Bartholomew Allen (Smallville)

A few years ago, young Bart Allen was struck by lightning, which granted him the ability to move at super-speed. His parents knew that something was different about Bart, and one look from them following the accident filled Bart with a great sense of rejection. Rather than face his family difficulties, Bart ran away from home and never looked back.

He ended up living as a street urchin on the streets of Suicide Slums in Metropolis. He used his super-speed gifts to steal what he needed to survive. He became a pickpocket working for a fence named Hanison. After so many deals however, Hanison grew tired of paying Bart for "nickel and dime" scams, and told him to bring him something of true value.

After leaving his meeting with Hanison, Bart saw a drunken driver speeding down the road. The car veered off the street and barreled towards pedestrian Jonathan Kent. Bart raced across the sidewalk and pushed Jonathan out of harm's way. Jonathan's son Clark was present and was shocked to see someone who could move even faster than he. Bart was not above accepting payment for his heroic deed however, even if it meant that he had to procure the payment himself. Seconds after pushing Jonathan to safety, Bart lifted his wallet and ran off.

Bart used Jonathan's credit card to book himself a nice hotel suite in Metropolis. Clark managed to trace the credit card activity and ran to Metropolis to face him. On one hand, Clark felt an immediate kinship with Bart, seeing as how they had similar abilities which set them apart from humanity. But Clark couldn’t abide by Bart's chosen career path. He warned him that stealing was wrong, but Bart defended his actions, insisting that he only stole from people who could afford it – the "upper crust" of society. Clark decided that he needed to keep a close eye on the boy.

Clark returned home to the Kent farm only to find that Bart had arrived there before him. He had taken it upon himself to return Jonathan's credit card. Like Clark, Bart felt that he had found someone he could relate to. He didn't want to "waste his gift" milking cows on a farm however, and told Clark that he should learn to have fun with their powers. Clark agreed to spend the day with Bart, and the two raced down to Miami, Florida where they spent the afternoon on the beach.

Bart still needed to make a living however, and Clark's advice against stealing seemed to have no effect on him. That evening, he broke into Luthor Mansion and stole an expensive manuscript that contained a hidden Kryptonian map. Unfortunately, Clark was present at the mansion when the security alarms sounded, and Lex began to suspect that Clark may have had something to do with it. Clark knew that Bart was responsible but was unable to stop him. Lex promised that he would exhaust all resources to find the person who stole the manuscript.

Later that night, Bart brought the manuscript to his fence Hanison in Suicide Slums. During the meeting, Lex Luthor arrived and Hanison drew his gun on both Bart and Lex. Seeing that the thief was just a teenaged boy, Lex ordered Hanison to leave him alone, but Hanison struck Bart from behind, stunning him. When Bart awakened he saw that Clark had arrived and saved both his and Lex's lives. Bart was determined to keep the manuscript however, so kept Clark at bay with a piece of Kryptonite (which he stole from the Kent farm) and made off with the manuscript.

Something about Clark's strict moral code struck a chord in Bart somewhere, and he soon had a change of heart. He returned the manuscript to Luthor mansion and made amends with Clark. Clark invited Bart to stay in town, but Bart felt the wanderlust and believed that his future lied elsewhere. Clark pressed the issue, so Bart made a wager with him, if he could catch him, he would agree to stay. The two began racing down the street, but Bart easily outran him.

Two years later, Oliver Queen found Bart stealing a meal in Star City. Oliver believed Bart was a good kid and offered him a job. Bart joined Oliver's group of heroes, and Oliver gave him the codename "Impulse" for his impulsive nature.

In 2007, Bart traveled to Mexico to infiltrate a LuthorCorp facility for Oliver. He returned to Metropolis in time to save Chloe Sullivan from getting shot by Dr. Caselli. Bart then got back in touch with Clark after a small race. He told Clark that he had really learned what he tried to teach him, and declared that he had quit stealing. Clark soon learned that Bart had in fact stolen information from LuthorCorp, but Bart did not tell him that he was working for Oliver.

Bart left to do another job for Oliver, but fell into a trap set up by Lex Luthor. Lex put him in a chamber and forced him to run at super-speed or risk being electrocuted until he agreed to talk. Clark went to rescue Bart, but was incapacitated by refined kryptonite. Oliver donned his Green Arrow garb and, along with his other team members Cyborg and Aquaman, infiltrated the lab, saved Clark and Bart, and blew up the facility. Bart left with the "Justice League" and continued working to stop other 33.1 facilities around the world.

When Clark and Lex disappeared from the arctic in the Fortress of Solitude, Bart and Victor Stone searched the entire southern hemisphere for them and found nothing. With the members of Justice League split up, the current whereabouts of Bart are unknown.

Powers and Abilities

Powers

Super-Speed: Impulse possesses the gift of super-speed and enhanced reflexes. The exact limits of this ability are unknown, but he is clearly faster than Clark Kent and is fast enough to run across bodies of water without falling in.
Weaknesses

Bart's stamina decreases exponentially the more he is forced to use his super-speed.

Notes

The role of Bart Allen is played by Kyle Gallner in Smallville television series.

Trivia

Though Bart Allen may in fact be his true name, it is also just as likely that it may be another alias.

Bart has assumed various various fake identities, including those of: Barry Allen, Jay Garrick and Wally West. In mainstream continuity, all three men are heroes who have adopted the name of the Flash.

Green Arrow is responsible for providing him with the codename Impulse.

Links and References

Footnotes

This character is exclusive to the continuity of the Smallville television series. This template will categorize articles that include it into Category: Smallville Characters.

Bartholomew Allen (Smallville)

From DC Database

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