Published Apr 20, 2026, 12:00 PM EDT
Ben is a Senior Writer on the New TV team at Screen Rant. He graduated from the University of Central Lancashire with a First Class B.A. Degree in English Literature and History.
Born and raised in Ireland, Ben has always had a love for storytelling in all forms of media and operates multiple projects under the name Benjamin Blogs. Ben is a comic book writer and podcast host, in addition to his work as an entertainment journalist. He has worked as both a writer and editor for Screen Rant, Collider, and other media outlets across various departments, including features, news, reviews, and interviews.
Sign in to your ScreenRant account
The Flash series saw Grant Gustin don a number of different superhero suits throughout the 8-season run, but not all of these suits were created equally. One iconic part of any superhero show is the attire that the characters choose to wear to mask their identity, create a symbol of hope and justice, and help them perform better in their duties.
While some superheroes, like Iron Man and Batman, make it a point of pride to create a wide array of suits for every situation, not every supe has billions of dollars at their disposal alongside super intelligence and an engineering degree. However, they often have friends that they can rely on to support them, which is a role that often falls to Cisco in The Flash.
Throughout the 8-season run of the show, Barry Allen wears a range of suits, which tend to be largely similar both in terms of color schemes and technical abilities, but they do have important differences that make some suits stand out as more impressive than others.
6 Barry Allen's Training Suit
In The Flash pilot, Barry Allen has to learn how to manage his new super-speed abilities, and with the help of Cisco and Caitlin, he manages to get important data about his super-speed and how it has altered his body. Of course, in the process, Barry needs to test the limits, which is why Cisco gives him a rudimentary red leotard, along with a red helmet, red sleeves, and some protective gear, which comes together to make Barry's first 'suit.'
Clearly, this is not an outfit that Barry would be able to wear on the streets of Central City, as it does very little to conceal his identity, and even less to make him look in any way heroic. Sure, it's fit for the purpose of early testing, but this is definitely square one, and Cisco was able to quickly make important adjustments before handing Barry over an actual super suit.
It's a good effort, but it has to take the bottom spot, because everything after this outfit was on the up and up.
5 The Streak Suit
Throughout the rest of the first season, Barry wears his first suit, which manages to get a lot right from the start. With a mix of leather and fabric, there is a degree of flexibility that this suit has, which is fitting for a hero who spends his time running at incredible speeds.
This suit earned Barry the nickname, The Streak, before he was ultimately called The Flash, and it was a great start on the hero's journey to making him one of the greatest DC heroes. It also features a slightly thrown-together look, with the suit feeling like a bunch of individual elements roughly woven together, though the branding of the lightning bolt is heavily present throughout, and remains a staple of the character throughout.
This suit was also one that was frequently modified and improved upon, with Cisco developing a comms link and thermal integrations that helped Barry to face off against unique meta-humans whose powers presented challenges that he otherwise struggled to combat.
4 The White Emblem
After Barry settled into being the hero of Central City and learned to harness his powers and overcome powerful rivals, the aesthetics of his suit underwent some slight but important changes. The suit he is seen wearing throughout seasons 2 and 3 resembles the earlier edition, though the colors are altered in small and meaningful ways.
For instance, the entire suit is made in a deeper, darker red color, which works extremely well in the live-action setting. The leather elements become more pronounced, and the gold lining stands out more on the contrasting suit. But the most obvious change is the logo being set on a white emblem, rather than the previous red circle.
All of these changes are small, but they make for a huge improvement in the suit that stands out on the screen and becomes a foundational look for the character that lasts longer than many of the other editions. However, there was still room to improve.
3 A Revolution In Fabric Design
In season 5, Barry Allen begins wearing a suit that is easily the most different from anything that came before or since. This marks the shift from leather materials to a more stretchy, form-fitting suit that feels like an integrated, intentional superhero outfit for the first time in the show's run. Yes, earlier versions still worked as super suits, but this actually felt like something lifted straight from the comics, and it worked.
The suit also ditched the gold lining and trim for a few intentional elements, such as the lightning arm bands, the gold belt buckle, and an overall clean and simple look. But this suit also had a fatal flaw with the lack of a chin strap. This was the only suit to go chinless, and no shade to Grant Gustin's jawline, but he couldn't pull off the cowl.
Definitely some steps in the right direction, but a central detail, like getting the mask wrong, meant this suit could not climb higher in the rankings.
2 Leather And Muscle
The Flash season 4 debuted Barry Allen's all-leather muscle suit, which featured heavy detailing and contours that attempted to give Gustin an even more heroic physique. In a live-action setting, this suit feels grounded, and it does indeed feel heroic, but I can't get away from the fact that it just feels a little overdone.
It's absolutely the strongest iteration of a leather suit, and rather than trying to halfheartedly include details that make it look more heroic, it goes hard with fake abs, shoulder details, large armbands, a bulky belt buckle, and all the bells and whistles that Barry Allen could need to keep the city from falling into the grip of the bad guys.
However, there is one other suit that manages to strike the perfect balance and deliver a live-action Flash that feels true to the comics and works well on the small screen.
1 Barry Allen's Final Suit Was Easily His Best
Out of every suit that Barry Allen wears, the final iteration that comes in season 6 and only undergoes minor alterations up to the end of the show's run has to be the best, most refined, and most meaningful suit that the Flash ever wears. In many ways, the suit still contains many of the iconic details that have been present throughout the show's run. From the emblem, to the lightning elements on the arms and belt, and even the small gold trim.
However, there is a notable change in the mask, with the earpieces being changed from the original lightning bolts that have been included on every other suit to the wing design. This element is not only one that is often seen in the comics, but it also has a deeper in-show meaning.
Jay Garrick, a Flash from another reality who has served as a mentor and father-figure to Barry, not least of all because he literally looks like Barry's dad, wore a distinctive helmet with small metal wings similar to what appears on this suit. In a way, this detail feels like a tribute to other notable speedsters and Barry's found family.
Aside from that, the suit is simple, it's clean, it is made from a material that is more complementary to Grant Gustin, and it doesn't try to make the character into something he isn't. This feels like the perfect suit seen in The Flash, and the pronounced gold lining still does a lot to add definition that avoids it looking like a pajama suit, and elevates it beyond the more simplistic comic book version of the outfit.
Release Date 2014 - 2023-00-00
Showrunner Eric Wallace
Writers Lauren Certo, Judalina Neira, Kelly Wheeler, Alison Schapker, Zack Stentz, Joe Peracchio, Julian Meiojas, Lilah Vandenburgh, Keto Shimizu, Gabe Snyder, Mike Alber, Gabrielle Stanton, Jaime Paglia, Carina Adly MacKenzie, Emily Silver, Bryan Q. Miller, Ray Utarnachitt
English (US) ·