Iris West

Did You Know?

• Iris West was created by Robert Kanigher and Carmine Infantino, first appearing in Showcase #4 (October 1956).
• After being killed by Professor Zoom, Iris's consciousness was placed into a new body by her biological parents to resolve a temporal paradox.
• In the Arrowverse, Candice Patton's portrayal of Iris West as African-American influenced later portrayals of the character in other media.

Fictional character biography

Iris West is a reporter for Picture News in Central City and engaged to Barry Allen, who is secretly the Flash. Even before Barry gained his powers, Iris often scolded him for being late because he would get lost in thought at his forensic scientist job, a habit that persists after he becomes a superhero. On their wedding night, Iris discovers Barry’s secret when he talks in his sleep, and she tells him she knows on their first anniversary. It later comes to light that Iris was born in the 30th century. During a costume party, Professor Zoom kills Iris. Her biological parents, the Russells, send her infant future self back in time, where Ira West adopts her. After her death creates a temporal paradox, the Russells place her consciousness into a new body. Barry and Iris then spend a month in the 30th century, where she gives birth to twins Don and Dawn Allen, known as the Tornado Twins. Don marries Meloni Thawne, a descendant of Professor Zoom, hoping to end the family feud, and they have a son, Bart, whose powers make him age rapidly. Dawn marries Jeven Ognats of Aarok and has a daughter, Jenni, who inherits Speed Force abilities and becomes the Legion of Super-Heroes member XS. Don and Dawn die saving Earth from a Dominator invasion. In Final Crisis: Rogues' Revenge, Iris is at her old Central City home looking at photos of Barry when his voice calls out to her. She later joins a resistance against Darkseid with Black Lightning, Green Arrow, and Linda Park, but is corrupted by the Anti-Life Equation until Barry breaks its hold using the Speed Force. In The New 52 reboot, Iris and Barry are only acquaintances. During DC Rebirth, after Eobard Thawne attacks her and Ace West, Iris receives flashes of her pre-Flashpoint life with Barry and starts to remember their shared past.

Other versions

An alternate universe version of Iris West appears in DC: The New Frontier, engaged to Barry Allen, and later deduces his secret identity. An amalgamated version with Roxanne Simpson appears in the Amalgam Comics one-shot Speed Demon. In Flashpoint, an alternate version is unmarried and in a relationship with her co-worker John at the Central City Citizen.

In other media

Iris West appears in The Flash (1990), portrayed by Paula Marshall as a computer graphic artist. In Young Justice, voiced by Nicole Dubuc, she is a reporter for GBS. In the Arrowverse, portrayed by Candice Patton, she is African-American, a trait later adopted by other portrayals; her Earth-2 counterpart is a detective. She appears in The Flash (2014) and the crossovers Crisis on Earth-X and Crisis on Infinite Earths. In Justice League: The New Frontier, voiced by Vicki Lewis, she deduces Barry's secret identity. In Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, voiced by Jennifer Hale, she is uninvolved with Barry in the alternate timeline. In the Tomorrowverse films, voiced by Ashleigh LaThrop, she is introduced in Justice Society: World War II as Barry's African-American girlfriend. Kiersey Clemons was cast as Iris West in Justice League; her scenes were cut but restored in Zack Snyder's Justice League, where Barry saves her from a traffic accident. Clemons reprises the role in The Flash (2023). Iris Allen appears in the novel Flash: Stop Motion and the Injustice: Gods Among Us prequel comic.