We’re embarrassed to admit it, but when Grant Gustin showed up on Arrow as forensics scientist Barry Allen, we weren’t overly excited. Even when the “particle accelerator” exploded and ultimately changed him into The Flash for what would be his own series, we were among the non-believers.

Let’s face it, the guy runs fast. How interesting was that really going to be on a weekly basis?

the flash - barry allen

 

Three seasons later, we happily admit that we were completely wrong. The show’s ensemble of characters has developed into a true family, and Gustin is just so endearing as Barry, effortlessly conveying that he’s just a good guy trying to do well by his friends, his family and the world around him. He remains the epitome of Peter Parker’s anthem “with great power comes great responsibility.”

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And this despite the fact he is continually faced with villains who are not just interested in getting away with crimes, but desire nothing less to destroy everything he cares about. To strip away the light and leave him in darkness. We’ve seen his parents murdered before his eyes, resurrected and murdered again. Much of season three was spent desperately trying to save the love of his life, Iris West, who he saw murdered on a trip to the future.

Yet despite their best efforts, Barry has for the most part remained true to himself.

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Along the way, though, he has amassed one heck of a rogue’s gallery, from the technologically armed likes of Captain Cold and Heatwave, to the 15-foot land-walking King Shark; the telepathic gorilla Grodd and a variety of speedsters, among them Reverse-Flash, Zoom and Savitar, the latter of which dreams of nothing less than becoming the god of speed (nice to have a goal).

 

We’ve decided to take a look back at the three seasons of The Flash with this gallery of 46 adversaries he’s gone up against, presenting a brief breakdown on each of them including who they are and what their powers consist of.

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This post was written by Ed Gross. It originally appeared on our sister site, FHM.

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