The Flash: Mark Waid Comments on Bart Allen Casting

The CW announced today that Bart Allen, the grandson of The Flash in the comicsand the speedster hero known as Impulse, has been cast on The Flash...and the man who co-created the character couldn't be happier about it. Mark Waid, the fan-favorite Flash comics writer who also created Savitar, and who has been name-dropped on The CW's The Flash more than once, told ComicBook today that he and co-creator Humberto Ramos have been waiting for this moment for years. That makes sense, because by the time Bart was created in the comics, Waid himself had already contributed to a TV tie-in for the 1990 The Flash TV series starring John Wesley Shipp in the title role.

While Barry had briefly referred to hismelf as "Bart" in a story arc where he underwent a personality makeover, the character of Bart Allen has not yet been explicitly referenced on The Flash. Barry and Iris's daughter (who, since Bart is being retooled as their son, might be his twin or someone he's replacing) appeared in seasons four and five of the series. Nora West-Allen, first seen stealthily attending her parents' wedding in "Crisis on Earth-X," became the hero XS and ultimately was wiped from the pre-"Crisis on Infinite Earths" timeline following the defeat of Cicada at the end of season five.

"I'm beyond excited," Waid told ComicBook. "Humberto Ramos and I have been waiting for this moment for nearly 25 years! I can't wait to see what they do with our boy Bart."

Here's how the series describes Bart:

BART ALLEN aka IMPULSE (Jordan Fisher): The future son of Barry Allen and Iris West- Allen, Bart is the fastest teenager on the planet! But due to Bart's penchant for wildly impulsive behavior, stunned parents Barry and Iris will have their hands full trying to teach their new son patience. But it's a task they'll have to accomplish, in order for their family to work together and stop Team Flash's biggest threat yet! Jordan Fisher's first appearances as the fan-favorite character of Impulse will also coincide with THE FLASH's special 150th Episode, which airs this season on The CW.

Originally introduced as Impulse, Bart Allen is the grandson of Barry Allen and Iris West. Born in the far future, he grew up essentially in a virtual reality environment, so that when he actually joins the "real world," he's got the attention span of a tsetse fly.

Eventually Bart would evolve from Impulse to Kid Flash -- an identity that had been vacant for years, since Barry Allen's death in the Crisis on Infinite Earths had promoted Wally to The Flash in 1986 and Bart didn't appear until 1994. Eventually, Bart would even briefly serve as The Flash before being murdered by the Rogues (he eventually got better).