Since the beginning of The Flash, fans have been begging for future speedster, Bart Allen/Impulse to appear. Well, we’re getting our wish but there’s a slight twist…
The Flash is about to hit another milestone with its 150th episode later in its current season. While the 100th ep featured Barry and Iris’ future daughter, Nora West-Allen, we’re in for another surprise. However, this time we’re getting their son. Yep. We’re getting another member of the Flash family but it’s not Don Allen that’s coming. It’s Bart Allen we’ll be getting, according to Entertainment Weekly.
Now, before you start thinking, “Wait, isn’t Bart Allen Barry and Iris’ grandson?”, you’d be right. He is in the comics but in the show, he’s their son. This is a similar tactic to what happened with Wally who is WestAllen’s nephew in comic lore. However, Wally is Iris’ younger brother in the show.
Bart will be a portrayed by Jordan Fisher who is well-known for his role in the Disney Channel series, Liv and Maddie. He is also known for his roles on stage and screen. He’s also a talented singer who joined forces with Lin-Manuel Miranda on the soundtrack for Moana with another version of the Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson song, ‘You’re Welcome’.
A Bit About Bart Allen
In the comics, Bart Allen is the son of Don Allen (one half of the Tornado Twins). He also hails from the 30th Century. He is named for his paternal grandfather Barry and great-grandfather Henry Allen. Due to his genetics, he is a speedster like many members of his family. One of those being his cousin, Jenni Ognats/XS.
Known for his impulsive behaviour, Bart earned the moniker, Impulse. It’s funny because at one point in The Flash, Barry asks to be called ‘Bart’ when he loses his memory. Could this have been a sign? Perhaps it was.
In the Arrowverse, Barry and Iris’ daughter, Nora was originally named Dawn until Reverse-Flash killed Nora Allen as stated by Eobard Thawne himself.
During the events prior to Crisis, Nora is said to be an only child as Barry disappeared when she was a baby and never came back. However, it is possible that post-Crisis will have Nora have a sibling in the form of Bart. Wally mentions that in a potential future he has seen, his niece was running with future speedsters indicating that she will exist at some point post-Crisis.
How Could They Handle Bart’s Portrayal?
Going back to Bart, there’s several things they could do with him. We know from a released character description that he’s ‘the fastest teenager alive’. Here’s what was said in the aforementioned EW article:
Bart is the fastest teenager on the planet. But due to Bart’s penchant for wildly impulsive behavior, stunned parents Barry and Iris will have their hands full trying to teach their new son patience. But it’s a task they’ll have to accomplish, in order for their family to work together and stop Team Flash’s biggest threat yet!
Character Description For Bart Allen
So, there’s a couple of things that happen here.
If Wally saw Nora in a potential future then it’s possible Bart is her brother. Also, we know that all of Team Flash either had their memories from before Crisis or were given them back by J’onn some time later and they all remember her.
Caitlin mentioned either last episode or the one before that that the reason Nora’s lightning was yellow and purple was because of the love her parents had for each other. She was also alluding to the short period of time where Iris had a speed colour which was different to her husband’s.
Another possibility is that Bart could be a gender swapped Nora so she’s not Barry and Iris’ daughter. Though, this seems unlikely given her parents still remember her as their child.
Possible Changes From Crisis
Bart might even be a product of the new changes from Crisis the way Jordan Kent is. Since Barry didn’t die or disappear like he was meant to, he can now watch his daughter grow up and possibly give her a sibling.
Perhaps, Bart is the older child and Nora is the younger one. Or, perhaps they put another spin on it and he and his potential sister are twins so they become the ‘tornado twins’.
There’s so many possibilities they could play with. It’s just going to be exciting to see how he is received by the characters and the audience. Given that Bart is one of the characters we’ve wanted for almost a decade, they will need to play it in such a way that will please most people but not everyone. Not everyone will be pleased with the portrayal but it’s coming and people just need to accept it.
Jordan’s first appearance will be in episode 17 which as we’ve mentioned will be the 150th episode of the series. It’s unclear as to how many episodes there will be this season given how the first three episodes were to finish off the story from last season which was cut short due to COVID-19. So, it’s unclear as to how many episode Fisher will be in.
