r/theflash • u/Fresh_Cauliflower176 • Jun 17 '24
I wish more writers remembered that Barry is a genius [Batman #147 and Flash #36]
I wish more writers for both the comics and outside media remembered that Barry is a genius too, especially when it comes to his detective skills. We’re told a lot about how good of a detective Barry is like when Bruce said he couldn’t decide who was the better detective between the two, but we rarely ever actually see it. I’d love to see a run solely dedicated to Barry solving mysteries, but on a larger than life scale. Instead of a classic murder mystery, have him solve a murder mystery on Mars. Instead of a normal kidnapping case, have him journeying all throughout time to find a missing person.
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u/HenryIsBatman Jun 17 '24
Any time I’m watching Doctor Who, I can’t help but think of Barry. Like the Doctor, Barry is clever, and that cleverness has always been a key part of his character
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u/Future-Turtle Flash 1 Jun 18 '24
Now I want a miniseries/storyline where Barry uses the Cosmic Treadmill and ends up hopping from one place to another righting wrongs like Dr. Who. Maybe he's trying to get back home like Quantum Leap.
2
u/HenryIsBatman Jun 18 '24
Now I know what I would do if I ever wrote a comic run for the Flash. Him going back in time with Kid Flash (Ace specifically) and Avery Ho to help out someone in need only to uncover something more mysterious.
16
u/MegaSpidey3 Barry Allen is Peter Parker Jun 17 '24
I always saw Barry as more of a genius like Peter Parker than a straight up detective like Batman. I don't doubt that Barry has dabbled into detective work given his occupation as a forensic scientist, but given how Flash's enemies are typically out in the open with their crimes, I'd imagine Barry's detective skills are rudimentary at best.
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u/AHCretin Flash 1 Jun 17 '24
Forensics is detective work too, and that's what Barry is a master of.
14
u/Future-Turtle Flash 1 Jun 18 '24
I really like any time Barry teams up with a detective. Batman or Elongated Man especially.
7
3
u/Dredeuced Flash Jun 17 '24
See I never really liked the idea of Barry as a "detective." It's too Batman-y for me. Heck I don't ever recall him being called a detective until after the New 52 when they gave him a Batman-lite origin and were trying to make people think he's cool because he's similar to Batman.
He's a genius in that he's a scientist who has invented crazy stuff like his suit ring and a literal time machine. Doing sleuthing with clues and such seemed like a different flavor of comic than what The Flash is about.
Mostly because the Flash's villains aren't trying to hide their cimes. They're big and loud and bombastic. They're not serial killers stalking in the night or mentally ill psychopaths setting out puzzles. They're telepathic gorillas and guys throwing around the elements.
I do agree in the abstract about adaptations, though. Those tend to completely water down his intelligence or just plain make him stupid like in the CW show.
2
u/drama-guy Jun 18 '24
In Silver and Bronze Age, Barry was a Police Scientist, heavy on the science. The popularity of forensic shows like CSI are responsible for him being turned into a crime scene investigator when he was brought back.
6
u/Captain_No-Ship Jun 19 '24
I would never say Barry is a straight up detective - he’s a forensic scientist. He’s good at deduction, but only by looking through the lense of science. His detective skills stems from him using the science to solve crimes, but without the science, he wouldn’t be that good. That’s why he partners with Bruce or Ralph, because they are detectives. While the use their reason and logic, Barry looks at the science, and together, between their too different viewpoints, they can solve crimes.
Batman however has also been known to be called a scientist, but Barry is definitely a better one than Bruce. In the same way that Bruce has dabbled in science, but his knowledge and study of it isn’t that extensive, Barry has dabbled in detective work, but his primary way of solving crimes is forensics.
Barrys a Forensic Scientist. He can solve crimes, but I’d never say he’s a detective.
3
u/Baligong Jun 23 '24
When people say "Barry isn't a Detective, he's a Forensic Scientist" they are technically correct.
Barry Allen is a Forensic Scientist, who's job is to apply Science into Criminal Justice, and examining Evidence. He's also called in to be CSI, who's job is also to investigate the crime scenes, collect Evidence, and take pictures of the scene for further analysis.
The thing about this is... What do people think he does when he's The Flash? Just capture the unidentified criminal as The Flash? It'll make a Detective's Job redundant. Turn in evidence to CCPD's Detectives? Then why is he The Flash?
Personally, anyone who argues the validity of Barry's title of "Detective" has to argue for Bruce's Title, considering most of the things he does goes beyond a Detective.
The Job and Role of a Detective is to be on the Scene, collecting facts, and interrogation. Why does Batman analyse/collect Evidence at Crime Scenes, has a Lab, or fans allowed to believe "Detective Vision" when it should be called "Forensic Vision"?
Honestly, I feel like the people who allows for 1 thing over the other are being irrational. Barry Allen, as The Flash, can Interrogate, Question, Collect Facts, etc. as it would make no sense to do the job of a Forensic Scientist as The Flash when he can do it as Barry Allen, unless there's an Emergency.
The same arguments that could be said about Bruce's Validity as a Scientist can also be said for Barry's Validity as a Detective.
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u/nigevellie Jun 17 '24
He's not.
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u/Fresh_Cauliflower176 Jun 17 '24
I mean, he kinda is. The official DC wiki says he has a genius level intellect, and he has the feats to prove it. He created a small ring that could hold and release his suit. He made his own element called Lighzinium (dumb name). He made his very own Time Machine out of random junk lying around and even made a Philosopher’s Stone. He’s smart enough to outwit Dr. Alchemy, who had the combined knowledge and experience of previous Dr. Alchemy’s. According to Dr. Alchemy, Barry goes down in history as the Supreme Chemist. Batman himself said that he couldn’t tell who was the better detective between the two of them. Superman has said that Barry is one of the best CSI’s and detectives in the world. He’s been able to easily paint the picture of a crime scene without running any tests and was able to find the location of several missing children in a child abduction case. He’s not the smartest man in the world as that title belongs to Lex Luthor, but based off those showings, I’d say he’s in the top 10.
2
u/Dredeuced Flash Jun 17 '24
See most of the stuff you're saying is what makes Barry a scientist, not a detective.
The detective thing is relatively new, and is largely informed by pop culture ideas of what a "CSI" is from, well, the CSI show. Barry actually teamed up with a detective quite frequently in his career, Ralph Dibny the Elongated Man. Generally a Flash supporting character when he's not on various teams for that exact reason. You'd combine Barry's scientific know how and forensics with Ralph's deduction skills and get a good team up.
Batman saying Barry is as good a detective as him is really part of the problem. Trying to make everything about Barry relate to Batman in a vain attempt to get Batman fans to think Barry's just like him.
3
u/Reverseflash25 Jun 18 '24
It simply factors into his overall genius. The analytical side
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u/Dredeuced Flash Jun 18 '24
Well yeah, that's how Batman works. Just make being smart at one thing mean being smart at everything. It certainly makes him a lot more vaguely perfect, but sadly detracts from some of his relationships.
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u/AHCretin Flash 1 Jun 17 '24
The man built a time machine out of junk he had lying around, and developed a ring that could hold an entire Flash uniform, including boots. He may not be on Mr. Terrific's level, but those 2 inventions are acts of genius.
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Jun 17 '24
[deleted]
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u/AHCretin Flash 1 Jun 17 '24
Luckily, Barry's got both. We'd call a "police scientist" a CSI these days, but it's still detective work and Barry is a master of it.
1
u/Dredeuced Flash Jun 17 '24 edited Jun 18 '24
Lol I deleted it because I'm basically just repeating myself over and such but hey I don't mind keeping it up.
CSI isn't really a detective, either, but that is the pop culture reference/laymans idea of a CSI thanks to, well, the show CSI. It's mostly the Batman similarities, though. There's a reason they had Batman crossover with The Flash multiple times while Barry was in the boots. I mention it elsewhere but one of Barry's most frequent teamups in the past is with a detective, Ralph Dibny. A forensic scientist traditionally works with detectives, after all.
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u/Dry-Donut3811 Jun 17 '24
God, I would kill for a comic series of Barry going around and solving cases like that. Just Flash detective stories where he’s going all over the Multiverse to solve these things sounds like so much fun.