The Flash has always felt like Barry Allen’s show, and Barry Allen’s show alone. Considering the show’s name is The Flash, that shouldn’t be any surprise. But if Superman & Lois has proved anything is that a real, respectful focus not just on the male hero, but on the female lead, will only make the show better.
Early on in the run of The Flash, there was reason to believe the show meant to do right by Iris West. The show didn’t take an extraordinarily long time to clue her in on Barry’s secret, or to take their relationship to their next level. This was especially encouraging for comic book fans, who have been following this relationship for over 60 years in the comics. The show also gave Iris storylines that centered on her chosen profession – one she shares with Lois Lane, perhaps the most well-known female lead in DC comics. Back then there was a sense that, with The Flash being the second DC show on the CW, and the first big-name superhero, this meant Iris West was certain to get her share of the spotlight.
All of this was made even more important when Candice Patton was cast as Iris West. Patton, who has played Iris since the show’s first season till now, is a Black woman. Iris West has been typically depicted as white in the comics before her casting – though it’s important to note that Patton did inspire a change, as Kiersey Clemons is set to play the role in the upcoming The Flash movie. Comics, and comic-book adaptations, aren’t exactly diverse, and Patton’s casting was called upon to be a watershed moment for not just diversity, but the portrayal of female characters on TV. In many ways, it could be argued that it was. But it could have been even more, with a little follow-through.
Fans have been vocal about their desire for not just more Iris West on The Flash, but more storylines that center her as a character, instead of just her romantic relationship with Barry. Defenders of the status quo have always called to the name of the show, The Flash, as proof that the show needed to focus on Barry. But as the Arrowverse grew, and other shows in the same universe started expanding – and giving more attention and storylines to their female leads (or secondary female leads, in the case of Supergirl), the omission started to become even more glaring. Then came Superman & Lois, and it all became startlingly obvious. Not only was it possible to give the “romantic interest” agency, and her own storylines. It made for an even better show.
Arguably one of the best things about the new Superman adaptation on the CW is Bitsie Tulloch’s Lois Lane. In many ways, it had to be this way. Lois Lane is such an iconic character, and she has never been the type to be defined by her relationship with Clark Kent, or Superman. Lois Lane has always been her own character. But then again, so has Iris West, and though Lois has been allowed the chance to carry the storytelling in Superman & Lois – and her name made it into the title, too – The Flash has long forgotten about the character they worked so hard to establish Iris as being the first few seasons.
This is not to say the focus on family issues The Flash seems to be going for is the problem. Superman & Lois has mainly centered on family issues, with Lois a mother to twin boys. The show has somehow still managed to balance her role as a mother, a loving wife, a supportive partner, and yes – a kickass reporter who isn’t just following on the footsteps of Superman but leading the way. The Flash could have done that, using Iris’ job as a reporter to ground the many strange things happening around National City since the particle accelerator exploded. Instead, the show chose to focus on the “team” aspect in the first few seasons – seemingly taking a page out of Arrow’s book, to the detriment of Iris.
When that didn’t work as well as it had in Arrow, the show pivoted back to focus on Iris and Barry, but only on the romantic aspects of their relationship, leaving Iris’ character development to always be tied to how she felt about the titular superhero. The result is that Iris West has been an interesting character on The Flash almost in spite of the writers, not because of them. And with the show presumably on its last legs, and a focus on the new generation, it doesn’t seem like The Flash is going to change this anytime soon. If they’ve learned the lesson from their mistakes with Iris West, it will be other characters, like Lois Lane, who benefit.
The Flash TV show has never given Iris West her due. They’ve never given her consistently good storylines that are about her, not furthering the plot, or Barry’s character arc. And though there are, thankfully, other versions of Iris West coming, who can improve on this writing mistake, there will always be a sense of what if to The Flash show. What if they’d shown their female lead the same amount of love they showed some of their secondary characters? What they’d actually given her the focus she deserved? What if?