The Flash's Nora Allen Explained: Will Season 5 Introduce the Tornado Twins or Impulse?

The Flash ended its fourth season by answering one of the biggest mysteries in the series: Who is Mystery Girl, the strange woman who's been quietly popping in and out of Barry's life all season? "We Are the Flash" revealed that the prevailing fan theory is correct. Mystery Girl is Barry and Iris' daughter from a future timeline. Basically, the series has introduced its version of Dawn Allen from the comics, though in this incarnation she's named Nora West-Allen instead.

Clearly, that reveal is a taste of things to come for the series in Season 5. And we think we have a few ideas for where The Flash is headed now. Keep reading to learn more about Nora/Dawn and why the series may be introducing the superhero speedster duo known as the Tornado Twins.

Who Are the Tornado Twins?
In the comics, Barry Allen and Iris West are briefly reunited in the 30th Century before Barry's untimely death in the Crisis on Infinite Earths storyline. There, Iris conceives twins, Don and Dawn Allen. Both of their children inherit Barry's connection to the Speed Force and his desire to be a hero. However, because humanity in the 30th Century is extremely xenophobic and fearful of metahumans, the two have to operate in secret. Their solution is to disguise themselves by spinning so rapidly they become tornadoes, hence the "Tornado Twins" name.

DC introduced a second version of the Tornado Twins 20 years later in the aftermath of a story called Infinite Crisis. This time, the children of Wally West and Linda Park, Jai and Iris, took up the mantle. Rather than being traditional speedsters, Jai can distort his body to gain super-strength and Iris can phase through objects.

It wasn't until 2017 that DC debuted an actual superhero character named Nora Allen. The storyline Justice League: Legacy introduced several offspring of Justice Leaguers from an alternate future. This Nora Allen is the daughter of Barry and Green Lantern Jessica Cruz. However, it appears that the show's Nora still shares more in common with Dawn Allen, but with her name changed to pay homage to Barry's murdered mother.

A New Future for the Arrowverse
The finale revealed little about why Nora has traveled back in time or what her future is like, but it is clear that she made a grave mistake by interfering in the timeline and helping her father save Central City from Clifford DeVoe. The series seems to be returning to ground covered in Season 3 - the idea that speedsters meddling with the timeline rarely yields positive results. Has Nora created her own version of Flashpoint? Was Barry supposed to have died stopping the satellite, leaving a pregnant Iris to raise Nora on her own?

Danielle Panabaker as Caitlin Snow, Kim Engelbrecht as Marlize Devoe, Danielle Nicolet as Cecile Horton and Jesse L. Martin as Detective Joe West in The Flash's "We Are The Flash" Episode
The Flash: "We Are The Flash" Photos

Grant Gustin as The Flash in The Flash's "We Are The Flash" Episode

Danielle Nicolet as Cecile Horton in The Flash's "We Are The Flash" Episode

Grant Gustin as Barry Allen/The Flash in The Flash's "We Are The Flash" Episode

Tom Cavanagh as Harrison Wells and Carlos Valdes as Cisco Ramon/Vibe in The Flash's "We Are The Flash" Episode

Candice Patton as Iris West and Kim Engelbrecht as Marlize Devoe in The Flash's "We Are The Flash" Episode

Danielle Panabaker as Caitlin Snow, Danielle Nicolet as Cecile Horton and Jesse L. Martin as Detective Joe West in The Flash's "We Are The Flash" Episode

Grant Gustin as The Flash in The Flash's "We Are The Flash" Episode

Neil Sandilands as The Thinker in The Flash's "We Are The Flash" Episode

Carlos Valdes as Cisco Ramon/Vibe, Kim Engelbrecht as Marlize Devoe and Candice Patton as Iris West in The Flash's "We Are The Flash" Episode

Danielle Nicolet as Cecile Horton in The Flash's "We Are The Flash" Episode

Danielle Nicolet as Cecile Horton and Jesse L. Martin as Detective Joe West in The Flash's "We Are The Flash" Episode

Carlos Valdes as Cisco Ramon/Vibe and Candice Patton as Iris West in The Flash's "We Are The Flash" Episode

Don't be surprised if there's a lot of interplay between the present day and Nora's timeline, regardless of what century she might hail from. Just as Team Flash routinely visited Earth-2 in Season 2, we could see regular trips into the future or new metahuman villains spilling over from Nora's time in Season 5. The big question is whether Nora will be joined by her brother Don. Will both Tornado Twins play a big role next season? One possibility is that Nora's meddling in the past will change her present, either wiping her brother out of existence or spontaneously causing him to exist for the first time. Given what Flashpoint did to the Diggle family, anything is possible.

This could even pave the way for a closer relationship between The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow. Time travel is the bread and butter of Legends, and Wally West now serves as the link between both teams of heroes.

The Legion of Super Heroes
It's unclear whether Nora Allen hails from the 30th Century, like her comic book counterpart, or simply a few decades into the future. Jumping that far ahead in the timeline could over-complicate matters. But it's an interesting possibility nonetheless, as focusing on the 30th Century would allow The Flash to explore the Legion of Super Heroes.

Granted, the Legion has already been introduced on Supergirl this season, but we have yet to see this futuristic super-team appear in Barry Allen's universe. The Flash could offer its own take on the team and focus on characters other than Mon-El, Saturn Girl and Brainiac-5. There are certainly more than enough to go around.

Impulse
Another possibility is that Nora's debut could pave the way for another major speedster character to join the series. Bart Allen is the son of Don Allen and Meloni Thawne, a descendant of Eobard Thawne, making him Barry's grandson. He has a long history working alongside heroes like Barry and Wally. He originally took the name Impulse, though he later graduated to Kid Flash and even took up the Flash mantle for himself for a bit.

At this point, Bart is the most significant speedster character who has yet to appear in the Arrowverse. And whether he appears in Season 5 or farther down the line, Nora's debut could be the first step toward Bart's big entrance.

This could also be a way of refocusing the series on the Allen/Thawne family rivalry. Reverse-Flash has so far cheated death twice, once at the hands of his ancestor Eddie and another after encountering the Black Flash. Thawne was last seen in the "Crisis on Earth-X" crossover, and there's no reason to assume he won't be returning to seek revenge against Team Flash. It's very possible that he'll be caught up in whatever time travel conflict Nora Allen has just unleashed.

For more on The Flash Season 4 finale, read our review and learn whether Harry Wells will be back in Season 5.