10 Biggest Differences Between The Flash In The Movies & Comics

There is some argument that there has never been a completely loyal adaptation of the Flash in a TV or movie. There have been two major adaptations of Flash since the turn of the century. Grant Gustin has enjoyed a long ride on The CW, and Ezra Miller took on the role for the DCEU.

While both characters have their fans, it seems the movie depiction is the least accurate representation of the DC Comics iconic hero. From his age and experience to his appearance and origin, the movies changed a lot about the Scarlet Speedster, some for the good and some for the bad.

Flash Was A Forensic Scientist In The Comics

While Justice League ended with Flash telling his dad that he had gotten a job to train to be a forensic scientist, in the comics he worked the job before he ever got his powers. As a matter of fact, Barry Allen was working in his lab at the police station when the lightning struck and turned him into the Flash.

Flash on The CW had Barry working for the police when he got his powers too. However, in the DCEU, they chose to have Flash operating as a hero before he ever got a job with the police department.

Flash’s DCEU Version Never Feels Like Barry Allen

Flash is Barry Allen in both the DCEU and the Arrowverse. While neither character really feels like Barry from the comics, the television version is much closer. In the movies, Flash never felt like the original Scarlet Speedster and feels a lot more like a very different character.

The character is a little more similar to Wally West in the days before he became Flash and was working as Kid Flash. He is even more like the person who became Kid Flash after Wally in Bart Allen. He is never as established as Barry has always been in the comics.

Flash Is Older In The Comics

Flash in the DCEU is mostly a kid. He is either a late teenager or someone in his very early 20s. This is one reason he feels more like Kid Flash than the regular Flash. Having such a young, inexperienced, and juvenile version of Flash never feels right for comic fans.

Flash was the first character reintroduced when DC Comics brought back their superheroes in the Silver Age. He was an adult working for the police and was a fully grown man who was as respected as any other hero on the planet.

Flash Was An Equal To Batman In The Comics

When Bruce Wayne found Barry Allen in Justice League, he recruited him to help in the upcoming war with Darkseid. Barry was shocked that Batman came to talk to him and acted a bit like a fanboy. This makes sense for someone like Shazam, who was a kid, but for Flash, this was nothing like the comics.

Barry Allen was one of the founding members of the Justice League with Batman in DC comics. The two were similar in age and both had a high level of respect for the other. In Flashpoint in the comics, Barry’s respect for Batman carried him on and he was always on a level playing field, unlike the movies where he is more of an apprentice.

Flash Was Untrained In The DCEU

In DC comics, Flash was a superhero who could battle anyone and was powerful enough to beat them. In the DCEU, he is a shell of that hero. Barry has a lot of heart in the movies, but he had no idea how to fight. He even told Batman that he normally only shoves the bad guys and then runs off.

This once again shows that Flash is more like Kid Flash than a fully-formed hero. In the comics, even when Wally West took over the role, he had trained for years as Kid Flash and he was even more experienced than the Barry Allen in the movies.

Flash Was Braver In The Comics

Flash never seemed sure of himself in Justice League. He was scared to go into battle and he even hung back at times to let the other heroes do the heavy lifting until he felt he was ready. Batman doesn’t even have powers, and he did more fighting early on that Flash.

In the comics, Flash was at the forefront of every battle. In the groundbreaking Crisis on Infinite Earths, Flash died fighting the Anti-Monitor, showing that he knew no fear and always fought to save the world at all costs.

Flash Has No Villains In The DCEU

In the DCEU, Flash told Batman that he never fought anyone before. He mentioned that he would stop criminals by showing up at super-speed and pushing them. He then would flee. In Justice League, he finally fought his first supervillain and will surely have more in the future.

However, in the comics, Flash has the second best rogues’ gallery in DC (only Batman’s is better). Even on The CW, all Flash’s famous bad guys have shown up to fight him, yet in the DCEU, he had never fought one single villain before Justice League.

Flash Didn’t Wear Armor In The Comics

Flash’s costume in Justice League looked nothing like what he wears in the comics. It seemed armored, much like what Batman wore, and that seems strange when it comes to his sleek aerodynamic costume from The CW.

In the comics, not only is Flash’s costume not bulky in any way, but he had a way to shrink it down and into a ring. He could click the ring and release the costume and have it on in a split second, something that the one he wore in Justice League could never do.

Flash Was Not A Loner In The Comics

Flash lived by himself when Bruce Wayne found him. He had a lab in an old building that he kept locked up and he often just roamed around, occasionally saving people. It isn’t even clear what he did for a living. What was clear was that Barry said he had no friends and was alone most of the time.

In the comics, that was never the case. He worked for the police department. He was a founding member of the Justice League very shortly after gaining his powers. Flash was never once a loner in the comics like he was before meeting Batman.

Barry Allen Is Respected In The Comics

Flash hid in the shadows in the DCEU. He saved people and stopped criminals, but he did it secretly and so fast that no one knew what happened. When he joined the Justice League to help stop Darkseid’s invasion plans, he was the least respected member of the group.

Batman struck fear into criminals. Wonder Woman was majestic, and Aquaman was a king. Even Superman was the world’s most powerful living being. Flash was treated like a kid and never had the respect that the comic book version of Barry Allen had from the start of his career.

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