Season four of The CW’s The Flash ended with the mysterious young woman finally revealing herself to be Barry and Iris’ daughter, Nora West-Allen. She’s a time-traveling speedster like her dad, and according to The Flash star Grant Gustin, her sudden introduction into their lives results in Barry being confused about what that means for his future.
During our roundtable interview at the 2018 San Diego Comic Con, Gustin explained Barry’s reaction to Nora. “I think initially the first thing is obviously a little skepticism because we’ve had people walk in and say, ‘Hey, I’m this person,’ and they’re not. But I think we’re kind of both operating with just feeling – our gut instinct tells us this is our daughter. It just feels like it is,” said Gustin.
Barry and Iris’ reactions to the news initially differ. “I think Iris is really excited that she’s here and just wants to connect with her. She seems great and she’s a speedster and it’s exciting,” explained Gustin. “But I think Barry is a little more worried about why she’s here. I feel like I probably would have taught her to not time travel, so it’s a little concerning that she’s here. It almost makes Barry wonder what the state of things are in the future, if Iris and Barry are both around. It’s all kinds of feelings.”
Fatherhood is a side of Barry Allen that Grant Gustin hasn’t explored before. So, how did it feel in season five to learn he had a grown daughter? “It’s been fun,” said Gustin. “It’s been less like fatherhood, to be honest. I think he’s going to feel more like a mentor, you know? Jessica (Parker Kennedy), to her, it is a dad. She is kind of playing the daughter role. But it’s just kind of surreal to Barry.
We’ve just finished with episode one. We’ve just started with episode two and at this point I think he’s just kind of digesting it all. But, also, he’s worried about it. He had these powers and time travel kind of dictated everything in his life and robbed things from him. I mean, he grew up without his mom because of these powers and because of time travel – that’s why he grew up with his dad in prison. I think now he’s a little worried that her being here now could rob him of whatever the family dynamic is in the future. If she makes a mistake or says the wrong thing, she might not even exist in the future. I think he’s a little worried about having something else stolen from him because of the supernatural.”
Asked if at some point there’s going to be a father and daughter foot race, Grant replied, “Probably at some point. We see us running together actually pretty early on. It’s not necessarily like a race or whatever. Barry at this point is leaps and bounds stronger and with an understanding of what his powers are and how to use them. We’ll see them kind of be speedsters together.”
The Flash season five will premiere on October 9, 2018 at 8pm ET/PT.
More on The Flash Season 5:
- Danielle Panabaker Interview
- Jessica Parker Kennedy Interview
- Tom Cavanagh Interview
- Candice Patton Interview
