5

This video was released to introduce new fans to the Flash character, prior to the release of Justice League. It restates the classic comic book origin of Barry Allen working in the crime lab at Central City Police Department, and being struck by lightning (and covered in chemicals) while working in the lab one night.

In the movie itself, while graverobbing Superman's body, Cyborg asks him if he was struck by lightning and he confirms that is the "abridged version" of the story. However earlier in the movie, when Barry visits his father Henry in prison, Henry mentions that Barry needs to get his life in order. He mentions that Barry is working "three dead-end jobs".

At the end of the movie Barry visits his father again, saying he's got "the worst job possible in a crime lab" due to the recommendation from a friend (presumably Bruce Wayne/Batman).

All of this indicates that Barry was not working in the CCPD crime lab when he was hit by lightning to gain access to the Speed Force.

Is there anything out there (director's commentary/deleted scene etc) to explain the change in origin for Barry? Or is it just a minor adjustment for the purposes of the movie?

1 Answer 1

4

Essentially, this may have to wait until the Flash movie is actualy released but the indications are that "Yes" the detail of the origin has been altered.

It appears that the the incident predates any law enforecement involvement as Barry Allen is too young to be employed as a CSI for Central City.

This seem to be confirmed in other media and although I can't find a comment as yet "official" bio for Barry Allen reads (per CinemaBlend)

Barry Allen is an excessively energetic student attending Central City College, where he studies criminal justice with the hope of one day freeing his incarcerated father. More than eager to team up with crime fighting Batman, Barry's remarkably quick wit is surpassed only by his ability to move at hyper speed.

They go on to say...

At a recent Justice League promotional event in the Philippines, information on the DC movie's main heroes were displayed, including the above chunk of text concerning The Flash that was later posted on Reddit. Having Barry still pursuing higher education when Batman approaches him to join his gang of super friends is a drastic departure from the main DC Comics continuity, where Barry had already been a forensic scientist at the Central City Police Department for several years by the time he became The Flash.

Still, since the DC film universe opted to cast a younger actor as its Scarlet Speedster, it's not terribly shocking to find out that he's still learning the art of forensic science. Perhaps by the time of Flash's own movie or Justice League 2, he'll have a job at the CCPD, allowing him to both solve crimes in his civilian life and move closer to legally freeing Henry Allen from prison.

and

If Ezra Miller's Barry doesn't have a lab at the CCPD, then where did his accident occur? My guess is that the location was simply moved to a lab at the Central City College campus, and everything else played out similarly as it did in the comics.

1
  • Could you summarize the essential message from those quote blocks to flesh out this answer a little more and point out a little more how it addresses the question? Commented Jan 2, 2018 at 13:19

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .