So, I think thereâs an element of Westallen that needs to be addressed, and thatâs when people call it incest. It isnât, not really, but it still has a really odd, almost incestuous dynamic that can turn some people off to it, and here is why:
Joe calls Barry his son and Barry has called Joe his dad before. Is Joe actually Barryâs dad? No, heâs not, but he has acted like a dad to him. Henry Allen was in prison and therefore wasnât there to raise Barry. So, Barry kind of became Joeâs. This does not mean Joe and Barry are now suddenly related, but it gives them a Father-Son dynamic.
Wally called Barry his brother in season 3. Barry has also wondered in the past what to call Wally. He debated in season two when introducing Jesse to Wally whether to call him his foster brother or his friend, but by now, Iâd say Barry would call Wally his brother. In season two, Wally and Barry still really werenât getting along because Wally was jealous of Barry to an antagonistic degree. But now theyâre calling each other brothers. Wally is also Irisâs brother. Technically Wally and Barry are not actually brothers, but thatâs the dynamic they have begun to adopt.
Now, neither of those two things suddenly make WestAllen incest. WA will never technically be incest, because that is something that is done between two people who are actually related. People have done that in the past between cousins, but usually not brother and sister and it can often result in bad genetics. Barry and Iris would never face this particular problem since they donât have an actual blood relation, however, it can still be seen as an incestuous dynamic that creeps some people out and while itâs not one of the main things that bothers me about WA, I understand why it bothers people and I figured Iâd explain why.
If Iris and Barry had both never viewed each other as siblings, it would probably be okay. But only Barry has never viewed Iris as a sibling. Iris, on the other hand, has referred to Barry Allen as her brother before. She said they were like brother and sister in the very first episode even though they technically werenât, she often said that Barry was like her brother throughout season one, and she said in season two when talking to Wally about how she always wanted a little brother that she and Joe used to call Barry her little brother. And now suddenly sheâs in love with him? I donât know about all of you, but I can see how some people find that really creepy and even gross. While itâs not one of the main reasons why I am anti westallen, I can understand how something like that can turn someone off to a pairing, especially when itâs not something theyâre expecting to see. Itâs not like theyâve tuned into Game of Thrones, a show where you expect incest to happen because everyone is living in an ancient kingdom and trying to keep the bloodline pure so they can control the dragons. To see a relationship like that on the Flash is unexpected and can make some people go, âWhat the hell am I watching?â
The question many people ask is when the hell did Irisâs feelings for Barry change? When she found out he loved her his entire life and loved the idea of that? When she found out he was the Flash? When she found out they were married in the future and on Earth two and therefore it must be âdestinyâ? Would she have ever chosen him if it hadnât been for his being the Flash and âdestinyâ? Does she really love him that way, or is there still a part of her that secretly views him as a brother and sheâs suppressing it? Is that the reason why thereâs such little chemistry between them, because the actress canât get past the former brother-sister dynamic she used to have with Barry while playing Iris? Either way, while it may not be incest, itâs a really creepy dynamic when you actually think about it. Iâve had guys in my life before that Iâve viewed as brothers and that has never changed for me before regardless of how they viewed me. That kind of thing just doesnât change for someone. The idea that it changed for Iris is unrealistic, which makes me think it didnât really. She loves âdestinyâ, not Barry Allen himself.
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