Flash: Why Barry Is So Much Faster Than Nora & Bart (aka XS & Impulse) - Screen Rant

Episode 150 of The Flash features Nora West-Allen and Bart Allen, a.k.a. XS and Impulse, respectively, and while they are fast, Barry Allen is still faster than his children. The Flash is the latest Arrowverse show to reach 150 episodes, using the milestone as the first half of the two-part season 7 finale, "Heart of the Matter." Nora and Bart are speedster heroes in the future — but based on the episode, neither is as fast as their father.

While "Heart of the Matter, Part 1" did celebrate The Flash's past and present, it also honored the future through XS and Impulse visiting their parents in 2021. Like Barry, they are both speedsters and are actively protecting Central City in 2049. Like in the comic community, there is always a debate about who is the faster speedster, especially given how many there are in the Arrowverse. Despite Nora and Bart representing the next generation of speedsters, Barry is still way faster than both of them, and it boils down to a few key factors.

Nora and Bart are younger than Barry, and likely have less overall experience with the Speed Force. The Flash hasn't explored what XS and Impulse have been up to in 2049; however, it's fair to assume that neither of them has experienced the same things as Barry. Throughout The Flash's long run, Barry has had to push himself to get faster because of the challenging threats he has faced (his "need to get faster" has long been a motif in the show). Barry's had to best Zoom, Reverse-Flash and Savitar — all who had incredible speed. Eobard Thawne, a.k.a. the Reverse-Flash, was even the one who trained Barry. Given how powerful Reverse-Flash is, that partially speaks volumes for why Barry has gotten faster.

The Flash has also always made it clear that Barry has a special connection to the Speed Force compared to other speedsters — and was even personally responsible for reviving it in season 7. That alone helps make a case for why Barry is faster than some of the characters who have speed. Even though XS and Impulse have likely faced powerful villains of their own in the future, their journey as heroes is still fresh — especially after Crisis on Infinite Earths changed Nora and added Bart, rewriting the future. It's unclear how long they have had their power, but it's safe to assume that neither Iris nor Barry would have allowed their children to fight crime until they were mature enough to do so safely. Most likely, Barry in season 7 has more experience than XS and Impulse have by the year 2049.

However, it would be very interesting to see if the 2049 version of Barry is still faster than his children. The Flash's 150th episode didn't specify what Barry's status is in the future, so it is a mystery for now. Even though Barry may be the fastest hero in the West-Allen family, that is not to say that his kids won't surpass him down the line. As they keep training and taking on super-villains like Godspeed, Nora and Bart will evolve over time. Regardless of Barry being faster than them, it is still remarkable just how many members of the Flash Family the Arrowverse has introduced. That is one of the reasons why the 150th episode of The Flash was as special as it was, especially with XS and Impulse entering the picture.

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Andy Behbakht (836 Articles Published)

Andy has covered the world of entertainment journalism since 2010, mostly superheroes and comic book media. In addition to his work as a reporter, Andy co-hosts The Flash Podcast, Titans Podcast while running the entire DC TV Podcasts network. He is also the founder/editor-in-chief of The Marvel Report since Fall 2015.