'The Flash': A Harder, Stronger Iris West Steps Up As Leader Of Team Flash

When Season 3 of The Flash wrapped in May, Barry Allen had willingly gone into the Speed Force to right the balance and save the world (or at least Central City) from destruction. He left behind his devastated friends and heartbroken fiancée, and, as we all know, a broken heart can change a person. And it looks like it's done just that to the Iris West of the future.

When Candice Patton, who portrays Iris West, spoke with a reporter from Heroic Hollywood at the Saturn Awards, she discussed what Iris has been doing in the six months since Barry went into the Speed Force:

“There are things that I want to say that I can’t say. I’ll say that starting off [the season], Barry’s in the Speed Force, we’re without our team leader and we do get to see a different version of Iris. She’s a bit harder and she’s without the love of her life. It is six months in the future, so we will see a kind of hardened Iris and she’s also more of a leader, she’s kind of had to step into his role as the leader of the Flash team, so there’s some changes happening for sure.”

This is good news for Candice Patton fans, who've been looking forward to the actress having a stronger position in the series, but maybe not so much for West/Allen fans. With half a year having passed since the team lost Barry, there are bound to have been changes, and likely a heavy dose of anger from Iris that Barry made this decision without her input.

Screenrant recently confirmed that the title of the first episode of Season 4 is "The Flash Reborn," and we all know that a rebirth is like starting anew. So odds are that The Flash who went into the Speed Force won't be the same Flash that comes out. That, understandably, is going to affect the West/Allen romance, but maybe that's a good thing.

Iris West is so much more than the romance she has with Barry Allen. If you look at her history in the DC comics, she was an award-winning reporter at her school, went to Columbia University, and interned at the Daily Planet. When she finished college, she traveled the world, becoming a freelance photographer/reporter before meeting and marrying Barry.

Unfortunately, Iris's career has been sidelined in The Flash show, and her reporting days seem to be over. Granted, most of the focus of Season 3 was on keeping Iris alive, but now that she is relatively safe — which is all you can say about any of the characters — she can return to her roots, which are an important part of who she is.

We're going to see a different side of Iris as a leader, and though it might change the dynamic between her and Barry when he returns, there's no doubt this strength is going to make Iris West even better.

(Sources: Heroic Hollywood, Screenrant)