The Flash may have one of the most notable superhero names, but it wasn’t something that came easy for him. In fact, Barry Allen may have revealed that he could have had a better name if it weren’t for one unfortunate reason.
After being doused in chemicals and struck by lightning, forensic scientist Barry Allen became the Fastest Man Alive. It was a dream come true for Allen, who had long been a fan of superheroes and comic books, because now he possessed the abilities to fight crime just like the heroes he’d long idolized. With his connection to the Speed Force Barry’s been able to take out some pretty powerful threats. But what makes him an even more capable hero is his keen understanding of science. Allen’s “Flash facts” have gotten him and his allies out of jams thanks to using scientific laws and principles to his advantage.
And while Barry might have a mind for science, it seems like he could use a helping hand when it comes to the creative side of being a hero. In Flash #0 by Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato, Barry’s humble beginnings as the Scarlet Speedster are explored. The classic origin of the Flash fans know and love is explored in the context of the New 52. With the thoughts of his father’s incarceration over his alleged murdering of Barry’s mother on his mind, Allen resolves to become a superhero to fight for justice and fashions a uniform for his new undertaking. While attempting to stop his first robbery, a criminal calls Barry a “red blur”, only for the hero to reveal he’s actually called the Flash, though he does admit the name took him a while to come up with.
Granted, creativity isn’t a requirement for heroism, but it’s not like the Flash is an extremely hard name to come up with. In fact, it should have been amazingly easy for Barry to come up with such a name as he was a fan of the Flash of Earth-2 and read his comics as a child. It’s a bit odd that Barry’s been able master the science of his powers and the mysteries of the Speed Force in record time, but a name eluded him for quite some time.
Is it possible that Barry’s telling the truth and he racked his brain for hours, unable to come up with something better than stealing Jay Garrick’s Flash name? Or did he give up earlier than he led on and picked the first thing that made sense and call it a day? Either way, it’s an unfortunate look for the Flash. No other hero in the DC Universe is ‘into’ the superhero game or is as big a comic book nerd as Barry. Gaining powers should have unlocked that inner nerd of his to give himself the superhero identity he always dreamed of. But it seems that Barry’s just a little too left-brained. He’s great at figuring out the science of his powers, but not so much at coming up with a better identity than Flash.