The actual return of Barry Allen.
The Flash: Rebirth is a six-issue monthly comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Ethan Van Sciver. The series was published by DC Comics. The series stars The Flash.
The comic deals with Barry Allen's return in Final Crisis.
The series is not to be confused with the 2016 ongoing The Flash (2016), released as part of the DC Rebirth publishing initiative.
The Flash: Rebirth provides examples of:
- Adaptational Upbringing Change: Downplayed. Originally, Barry had a happy childhood with both of his parents before becoming The Flash. However, Eobard Thawne went back in time and killed Barry's mother, which Barry's father took the fall for. While Barry retains most of his personality, he is a sadder, more driven character due to this, and his trauma over this backstory leads him to almost break the universe in the infamous Flashpoint storyline.
- Author Appeal: While Johns' personal favourite character is Wally West, he is also very fond of Barry Allen, the second Flash. In Johns' The Flash run, which featured Wally West as the protagonist, Barry was featured quite a bit, and Wally all of a sudden started storing his costume inside a ring like Barry, when by that point he'd been able to actually just manifest one around himself. Later, Johns would write The Flash: Rebirth which focuses on Allen's return, and is basically one long love letter to Barry.
- The Bus Came Back: Barry's return led to Thawne's coming back, becoming Barry's principal speedster antagonist once more.
- Comic-Book Time: The Reverse-Flash mentions that Jay Garrick must be close to hitting the century mark. Close but no cigar. Assuming Jay graduated from college at the age of 21 in 1940, that would put his birth around 1919, and thus he'd be around 90 years old when the events of the comic occurred.
- Cosmic Retcon: It is revealed that Barry Allen's mother is dead and his father, the only suspect, died in prison. For years Barry Allen was one of the few superheroes without a traumatic origin and his parents grew old without complication; it turns out it is because Barry's archenemy, the Reverse-Flash, went back in time, killed his mom, and framed his dad. This in turn changed everyone's memories so that Barry's mother was always killed when he was a kid, and caused Barry to be an angstier person.
- Costume Evolution: Following Barry’s return, Wally alters his cowl to cover his nose and changed his symbol to resemble the simplified version used by the DCAU Flash.
- Disappointed by the Motive: Barry is aghast to learn Eobard Thawne's motive for becoming Reverse Flash — he thought he and Barry had bonded over some advice Barry gave him, but when he came back in time to be Barry's partner he overheard him giving Wally the same advice. And if he wasn't the most important person in Barry's life, then clearly Barry's friendship was a lie.
- Einstein Hair: Thawne has this when unmasked.
- Evil Gloating: Thawne's gleeful description of the ways he's messed up Barry's life is a perfect example.
- I Am Not Left-Handed: As Superman is chasing after Barry Allen, when Superman begins talking about the races they've done in the past. Barry responds with "Those were for charity, Clark," and immediately speeds off, leaving Superman dumbfounded and far, far behind. note
- Not-So-Harmless Villain: The comic sees both Thawne's superpowers and his Ax-Craziness ramped up considerably to the point that he's now seen in the same standing as Lex Luthor and The Joker.
- Never My Fault: Thawne blamed Barry for the failure of his being the 25th century Flash, despite that being due to his instability and tendency to Ret-Gone any minor inconvenience.
- New Powers as the Plot Demands: After his resurrection, Thawne learned to effortlessly time travel (previously he'd always needed the Cosmic Treadmill), create a Negative Speed Force, strip away Speed Force powers, and de-age and re-age himself at will.
- Paradox Person: Eobard Thawne turned into one thanks to his connection with Negative Speed Force, able to alter history and be the only one to remember the way things were before.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: Starting here, Thawne's eyes are frequently seen to glow red whenever he was using his powers.
- Retcon:
- Barry Allen came back (which was fine) but now instead of the previous "Happy Family" he had, his father was accused of the murder of Allen's mother. Really it was Professor Zoom, who went back in time and killed Barry's mom to ruin Barry's life.
- The story updates Thawne's origin story. While Eobard was still from the 25th century and was also genetically engineered to be intelligent. He formed an obsession with the heroes of the past, specifically the Flashes. He became his world's foremost leading expert on the Speed Force and head of the Flash Museum. Because of this, he was dubbed "Professor Zoom". Eventually, Thawne figured out how to replicate Flash's powers from a costume from a time capsule, and aimed to become a hero like his idol — but in the super-safe 25th century resorted to causing accidents himself that he'd then save people from. He eventually encountered Barry Allen as the Flash, and after Barry "ruined his life", he resolved to ruin Barry's.
- Self-Made Orphan: Thawne is revealed to have killed his parents via time-travel for preventing his study of the Speed Force.
- Would Hit a Girl: Thawne tries to kill Iris again.
