Linda Park Will Stir Up Romance On 'The Flash'

Even superheroes need a little love in their lives. And with Valentine's Day quickly approaching, it looks like Barry Allen is going to hit it off with Linda Park, who works at the Central City Picture News. The name Linda Park is no stranger to DC Comics fans, and we've actually seen her before on both Arrow and The Flash (but she's been recast. Awkward, but more on that later). Linda's a huge character in the comics, and now it looks like she's made her way into Barry's heart too. Kind of like Iris, Linda is a news reporter. In the comics, she actually deals more with broadcast journalism rather than print, and is always hounding the Flash about the trouble he's caused. Also, Linda absolutely HATED the Flash when they first met, because she thought he was stupid and a little bit arrogant and not at all concerned for the well being of others. Clearly, they didn't hit it off right away. It's also important to mention that the Flash in question here isn't the Barry Allen we know and love, but rather his nephew who took up the flash mantle, Wally West. Linda doesn't have any contact with Barry in the comics, but rather this relative of his. Linda was completely unaware of Wally's metahuman state for a really long time, but after one too many brushes with death, he finally came clean to her about everything he had been hiding (i.e., the fast speed, among other things). Thankfully, the two were deeply in love, and eventually got married. They had two kids, Jai and Iris, who both grew up with metahuman powers of their own (super strength and speed, of course). Linda's also good friends with Hartley Rathaway, aka Pied Piper. It's kind of fascinating to see how The Flash has taken these already established comic characters, and crafted them into something completely new while still staying true to the original version. The character of Linda Park has actually appeared before on both Arrow and The Flash. She first appeared in the Arrow Season 2 episode that introduced Barry Allen to The CW, when she was reporting on the particle accelerator at S.T.A.R. Labs. She appeared again in The Flash pilot, reporting live from the scene about the surprise tornado. She was originally portrayed by Olivia Cheng, but has been re-cast and will now be played by Malese Jow, who looks like she'll be appearing in a few episodes. During that time, will Linda step up and fill that void in Barry's heart? Or does this just make everything way more complicated should Wally West ever show up? We'll have to see how Linda fits into this Flash story when she's introduced in "Crazy For You."

Image: Katie Yu/The CW