The Flash Has Completely Failed Iris (Is It Barry's Fault?)
Warning! SPOILERS for The Flash season 8.
The writers of The Flash show have failed to develop Iris West-Allen into a compelling character, due to Barry Allen's overprotective nature. For all the importance that has been placed on Iris as a character by the series' writers, she remains nothing more than a damsel in distress after eight seasons. While the show has devoted several storylines to Iris' work as a reporter, all of them were resolved through The Flash's involvement and Iris remains trapped in the role of Barry's "lightning rod" as a result.
In the classic The Flash comics, Iris West was a carbon copy version of fellow reporter Lois Lane, whose only purpose was being placed in danger so that Barry Allen had someone to rescue when she wasn't complaining him about always being late. The Arrowverse updated this by making Iris into a blogger who began investigating the reports of people with superpowers that the traditional media ignored. This gave her a more grounded personality than the stereotypical nagging girlfriend she was written as in the comics, but it gave her little room for development after she and Barry became a romantic couple. Many feel The Flash began going downhill when Iris began to present herself as an extension of Barry, famously declaring, "We are the Flash," in The Flash season 4 finale. Later seasons tried to make Iris into a more active character with more Flash storylines focused on Iris' work as a reporter and her employees at Team Citizen, but the results were mixed at best.
Related: The Flash Teases A Surprising Frost Recast For Season 9
The resolution of Iris' storyline and the mysterious time sickness she battled in The Flash season 8 is typical of how badly the character has been
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