Iris Ann West-Allen (née West) is a fictional character in The CW's Arrowverse franchise, first introduced in the 2014 pilot episode of television series The Flash. The character is based on the DC Comics character of the same name, created by Robert Kanigher and Carmine Infantino. Candice Patton portrayed Iris West-Allen.
In the series, Iris is initially a barista studying journalism, portrayed as a smart investigator, who falls in love with a speedster superhero, nicknamed by her The Streak, later The Flash. When she was younger, her father told her that her mother, Francine, died in an accident, but it was turned out she had left her, due to having a drug addiction. She later found out that her childhood best friend, Barry Allen, was The Flash, and went on to work with him and his team in S.T.A.R. Labs, eventually falling in love with him. In the first three seasons, she has the role of only the love interest for the protagonist, but in later seasons she upgraded her role.
Patton appeared as Iris West-Allen in crossovers on the television series Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl, and Batwoman, all set within the Arrowverse. The character has also appeared in a digital comic book series and tie-ins.
Concept and creation Iris West was first introduced in the DC Comics, as a supporting character and the main love interest and later wife of Barry Allen, the alter ego of the Silver Age version of the superhero The Flash, first appearing in Showcase #4 on October 4, 1956. On television, she has appeared in various adaptations in other media; the character has been portrayed by Paula Marshall in the 1990 CBS television series as a guest star, in animation she appears in Young Justice voiced by Nicole Dubuc. She has also appeared in the animated film Justice League: The New Frontier voiced by Vicki Lewis, next in the animated film Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox voiced by Jennifer Hale, and the animated film Justice Society: World War II, voiced by Ashleigh LaThrop. She has appeared in the live-action film, in the DC Extended Universe's Zack Snyder's Justice League, portrayed by Kiersey Clemons, who was also supposed to appear in Justice League, but her scenes were cut.
Characterization Candice Patton was cast as Iris West-Allen on The CW show The Flash, in February 2014. Her casting process was characterized by her, as "surreal", as she auditioned for the role in December 2013, and didn't hear from the production until January of the next year, assuming she wasn't picked. She had also expressed interest in appearing in Gotham, due to her favorite superhero being Batman. She has mentioned that her character is not based on the comics, but she had studied them to prepare for the role. With her casting she described the character as "passionate" and adding that the triangle between Barry, her, and Rick Cosnett's Eddie Thawne, was "very complicat[ing]". Patton said that she was proud that a black actress was portraying such a significant role, with her being a role model to young people, and normalizing interracial relations, while supporting the decision of race-changing, made by the showrunners. She has described her role as strong, fearless, passionate and emotional, with Iris having strength in vulnerability. She took inspiration from fellow actresses, Halle Berry and Zoe Saldaña, and politician Hillary Clinton, with highliting the fact that Iris is not a side character in the show. Throughout the show, her dressing style changing, showcasing her maturing, and becoming a leader. Patton expressed her view that the scheduling of the show is hard, and every year the storylines are getting bigger and more complex, with her being more nervous everytime the show restarts production, as a resulting, consuming more caffeine than she normally would. The actress also said that during the first three seasons, Iris and Grant Gustin's character were in conflict, and she was happy that their relationship's nature changed afterwards. When asked about how hard was to play a different version of her character, she said that she tried to stay close to the original one, and had to improvize in some instances, with her taking this version as a more tough person and protective over her in-show husband. The moment when her character learnt that its version was married to Barry Allen, she knew she had to show to the viewers that Iris was developing romantic feelings for him. For season 2, she found it interesting that Iris was starting to grow her relationship with her editor, but they were never meant to be together. When asked about her relationship with her fictional brother, Keiynan Lonsdale's Wally West, she responded by saying that "Iris is just going to continue to try to support Wally and help him find his place in the West family. And hopefully try to bridge a relationship between him and Barry. She'll help Wally discover who he really is". For season 4, she said that Iris had a responsibility to take up the role of her husband, after he vanished in the Speed Force, while also being depressed and sad that Barry's gone, as she doesn't know when or if he will return, but also angry, for him leaving her. She also added that her and Barry have no secrets anymore, and Iris is ready to face bigger threats. For the episode Run, Iris, Run, where the character gets Flash's powers, Patton said that "It's a complete role reversal [...] And the team trusting in her and her stepping out from behind the console and being a leader in a different way.", with executive producer Helbing adding that "[She's] using everything she's learned, plus Barry's expertise. But we really wanted to have this dynamic when they flop places where she really gets to know what it's like for Barry when he goes out there, and Barry gets to know what it's like for her". Patton, after watching Wonder Woman, appreciated the decision of giving powers to Iris even further. For her wedding scene on the crossover event, Crisis on Earth-X, she picked her wedding dress on her own. For season 5, when asked about its themes, she responded by saying that it is about legacy and family, especially due to the presence of Jessica Parker Kennedy's character, Nora West-Allen / XS. When asked about the CC Citizen, she said that it was made to showcase the leadership skills of Iris, but also to show the power of women. For season 6, Patton has stated that Iris was dealing with the death of Nora, and try to heal, while she has expressed interest into building her relationship with other members of the Team Flash. In 2022, she revealed that she had mood swings on set, due to her lack of vitamin D. Commenting on her absence from four episodes of season 8, she said that when negotiating her contract, she wanted to be able to get back to her home in the United States if the COVID-19 pandemic worsened, and she wasn't able to cross the Canada–United States border. On the fact that The Flash was ending with its ninth season, Patton expressed a sense of "release", that such a huge project was over.
Differences from the comics
The origin story of Iris West-Allen has been somewhat altered for the show, although even within the mainstream comics, Iris' origin has been shifted. For example, Iris's backstory in both the Pre-Crisis and Post-Crisis/Pre-Flashpoint continuities of the DC Universe established the character as being originally from the 30th century and being adopted by the West family after being sent by her birth family, the Russells, to the present while in both the Post-Flashpoint and Arrowverse, Iris is a biological member of the West family. Iris is also White in the comics and has auburn/light brown hair.
Iris' family retains certain elements from the comics while introducing new relatives or changing her relationships to certain characters. In terms of her parents, Iris' Pre-Flashpoint adopted father was a physics professor named Ira West while her biological father was Eric Russell and her adoptive mother was Nadine West, although her biological mother in her Pre-Flashpoint backstory Francine Russell shares her first name with Iris' mother in the Arrowverse Francine West. In her Post-Flashpoint origin, her parents are William West and an unnamed mother. Joe West, Iris' father in the Arrowverse continuity, is a character original to the Arrowverse. Iris is also not Wally's sister in the comics and instead has two nephews named Wallace, with the older one, who goes by Wally, being the son of her brother Rudy West and the younger one, who goes by Wallace or Ace, being the son of her brother Daniel West. Wally is a redhead while Wallace/Ace is biracial with a Black mother, Iris' unnamed sister-in-law. In the comics, Iris' children with Barry are named Dawn and Don Allen and are twins, while in the show their children are named Nora and Bart and are not twins. In the comics Bart is instead their grandson and Don Allen's son (although Bart's codename of Impulse is used both by the comic and Arrowverse iterations of the character), while Nora is an amalgamation of the comics characters Dawn Allen and Jenni Ognats, who is Dawn's daughter and Barry and Iris' granddaughter. Nora, like Jenni, uses the hero codename of XS and is biracial (Jeven Ognats, Jenni's father and Dawn's husband in the comics, is Black).
Fictional character biography
In season one, Iris is a barista studying journalism through childhood friend Barry Allen's persuasion. Barry was fostered by her father Joe after his mother Nora was murdered and his father Henry convicted. She begins dating her father's partner CCPD detective Eddie Thawne, while Barry is in a coma after being struck in his laboratory by lightning from the explosion of the S.T.A.R. Labs' particle accelerator. Iris becomes fascinated by a superhuman speedster in Central City known as the Flash and starts a blog documenting his activities. She becomes an investigative reporter for the Central City Picture News through her blogging fame. When Barry admits his feelings about her, she is conflicted. She later confesses her love for Barry, but he goes back in time and negates the events of that day. Iris learns that Barry is the Flash after he saves her from Eobard Thawne / Reverse-Flash. She feels betrayed by Barry for keeping secrets and further upset at her father for conspiring with him. Iris chooses Eddie, and she and Barry decide to let things proceed between them naturally. However, in the final battle, Eddie, who is revealed to be Eobard's ancestor, kills himself to save the Flash and prevent Eobard from being born.
In season two, Iris becomes more involved with the S.T.A.R. Labs team. She learns that her mother is terminally ill and gave birth to a son, Wally, after abandoning her family. She tells her father about Wally, and they meet him at Christmas. Iris forgives her mother on her deathbed and bonds with Wally after she saves his life. Iris reconsiders a relationship with Barry after he breaks up with Patty Spivot, and professes her love to him near the end of the season. After Barry defeats Zoom for killing his father, he and Iris kiss and then he travels back in time to save his mother's life.