When Does Iris Find Out Barry Is the Flash?

As most Arrowverse fans know, The Flash is on the brink of ending after nine seasons airing on the CW network, and it seems that the series has an epic finale in store for us. Of course, we spent time covering The Flash series in the last few months, and what we gathered from season nine is that Iris and Barry are the strongest part of the show. They are the heart and soul of the longest-running Arrowverse show; since The Flash has only three episodes left, we will dedicate this article to showing beginnings, specifically when and how Iris found out Barry Allen was the Flash.

In the series, Iris West discovers Flash’s identity in the show’s first season, specifically in the 20th episode of season one. This moment occurred when Flash was chasing Reverse Flash and was trying to save Iris’ then-boyfriend, Eddie Thawne. However, “unofficially,” Iris actually discovers Barry’s superhero identity in the 15th episode of season one, when Barry tries to stop the tsunami threatening Central City, where Iris sees him changing into the Flash suit. After saying they love each other while saving the city, Barry accidentally goes back in time, which leads to Iris never discovering his identity that early in the season.

In season nine, the Flash has a lot of allies that know his superhero identity, but at the beginning of the series, barely anyone (except the original Team Flash) knew of his secret life. In this article, we will go to the show’s beginning to remind ourselves how the Flash’s journey began in the Arrowverse all those years ago. If you are interested, stay with us until the end.

How did Iris figure out Barry’s The Flash?

The Flash has been going on for nine seasons, and we saw many iconic storylines in the series, mostly adapted from DC Comics. Flashpoint, Crisis of Infinite Earths, and other huge comic book events featured in The Flash series building Barry Allen’s character that we know today.

However, in season one, Barry was still new to superhero life and his meta-human powers, making him miserable most of the season. The reason was simply because he felt he needed to hide everything from his loved ones. Iris was one of the people he hid his identity from, and it didn’t help that during that period, Iris was dating another man, a detective of CCPD Eddie Thawne.

Now, the first season is all about Barry’s beginnings as the Flash, a superhero of Central City who tries to protect people from criminals. The goal is innocent enough, and Barry tries to keep everyone safe. However, he soon realizes that criminals are meta-humans who are really dangerous and who could use Barry’s loved ones against him.

Hence why Barry didn’t want Iris to discover his secret identity. He was scared she could be the target of his dangerous foes. Of course, in The Flash series, Barry has a crush on Iris, with whom he grew up, while Joe West has acted as his father figure since his mother’s death and his father was in jail.

However, when Barry is struck by lightning while in STAR Labs, he becomes the fastest man alive. The first half of the season sees Barry struggling with his new superhero persona and baggage while simultaneously pinning after Iris, who was in a relationship with Detective Eddie Thawne.

Iris and Eddie seem to love each other, but in the middle of season one, we see that Iris isn’t sure about her feelings for a detective. Barry told Iris about his feelings for her, but the speedster thought their relationship was over when she didn’t return his feelings immediately. The double date that included Eddie, Iris, and Barry with Linda Park ended awkwardly, with Eddie and Linda questioning their partners’ feelings for each other.

Iris actually confesses her feelings for Barry after saying she is sorry for not returning his feelings immediately. However, the tidal wave threatens Central City, and this moment is when Barry tells Iris he is the Flash and then runs towards the wave. However, in his efforts to save the city, he accidentally goes back in time, and the moment between him and Iris is erased.

Iris forgot everything that transpired that day, but the “official” revelation of Barry’s secret identity came towards the end of season one when Iris and Flash share a jolt of electricity. The jolt reminded Iris of the time Barry was in a coma after the accident in STAR Labs when she also felt the same electricity between them, which prompted her to realize Barry is indeed Flash.

In what episode does Iris confront Barry about being The Flash?

Since we established that Iris discovered Barry is Flash two times in season one, with the first time being erased from the timeline, we can now see in which episodes those moments occurred and add the one where Iris confronts Barry for being Flash.

Season one, episode fifteen, “Out of Time,” marked the first time Iris discovered Barry’s identity when telling the speedster she loves him. They share a kiss, and Barry reveals he is Flash, but the moment is erased from the timeline when Barry accidentally goes back in time.

Another episode in season one, specifically episode twenty, “The Trap,” sees Iris realizing that Barry is Flash by recognizing the jolt of electricity between them, which occurred when he was in a coma. She is shocked, to say the least, but that doesn’t stop her from confronting Barry about his secrets.

At the beginning of episode twenty-one, titled “Grodd Lives,” we see Joe and Barry trying to find ways to find kidnapped Eddie Thawne. Barry puts a massive burden on himself, which Iris doesn’t understand initially. She doesn’t tell Barry that she knows he is Flash, but she’s vague around him to see if her friend will tell her the truth. Of course, he doesn’t, and Iris is mad.

Towards the end of the episode, we see Iris still shocked about the truth, but she is more worried about her father, Joe West, being kidnapped by Gorilla Grodd. We even see Iris helping Flash when he is overwhelmed by Grodd’s telepathic powers.

At the end of the episode, we even get a heartfelt moment between Iris and Barry, where she confesses she thought about him but cannot betray Eddie, her current boyfriend.

And that’s basically it – Iris discovered twice who Flash actually is, but only the second time counted since the former moment was erased from the timeline. The Flash series is ending soon, but it was cool to go back to the moment when everything started for Barry Allen and his Flash.

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