In the pantheon of DC Comics, The Flash has one of its most iconic romances with Iris West. Barry and Iris' love story has translated from the comics to television, animation, and soon enough, film. But they aren't the only two Flash characters to have their fair share of romance.
Everyone from Wally West to Captain Cold has had some of the strangest and least expected romances in the stories of The Flash comics. Whether it be fellow Justice League or Teen Titan members, Flash characters find love in unexpected places.
Wally West & Magenta
Wally and Frances Kane, aka Magenta, met each other when they were young children and soon became fast friends. Growing up, she started exhibiting control over magnetism and while Wally helped her learn to use her powers, the two fell in love.
Throughout DC Comics, Magenta has gone back and forth between hero and villain, and this dynamic can seem strange for someone like Wally, or any hero. Former member of the Teen Titans, and current member of The Rogues, Magenta has always walked the line between hero and villain, unlike Wally.
Golden Glider & Chillblaine
The little sister of fellow Rogues member Captain Cold, Golden Glider decided she needed a partner in crime. She started to recruit dimwitted but loyal men, outfit them in her brother's old clothing and weapons and called them Chillblaine. However, due to circumstances such as demonic possession, these different Chillblaines kept dying. The fourth Chillblaine caught on to this trend and felt he had no choice but to murder his new lover before she could do the same to him. This deadly pairing was quite the end to a vicious and toxic cycle of relationships between this Rogues member and her lackeys. The characters can even be seen in The Flash television series.
Eobard Thawne & Rose
Eobard Thawne, aka Reverse Flash, is arguably The Flash's biggest villain and even he has had a strange and disturbing romance. A reporter named Rose wanted to interview him for her news publication and soon after meeting her, he fell madly and deeply in love with her. These emotions were new to him, and to the readers, as watching him fall in love was not something Thawne had been shown to do before. But true to supervillain form, upon learning she had a fiance, he went back in time and killed him before he had even met Rose. Although they got along swimmingly, clearly the romantic feelings were not mutual, and Thawne was not one to take rejection lightly as this disturbing story proves.
Barry Allen & Jessica Cruz
While Iris West is the Lois Lane to Barry Allen's Superman, a newer addition to DC Comics, Jessica Cruz, has given Iris a run for her money in recent years. In the DC Rebirth comics, Barry and Jessica started dating with disastrous results. Jessica's anxiety clashed with Barry's penchant for living life in the fast lane. They took a break but even went on to have superpowered children in the future named Nora, Jenny, and Jason. Even though he has one of the most important romances, and even weddings, in DC Comics with Iris, it is nice to see Barry able to find new love with Jessica, and even better to see Jessica overcome her anxieties to find love with Barry.
Wally West & Raven
Two polar opposites, Raven has always been more of a soft-spoken wallflower due to the nature of her powers, and due to the nature of his, Wally is the opposite. In 1980, Raven was sent to recruit Wally for the Teen Titans but could only do so by placing a spell on him to fall in love with her. After the spell was broken, he still loved her and she felt the same but could not express her love, or else her demonic powers would reak havoc. This hurt Wally which lead to Raven's emotions getting the better of her and Wally discovering her powers, which he was terrified by and became scared of Raven. Their tragic romance ends with the Titans defeating Raven's father, the demon Trigon, and the two heroes sharing a look before Raven disappears.
Bart Allen & Valerie Perez
Valerie was introduced in 2006 when Bart saved her life when he was Kid Flash and Valerie was in high school, and she looked up to him ever since then. As they grew up, they also grew closer and eventually fell in love. However, Valerie is actually the daughter of a Flash villain, Professor Manfred Mota.
This not only may seem like quite the hurdle for them to get over in their relationship, but this has also put Valerie's life in jeopardy many times in the comics. They, unfortunately, have a tragic ending, with The Rogues killing Bart in front of Valerie and he dies in her arms, reaffirming his love for her.
Wally West & Donna Troy
Just like with Raven, Donna Troy seemed like a very odd match for Wally West. Donna is a ferocious and fierce warrior and values routine and structure, while Wally is a little more of a free-spirited guy, while still strong and powerful in his own right. But in the Rebirth comics in 2017, the two entered a romance together, much to the dismay of Roy Harper who had been in love with Donna for quite some time. True to form, Wally unknowingly got to Donna faster than Roy and the archer left with his head hung. This relationship is not only strange because of Donna and Wally's personalities, but because of the love triangle it created on the Titans team.
Barry Allen & Zatanna
Another odd pairing, the Scarlet Speedster and the Mistress of Magic have a bit of a romantic past. These powersets are too far from each other to seem like a match made in heaven. Occult magic and time-traveling speed touch on some similar fantastical elements, but they are very different when in use.
The two flirted with each other in the past and even went out for dinner together in early Justice League comics, but nothing much has come in way of romance since then, as they both have found love in Iris and John Constantine which keeps them busy. They serve together on the Justice League but with no romantic undertones. With the upcoming addition of Zatanna to the DCEU, readers may be able to see their friendship on-screen, but a romance is unlikely.
Wally West & Linda Park
Wally and Linda end up married together in the comics but it definitely did not start off that way. First appearing in 1989, Linda was a reporter in Keystone City and had many run-ins with Wally after he assumed the mantle of The Flash, but she was not a big fan. She would criticize him for all the damage his superhero antics causes the city but they eventually became friends. After Wally helped Linda when she becomes possessed by an ancient spirit, the two actually begin dating and have been in love ever since and even went on to have twins. Their rocky beginnings prove not all strange romances are doomed and just as Iris does for Barry, Linda is able to ground Wally pull him out when he is using the Speed Force. They can also be seen together on The Flash television series.
Captain Cold & Iris West
Leonard Snart, aka Captain Cold, is one of The Flash's most powerful villains who has appeared in video games, television, and more. It's only fitting that a character as notable as Snart would find himself in love with someone as well-known as Iris West. in a 1960 issue, he fell in love with her when he spotted her from his prison cell and he went to extreme lengths to win her over. He put the entire city in frozen, suspended animation to try and make her see he is the only man she should marry. Barry was able to thwart his plans and his romantic interest in Iris has not been a point in the comics since, but the idea of Snart and Iris as a couple is the strangest in Flash comics.