Bar Torr
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Art by Jorge Jimenez.
After the DC universe was rebooted in 2011, a new character based on Bart Allen is introduced. Teen Titans (vol. 4) #1 opens with an amnesiac Bart six months prior to his first appearance, saving a mansion from a fire. He cannot explain how he is able to move at superhuman speeds, but he is certain that he has a connection to the Flash, and so begins to call himself "Kid Flash". The second issue identifies this Kid Flash as Bart Allen.[34] Virgil Hawkins performs diagnostic tests on Bart and concludes that Bart is not from the 21st century, indicating that he may possibly be from the 30th century. Virgil presents Kid Flash with a new uniform that can keep his molecules aligned.[35]
Kid Flash is later revealed to be Bar Torr, who was sent to the 21st century as part of a witness protection program. A reactionary from the planet Altros Prime in the far future, Bar was the son of a religious couple who were murdered by the Purifiers, agents of the planet's Functionary regime.[36] Too young to kill any Purifiers himself, Bar joined their ranks instead. Following a space ship crash while smuggling contraband for the Purifiers, Bar discovered that by unknown means he had acquired healing abilities and superhuman speed. He assembled an army of reactionaries and began a full-scale rebellion against the Functionary, which lasted many years until members of his rebellion injured his sister Shira, who grew up on the side of the Functionary. This prompted Bar to turn himself in. Seeking penance, he promised the Functionary he would take down his own rebellion from the inside. While the prosecution assembled its case against Bar, he was sent to the 21st century and had his memories overridden.[37] In the present day, in the wake of an attack on the team by Johnny Quick of the Crime Syndicate, the prosecution retrieves Bar and brings him to the future so his trial can begin. During his trial, Kid Flash surrenders at the insistence of Shira and is sentenced to life imprisonment on the planet Takron-Galtos.
Dark Tomorrow
Following the death of Max Mercury and Helen Claiborne, Bart returns to the future to be with his mother, while his girlfriend Carol Bucklen came along. Carol begins studying the Speed Force to use it for the benefit of humanity. The corrupt President Thawne, Bart's grandfather, takes their research and forms the Hyperguard, a group of soldiers with superhuman speed. The adult Carol managed to pull her younger self and Bart into the future. Bart ended up preventing Max's and Helen's death, thus preventing this reality from happening.[38]
Time and Tempest
Another alternate future is showcased in The Ray (vol. 2) #25–26. In this version, Bart, Ray Terrill, and Triumph are "three rich guys with superpowers". Bart was in love with Ray's girlfriend, whom Ray treated like dirt. However, Bart realized that he did not have a chance with her either and ended up knocking Ray out and leaving him, not knowing that hitmen were on their way.
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In other media
Television
Animation
- Bart Allen as Impulse appears in Kids' WB's original pitch for Justice League as a junior member of the eponymous team. While Impulse, among other characters, were cut to avoid making the series feel like Super Friends, the pitch was released as a bonus on the series' first season DVD.[39]
- Bart Allen as Kid Flash appears in the Mad segment "That's What Super Friends Are For", voiced by Jason Marsden.
- Bart Allen appears in Young Justice, voiced again by Jason Marsden.[40] This version is from a Reach-controlled future in the year 2056. Introduced in the second season, Invasion, as Impulse, he and Neutron build a time machine so the former can travel back in time to save his grandfather, Barry Allen, prevent Neutron from becoming a supervillain, and avert the Reach-controlled future despite knowing it will be a one-way trip. Over the course of his mission, Bart joins the Team, becomes Jaime Reyes' best friend, is adopted by Jay and Joan Garrick, and reluctantly becomes the new Kid Flash after Wally West is killed while helping the Team and Justice League thwart a Reach invasion. In the third and fourth seasons, Outsiders and Phantoms, Bart joins the Outsiders and is implied to be dating El Dorado.[41][42]
Live-action
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- Bart Allen appears in Smallville, portrayed by Kyle Gallner. This version is a self-centered thief who initially uses his powers for personal gain. After helping Clark Kent save his father Jonathan Kent, Bart considers reforming and leaves to travel the world and find others like himself and Clark. As of the episode "Justice", he has assumed the codename "Impulse" despite not choosing it himself and joins forces with Green Arrow, among other heroes, to thwart Lex Luthor and LuthorCorp's plans. From the eighth season onwards, Bart makes minor appearances as a member of the Justice League.
- Bart Allen / Impulse appears in The Flash, portrayed by Jordan Fisher. This version is Barry Allen and Iris West-Allen's future son, younger brother of Nora West-Allen, and, according to showrunner Eric Wallace, is much older, funnier, charming than other incarnations, but with an edge.[43][44][45]
Video games
- Bart Allen as Kid Flash appears as a character summon in Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure.[46]
- Bart Allen as Kid Flash appears as a playable character in Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham.[47]
- The Young Justice incarnation of Bart Allen / Impulse appears as a non-playable character in Lego DC Super-Villains.
Miscellaneous
- Bart Allen as Impulse appears in Adventures in the DC Universe #13.[48]
- Bart Allen as Impulse appears in Legion of Super Heroes in the 31st Century #15.[49]
- Bart Allen as Kid Flash appears in Injustice: Gods Among Us: Year Three #7 as a member of the Teen Titans who was killed by the Joker's nuclear bomb.[50]
- The Smallville incarnation of Bart Allen / Impulse appears in Smallville Season 11. In the "Haunted" arc, Bart and Clark Kent seek Jay Garrick in defeating the Black Flash before Bart sacrifices himself to send the Black Flash into the Speed Force. Additionally, a young Bart appears in the "Legion" arc.[51]
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Collected editions
Stories featuring Bart Allen from The Flash, Impulse and The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive have been collected into trade paperbacks:
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References
External links
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