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Bart Allen

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(Redirected from Impulse (DC Comics))
"Bartholomew Allen" redirects here. For the other DC Comics character of the same name, see Barry Allen.
Bart Allen
Bart Allen as Impulse as he appeared on the cover of the trade paperback Impulse: Reckless Youth (April 1997).
Art by Humberto Ramos.
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
First appearanceAs Impulse:
Cameo appearance:
The Flash #91 (June 1994)
Full appearance:
The Flash #92 (July 1994)
As Kid Flash:
Teen Titans #4 (December 2003)
As Flash:
The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #1 (May 2006)
Created byMark Waid (writer)
Mike Wieringo (artist)
In-story information
Full nameBartholomew Henry Allen II
Bar Torr (New 52 era)
SpeciesMetahuman
Team affiliationsYoung Justice
Teen Titans
Legion of Super-Heroes
Justice League
PartnershipsThe Flash (various)
Max Mercury
Notable aliasesImpulse
Kid Flash
The Flash
Abilities
See list
    • Genetic connection to the Speed Force grants:
      • Immense superhuman speed, agility, and reflexes
      • Speed Force absorption, negation, and empathy
      • Air manipulation and temperature manipulation
      • Intangibility and invisibility via molecular vibration at high velocity
      • Vortex generation
      • Electricity generation
      • Time travel and dimensional travel via superluminal speed
      • Energy transformation
      • Light projection
      • Accelerated healing
      • Enhanced perceptions and senses
      • Time manipulation
      • Sonic shockwave projection
      • Genius-level intellect
      • Advanced hand-to-hand combatant

Bartholomew Henry "Bart" Allen II is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. A speedster, he first appeared under the alias Impulse and later became the second Kid Flash and the fourth Flash. Created by Mark Waid and Mike Wieringo, Bart first made a cameo in The Flash (vol. 2) #91 in 1994 before his full debut in issue #92.[1] He has since been featured as the lead character in Impulse (1995–2002) and The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive (2006–2007). Bart also appears in the series Young Justice and Teen Titans as a member of both superhero teams.[2]

As first conceived by writers, Bart was born in the 30th century to Meloni Thawne and Don Allen, and is part of a complex family tree of superheroes and supervillains. His father, Don, is one of the Tornado Twins and his paternal grandfather is Barry Allen, the second Flash. His paternal grandmother, Iris West, is also the adoptive aunt of the third Flash, Wally West (Bart's first cousin once removed). Additionally, Bart is the first cousin of XS, a Legionnaire and daughter of Dawn Allen. On his mother's side, he is a descendant of supervillains Professor Zoom and Cobalt Blue as well as the half-brother of Owen Mercer, the second Captain Boomerang. In addition to these relatives, he had a supervillain clone known as Inertia.

For most of his superhero career, Bart was the teenage sidekick to Wally West. After West's apparent death in the Infinite Crisis crossover event in 2006, Allen grew up and became the Flash. His tenure as the Flash was brief and concluded with his death in issue 13 of The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive. Allen was subsequently absent for nearly two years after his apparent death, but resurfaced—young again—as Kid Flash, in 2009's Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds. During DC's The New 52 era, Bart Allen was reintroduced in Teen Titans as the alias of an amnesiac revolutionary from the future named Bar Torr; the character was later written out of comics, and his tenure erased from continuity by the subsequent DC Rebirth initiative. The original Bart Allen was brought back as part of DC Rebirth's Wonder Comics Young Justice series.

Outside of comics, Bart has been portrayed by Kyle Gallner in the live-action television series Smallville. Jason Marsden voiced the character in the animated series Young Justice. Jordan Fisher portrays a variation of the character as the future son of Barry Allen and Iris West-Allen starting in the seventh season of The CW Arrowverse television series The Flash as a recurring character.

Fictional character biography

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Initial reference

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As depicted in a Legion of Super-Heroes story, Barry Allen's children—the Tornado Twins—were arrested in A.D. 2995 by the government of Earth, which had fallen under the covert control of the Dominators. Following a one-day trial on trumped-up charges of treason, the Twins were executed. According to a Daily Planet news report, Don Allen is survived by his wife Carmen Johnson (whose real name was Meloni Thawne), his mother Iris West Allen, and his two-year-old son Barry Allen II.[3] This timeline was wiped out by the events of Zero Hour: Crisis in Time! miniseries.[4]

Impulse

[edit]
Bart Allen's full debut as Impulse on the cover of The Flash (vol. 2) #92 (July 1994).

In post-Zero Hour continuity, Bart Allen is the son of Don Allen and Meloni Thawne (a descendant of Eobard Thawne). He is additionally the cousin of Jenni Ognats, also known as XS.[5]

Due to his Speed Force abilities, Bart undergoes rapid aging, causing him to appear to be twelve when he is only two years old.[6] He is raised in a virtual reality world and eventually brought to the past, where Wally West cures him.[7] Because he spent most his childhood in a simulated world, Bart has no concept of danger and is prone to reckless behavior. He is placed into the custody of Max Mercury and moves to Manchester, Alabama.[8]

Bart joins the Titans early in his career before becoming a founding member of Young Justice alongside Robin and Superboy.[9] During this time, he develops the ability to generate energy clones.[10]

Following Mercury's disappearance, Bart is adopted by Jay Garrick, the first Flash, and his wife Joan. After Young Justice disbands, Bart joins some of his former teammates in the Teen Titans.[11]

Kid Flash

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Bart as Kid Flash. Interior artwork from Teen Titans vol. 3, 4 (Dec, 2003) Art by Mike McKone.

Shortly after Bart joins the Teen Titans, he is shot in the knee by a Jericho-possessed Deathstroke and receives a prosthetic.[12][13]

Infinite Crisis

[edit]

In Infinite Crisis, Superboy-Prime attacks Superboy and the Teen Titans.[14] After Prime escapes prison, Bart follows him, spends four years in an alternate universe, and temporarily gains amnesia. After returning to the main universe, Bart claims to have used all of his speed, leaving him powerless.

The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive (2006–2009)

[edit]
Bart Allen as the Flash. Variant incentive cover to The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #1 (2006). Art by Andy & Joe Kubert.

Bart retains his powers, but keeps them secret. When his roommate Griffin Grey gains superpowers and becomes Griffin, Bart becomes the Flash, moves to Los Angeles, and begins studying forensics. During this time, he is considered for membership in the Justice League.

Death and return

[edit]

In The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #13, Bart is killed in battle with the Rogues.[2][15][16][17][18] Writer Marc Guggenheim stated that Bart's death was an editorial mandate.[19]

In Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds, Brainiac 5 and the Legion of Super-Heroes resurrect Bart and Superboy to help them defeat Superboy-Prime and the Legion of Super-Villains.[5][20][21]

The Flash: Rebirth

[edit]

In The Flash: Rebirth, Bart discovers that Barry Allen was resurrected during his time in the Speed Force, having been killed years prior during Crisis on Infinite Earths.[22] Barry is transformed into the Black Flash due to Professor Zoom altering the Speed Force.[23] The JLA and JSA work together to contain Barry in a machine that will sever his connection to the Speed Force. However, Barry destroys the machine and escapes.[24]

When Zoom attacks Jay and Iris. Bart and Jay rush to the scene and battle him. During the battle, Max Mercury suddenly returns from the Speed Force to assists them.[25] Afterward, Iris West II becomes the new Impulse.[26]

Blackest Night

[edit]

In Blackest Night, Bart becomes a Black Lantern due to having previously died.[27][28] However, he is freed when Barry Allen becomes a Blue Lantern and cures him.[29][30][31]

Return to Titans

[edit]

Sometime after Blackest Night, Cyborg recruits Bart and Superboy to rescue Static, who has been kidnapped while visiting his hometown of Dakota. Bart battles the villain Holocaust and creates a vortex that sucks him into the Earth's core.[32][33]

At the behest of Tim Drake, Bart travels to Gotham City and saves Catwoman from members of the League of Assassins while she is sleeping in her apartment. After knocking out the would-be killers, Bart remarks to Tim over the radio that Selina is "super-fine", and that this may be the best day of his life.[34]

Shortly after settling back in Titans Tower, Bart reveals to Conner that during his brief stay in the future, he went through records concerning technology from the era. He also tells Conner that he is losing his memories of this future information due to the time stream being corrected, and that he is writing down everything he can remember.[35]

Flashpoint

[edit]

When Iris West Allen calls Barry home, she, Jay Garrick, Wally West, and Bart Allen are all troubled by the way that he has been isolating himself from everyone. Bart believes that Barry dislikes him and runs off until he is attacked by Hot Pursuit. Barry arrives too late, when Hot Pursuit discharges electricity at Bart with his baton and is engulfed in lightning.[36] However, Hot Pursuit mistakenly believes that Bart is not one of the anomalies that are affecting the timeline, known as the Flashpoint.[37]

The Earth is a changed alternate timeline, where Bart Allen wakes up in the 31st century in Brainiac's stasis pod chamber and has lost his super-speed. After failing to avoid being re-captured by Brainiac, he is confronted by a female Hot Pursuit and with her help, pulls away from Brainiac. This Hot Pursuit reveals herself to be Patty Spivot, Barry Allen's assistant. Bart must find a way to get his super-speed back before being erased from existence.[38] Bart learns that Patty stole Hot Pursuit's motorcycle and has taken his place. Bart allows himself to be recaptured by Brainiac and is placed into a stasis pod, destroying Brainiac's security program from the inside. Patty holds of Brainiac and breaks an energy projector, which returns Bart's super-speed to him. Bart then runs through time to the 21st century, and promises Patty he will return and rescue her.[39] However, Bart's body was transforming into Black Flash that had been controlled by the Speed Force, taking him to reduce the speedsters Max Mercury, Jay Garrick, and Wally West. Bart reversed from Black Flash and runs into Barry, when he realizes that the Speed Force is encased for him. Bart is to be absorbed into the living embodiment of the Speed Force's light that gives Barry his power and tells him to save the world.[40]

DC Rebirth

[edit]
Variant cover of Young Justice vol. 3 #1
(March 2019). Art by Derrick Chew.

Prior to Bart Allen's reappearance, the Titans Tomorrow alternate-future version of Bart Allen reappears in the 2018 crossover storyline “Super-Sons of Tomorrow”. A shattered figure of Bart Allen wearing his Impulse costume is also seen in the Flash Museum in the 25th century.[41]

The original Bart Allen returns to the main DC universe after Wally West and Barry Allen break the Force Barrier. Once again wearing the Impulse costume, he emerges from the Speed Force and races through a city street triumphantly declaring that he is back.[42]

Shortly afterward, he reunites with his former Young Justice and Teen Titans teammates Robin (Tim Drake) and Wonder Girl (Cassandra Sandsmark).[43] Bart is the main driving force behind the revival of the Young Justice team; after being transported to Gemworld and reunited with Superboy (Kon-El), the team officially re-forms.[44]

In The New Golden Age, Jay Garrick allows Judy Garrick to bunk in Bart's room while he is away with Max Mercury.[45] He later attended a party that was held by the Flash family.[46]

Powers and abilities

[edit]

Bart's primary power is speed, along with abilities that are common to comics speedsters, such as creating whirlwinds, running on water, and vibrating through matter. The latter ability results in "molecular taffy" if Bart does not concentrate; he also possesses an aura, that prevents air friction while running. Bart does possess some abilities that other speedsters do not have. He has the ability to produce "scouts", Speed Force avatars that he can send through the timestream, but has used it infrequently since the death of one avatar put him in a coma during the "Our Worlds at War" storyline that crossed over among the Impulse, Superboy, and Young Justice titles. After being forced to use it during the "World Without Young Justice" crossover event, he was able and willing to use them with ease, up until he became Kid Flash. He has been shown to move faster than light as Impulse, while now he has an artificial knee which limits his speed as Kid Flash. He now can only travel close to the speed of light.

Bart is resistant to the alterations in the time stream. His parents met only in post-Zero Hour continuity, but he arrived before the event. Bart has the ability to recall everything he has ever read, heard or watched (which includes speed-reading every book in the San Francisco Public Library), allowing him to spout encyclopedic information concerning the situation at hand as well as quotations from Mark Twain, of whose work he is fond.[11] He has also displayed the ability to create powerful radio waves by rotating his arms at high speeds and using the resulting vibrations in conjunction with his teammate Static's electromagnetic abilities.[47]

After Infinite Crisis, Bart's connection to the Speed Force is more difficult to control because he now contains the Speed Force and, in essence, is the Speed Force. When he taps into the Speed Force, Bart appears to have electricity crackling around him, and the Speed Force inside him becomes so lethal that he initially wears the Flash suit while running to prevent it from killing him.[48] After remembering his experiences on an alternate Earth during a fight with Griffin, he began to gain a measure of control over the Speed Force before it was released from his body just prior to his death.

Flash legacy

[edit]

Since his first appearance in The Flash #91, Bart had been trained by several speed-endowed heroes such as Jay Garrick, Johnny Quick, and Max Mercury. Prior to his reluctance to don the red and yellow, Bart showed a lot of enthusiasm toward his role as the future Flash. However, Wally West had a number of apprehensions about Bart, as shown by Wally's naming Jesse Quick as his successor and his refusal to deliver to Bart his invitation from Cyborg to join the latest incarnation of the Teen Titans. Bart took these acts in stride though, and, after Robin claimed that he will always live in the Flash's shadow, Bart even says that "the Flash will be in mine".[49]

Other versions

[edit]

Numerous versions of Bart have appeared throughout comics.

Bar Torr

[edit]
Bar Torr as Kid Flash, on the cover to DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS #12 (2012)
Art by Jorge Jimenez.

Bar Torr, a character based on Bart Allen, appears in The New 52 continuity reboot. He is a reactionary from a dystopian planet Altros Prime in the far future who was sent to the 21st century as part of a witness protection program and sustained amnesia.[50]

Dark Tomorrow

[edit]

Following the death of Max Mercury and Helen Claiborne, Bart returns to the future to be with his mother, while his girlfriend Carol Bucklen came along. Carol begins studying the Speed Force to use it for the benefit of humanity. The corrupt President Thawne, Bart's grandfather, takes their research and forms the Hyperguard, a group of soldiers with superhuman speed. The adult Carol managed to pull her younger self and Bart into the future. Bart ended up preventing Max's and Helen's death, thus preventing this reality from happening. This reality appeared in Impulse #73–75.

Titans Tomorrow

[edit]

In an alternate timeline depicted in Titans Tomorrow, Bart assumes the mantle of the Flash after the current Flash is killed.[51][52]

Time and Tempest

[edit]

Another alternate future is showcased in The Ray (vol. 2) #25–26. Here Bart, Ray Terrill, and Triumph were "three rich guys with superpowers". Bart was in love with Ray's girlfriend, whom Ray treated like dirt. However, Bart realized that he did not have a chance with her either and ended up knocking Ray out and leaving him, not knowing that hitmen were on their way.

In other media

[edit]
See also: Flash in other media

Television

[edit]

Animation

[edit]
Impulse as he appears in the initial Justice League proposal.
  • Bart Allen as Impulse appears in Kids' WB's original pitch for Justice League as a junior member of the eponymous team. While Impulse, among other characters, were cut to avoid making the series feel like Super Friends, the pitch became available as a bonus on the series' first season DVD.[53]
  • Bart Allen as Kid Flash appears in the Mad segment "That's What Super Friends Are For", voiced by Jason Marsden.
  • Bart Allen appears in Young Justice, voiced again by Jason Marsden.[54] This version is from a Reach-controlled future in the year 2056. Introduced in the second season, Invasion, as Impulse, he and Neutron build a time machine so the former can travel back in time to save his grandfather, Barry Allen, prevent Neutron from becoming a supervillain, and avert the Reach-controlled future despite knowing it will be a one-way trip. Over the course of his mission, Bart joins the Team, becomes Jaime Reyes' best friend, is adopted by Jay and Joan Garrick, and reluctantly becomes the new Kid Flash after Wally West is killed while helping the Team and Justice League thwart a Reach invasion. In the third and fourth seasons, Outsiders and Phantoms, Bart joins the Outsiders and is implied to be dating El Dorado.[55][56]

Live-action

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Kyle Gallner as Bart Allen in Smallville.

Video games

[edit]

Miscellaneous

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Collected editions

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Stories featuring Bart Allen from The Flash, Impulse and The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive have been collected into trade paperbacks:

Title Material collected
Impulse: Reckless Youth The Flash #92–94, Impulse #1–6
The Flash: Dead Heat The Flash #108–111, Impulse #9–11
The Flash Presents: Mercury Falling Impulse #62–67
The Flash The Fastest Man Alive: Lightning in a Bottle The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #1–6
The Flash The Fastest Man Alive – Full Throttle The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #7–13, DCU Holiday Special
The Brave and the Bold: Demons and Dragons The Brave and the Bold #13–16, The Brave and the Bold #181, The Flash #107, Impulse #17
Flash/Impulse: Runs in the Family The Flash #108–111, Impulse #1–12

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Markstein, Don. "Impulse". Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  2. ^ a b Jimenez, Phil (2008). "The Flash". In Dougall, Alastair (ed.). The DC Comics Encyclopedia. New York: Dorling Kindersley. pp. 124–127. ISBN 978-0-7566-4119-1. OCLC 213309017.
  3. ^ Legion of Super-Heroes (vol. 4) #17 (April 1991)
  4. ^ Legion of Super-Heroes (vol. 4) #61; Zero Hour: Crisis in Time (September 1994)
  5. ^ a b Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds #3 (February 2009)
  6. ^ Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Manning, Matthew K.; McAvennie, Michael; Wallace, Daniel (2019). DC Comics Year By Year: A Visual Chronicle. DK Publishing. p. 249. ISBN 978-1-4654-8578-6.
  7. ^ Flash (vol. 2) #92 (July 1994)
  8. ^ The Flash (vol. 2) #95 (November 1995)
  9. ^ The New Titans #126 (October 1995)
  10. ^ Impulse #77 (October 2001)
  11. ^ a b Teen Titans (vol. 3) #1 (September 2003)
  12. ^ Teen Titans (vol. 3) #2 (October 2003)
  13. ^ Teen Titans (vol. 3) #4 (December 2003)
  14. ^ Infinite Crisis #4 (March 2006)
  15. ^ Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #13 (June 2007)
  16. ^ Teen Titans (vol. 3) #50 (August 2007)
  17. ^ All-Flash #1 (July 2007)
  18. ^ Countdown #43
  19. ^ Rogers, Vaneta; Brady, Matt (25 July 2007). "Flash Forward" (1049 ed.). Comic Shop News, Inc. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  20. ^ Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds #4 (April 2009)
  21. ^ Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds #5 (July 2009)
  22. ^ The Flash: Rebirth #1 (April 2009)
  23. ^ The Flash: Rebirth #2 (May 2009)
  24. ^ The Flash: Rebirth #3 (June 2009)
  25. ^ The Flash: Rebirth #4 (August 2009)
  26. ^ The Flash: Rebirth #5 (November 2009)
  27. ^ Blackest Night #1 (September 2009)
  28. ^ Blackest Night #5 (January 2010)
  29. ^ Blackest Night #6 (February 2010)
  30. ^ Blackest Night: Flash #2 (March 2010)
  31. ^ Blackest Night: Flash #3 (April 2010)
  32. ^ Teen Titans (vol. 3) #81
  33. ^ Teen Titans (vol. 3) #82
  34. ^ "DC Universe: The Source » Blog Archive » Startling revelations in RED ROBIN #12". Dcu.blog.dccomics.com. 2010-04-30. Retrieved 2011-01-16.
  35. ^ Teen Titans (vol. 3) #88
  36. ^ The Flash (vol. 3) #11 (April 2011)
  37. ^ The Flash (vol. 3) #12 (May 2011)
  38. ^ Flashpoint: Kid Flash Lost #1 (June 2011)
  39. ^ Flashpoint: Kid Flash Lost #2 (July 2011)
  40. ^ Flashpoint: Kid Flash Lost #3 (August 2011)
  41. ^ The Flash (vol. 5) Annual #1
  42. ^ The Flash (vol. 5) #50
  43. ^ Young Justice (vol. 3) #1
  44. ^ Young Justice (vol. 3) #6
  45. ^ Jay Garrick: The Flash #1
  46. ^ Jay Garrick: The Flash #6
  47. ^ Teen Titans (vol. 3) #84
  48. ^ Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #3 (October 2006)
  49. ^ Teen Titans (vol. 3) #5 (January 2004)
  50. ^
    • Teen Titans (vol. 4) #1 (November 2011)
    • Teen Titans (vol. 4) #6 (April 2012)
    • Teen Titans (vol. 4) #8 (June 2012)
    • Legion Lost (vol. 2) #9 (July 2012)
    • Justice League of America's Vibe #3 (April 2013)
    • The Flash (vol. 4) #21 (July 2013)
    • Teen Titans (vol. 4) #25 - 26 (January - February 2014)
    • Teen Titans (vol. 5) Annual #1 (June 2015)
    • Teen Titans (vol. 5) #10 (September 2015)
    • Teen Titans (vol. 5) #16 (March 2016)
  51. ^ Teen Titans (vol. 3) #18 (2004)
  52. ^ Teen Titans (vol. 3) #51
  53. ^ "The World's Finest – Justice League". Worldsfinestonline.com. Retrieved January 16, 2011.
  54. ^ "Impulse / Bart Allen Voice - Young Justice (TV Show)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved April 21, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
  55. ^ Weisman, Greg (July 12, 2021). "One of those four characters is gay". Ask Greg. Retrieved August 14, 2021.
  56. ^ Weisman, Greg (July 28, 2021). "Ed is gay and is dating someone". Ask Greg. Retrieved August 14, 2021.
  57. ^ "The Flash's Showrunner says Jordan Fisher was the only actor he wanted to play Impulse: 'Just wait til you see what he's going to do'". Insider. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
  58. ^ Mitovich, Matt Webb (March 30, 2021). "The Flash to Introduce Bart Allen, With a Parental Twist — Get Details on Jordan Fisher's Impulsive Speedster". TV Line. Archived from the original on 2021-03-30. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  59. ^ Drum, Nicole (July 6, 2021). "The Flash Recap: Here's Everything You Missed in "P.O.W."". Comibook.com. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
  60. ^ Eisen, Andrew (October 2, 2013). "DC Characters and Objects - Scribblenauts Unmasked Guide". IGN. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
  61. ^ Eisen, Andrew (February 15, 2019). "Characters - LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham Guide". IGN. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  62. ^ "Adventures in the DC Universe #13 - Sometime in New York City (Issue)". Comic Vine. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  63. ^ "Legion of Super-Heroes in the 31st Century #15 - In A Flash (Issue)". Comic Vine. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  64. ^ Injustice: Gods Among Us: Year Three Vol 1 #7
  65. ^ Smallville Season 11 Vol 1 #15
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