The Flash: Barry Allen And Tony Stark Have The Same Exact Character Flaw
Despite hailing from either side of the great comic-book divide between Marvel and DC, The Flash and Iron Man have the exact same character flaw that lands them in hot water. There is plenty of evidence for this across Iron Man’s appearances in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as well as The Flash’s seven-season stint as part of the Arrowverse on The CW.
Barry Allen and his team have become cornerstones of the ever-expanding superhero universe known as the Arrowverse on The CW. Now well into its seventh season, Barry shows no signs of learning from his previous mistakes, having created some terrible timelines. This is a trait which he shares with one of the MCU’s most famous faces: Iron Man.
Barry seems to willfully ignore all previous repercussions of his attempts to mess with the Speed Force. This is mirrored by Tony Stark’s journey throughout the MCU, paying particular attention to the birth of Iron Man’s most important villain, Ultron (James Spader) in Avengers: Age of Ultron. As heroic as these characters may be, they are often the architects of their own team’s problems.
The Speed Force is an entity in the Arrowverse that has been used to stop Barry from abusing the powers of time travel and bending the rules of the universe. Barry has fallen victim to being pursued by Time Wraiths, especially during his first foray into the Speed Force. It is thanks to his team that Barry was able to fend off the Time Wraith. Other abuses of the Force have seen Barry lose loved ones time and time again, which only prompts him to attempt to reverse his mistakes.
Iron Man’s journey in the MCU shows many of the same traits that Barry shows. In disregarding his fellow Avengers, Stark creates the murderous Ultron who nearly brings about the end of the world thanks to his plan to transform Sokovia into a meteor. Yet, the final act of the film features Stark doing almost exactly the same thing in wanting to put JARVIS into Ultron’s perfect body.
Both The Flash and Iron Man have this fatal flaw, that has cost them dearly in the time that they have been onscreen. Unfortunately for those around them, there has been little in the way of evidence to suggest that the former will ever change, and the latter certainly did not in Avengers: Endgame.
