Characters Who Hate The Flash

The Flash, often called the Fastest Man Alive, is one of DC Comics’ premiere superheroes. With legendary speed and an incredible array of other powers to boot, he’s also one of the most powerful heroes on Earth. Whether it’s Barry Allen, Wally West, or even eventually Bart Allen, The Flash is looked up to with unquestionable respect and dignity. Barry Allen especially, the first Flash after the Golden Age and Jay Garrick, was the stuff dreams are made of; nearly infallible in every way. Considered a boy scout and all around model superhero, after Wally and Bart took the mantle as theirs, everyone, including them, couldn’t help but be compared to Barry Allen.

Wally consistently felt imperfect, thinking Barry’s boots were too big to fill, and Bart only became The Flash because someone had to; he wanted to honor his grandfather’s memory. Yet not everyone feels completely enamored with the Scarlet Speedster, rather, quite the opposite; we’re not just talking villains here. Some people see him as a pest or even a nuisance! Multiple heroes, including people you’d least suspect, can’t stand the Fastest Man Alive -- any iteration of him. Here at CBR we’re looking at 15 characters, that aren’t villains, who just can’t stand The Flash.

15 WALLY WEST II

Wallace West II, the Kid Flash in DC Rebirth, is the nephew of Iris West, and the son of Daniel West, who becomes the Reverse Flash. On-account of some time travel-related shenanigans colliding with the Speed Force, Wally West II gets speed powers akin to his idol, The Flash. From there, Wally desperately wanted to fight crime, yet he was somewhat irresponsible and needed training.

While Wally wouldn’t listen to Barry, he did listen to Barry’s alter ego The Flash, who knew about Wally as Kid Flash. Barry takes Wally under his wing, trains him, and all is going well until the older hero is forced to reveal his identity. Wally already loathes Barry since he’s always aloof with Iris, but when he discovers Barry’s The Flash, Wally detests him. He hates the fact that Barry lied to him and Iris for such a long time.

14 SUPERMAN

Superman, the Man of Steel, is like Barry Allen in that he too is generally perceived as a boy scout. The greatest hero of them all, Superman inspires his costumed colleagues and the general populace. Similarly to Barry, they command admiration and love wherever they go; people just adore them. Even so, Superman and The Flash have shared moments when they didn’t get along.

The two heroes have raced multiple times before to determine who’s the fastest superhero. While the rivalry is generally good-natured, Superman often gets more annoyed with The Flash than the other way around. They’ve even traded blows a couple times. Sure, mind-control or misunderstandings were usually the root of the problem, but even afterwards, they didn’t seem particularly pleased to see each other.

13 GREEN ARROW

Out of all the heroes, arguably the most political is Oliver Queen, also known as Green Arrow. Always standing up for the little guy, Oliver doesn’t have the temperament to suffer fools. While he might not be the strongest member on the Justice League, he’s definitely important and valued; he helps keep the team grounded. In Flash & Green Lantern Brave The Bold #4, Ollie simply can’t stand Barry.

Oliver sees the brutality of the police system and is disgusted that Barry has remained oblivious to it all. While Barry believes the police keep law and order in the city, Oliver wants Barry to see the truth and not be naïve; like heroes, Ollie says cops needed to be watched closely. Hal Jordan can only sit back and sigh. They eventually resolve their differences, but it wouldn’t be the last time they clashed.

12 IRIS WEST

For over half a century, the romance between Barry Allen and Iris West all but defined comic book relationships. However, in the current Rebirth series of The Flash, the two characters are at odds with one another and Iris all but wants nothing to do with Barry.

Barry constantly kept Iris at an arm’s length, unwilling to trust her with the secret of him being The Flash. Iris could sense Barry was hiding something and was extremely hurt he refused to believe in her. Yet after Iris is ready to break up with Barry, she’s kidnapped by the Reverse-Flash who reveals Barry’s identity. It’s a shock, but the worst part is when Barry absorbs the negative Speed Force, becomes unstable, and nearly kills his adversary. At this point, Iris literally does not recognize the man in front of her. Now, she all but detests The Flash.

11 GREEN LANTERN (KYLE RAYNER)

After Hal Jordan went insane, killed the Green Corps and Sinestro, and journeyed over into crazy town, Ganthet, the last Guardian of the Universe, forged one final Green Lantern ring. He gave that ring to Earthman Kyle Rayner, entrusting the hopes of the Green Lantern Corp legacy with the young artist. Despite the reservations of many, Kyle stood as an exemplary Green Lantern, rivaling Hal Jordan’s iconic greatness.

When Kyle finally joined the Justice League, it was a big deal for him, but one person who wasn’t terribly pleased was The Flash, Wally West. Wally and Kyle were both legacy heroes and relative newbies in their own right, but Wally didn’t like Kyle at first, thinking he was too new, inexperienced, and didn’t have what it took to follow in Hal’s footsteps. Kyle, for his part, couldn’t stand Wally to begin with either.

10 SUPERGIRL

When Kara Zor-el came to Earth in the New 52, it was to a world she did not fully understand; nor did it understand her. Despite Superman’s best efforts to integrate her with society, she still felt very alien and missed her home terribly. So when the Kyptonian villain H’el appears, promising to bring back Krypton and restore the destroyed planet to its former glory, Kara immediately rushes to help him.

She doesn’t realize she’s being manipulated and putting all of Earth in jeopardy. Yet Kara doesn’t care, she just wants to get back home. Superman, Wonder Woman and The Flash intervene with H’el and his plans, and Flash fights Supergirl. She all but hates the Scarlet Speedster, unable to understand why he or Kal-El would try and stop H’el from saving Krypton. Eventually, the Justice League helps Kara see the truth.

9 BART ALLEN

Bart Allen, the grandson of Barry Allen, from the 30th century no less, had a mixed emotional relationship with his grandfather. While Barry was serious and heroic, Bart was playful and obnoxiously carefree. They didn’t always see eye-to-eye, but at least they were family. Once The New 52 rolled around, they weren’t even that, yet with their super speed, it was only a matter of time until they met.

In issue #21 of The Flash, Barry ends up chasing Bart across the globe, trying to get a handle on the young speedster and figure out who he is and where he’s from. The entire time, Bart wants nothing to do with Barry, almost despising him. Bart refuses to help Barry, pushing him away and insulting him whenever he can. Yet while they share the same last name, it’s later revealed he’s not connected to Barry Allen.

8 POWER GIRL

The cousin of Superman from an alternate Earth, Power Girl, or Kara Zor-El, is the hotheaded equivalent of Supergirl. Tough, determined and not one to take any nonsense from anybody, Power Girl is not particularly known for her patience. She also isn’t always on the best of terms with Wally West when he was The Flash. In The Flash #59, the tabloids have been printing rumors that Power Girl is pregnant with Flash’s baby.

At this time in his life, Wally tends to flirt a bit, so the news surprises no one. No one that is, except for an enraged Power Girl, a stunned Flash and his girlfriend Connie. Power Girl immediately rushes to confront Wally, appalled he hasn’t done anything about the situation. Wally’s relatively carefree attitude about the situation only further infuriates Kara as she literally shakes The Flash with rage.

7 CAPTAIN FRYE

Darryl Frye is Captain of the Central City Police. While the men clearly possess a love for the city he protects, he’s not the easiest fellow to get along with. Despite constantly breathing down people’s necks and yelling at Barry, his heart is in the right place. He’s even served as a mentor to Barry, helping Barry quietly dig into the death of his mother. Still, while Frye might have affection for Barry and Central City, he all but hates The Flash.

In the New 52 universe, Frye has no patience for superheroes or vigilantes taking crime into their own hands, leaving a trail of wreckage through the city with their super-powered fights. Loathing The Flash, Frye goes so far as to enlist the Rogues, led by Captain Cold, and even brings the Riddler into the mix to take the hero down.

6 ARSENAL

Roy Harper, the sidekick to Green Arrow, has also been known as Speedy and Red Arrow. He helped found the original Teen Titans, uniting with Wally West, who at the time was Kid Flash and Dick Grayson, Robin, to take down the villainous weather-controlling Mr. Twister. Since then, the young heroes have forever remained an integral part of one another’s lives, fighting crime and growing up together into adults.

These days, in DC Rebirth's Titans, Roy and Wally are again on the same team, the Titans, and Arsenal can’t stand his speedster friend, The Flash. You see, Arsenal has been pining after his teammate Donna Troy the entire series, but when he decides to tell her how he feels, Wally’s already beat him to the punch, making out with Donna in front of him. Currently, Roy can’t stand Wally, incredibly jealous and angry that his feelings are being neglected.

5 QUICKSILVER

The Flash is DC Comics’ fastest character. Sure, you can say Superman is up there, but The Flash isn’t called the Fastest Man Alive for nothing. In Marvel Comics, the title goes to the mutant hero Quicksilver. With a haughty attitude and enough power to back it up, Quicksilver rarely comes across anyone or anything that can challenge his speed. That is until the DC vs. Marvel crossover that pitted the two heroes against each other.

Throughout the fight, the combatants start off evenly matched and even though Quicksilver gets the upper hand, it’s momentary. The Flash is simply too fast and takes the victory with little trouble. Throughout the rest of the series, though they do team-up with one another, Quicksilver is forever resentful that The Flash, someone faster than him, beat him.

4 JESSE QUICK

When Jessie Quick acquired speed powers thanks to her father’s formula, she wanted to become a costumed crime fighter. Around this time she met Wally West and he started to train her, saying he was grooming her to be his replacement in the future, should anything ever happen to him. Jesse couldn’t have been happier, but then she found out it was all a ruse. Rather, Wally was instead using her position as leverage to try and force Bart Allen, Impulse, into accepting his role of The Flash and taking the legacy more seriously. Wally really wanted Bart, not Jesse, to be his successor.

Jesse felt betrayed and loathed Wally. Still, she ends up saving his life, but hurts herself in the process. While Wally heals her, she loses her powers thanks to him, or what she assumes is him but instead Savitar. Nonetheless, Jesse simply does not like Wally.

3 LINDA PARK

For years, up until the New 52 and Rebirth, Wally West and Linda Park were as integral a superhero couple as Barry Allen and Iris West were to their generation of Flash fans. Wally and Linda’s love literally transcended dimensions. Unfortunately, Linda no longer remembers that. In DC’s Rebirth and as seen in the Titans comic line, Wally has returned from an interdimensional prison of sorts, only to come to a world where he is no longer remembered. Except for Superman and Barry Allen, this new world has no memory of him.

Of course Wally is convinced Linda will remember him. She doesn’t. That doesn’t deter Wally as he believes Linda will eventually come to love him and maybe get her memories back; he’s constantly pining for her. Rather than returning his affections, Linda can barely stand this new Flash, finding him weird and his constant advances creepy.

2 EVERYONE

At least in the case of Impulse. Heralding from the 30th century, Bart Allen’s paternal grandfather is Barry Allen, while his adoptive grandmother is Iris West. Bart’s related to a whole bunch of people actually, including some supervillains and already has grandchildren even though he was just a kid. It’s a weird history. Anyway, Bart traveled back to the 20th century and adopted the superhero name Impulse.

True to his moniker, Impulse was, to say the least, spontaneous, reckless, and downright annoying. Few people liked him, and even Wally West had trouble coming to terms with the youngster and his attitude. Joining Young Justice, he found friends with Robin and Superboy and later additional heroes when he matured and became Kid Flash. Still, there was a stint of time where he annoyed the dickens out of everyone he met.

1 HIMSELF

In DC’s Identity Crisis, it’s revealed that members of the superhero community condoned the tampering with, and altering of, criminal minds and friends. After Doctor Light sexually assaulted Sue Dibny, the Justice League captured Light and debated brainwashing him. On the one hand, what’s to stop him from doing it again, but on the other hand, completely rewriting his identity seemed unethical.

The team lobotomizes him; Barry’s was the swing vote. Years later, Wally learns about Barry’s action and is disgusted. He’s even more horrified upon learning Barry mindwiped The Top. He had Zatanna mindwipe him, changing The Top into a better person. Alas, The Top remembered his past actions and was driven insane, disturbed by his own misdeeds, resulting in The Top effectively committing suicide. Barry was ultimately mortified with what he’d done and Wally was left feeling rage and disappointment with his mentor.

Did we miss anyone else who hates The Flash? Let us know in the commets!