Warning: MAJOR spoilers for the Season 2 finale of The Flash ahead
You don’t even have to be a comic book nerd to know that the Season 2 finale of The Flash brought some major changes to Barry Allen’s world. Despite beating Zoom, Barry ended the season in a fairly dark place. Realizing that he could no longer stomach the loss of both Henry and Nora Allen, he opted to go back in time and save his mother from her death at the hands of Eobard Thawne. He made this decision without consulting any of his loved ones, which begs a very important question: how would Iris West have responded to such a world-changing decision?
At a recent FanExpo panel in Dallas, actress Candice Patton explained that Iris would have likely supported his decision to save his mother:
That's a great question. And it's interesting because they have a great relationship in which she's really supportive and loyal to Barry, and I think had he told her, she would have said exactly what she said to him on the patio of their house. Which is that, 'Whatever you need to do, wherever you need to go, do it. I'll be here when you get back.' I think she would've said the exact same thing. As long as she knew he was coming back.
Although Iris probably would not have necessarily liked his decision to go back in time and stop Reverse-Flash from killing Nora Allen, she understands why Barry would need to do this. Prior to Barry’s (literally) life-altering decision in the final moments of the finale, Iris tells him point blank that she will be waiting for him once he has finally gotten himself to a place where he can move on and be happy with her. In the eyes of Candice Patton, Iris loves Barry unconditionally, and will stand by him – as long as she knows that he will return in the end.
It’s been a couple of weeks since the Season 2 finale, check out the video below to see how Barry saved his mother, and how he seriously messed with time itself:
Of course, this event raises the question of whether or not the same Iris will even be waiting for Barry when he gets back from saving his mother. In keeping with the possibility of the Flashpoint storyline taking place during the third season of The Flash, Barry essentially erased the Iris who expressed this much support for him from existence. Even if he manages to undo the damage he has done to the timeline by the end of Season 3, he may still have caused irreparable changes to his world, and the people who inhabit it.
Although Barry’s decision will have a massive impact on the world of The Flash moving forward, it seems that Iris West would, at the very least, understand, and stand by him no matter what. However, we will just have to wait and see how this will all play out when The Flash returns next fall.
