The Flash movie: Every character ranked from worst to best

2. Barry Allen / The Flash

Ezra Miller is an incredible actor but it has always felt like their Flash was lacking that definitive moment to catch our attention. The character got a lot of love in Zack Snyder’s Justice League but as far as the mainstream DCEU goes, Barry Allen was little more than comic relief.

That all changed in The Flash. Yes, Barry is still very socially awkward, and finds himself in all kinds of cringe-inducing exchanges, but he learns so much about himself in this movie, including the sacrifice that comes from being a hero. Not only that, but he also had to learn what it was like to be a mentor, as he coached his younger self on the importance of being a superhero, essentially becoming the teacher that Ben Affleck’s Batman was for him.

Barry Allen is driven by love. It doesn’t matter what universe he’s in or what timeline he has created; his motivation is, and always will be, love. And that came across so well in The Flash, because this honorable young man was doing everything in his power to save his mother. But when he realized that it would cause huge ripple effects on the timeline, he had to make the ultimate sacrifice and put everything back to the way it was.

As origin stories for Barry Allen go, this was very effective and highly emotional, showcasing what a great character the Scarlet Speedster truly is.