The Evolution of the Flash (Animated)
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When forensic scientist, Barry Allen, is struck by lightning and doused in chemicals, he’s granted super speed! And The Flash – or their actors – have been running ever since. But how has the Scarlett Speedster evolved in live-action? Let’s find out now!
warning: spoilers ahead!In Legends of the Superheroes, Barry wears an unflattering red jumpsuit, with yellow winged boots, a jaggedy belt, matching bracelets, and a dollar store emblem. Plus, his cowl hangs low on his cheeks and has chunky ear wings. He can pop into different locations, and notably faces the Weather Wizard!
The 90s TV Flash dons a padded diving suit with dark boots, a tiny emblem, metallic accents, and a cowl with triangular shapes along his cheeks. On top of his super speed… which makes him super hungry, this Flash can also phase through objects. And with assistance from explosions, he can travel through time! A blue-outfitted clone of Barry, named Pollux, also appears…but quickly sacrifices himself to save the OG Flash.
The Justice League of America’s unemployed Flash rocks a plane red suit, has gloves adorned with lightning, high rain boots, a crisscrossed belt, and a wide emblem. He also has ridged eye goggles and vertical lightning ears. This speedster assists in taking down the wicked Weatherman!
Smallville’s Bart Allen suits up in a yellow-striped red hoodie, paired with matching shoes, pants, wristbands, and totally 2000s spectacles! Although, this speedster’s code name is Impulse.
The Arrowverse’s Flash first wears a leotard test suit. Then upgrades to a maroon firefighter get-up, with gold threading, a chinstrap, and bolt-shaped comm-tech ears. A red-base emblem is added to the outfit, along with lightning bolts on his belt. Later, his suit is lightened and his cowl is enlarged. Another iteration of this suit incorporates a white emblem and adds cold-resistant threading.
This streak is mentored by genius Harrison Wells – secretly embodied by the evil Reverse-Flash that killed Barry’s mother! – but that’s a whole can of speed lines, so – uh – back to Barry.
The Flash’s fourth season suit is overhauled, has less maroon colouring, more gold, and a flotation mode, among other tech advances. The fifth-season suit is less leathery and brighter. His cowl lacks the chinstrap and has more prominent lines on his forehead – although that’s tweaked mid-season… Plus, this suit is stored within his special ring! The Sixth Season suit is a deeper red, has more gold lines, and a chin-strapped cowl with wing-shaped ears. Season 7 upgrades the cowl to nano-tech, and season 8 finally gives him his golden boots! Season 9 makes no significant changes.
This Flash gets his powers from the Speed-Force – dark matter that can take human form, including the image of Barry’s mother – granting him abilities, like: shooting lightning, creating lightsabers, making mirrored mirages, forming vortexes, going atomic, and inter-dimensional travel!
The Arrowverse also features other Flashs, including:
Hunter Zoloman wearing Golden Age Jay Garrick attire, but this Crimson Comet is actually the villainous Zoom that later becomes the Black Flash!
The real Jay Garrick appears, and for some reason looks like Barry’s father and the 90s TV Flash.
Jesse Quick fills in for Jay Garrick on Earth-3.
Savitar, an evil Barry who wears an armoured Mech suit.
The pilot-attired Accelerated Man briefly appears.
Wally West dons a yellow Flash suit in Flashpoint.
Iris West briefly fills in for Barry.
An Elseworld Arrow and Flash switch roles.
Both Barry and Wally become possessed Dark Flashs.
An older 90s Flash appears, but quickly sacrifices himself.
Barry and Reverse Flash swap places thanks to time travel shenanigans.
And Barry’s future kids also inherit his speediness.
The DCEU’s Flash wears plated armour, with bolted wiring, fingerless gloves, and flat ear wings. Together with the Justice League, Barry helps stand up to Steppenwolf. Future segments show the Flash wearing scuffed scavenged armour, with a flip-down visor.
In The Flash solo film the suit is streamlined, brighter, has molded muscles, tiny patterning, golden boots, and longer ears. When being active, the piping lights up and golden lenses appear. In flashbacks, Barry is seen in a skater-like prototype suit. A new-timeline younger Barry sports a roughly painted Batsuit, with added safety tape, padding, and trimmed bat ears.
To save their mother, the OG Barry runs to the past, altering the timeline, but soon realizes this meddling has doomed the planet! Although the second Barry recklessly keeps messing with time travel, eventually becoming the craggy Dark Flash! But they accidentally mortally injure their younger self and vanish. So the original Barry sets things back to normal...well, mostly normal in a Clooney sense of the word.
Wolverine’s live-action costuming hasn’t always lived up to his potential, but how has he evolved on screen? Let’s find out now...animated!