It’s wonderful to see the antics of Kara and Barry when they get together and fight crime, but it’s time to freshen up the universe. How about Iris and Kara solve a crime in National City?
Iris and Kara have never really had a real interaction; actually, every woman except for Sara Lance has never really gotten to have a worthwhile interaction with another female character in the Arrowverse.
On The Flash season 4, we saw a glimpse of friendship between Caitlin and Iris in the earlier episodes, but this quickly faded to focus on the friendship between the men, particularly Ralph and Barry.
With Supergirl, Kara has a relationship with her sister, but that’s it (and even that has dwindled quite a bit lately). Her relationships with Cat and Lucy were wiped away, and Lena and Kara can’t share a scene now without unnecessary angst about the enormous secret Kara is keeping from her (or vice versa).
A primary part of Kara’s character, at least it should be, is her inclination toward justice and truth, which is something she has in common, especially, with Iris West.
Like Kara, Iris understands the struggles of being a woman in journalism (arguably more so since she is a woman of color). Plus, both women are trying to be the best reporter they can be while dealing with the conflict of inside superhero knowledge.
Barry and Kara have bonded over their superhero identities; both genuinely enjoy their powers when they aren’t being hunted by some crazy villain, and they’re both very lighthearted, fun, and relaxed when it comes to being a hero. Iris challenges Barry to be the best person he can be, so since Barry and Kara are so alike, can’t a similar dynamic be created between these friends?
Iris has been kind of isolated as of late, aside from her relationship with Barry. Joe is far more concerned with Cecile and his new child than with Iris, and her friendships with the other members of Team Flash have never been a real focal point for her development.
Creating a bond between Iris and Kara would open the door for so many stories down the line. As reporters, they’re both always trying to keep the public informed and protected. Kara takes this one step further by donning the Supergirl title, while Iris helps her husband protect Central City.
Iris and Kara could find a lot of common ground between them, if the writers granted the characters the time to do this. Perhaps an episode occasionally where the two get together to investigate a crime as reporters and, in the end, Kara suits up and takes down the bad guy?
Iris and Kara have careers that aren’t focused on nearly enough for how important their careers are to the characters’ development.
If both Supergirl and The Flash are going to be focusing more on the journalistic side of things in their upcoming seasons, maybe a crossover exploring an iconic DC villain that’s rampaging one of their cities could begin with an investigation by one of the girls that requires a bit of help.
There are so many ways to connect Iris and Kara’s skills and stories, and the little crossovers aren’t happening enough lately in the Arrow-verse. In the beginning, we often saw the characters go between shows to participate in other stories outside of their regular bits, but now it’s saved for the enormous crossover, which doesn’t allow for non-main characters to be explored.
Seeing Kara, Barry, and Oliver interact is great, but it would be fun to see more little crossovers, especially, as I stated above, one where Kara’s other skills (outside of flying, punching, and heat vision) are explored with another character that’s a bit more down to Earth.
Iris could also benefit from a little extra focus where her skills are genuinely put to the test as a reporter and no fans can discredit her by claiming she only excels from being Barry’s wife.
The Flash and Supergirl return in October on The CW!