One thing that has become abundantly clear to comic fans over the years is that The Flash dies quite a bit, as the Scarlet Speedster has repeatedly sacrificed himself in epic comic events like Crisis on Infinite Earths and Zero Hour, though the character has also had to deal with a number of deaths around him, as well.
The Flash comics have explored a number of heartbreaking deaths that have shaken The Flash and his related characters to the core a number of times in various comic storylines and events. Today’s fans can look back at a few of the most tragic deaths that have occurred within the Flash family of comics and remember how heartbreaking they were the first time.
Reverse-Flash Killed Iris West At A Halloween Party After She Rejected His Advances
After their earliest encounters in the comics, Eobard Thawne/Reverse-Flash rededicated his efforts to replacing Barry Allen in his time as the Flash, which also meant alongside his wife Iris West-Allen. Reverse-Flash believed he had fallen in love with Iris, and he gave her an ultimatum about choosing either him or Barry Allen, though she of course chose Barry.
When Barry and Iris attended a costume party the next night, Iris (dressed as Batgirl) rejected Reverse-Flash again, and he vibrated his hand through her skull, killing her instantly. Thankfully, it was later revealed Iris West had survived in the future, and she and Barry Allen lived there happily with Iris for years.
Golden Glider Was Murdered By Her Own Partner Chillblaine
Lisa Snart was the costumed criminal known as the Golden Glider who frequently worked alongside her brother Leonard/Captain Cold, though after they had a falling out Golden Glider struck out on her own with a new partner named Chillblaine.
Golden Glider moved through a few different Chillblaines until she met one with an evil side who turned on her. Chillblaine used Captain Cold’s replica cold gun to freeze Golden Glider solid to be later accidentally shattered by Iris West. Captain Cold later took out his revenge on Chillblaine for murdering his sister.
Max Mercury’s Body Was Taken Over By The Rival’s Ghost From The Speed Force
The original Flash Jay Garrick had his own roster of villains that included Edward Clariss/The Rival, his own Reverse-Flash who was lost in the Speed Force. He returned in the pages of Impulse to take his revenge on Garrick, though he took over speedster Max Mercury’s body, who had been helping to train young Bart Allen.
When The Rival took over his body, Max Mercury was banished to the Speed Force and Impulse was forced to move on without his mentor. Max Mercury was later able to return from the Speed Force, though he never quite returned in the same capacity.
Johnny Quick Sacrificed Himself For His Daughter During The Dead Heat Event
After Savitar and his followers attempted to take control of the Speed Force and stripped DC’s connected speedsters of their power, Flash and his allies were forced to battle against the Cult of Savitar’s speed ninjas as well as the former Lady Flash, who now went by the name of Lady Savitar.
Savitar baited his enslaved Lady Savitar into attacking the speedster Jesse Quick, and her father Johnny Quick connected to the Speed Force in order to save her, which ultimately resulted in his death as his essence joined with the Speed Force.
Wally West’s Childhood Friend Krakkl Sacrificed Himself To Save Two Worlds
The Flash found himself involved in a cosmic gambling match as he was forced to race for his planet’s survival across the timeline against a very unique opponent while cosmic titans wagered over the victor. Wally West’s opponent turned out to be an alien being known as Krakkl that he had connected with over the radio as a child and had assumed to be an imaginary friend.
The Flash was able to convince the cosmic gamblers to take his own wager in order to save both his and Krakkl’s planets, though Krakkl sacrificed his energy in order to Give Wally the boost he needed to win the bet and save their worlds.
Linda Park Was Killed By The Black Flash Instead Of Wally West
The Black Flash was created by the universal need for a faster agent than the Black Racer that would be able to catch DC’s speedsters when it was their time to return to the Speed Force that gave them their abilities. Wally West discovered he was the next target for the Black Flash, but when he was interrupted from his planned meeting with his girlfriend Linda Park, she was killed instead.
Wally’s world was turned upside down but he was still forced to fight for his life against the Black Flash, and he was able to defeat Black Flash by racing to the end of time where death had no meaning. He was then able to save Linda Park from the Speed Force, which was quickly followed by their engagement and wedding.
Jai And Iris West Were Killed By Professor Zoom While In The Womb
Wally West and Linda Park-West eventually announced she was pregnant, though the happy news was soon turned tragic after Linda was injured by a sonic boom during a battle between Wally West/Flash and Hunter Zolomon/Zoom. This caused Linda to miscarry and Wally West attempted to retire and erase the world’s memories of his identity to keep Linda safe.
Thankfully, a later battle through time between Flash and Zoom resulted in Zolomon accidentally absorbing the brunt of the shockwave, saving the twins who would grow up to become the new Tornado Twins, Jai and Iris West/Impulse.
Wally West Died Numerous Times Before He And His Family Were Erased From Reality
After Barry Allen sacrificed himself during the Crisis, young Kid Flash followed in his mentor’s footsteps and created his own legacy as the Scarlet Speedster, though he also dealt with his own brushes with death over the years. The Flash first merged with the Speed Force during the “Terminal Velocity” storyline when he ran faster than he ever had before.
He was able to return thanks to his love for Linda Park, which would become a recurring theme in the many deaths of Wally West. He and his family were later erased from the DC universe thanks to the Flashpoint/New 52 reboot in one of the most heartbreaking losses from the Flash comics that has only recently been undone.
Nora Allen Was Murdered In The Past By The Reverse-Flash While Henry Allen Died In Prison
While Barry Allen’s parents survived past Barry Allen’s sacrifice in the original continuity, The Flash: Rebirth introduced a new origin for Barry Allen that his mother Nora Allen was murdered in the past by Reverse-Flash. Barry’s father Henry was blamed for the murder and imprisoned, where he eventually died without ever seeing justice for his wife.
Barry Allen’s attempts to undo his mother’s murder led to the apocalyptic reality of Flashpoint, and he was forced to allow his mother’s murder in order to fix the timeline, though outside forces resulted in the New 52 reboot and another alternate timeline that was only recently fixed thanks to InfiniteFrontier‘s blend of continuities.
A Powerless Bart Allen Was Killed By The Rogues During His Time As The Flash
One of the most heartbreaking deaths to have ever occurred in the Flash comics was Bart Allen, Barry Allen’s grandson from the future who arrived in the present day during the Zero Hour event. Bart first began his costumed career as Impulse before he decided to accept his legacy as Kid Flash until Wally West’s disappearance in Infinite Crisis left Bart to take over as The Flash.
Led by Bart’s nemesis Inertia, the Rogues were able to drain the Flash’s speed, though the device they used, threatened to destroy Los Angeles. Bart pretended to still have his speed in order to distract the Rogues while his girlfriend disarmed the device. Unfortunately, without his speed, he was killed by the Rogues in one of their worst comic acts, though he later returned as Kid Flash.
