No other comic book superhero encapsulates the joys, trials and daily living of family life as much as DC’s The Flash. The most prominent character to don the moniker the Scarlet Speedster is Barry Allen. As a former cross-country runner, and father to four energetic children, quickness, speed, and bustle have been the theme of my life over the past several years.
Raising a family is rewarding, yet incredibly challenging. Oftentimes, I feel like running away from the noise and chaos of home life. My normal retreat after the kids go to bed is to watch the CW’s The Flash with my wife. Along with being entertaining, this show provides wisdom (and wit) about family life in every episode. This article will focus on three lessons The Flash can teach us about family.
Suffering Quickens Family Formation
Barry Allen’s origin story appeals to me more than other heroes. Witnessing the death of his mother at a young age and seeing his father, Henry, falsely accused of murder could have certainly spiraled Barry into oblivion. Barry chose not to run away from his suffering. Instead he decided to embrace it. His insistence on Henry Allen’s innocence motivated Barry to join the Central City police department to work as a CSI.
Although his biological family was shattered, Barry’s sufferings allowed him to gain a new family. According to the CW’s television version, he acquired an adoptive father in Joe West, father of Iris West—Barry’s future wife. In the comics, Barry’s family is extended to the Justice League. He has a particularly strong brotherly relationship with Hal Jordan (Green Lantern).
The New 52 version of Barry Allen displays his suffering speeding up the family formation in the form of the police. Barry tells Captain Darryl Frye, “All these years, as I tried over and over to prove my dad’s innocence…you never asked me to give up. I’m not good at saying this kind of stuff Darryl…but you’re every bit a father to me as Henry was…maybe even more” (Volume 2: Rogues Revolution). Suffering widened Barry’s ability to accept family. In a similar sense, pain and suffering does the same for us. Purgative experiences on my earthly journey allow me to get beyond my limited purview. Engaging and uniting to the suffering of my family members and neighbors [near and far] plunges us into deeper [and quicker] camaraderie.
Fastest Man Alive Slows Down
Along with the theme of suffering providing unity and formation of the family, the Flash shows us the lesson that speed is not always the remedy for all problems. The scene at the Rogue Revolution shows Barry visiting his father in prison. Barry vows to prove Henry’s innocence—in a year. The Flash does not seek the shortcut—phasing his father out of his cell and speeding him off the grid. Instead, Barry wants to go pursue the slower more proven path—that of taking your time. “It makes sense to me now,” Barry ponders, “I know that everything that happened, everything that I had to go through…it was for a reason. It made me who I am. And who am I? I’m Barry Allen, the Fastest Man Alive!”
The Catholic Church also advises of the importance of slowing down to form the family unit. Honestly, this is a huge struggle for me. All the pressures of work and life sometimes compound. I feel the need to rush through—just to accomplish all the tasks. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church in paragraph 2223, “The home is well suited for education in the virtues. This requires an apprenticeship in self-denial, sound judgment, and self-mastery – the preconditions of all true freedom.” Self-denial, sound judgment, and self-mastery all take time. Such virtues cannot be sped up. Life proves this is the case.
Barry’s relationship with his successor Wally West also demonstrates the importance of slowing down for family. In Season 3 Episode 12: Untouchable, Barry initially gets impatient with Wally’s progress. Later in the episode he tells Kid Flash, “Teaching is a lot more than just doing something and expecting you to follow.” As a father, that message resonates with me. Impatience is something I struggle with mightily. The wisdom of the Church and lessons from the Flash help me slow down and think about how I am approaching my relationship with my children.
Rogue Relatives
A third lesson DC’s The Flash teaches me about family is that relatives need not always agree in order rely on each other. This lesson is not taught by the Scarlet Speedster, but rather by his enduring adversary—Captain Cold. Initially, a cold-hearted villain, Leonard Snart displays compassion on rare occasions. His interesting relationship with Barry Allen demonstrates that not every character is strictly good or bad.
Despite Snart’s selfish tendencies, he ultimately still considers his fellow Rogues as family. “The rogues are our family. We stick together, and nothing can stop us. I may be a drunk, but I’m a good brother and a damn fine leader,” Captain Cold tells his sister Golden Glider (Rogues Revolution). Imperfections are guaranteed to exist in family because they consist of flawed individuals. Hope is never lost for people who possess sincerity of heart. Sacrificing himself to save his family and team in Legend of Tomorrow’s Season 1 Episode Destiny, Snart proved to be a hero after all.
Saint Pope John Paul II wrote in Familiaris Consortio, “The family, which is founded and given life by love, is a community of persons: of husband and wife, of parents and children, of relatives. Its first task is to live with fidelity the reality of communion in a constant effort to develop an authentic community of persons.” Barry Allen and Leonard Snart in DC’s The Flash demonstrate the importance of being a family. Suffering widens our ability to open ourselves up to others with empathy and love. Barry’s tragic childhood and adopted family shows that the love of family is a powerful force. Nurtured by patience, care, and time the Scarlet Speedster reminds us that speed is not everything—slowing down fosters growth in the family. Finally, the unorthodox group of Captain Cold’s family, the rogue gallery of Flash’s villains, teaches us that family life is not perfect, but that love of family endures. “Family doesn’t leave family, Barry tells Iris. I hope you never leave your family either!
Matt Chicoine
Matthew Chicoine is a free-lance writer, a life-long Catholic, and an avid truth seeker. He earned an M.A. in theology from the Franciscan University of Steubenville in 2014 and enjoys binge reading Tolkien, Chesterton, C.S. Lewis, Fulton Sheen and comic books. Visit his blog at https://thesimplecatholic.