Bart Allen (Prime Earth)

Bart Allen, also known as Impulse, is the grandson of Barry Allen from the future and a speedster superhero. He was trapped in the Speed Force and forgotten by all until the Force Barrier was broken by Barry and Wally West, which finally allowed him to escape.^[3]

History

Origin

Early Career

Bart Allen was born in the 30th century to Don Allen, son of Barry Allen. He was raised largely in a virtual reality construct. One day, he was transported to the 21st century, where he took up the name Impulse and began operating as the sidekick of Wally West.

He became a core member of Young Justice and the Teen Titans, later taking on the name Kid Flash, like his mentor before him.^[4] During this time, Bart fought Deathstroke, who shot Bart in the kneecap, temporarily injuring him. This was a traumatic event for him, and afterwards he spent a great deal of time thinking about what he could have done differently, and what he would do if he ever had an opportunity to end Slade for good.^[5]

During a Crisis, Bart fought against Superboy Prime and got lost in the Speed Force as a result. During this time, he aged and took up the mantle of the Flash, only to be murdered months later. Luckily, he was eventually resurrected.^[6]

Missing Years

Bart Allen Prime Earth 0007 — Flashes of Bart's Career and History

During a fight with Mirror Master, Impulse was sent to another dimension, where his physical form began to disintegrate. When Impulse escaped the dimension, he found that he was in the future. A future where Arrowette, Wonder Girl, Kid Flash, and Robin were dead. When Bart passed out from stress, he awoke in Arkham Asylum with a psychiatrist Harley Quinn. Harley explained that Bart Allen mysteriously disappeared years earlier, and that "it was the Bermuda Triangle of superheroes." After Bart escaped Arkham, he jumped into the Speed Force and returned home.^[7]

Unfortunately for Bart, while he was in the Speed Force, the Timeline was manipulated. As such, nobody even knew he was missing, as they did not recall his existence. However, Bar Torr, another time traveler, briefly took up his name as an alias and operated as the new Kid Flash, though he too eventually vanished.

Rebirth

Flash War

Bart Allen Prime Earth 0005 — Impulse battles Godspeed

While Barry and Wally battled Zoom in the Timestream, Bart attempted to call out for Wally from inside the Speed Force, although Wally was unable to hear him.^[3] Sometime after the Flashes failed to stop Zoom, Bart discovered that the Force Barrier had been broken, allowing him to finally escape the Speed Force.^[3] Bart attempted to seek out the Flash Family members and his old Titans teammates, but couldn't find anyone. He later fought Godspeed and made him retreat.^[8]

Luckily for Bart, he arrived at the tail end of the various cosmic upheavals of the Rebirth era, and though his friends and family had been unaware that he was missing, when he returned, their memories of him quickly did as well.

Young Justice

Bart showed up when Metropolis was invaded by inhabitants of Gemworld and was re-united with Robin and Wonder Girl. With this, Bart claimed that Young Justice was back. Shortly after this, Bart and his friends were pulled into Gemworld and he woke up without them, only to find Conner Kent instead.^[9] After the rest of the team united, they were all confronted by Lord Opal. Impulse stole Opal's piece of Kryptonite, which allowed Conner to defeat Opal. When the team was believed to be sent home, they were banished into the Multiverse, by the council of Gems. While traveling throughout the multiverse, Impulse harassed the residents of all the worlds that they traveled to.

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Finish Line

Bart eventually reunited with his grandfather, Barry after he and his team helped the Justice League after an attack on Metropolis.^[10] When the Reverse-Flash took over The Flash's body, the disguised evil speedster found Impulse and claimed that they would make up for the time they had lost, much to Bart's excitement. The two went to stop the Rogues but Bart realized that Barry was exhibiting some very violent tendencies. After this, Bart realized that said person couldn't be Barry and attacked him, he later met two new speedsters and reunited with his grandma Iris as well as with Jay Garrick.^[11]

Bart Allen runs The Flash Vol 1 761 — Bart during the battle with the Legion of Zoom

Impulse later helped the other speedsters fight the Legion of Zoom, which included alternate versions of his dad and aunt to whom he managed to talk some sense into before they disappeared from the timeline. Barry eventually regained control from his body and returned from the Speed Force along with Jesse Quick and Max Mercury, with Bart happy to see his mentor again.^[12] During the Flash Family's fight against Eobard's Legion, Bart protected Max while he tried to send a call through the Speed Force which was answered by multiple Speedsters from the Multiverse.^[13] After the battle, Bart attended the celebration at Barry's house along with the rest of his family.^[14]

Death Metal

When The Batman Who Laughs reshaped Earth 0 into the Metalverse, Bart led the Flash Family and their loved ones to seek refuge in the Speed Force.^[15] The night before the final battle against the forces of the Last 52 Multiverse Bart joined a gathering of current and former members of the Teen Titans, hanging out with his old friends Robin, Superboy and Wonder Girl.^[16] During the battle he teamed up with Red Arrow, Aqualad and Orphan to fight the Robin King and his army of Groblins.^[17]

Infinite Frontier

Possessed by Wally

When Wally West attempted to cut himself off from the Speed Force his consciousness was sent through time, possessing the bodies of other speedsters throughout history. After possessing a prehistoric speedster, Wally's mind was transported into Bart's body in the 30th Century, where he and Gold Beetle were being attacked by a Dominator.^[18] Wally and Gold Beetle were able to defeat the Dominator, and Wally's spirit was sucked back into the timestream as she was hugging him goodbye. Bart regained control of his body with no idea what had happened, and assumed G.B. was attacking him.^[19]

Dark Crisis

Following the supposed death of the Justice League, Bart and the original members of Young Justice reunited at their memorial. After realizing that their formerly strong bonds had weakened over the years, Bart, Conner and Tim were transported into what seemed like the earliest days of their team.^[6] Encountering a younger version of Cassie and the old Justice League, the main trio soon realized that the world they were in was wrong. They later returned to Mount Justice only to find that Cassie was unconscious on the floor with Captain Boomerang, Deathstroke and Lex Luthor waiting for them.^[20]

Impulse quickly pointed out that the three villains seemed to have been chosen specifically to hurt them, with Deathstroke especially being the one that crippled Bart years ago. Impulse quickly disarmed Deathstroke but refused to kill him. Bart also realized that the world they were in was similar to the virtual reality he grew up in. After refusing Cassie's propose to stay on the fake world an be the next Flash, he was transported along with Conner and Tim to the Watchtower, where they were met with an army of duplicate of their heroes.^[5] Fighting the combined forces of the JLA and the Titans, the trio discovered that the person responsible for the fake world they were in was Mickey Mxyzptlk, the son of Mister Mxyzptlk.^[21]

Mickey explained to them that he created the fake world so they could have the lives that the new generation stole from them, as they were shoved to the sidelines. After the trio refused, they were rescued from Mickey's World by Red Tornado, Cissie King and Wonder Girl, who found them thanks to the message Bart sent to Cassie by using her vibrational frequency. The founding members and Red Tornado gave Bart the impulse he needed to get everyone out of Mickey's World with the Speed Force, but they were still met with Mickey once they returned to the real world.^[22]

Bart told Cassie to distract Mickey while he tried to trap the villain in a quantum entanglement trap that he hid in the Speed Force. After defeating Mickey, Young Justice was informed by Red Tornado of the battle that was happening in the Hall of Justice between the various heroes and the army of King Deathstroke.^[23] Impulse and his team later participated in said battle, defeating Deathstroke after the Justice League returned.^[24]

One-Minute War

Bart interrupted a bust led by Kid Flash, which lead to an argument between the two young speedsters. Impulse and Kid Flash also saw how a mysterious spire arrived on Earth at the same time that everyone who wasn't a speedster froze in time. This was the arrival of the Fraction, an interdimensional empire that used the Speed Force to plunder various worlds.^[25] The two were then attacked by some Fraction soldiers but were rescued by Jay Garrick.^[26]

Powers and Abilities

Powers

Speed Force Conduit: Bart possesses a connection to the Speed Force, a mysterious cosmic force that pushes time and space itself forward. As a conduit of the Speed Force, all aspects of Bart's physiology are accelerated and enhanced.^[3]
- Superhuman Speed: Bart is capable of moving at incredible superhuman speeds.^[3] He was fast enough to hit Godspeed multiple times before he could even react, as well as stay a step ahead of him in a fight. He's easily faster than Godspeed ever was.^[8] He could also easily keep up with Kryptonian flight speed.^[7]
- Superhuman Reflexes: Bart possesses reflexes far greater than a normal human being. This allows him to easily react to danger and events, and perceive the world in slow motion.
- Superhuman Agility: Bart's agility, balance, and bodily coordination are enhanced to superhuman levels. This allows him to easily maneuver while moving at superhuman speed.^[3]
- Superhuman Strength: Bart can use his speed to amplify his natural strength, allowing him to easily carry multiple people while running at super speed.^[9]
- Superhuman Stamina: Bart's body can handle the stress of moving at superhuman speeds for long periods of time without out getting tired or weak.
- Speed Force Aura: Bart's body is surrounded by a "friction cushion", a field of kinetic absorbent energy that protects him and anyone who is running with or carried by him from the rigorous effects of using his speed. Including friction, airborne particulate matter, heavy impacts, G-Force and the like.
  - Superhuman Durability: Thanks to his protective Speed Force aura, Bart is capable of resisting tremendous kinetic impact forces that could easily crush or kill a human, without suffering any serious external or internal injuries.
- Accelerated Healing: Like all conduits of the Speed Force, Bart is capable of regenerating from injuries much faster than any normal human. However, Bart has "hyper-metabolism", meaning his body's metabolism is much faster than even that of other speedsters. Side effects of this include accelerating aging, as Bart revealed he had physically looked like a teenager at the age of 2.^[7]
  - Toxic Immunity: Bart's hyper-metabolism provides him with a enhanced immunity to toxins. When exposed to a drug that would negate his super speed, Bart's metabolism quickly pushed out the drug and its effects.^[7]
- Dimensional Travel: After the Force Barrier had been broken, Bart was able to use his speed to escape the Speed Force and travel back to Earth.^[3] Bart has even traveled to the Marvel Universe to join Alpha Flight.^[27]
- Electrokinesis: As a conduit of the Speed Force, Bart's body generates large amounts of the electrical energy that he draws from the Speed Force. This Speed Force lightning emanates off of him, especially when moving at superhuman speed.^[3]
- Enhanced Senses: The Speed Force grants Bart enhanced senses that allow him to perceive the world at a rate attuned to his reaction speed. He can also mentally tap into the Speed Force at will for various purposes.^[28]
  - Cosmic Awareness: Bart learned to use the Speed Force to fill in the gaps of his forgotten memories about the universe. While doing this, Bart learned of the various time shifts, reality bends, and reboots that have occurred within the universe.^[28]
- Molecular Acceleration: Bart can vibrate his own molecular structure at varying degrees for a number of purposes, by adjusting to different frequencies.^[7] He can also use this ability to send out a vibrational signal though soundwaves.^[29]
  - Intangibility: Bart can vibrate his molecular structure to an intangible state, allowing objects to pass through him.^[7]
  - Phasing: By vibrating his molecules on an atomic level, and by doing so at just the right frequency, Bart can phase through objects such as walls without damaging them.^[7]
- Retrocognition: After escaping the Speed Force, Bart stated that the world he had returned to was not the one he had left behind. He remembers the Pre-Flashpoint world, similar to the way Wally West does.^[8]
- Time Travel: By running fast enough, Bart is able to jump into the timestream and travel throughout it, without the aid of a Cosmic Treadmill.^[7]
- Vortex Creations: By rotating his arms at super speed or running in a circular motion, Bart can manipulate the airflow around him to create strong vortexes of wind.^[8]

Abilities

Acrobatics: Due to his superhuman agility, Bart is capable of performing acrobatic maneuvers with ease while moving at super speed.^[9]
Hand-to-Hand Combat (Advanced): Bart is a skilled fighter and has mastered using his super speed to his advantage during combat. Using his powers combined with his fighting skill, Bart was able to easily outmatch godspeed, to the point of forcing him to retreat.^[8] Bart managed to knock around the Reverse Flash who was possessing Barry's body, with a successful sneak attack.^[30] Early in his career as a superhero, Bart has trained with the Flash and Max Mercury.^[6]
- Boxing^[6]
- Pressure Points ^[8]
Leadership^[23]

Notes

Bart Allen was created by Mark Waid and Mike Wieringo, first appearing in The Flash (Volume 2) #92. However, in the Prime Earth continuity, Bart Allen first appeared as part of the New 52 DC Universe in KFC: Crisis of Infinite Colonels #1 by Tony Bedard and Tom Derenick.

Trivia

Bart and Conner Kent consider each other best friends.^[31]^[32]

Young Justice member
This character is or was a member of Young Justice, a team of younger super-heroes and side-kicks who fight crime together separately from their adult counterparts, in any of its various incarnations. This template will categorize articles that include it into the "Young Justice members" category.

[1] The Flash #759

[2] Dark Nights: Death Metal The Last Stories of the DC Universe #1

[F50-3] 3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 ^3.3 ^3.4 ^3.5 ^3.6 ^3.7 The Flash (Volume 5) #50

[4] The Flash #759

[DKYJ-3-5] 5.0 ^5.1 Dark Crisis: Young Justice #3

[DKYJ-1-6] 6.0 ^6.1 ^6.2 ^6.3 Dark Crisis: Young Justice #1

[YJ16-7] 7.0 ^7.1 ^7.2 ^7.3 ^7.4 ^7.5 ^7.6 ^7.7 Young Justice (Volume 3) #16

[FlashAnnual2-8] 8.0 ^8.1 ^8.2 ^8.3 ^8.4 ^8.5 The Flash Annual (Volume 5) #2

[YJ1-9] 9.0 ^9.1 ^9.2 Young Justice (Volume 3) #1

[10] Young Justice (Volume 3) #17

[11] The Flash #759

[12] The Flash #760

[13] The Flash #761

[14] The Flash #762

[15] Dark Nights: Death Metal Speed Metal #1

[16] Dark Nights: Death Metal The Last Stories of the DC Universe #1

[17] Dark Nights: Death Metal The Last 52: War of the Multiverses #1

[18] The Flash #768

[19] The Flash #769

[DKYJ-2-20] Dark Crisis: Young Justice #2

[DKYJ-4-21] Dark Crisis: Young Justice #4

[DKYJ-5-22] Dark Crisis: Young Justice #5

[DKYJ-6-23] 23.0 ^23.1 Dark Crisis: Young Justice #6

[24] Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #7

[25] The Flash #790

[26] The Flash #791

[27] Young Justice (Volume 3) #1

[YJ15-28] 28.0 ^28.1 Young Justice (Volume 3) #15

[29] Dark Crisis: Young Justice #5

[30] The Flash #759

[YJ-V3-4-31] Young Justice (Volume 3) #4

[YJ-V3-17-32] Young Justice (Volume 3) #17

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