Your handy guide to every DC Comics reference in The Flash season 1 is here!
This article containsThe Flashspoilers in every possible variety.
Dont read if you havent watched season one!
Regular readers of my weeklyFlashreviews know about my obsession with chronicling every DC Comics reference crammed into each episode.
Those are linked in the episode titles for your convenience.
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For easy organization, this is organized mostly chronologically.
However, stuff that was clarified in later episodes will be explained in the entries for the earlier ones.
This way, Im not repeating myself like Im caught in a time loop.
To keep things simple, I put the bulk of their information in the most appropriate episode entry.
Oh, and if you want to read full episode reviews, just hit the titles!
The scene in the diner where Barrys perceptions shift is also an homage to that first Flash story.
Like on the show, Eobard Thawne is a time-traveler who has it in for Barry Allen and friends.
His history is far more complicated than I can get into here, but you get the idea.
He caused all kinds of headaches for Barry throughout the decades.
Before the publication ofRebirthin 2007, Barry had a more normal home life.
That should come in pretty handy considering that were dealing with parallel worlds in season two.
Caitlyn Snow is sadly destined to become the villainous Killer Frost.
Ill give you three guesses what her powers consist of.
This is just one of many pieces of foreshadowing about their metahuman future that was teased all season long.
Detective Fred Chyre was created by Geoff Johns and Angel Unzueta.
He first appeared inThe Flash#164 in 2000.
Maybe theres a chance he can be brought back!
The fact that the show went with two Weather Wizards is appropriate.
They both first appeared inThe Flash#110 back in 1959 by John Broome and Carmine Infantino.
Nah, probably not…
The abandoned Ferris Air airstrip that Barry tests his powers at is a big fat Green Lantern reference.
But heres the short version…
Barry Allen died saving the DC Multiverse inCrisis on Infinite Earths#8.
When Barry died during the Crisis, he basically discorporated.
Maybe thats what the red shadow is.
Thats a reference to how he croaked inCrisis on Infinite Earths#8.
Nice shout out to WayneTech in that headline at the end, too.
I half expected the byline to read Lois Lane, but instead its Iris West-Allen.
Head to page two for info on more episodes!
Ill get to all that when we get to the Firestorm episodes.
They dug deep for Simon Stagg.
Hes just as much of a dick in the comics.
Hes hung around the DC Universe, mostly causing trouble for second-stringers for the last 50 years.
Yes, Cisco built Barry a treadmill.
In this episode, Barry has an issue where his metabolism is having difficulty sustaining his super speed.
That was future Flash Wally Wests problem for a portion of his career.
This was also Barrys problem on the originalFlashTV series.
Yes, his name was Kyle Nimbus, just like the fella who showed up in this episode.
Barry and Iris came out of a movie theater playingBlue Devil 2: Hell to Pay.
Anyway, he couldnt get out of the suit, so of course he became a superhero.
Heres what he looks like…
This is the SECOND Blue Devil reference in this universe, by the way.
There was a poster for the firstBlue Devilmovie on the side of a bus inArrowseason two.
For an additional fun connection: Blue Devil first appeared in an issue ofFirestorm.
Can you tell that I really like Blue Devil?
He was the star of one of the most underrated DC Comics of the 80s.
I have almost every issue.
Im proud of that for some inexplicable reason.
Anyway, back to the point at hand…
The other movie on that marquee?
The Rita Farr Story.
Rita Farr was an actress who gained some super powers and joined The Doom Patrol as Elasti-Girl.
In another episode we see that theres a Hall of Heroes in the Central City Museum.
In the comics, the city ends up dedicating a museum to Barry…while hes still alive.
Right now, their biggest hero is a cattle king named Bobby McFeely.
Ill have more details on the prospects of a Flash Museum at the end of the article.
I also just learned that Soder Cola hasits own Wikipedia page.
Clearly, I have reached the restaurant at the end of the Internet.
When Barry vibrates his features at super speed to prevent his Dad from recognizing him?
Thats straight out of original Flash Jay Garricks playbook.
It took the jury 52 minutes to bring back Henry Allens guilty verdict.
One thing the show absolutely nailed is that Len Snart isnt a maniacal Batman villain.
Instead, hes a leader who just happens to love being an exceptional thief.
Thats something that has helped make Flashs rogues gallery so unique.
Kahndaq has come up a bunch of times onArrow, as well.
The fella at the end that Captain Cold goes to see is Mick Rory.
You will come to know and hate him as Heat Wave, played by Dominic Purcell.
More on him down below.
Oh, and he goes to see him in Keystone City.
I believe Keystone had been visible in earlier news reports, though.
She first appeared inFury of Firestorm#7 (1982) by Gerry Conway and Pat Broderick.
But it wasnt just Firestorm characters who made their presence known in this one.
There were lots of Captain Atom connections, too.
Maybe one day well see him become The General as you might see here…
Or maybe not.
Hes popped up quite a bit in DC Comics continuity since then.
Hes not any more interesting than he is on the show, sadly.
Harrison makes a man of steel joke, but it clearly doesnt mean anything.
Back inArrowseason 2, Diggle cracked, what next, aliens?
What this means for howSupergirlfits into things is anybodys guess.
But first it led to bad things for Reverse-Flash.
Hes loosely the Farooq Amar who appeared briefly in theFlashpointtimeline in the comics.
onBatman: The Animated SeriesandBatman: The Brave and The Bold.
The hero of that story?
Oh, that list of names that Harrison rattles off!
Lets dig in…
Ralph Dibney is the Elongated Man.
Id LOVE to see them give us a buddy episode with these two down the line somehow.
Shed be a perfect fit on a show likeLegends of Tomorrow, come to think of it.
Al Rothstein…Im ridiculously excited about this one.
Hes been Atom Smasher.
Hes been a member of Infinity Inc and the Justice Society.
Oh, and hes the villain ofThe Flashseason 2 premiere.
Probably not the same Al Rothstein from this Earth, though.
Whatever, Im splitting hairs.
Grant Emerson is Damage.
Hes also Al Pratts son.
Hes another guy with a power set that makes sense for this show.
Cmon, TWO Al Pratt connections in a matter of seconds?
This is no way an accident.
It had better not be!
Will Everett was the All-Star Squadrons Amazing Man.
Chances are, it wont be seen.
Yes, theres an Intake 52 at STAR Labs.
Can I stop talking about 52s now?
Theres more on page four!
He first appeared inThe Flash#286 in 1980.
This is a reference to the first Lois Lane/Superman interview inSuperman: The Movie.
where Christopher Reeve offhandedly says: You mean like Ralph or something?
in response to a similar query from Margot Kidder.
Its my favorite movie ever, in case you care.
This is a rather roundabout Green Lantern easter egg, but it counts!
Tina was the love interest/scientific genius of the originalFlashTV series with John Wesley Shipp.
The file photo on the screen they showed is clearly from that show, too.
What if Tina McGee isnt just coincidentally here, being played by the same actress?
You might say Im crazy, but…am I?
And wouldnt it be a lot cooler if this were true?
She also works for Mercury Labs also a nice touch.
Because Golden Age Flash Jay Garrick wore a helmet modeled after Roman god/original speedster Mercury.
Thats another nice touch.
It might also be a reference to zen master of speed Max Mercury.
So, Tina is working with tachyons particles.
Why is this important?
Harrison Wells has a Flash ring.
Barry Allen will presumably get to the point where hes able to compress his costume (because science!)
into a space small enough for it to fit into a ring.
The better for quick changes.
Heat Wave first appeared inThe Flash#140 (1963) and he was (surprise!)
created by the genius Flash creative team of John Broome and Carmine Infantino.
You know, the medical definition of pyromania.
We might see him again someday.
The Rathaways are the parents of Hartley Rathaway, the Pied Piper.
More on him down below.
This is a pretty killer trackfrom that Duke Ellington record that Iris broke.
I realize this isnt DCU stuff, but pour yourself an adult beverage and enjoy this tune.
The battle takes place at the corner of Porter and Main.
This could be a shoutout to DC Comics artist Howard Porter.
Thats Lisa Snart coming to the rescue of her brother and his pal at the end.
You may know her as the ridiculously named Golden Glider in DC Comics.
Lisa first appeared inThe Flash#250 in 1977 and she was created by Cary Bates and Irv Novick.
When Hartley says that eventually theyre gonna need his help, hes not just being an arrogant jerk.
I mean, heisbeing an arrogant jerk, but theres a comic book reason behind this, too.
The Pied Piper eventually reformed, and even helped out the Wally West version of Flash for awhile.
There was already a non-powered Royal Flush Gang who showed up way the hell back inArrowseason one.
Whether these guys are copycats or the writers just forgot is up to you to decide.
They were a super-powered team, though.
Theyve been around the block in various animated incarnations of the DCU, as well.
Maybe well get a proper version one day.
All that stuff about vibrational frequencies in this episode?
This episode is the first time we hear the words speed force uttered on the show.
Throughout season one, they only scratched the surface.
This episode had a really neat variation on that.
I enjoyed the way they played it, with the bullet just nicking him before he caught it.
Keep going…there are 10 episodes to go on the next page!
Firestorm first appeared inFirestorm, The Nuclear Man#1 in 1980.
He was created by Gerry Conway and Al Milgrom.
In the comics origin, Ronnie was a protester.
And dont forget, we met Jason Rusch in Revenge of the Rogues.
Something takes place at 52nd and Waid.
The guy is a machine.
We all know what the 52 is.
Mal Duncan was playing at a jazz club tonight?
The Flash Season 1 Episode 14: Fallout
This isnt DC Comics stuff but its fun.
There are some references to how the show takes place in real time.
Fictional countries include Khandaq, Markovia, and Corto Maltese.
I figure the 27 is a callback toDetective Comics#27, the first appearance of Batman.
But I really want to know more/see more of whats been going on down there.
Maybe theres some random Thanagarian or Mikaal Tomas or Abin Sur or Jonn Jonzz stashed away in the basement.
They had enough to worry about this week.
Since the comic book Mardon wasnt a metahuman, he used scientific wand to control the weather.
See how this all lines up?
They arent maniacs or serial killers.
They commit crimes because, well, they love crime.
I believe the Santini family have turned up in Gotham City…but not onthatshow.
The original Trickster (the Mark Hamill version) is James Jesse.
Like so many other characters on this list, he was created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino.
He first appeared inThe Flash#113 in 1960, making him one of the earliest of the Rogues.
Axel Walker, on the other hand, was created by Geoff Johns and Scott Kolins.
He first came around inThe Flash#183 in 2002.
But he also played him onJustice League Unlimited, in the absolutely perfect Flash-centric episode Flash and Substance.
Hamill really did a fine job distinguishing all this stuff.
I am your father.
But you know damn well why that line was in there.
Even Harrisons zen-like speed force soliloquy seemed appropriate given this weeks guest star.
That was Vito DAmbrosio as Mayor Anthony Bellows.
One thing of note during the flashbacks.
In other words, some light shapeshifting is kind of in the characters comic book roots.
The weird way Eobard USBd the real Harrisons soul is a sideways nod to that.
He was a dude in the comics, though, with the equally on-the-nose name of Bertram Larvan.
He isnt any cooler on the comics page than she was on the screen.
Holy moley, this episode sucked.
The title All Star Team Up calls back to any number of awesome DC titles.
Justice League predecessors the Justice Society first formed in the pages ofAll-Star Comicsin 1940.
Grant Morrison and Frank QuitelysAll-Star Supermanis one of the greatest Superman stories ever told.
You get the picture.
Does this count as a Nightwing easter egg?
The Flash Season 1 Episode 19: Who is Harrison Wells?
He first appeared in the excellent52series, which is definitely worth seeking out if you have the time.
Something tells me the Mrs. Bates of this show met a bad end, too.
Gideon seems like more Reed Richards level stuff to me.
Speaking of Gideon…she was about to drop that Barry was a member of the Justice League.
The Flash Season 1 Episode 21: Grodd Lives
Where do we even begin with Gorilla Grodd?
John Broome and Carmine Infantino, of course!
Most of them are really nice.
Grodd is a dick, which is why he was banished.
You need more Grodd in your life?
I give you…The Prime 8: 8 Moments that Prove That, Grodd Damn It!
Thats One Awesome Gorilla!
The Flash Season 1 Episode 22: Rogue Air
Central City DAs name is Cecile?
As far as I can remember, they havent given her a last name, have they?
Whoops…did I say too much?
More on this down below.
Hideously bad classic rock standard Cold as Ice is playing in the bar.
I dont think theyll ever revisit this, but you never know.
Thats not important, though.
In other words, there was already a version of Barry/Flash operating in a universe/timeline where his mother survived.
This means that Barry had the stuff to become a hero anyway, even if his mother didnt die.
This is a little bit meta (and awesome) for two reasons.
Barry Allens real superpower isnt his great speed, its his inherent goodness.
He was always going to be a hero.
Hell be played by Teddy Sears.
This is what the grateful citizens of Central City will do for you when they love you enough.
Future Barry stops Our Barry from saving his Mom.
Or maybe its something else entirely.
Thawne says he was born 136 years from now.
That puts him in the 22nd Century, the year 2151.
In the comics, Thawne was from the 25th Century.
Professor Stein makes a reference to how that wormhole could take them to infinite times of their choosing.
Its all about that wording,and infinite is so key to the DC Universe.
Barry has one minute and fifty-two seconds to close that wormhole.
May the Speed Force be with you.
Even when he isnt trying, Cisco is naming stuff from the comics!
Steins Excelsior crack is a reference to Stan Lees hyperbolic exclamation of choice.
Eddie probably isnt dead.
He just got sucked into a wormhole where anything can happen.
Well be seeing him again.
Im even more sure that we havent seen the last of Eobard Thawne.
IfThe Flashis turning into theDoctor Whoof superhero shows, then this guy is The Master.
