The Flash: What was Joe West like in the comics?

The Flash issue 203, courtesy of DC Entertainment

4. Iris was not his biological daughter

By now you may be telling yourself, “I guess the only thing they have in common is being the father of Iris”. While Ira did raise Iris, it turns out he’s not her biological father.

One day Iris found a locket explaining her origins. As an infant she had been sent into the past to escape a nuclear apocalypse centuries into the future. Think of it like Superman’s origin, only with time travel.

When Iris pressed her father on why he kept it from her, he said he had blanked it out of his mind.

As you’ve surmised by now, Ira wasn’t always a bright guy, so it shouldn’t surprise you that he forgot that the girl he raised was actually a refugee from the 30th century.

If you think I’m making any of this up, check out The Flash issue 203.

Unless The CW decides to get really experimental, it’s safe to assume that TV’s Iris West is not from the future and Joe is her biological father.