The Flash: 5 Things It Got Right From The Comics (& 5 It Ruined) - CBR - Comic Book Resources

It can be hard to believe that the eighth season of The Flash will be beginning before the end of the year. For well over 150 episodes, Arrowverse fans have been able to tune in and see the ongoing adventures of the Fastest Man Alive in ways that never would have seemed plausible just two decades ago.

And while The Flash has done a remarkable job of taking 80 years of stories about the Scarlet Speedster and turning them into exciting television tales that keep the heart of the comics intact, there are some things that fans of the four-color adventures of these characters struggle to accept.

10 It Gets Barry And Iris' Love

Arguably the most important piece in any story about Barry Allen is his love for Iris West. In the comics, Barry and Iris were an item from their first appearances, but readers got to go along for the ups and downs of their relationship, from marriage to death to rebirth and death again.

While the show has changed a number of things about Barry and Iris' love, it has kept the most important part of it; the two are mad about one another, and their love is the kind of love that keeps the world spinning.

9 It Ruined Barry's Smarts

While a comic book can work with a solo hero, that kind of thing is harder to do on television. A comic can have narration boxes or thought balloons that let readers know what the hero is thinking, but for a TV show that hero needs to speak more than think, and so the lone hero always finds themselves with a team sooner or later.

Barry has Team Flash, which is always there to help him, but it has also taken away part of his character. In the comics, Barry Allen is a genius detective and inventor, but in the show, he can't seem to figure out anything on his own.

8 It Gets Barry's Heart

Of course, Barry Allen's smarts aren't really the thing that makes him a hero, nor is it his speed. Even before Barry was struck by lightning and doused in chemicals he fought for justice as a crime scene investigator because for him, doing right always mattered.

It is Barry's heart that makes him a great hero in both the comics and the Arrowverse. Without his ability to connect with people and even empathize with his foes, Barry would not be as iconic as he has become.

7 It Ruined The Rogues

One of the great things about comics is that every character can appear in every book without any problems. When it comes to TV, it isn't as easy to pull that kind of thing off. So while the comics can have Flash's greatest foes - the Rogues - team up and fight him all the time, on TV it is harder not only to bring all the actors together to film but also make it work within the show's budget. Sadly, while The Flash has featured a number of the great Rogues, we've never been able to see them all come together for one big fight.

6 It Gets The Flash Family

The Flash family in The Flash season 7 finale

The Flash isn't just one character. Across the 80 years of stories, many people have taken on the mantle, and each of them has added to the family that rides the lightning. The show has followed the comic's format, adding more and more members to the Flash Family. Some are from the comics while others were created specifically for the Arrowverse, but each of them adds something. And even more, fans have gotten to see grown-up versions of Barry and Iris' children with XS and Impulse.

5 But It Also Ruined The Flash Family

While The Flash has created its own version of the Flash Family, some of the changes they have made stick in the craw of fans of the comics. The biggest change is that of Barry and Iris' kids. In the show, XS and Impulse are the daughter and son of the loving couple, but in the comics, those two heroes from the future are their grandkids.

In the comics, Barry and Iris have twins named Dawn and Don. Those siblings become the Tornado Twins and tragically died fighting the Dominators, but not before having children themselves - XS and Impulse. Why the change was made is anyone's guess.

4 It Gets Flash's Powers

Over the eight decades of Flash stories in the comics, the powers have changed quite a bit. Depending on who was the Flash at the time, the hero's speed would shift. Barry Allen and Jay Garrick could vibrate through solid objects, but Wally West tended to struggle with that ability. Still, each of them could run fast and travel through time and space with the right push. This is something the show has kept pretty much intact. It has even added some abilities to the Flash that have made their way to the comics, including the lightning throw.

3 It Ruined The Speed Force

Sadly, the way the show treats the Speed Force is very different from how it is portrayed in the comics. On the show, Flash can seemingly travel in and out of the Speed Force with ease, but in the comics, entering the Speed Force is a dangerous maneuver. Most speedsters who enter the Speed Force in the comics, like Johnny Quick, are never able to leave it again. The only heroes who have gone in and come out are Barry Allen and Wally West, and escaping the cosmic power was a struggle for both of them.

2 It Gets Flash's Hometown Love

One of the most interesting things about Flash in the comics is just how much Central City loves him. Sure, Metropolis likes Superman, but they don't have a huge museum dedicated to the Man of Steel like Central City does for its hero.

The Flash Museum is just a symbol of how much Central City loves Flash and how much Flash loves Central City. In truth, what makes the Scarlet Speedster so special to his hometown is his blue-collar stylings. Superman flies above the people and Batman hides in the shadows, but Flash runs about the streets, greeting people. He is one of them, and the show gets that.

1 It Ruined The Weirdness Of Barry's Life

In the comics, Barry Allen's life is anything but normal. On an average day, he's traveling through the Multiverse discovering new realities or skipping through time to see what the 64th century is like. When he isn't fighting Reverse-Flash, Barry is busy helping a species that lives between the ticks of a clock. That's what he does.

But the confines of live-action TV mean that so many of the stranger parts of Flash's comic book life can't be done. For the die-hard fans of the comics, there is a sadness that they will never see Barry Allen in all his weirdness.

NEXT: Every Season Of The Flash Ranked, According To IMDb

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Derek Faraci (519 Articles Published)

Born and raised in New York, Derek Faraci moved to Los Angeles in 2001 and joined Activision where he worked on many successful franchises including Spider-Man, Tony Hawk, and Guitar Hero. In October 2009, Derek left Activision to join Scientifically Proven Entertainment. Since joining SPE, Derek has worked on Man vs. Wild: The Game, Blood of the Werewolf, and the film Sucker directed by Michael Manasseri. Derek has written more than 500 articles for a number of sites and magazines, including Blumhouse, CBR, Birth.Movies.Death, and Solis. Given the option, Derek would spend all of his time watching movies and reading comics. More of Derek's work can be found at DerekFaraci.com and you can find him on Twitter at @wh_woolhat.