Joe West (Arrowverse)
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Joseph West is a fictional character portrayed by Jesse L. Martin in
The CW The CW Network, LLC (commonly referred to as The CW or simply CW) is an American commercial broadcast television network which is controlled by Nexstar Media Group through a 75% ownership interest. The network's name is derived from the firs ...
's
Arrowverse The Arrowverse is an American Superhero fiction, superhero media franchise and shared universe that is centered on various interconnected television series based on DC Comics superhero characters, primarily airing on The CW as well as web series ...
franchise. Created by
Geoff Johns Geoffrey Johns (born January 25, 1973) is an American comic book writer, screenwriter, and film and television producer. Johns's work on the DC Comics characters Green Lantern, Aquaman, Flash (comics), Flash, and Superman has drawn critical accl ...
,
Greg Berlanti Gregory Berlanti (born May 24, 1972) is an American screenwriter, producer and director. He is known for his work on the television series ''Dawson's Creek'', ''Brothers & Sisters (2006 TV series), Brothers & Sisters'', ''Everwood'', ''Political ...
and Andrew Kreisberg, the character was introduced in the
pilot episode A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie) in United Kingdom and United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television netwo ...
of ''
The Flash The Flash is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1 (cover date, cover-dated Jan ...
''. He is the legal guardian (later father-in-law) of protagonist Barry Allen / Flash and the father of
Iris West Iris Ann West-Allen is a fictional character, a supporting character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. She has been the main love interest and later wife of Barry Allen, the alter ego of the Silver Age version of the supe ...
,
Wally West Wallace Rudolph "Wally" West is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics as the original Kid Flash and the third Flash (DC Comics character), Flash. His power consists mainly of speedster (fiction), superhuman speed. T ...
, and Jenna West. Joe works at the Central City Police Department initially as a detective, heading its
metahuman In the DC Universe, a metahuman is a human with superpowers. The term is roughly synonymous with the terms '' mutant'', '' inhuman'' and '' mutate'' in the Marvel Universe and '' posthuman'' in the Wildstorm and Ultimate Marvel Universes. In ...
task force, and later as the captain, aiding Barry in keeping Central City safe from superpowered and dangerous criminals. Martin has received positive reviews for his performance as Joe.


Fictional character biography

In season one, Central City Police Department (CCPD) detective Joe West becomes the legal guardian to his neighbor
Barry Allen Bartholomew Henry "Barry" Allen is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is the second character known as the Flash, following Flash (Jay Garrick), Jay Garrick. The character first appeared in ''Showcase (comic ...
after Barry's mother Nora was murdered and his father
Henry Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainmen ...
convicted. Joe remains convinced Henry killed Nora, despite Barry's insistence of witnessing mysterious speedsters fighting that night and pursuit of other claims of
metahuman In the DC Universe, a metahuman is a human with superpowers. The term is roughly synonymous with the terms '' mutant'', '' inhuman'' and '' mutate'' in the Marvel Universe and '' posthuman'' in the Wildstorm and Ultimate Marvel Universes. In ...
activities to establish Henry's innocence. Several year later, Joe realizes that Barry may have been right after the S.T.A.R. Labs' particle accelerator explodes and transforms Barry and other Central City individuals into metahumans. He aids in Barry's crime-fighting efforts as the costumed speedster known as
the Flash The Flash is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1 (cover date, cover-dated Jan ...
and agrees to help exonerate Henry. Joe becomes one of the few who knows Barry's secret early on, alongside Caitlin Snow and Cisco Ramon, and he tells Barry to not reveal this secret for his daughter Iris's safety. Joe is aware that Iris and his partner
Eddie Thawne ''The Flash'' is an American television series developed by Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg, and Geoff Johns, based on the DC Comics character the Flash. The series premiered on The CW television network in the United States on October 7, 201 ...
have been dating, and although initially a bit upset, ultimately gives them his blessing. Joe secretly investigates S.T.A.R. Labs' director Harrison Wells. He, Barry, Caitlin and Cisco ultimately discover "Wells" is actually
Eobard Thawne Eobard Thawne, also known as the Reverse-Flash and Professor Zoom, is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by John Broome (writer), John Broome and Carmine Infantino, the character first appeared in ''T ...
, Nora's killer. Joe is powerless when Eddie sacrifices himself to erase the Reverse-Flash seemingly from existence. In season two, Joe becomes head of the CCPD's metahuman task-force, working with Cisco and
Patty Spivot Patricia "Patty" Spivot is a fictional character who appears in various DC Comics publications and was created by writer Cary Bates and artist Irv Novick. She is a friend and partner of the second Flash, Barry Allen. She first appeared in "Five ...
. He relies on Cisco's inventions to deal with superhuman criminals and becomes a mentor to the two. Joe later struggles with his disintegrated marriage when his estranged wife
Francine :''This is a disambiguation page for the common name Francine.'' Francine is a female given name. The name is of French origin. The name Francine was most popular in France itself during the 1940s (Besnard & Desplanques, 2003), and was well used ...
resurfaces. He later tells Iris, who believed her mother was dead based on Joe's lies, that Francine is actually alive and a former addict. Francine reveals to Joe that she is dying of a
terminal illness Terminal illness or end-stage disease is a disease that cannot be cured or adequately treated and is expected to result in the death of the patient. This term is more commonly used for progressive diseases such as cancer, rather than fatal injur ...
; Iris learns that Francine had given birth to Joe's son eight months after leaving him, and initially hides this fact from her father. Supported by Barry, Iris ultimately tells Joe about his son
Wally Wally may refer to: People and fictional characters * Wally (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Wally the Green Monster, mascot of the Boston Red Sox * Water Wally, mascot of the Singapore's Public Utilities Board * Wall ...
who eventually shows up at their home. Once they are introduced, their connection is uneasy; Joe is unsure of how to be a father to Wally, and Wally is somewhat resentful that his detective father was not there for him. But after Hunter Zolomon / Zoom kidnaps Wally, father and son become close. After Wally is exposed to Harry's dark matter experiment, Joe suspects Wally has become a metahuman. Joe gets captured during an attempt to neutralize Zolomon, however, Barry defeats Zolomon and saves the multiverse. In season three, Joe experiences radical differences after Barry creates the alternate Flashpoint timeline. Changes to Joe's life are made even after the timeline is reset, primarily that he and Iris are not speaking because Joe never said that Francine was alive. However, they settle matters after Barry reveals the timeline changes. Joe fears for Wally's life after discovering Wally's dreams as a speedster and was badly injured in the erased timeline. After Wally becomes a speedster, however, Joe eventually accepts his son's destiny thanks to H. R. He also begins to move on from his widowhood by dating Cecile Horton. After the demise of Savitar, Barry decides to atone for creating Flashpoint by entering the
Speed Force A speedster is a character, primarily in superhero comics, whose powers primarily relate to superhuman speed (also known as superspeed). Primary abilities shared by all speedsters include running at speeds far in excess of human capability (to var ...
, entrusting Central City to Joe and Team Flash. In season four, Joe learns that Cecile is pregnant with his child. Having a child young enough to be their grandchild causes him and Cecile to initially experience a
midlife crisis A midlife crisis is a transition of identity and self-confidence that can occur in middle-aged individuals, typically 45 to 65 years old. The phenomenon is described as a psychological crisis brought about by events that highlight a person's grow ...
. Joe and Cecile attend Barry and Iris's wedding ceremony, but it is suddenly interrupted by invaders from the
Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...
-dominated
Earth-X ''Earth X'' is a 1999 comic book limited series published by American company Marvel Comics. ''Earth X'' was written by Jim Krueger with art by John Paul Leon. Based on Alex Ross' notes, the series features a dystopian version of the Marvel Un ...
led by the Dark Arrow and his
Kryptonian Kryptonians are a fictional extraterrestrial race within the DC Comics universe that originated on the planet Krypton. The term originated from the stories of DC Comics superhero, Superman. The stories also use "Kryptonian" as an adjective to ref ...
wife Overgirl. Barry and his allies fight the invaders, while Wally takes Joe and Cecile to safety. Afterwards, John Diggle officiates Barry and Iris's wedding in an impromptu ceremony despite Joe's absence. When Barry is on trial after being framed for "murder", Joe considers framing Marlize DeVoe to prove Barry's innocence, but is talked out of doing it by Ralph Dibny. After Barry is exonerated, Joe is among those who celebrate with him. When Cecile goes into labor during Barry's final battle with Clifford DeVoe / Thinker, Joe stays by Cecile as Caitlin helps to deliver their child; following DeVoe's demise, he and Cecile later name their newborn daughter Jenna Marie West. His friends and family also meet
Nora West-Allen ''The Flash'' is an American television series developed by Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg, and Geoff Johns, based on the DC Comics character the Flash. The series premiered on The CW television network in the United States on October 7, 2014 ...
, Barry's and Iris's future daughter and therefore Joe's yet-to-be born granddaughter. In season five, Barry tells Joe that Nora is beginning to annoy him by spending so much time with him. Joe pacifies Barry by revealing that Nora's situation is identical to Barry's when he was a child. Joe is later held hostage by the masked serial killer
Cicada The cicadas () are a superfamily, the Cicadoidea, of insects in the order Hemiptera (true bugs). They are in the suborder Auchenorrhyncha, along with smaller jumping bugs such as leafhoppers and froghoppers. The superfamily is divided into two ...
, but saved due to Cisco's intervention. He later tells Iris he thinks Cicada is a father because of how he held Jenna's blanket and talked about family while holding his hostage. After Nora's relationship with Iris worsens, she decides to stay with Joe for a while. Eventually, using all the information gathered by Joe and Team Flash, detective Sherloque announces Cicada's true identity Orlin Dwyer. After the defeat of Dwyer, and his niece's alternate future self Cicada II, and the erasure of Nora from the timeline, Joe commiserates with Barry and Iris over their loss. CCPD captain David Singh, having been promoted to Chief of Police, names Joe as his replacement. In season six, Wally voices his suspicions about Iris's recent behavior to Joe; both are unaware that "Iris" is an impostor and the real one is trapped in a dimension called the Mirrorverse. Joe starts to investigate businessman Joseph Carver who sends
Ragdoll The Ragdoll is a List of cat breeds, breed of cat with a distinct Point coloration, colorpoint coat and blue eyes. Its Morphology (biology), morphology is large and weighty, and it has a semi-long and silky soft coat. American breeder Ann Baker ...
to kill him. After Joe's car is sabotaged, Singh urges him to go into
witness protection Witness protection is security provided to a threatened person providing testimonial evidence to the justice system, including defendants and other clients, before, during, and after trials, usually by police. While witnesses may only require p ...
; but he refuses. Following the different attacks by Ragdoll where one had
Sunshine Sunlight is the portion of the electromagnetic radiation which is emitted by the Sun (i.e. solar radiation) and received by the Earth, in particular the visible light perceptible to the human eye as well as invisible infrared (typically per ...
sprung from police custody and another had Cecile's life threatened, Joe accepts Singh's offer, unaware that "Singh" is actually an impostor from the Mirrorverse, and the real Singh's whereabouts unknown. Barry, having realized what happened to Iris, visits Joe and tells him about this. Following Carver's murder, Joe is released from witness protection and joins forces with Team Flash to rescue Iris from the Mirrorverse. In season seven, Joe meets Kristen Kramer who wants to arrest
Frost Frost is a thin layer of ice on a solid surface, which forms from water vapor that deposits onto a freezing surface. Frost forms when the air contains more water vapor than it can normally hold at a specific temperature. The process is simila ...
. Though Joe warns Frost about this, she refuses to hide. Kramer tells Joe she dislikes metahumans because a platoon she was part of was killed by a metahuman that they trusted. Despite Joe's attempts to defend Frost in court, she ultimately resigns herself to life imprisonment without parole. Some time later, Kramer asks Joe to bring in Barry to discuss metahuman transfers after getting information that
Rainbow Raider Rainbow Raider (Roy G. Bivolo) is a supervillain appearing in comic books by DC Comics. His real name is a pun based on the acronym "ROYGBIV", a mnemonic for the colors of a rainbow. He is a minor, though recurring, enemy of the Flash (Barry Allen) ...
went missing, later revealing she had created bullets containing the metahuman cure with the governor's approval. Cecile advises Joe that Kramer must stop her hunt on her own, leading to Joe resigning from the CCPD to remain righteous. Cecile later reveals gaps in Kramer's past to Joe. After investigating, Joe reveals Kramer had worked with her enemies and intentionally led her unit into an ambush. Meanwhile, Joe offers Kramer his help, but she refuses and threatens to have him arrested. During a second meeting however, she reveals it was her adoptive brother, Adam Creyke, who led her men into the ambush, though she blamed herself ever since. She eventually asks Joe to help her find Creyke. Joe and Kramer are attacked while staking out Creyke's boat, but ultimately trap their attacker, Creyke, who reveals he betrayed Kramer and the military as revenge for experiments he endured due to his abilities. Joe stops Kramer from killing Creyke and they arrest him. Joe later attends a ceremony where Barry and Iris renew their wedding vows. In season eight, it is mentioned that Joe has died six months prior to
Despero Despero () is a supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''Justice League of America'' #1 (October 1960), and was created by Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky. Debuting in the Silver Age of Comic ...
's arrival as Barry has no memory of it. It turned out that the Reverse-Flashpoint timeline was created by Thawne who had Joe pushed onto the tracks in front of a moving train. Joe is resurrected after Barry undoes the Reverse-Flashpoint timeline.


Other versions

* In season two, Barry meets Joe's Earth-2
doppelgänger A doppelgänger ( ), sometimes spelled doppelgaenger or doppelganger, is a ghostly double of a living person, especially one that haunts its own fleshly counterpart. In fiction and mythology, a doppelgänger is often portrayed as a ghostly or p ...
Joseph West, a lounge singer. He does not share a close bond with his son-in-law Barry, who he blames for his daughter Iris being in the police, claiming she joined to help pay his tuition to further his forensics career, though Earth-2 Iris herself denies this. Joseph is killed when struck by
Deathstorm Beatriz Da Costa Reep Daggle Dagon Dan the Dyna-Mite Dan the Dyna-Mite is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Danny Dunbar was the star pupil of Thomas N. Thomas, a high school chemistry and phys ...
's energy blast. * In the Flashpoint timeline of season three, Joe is an alcoholic who is uncommitted to his job and preferring to stay home and drink. He is estranged from both of his children and unaware that Wally is secretly the Flash. * In a dreamworld created by the Music Meister, a gangster named Digsy Foss resembles Joe and is a rival of "Cutter" Moran, who has the likeness of Malcolm Merlyn. In addition, he has an unnamed husband who has the likeness of
Martin Stein Martin Stein is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is commonly associated with, and sometimes is, the superhero Firestorm. Stein has made several appearances in DC-related media. He is portrayed by ...
. Digsy confronts Moran outside his club and a firefight ensues, leaving no survivors. * In an alternate 2024, Joe is shown to still be grieving Iris' death and Wally's paralysis and catatonia, both caused by Savitar. He is even estranged from Barry who severed ties with him in pursuit of vengeance against Savitar.


Development

Executive producers
Greg Berlanti Gregory Berlanti (born May 24, 1972) is an American screenwriter, producer and director. He is known for his work on the television series ''Dawson's Creek'', ''Brothers & Sisters (2006 TV series), Brothers & Sisters'', ''Everwood'', ''Political ...
and Andrew Kreisberg, and
DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...
CCO
Geoff Johns Geoffrey Johns (born January 25, 1973) is an American comic book writer, screenwriter, and film and television producer. Johns's work on the DC Comics characters Green Lantern, Aquaman, Flash (comics), Flash, and Superman has drawn critical accl ...
, created the character of Joe West for
the CW The CW Network, LLC (commonly referred to as The CW or simply CW) is an American commercial broadcast television network which is controlled by Nexstar Media Group through a 75% ownership interest. The network's name is derived from the firs ...
series ''
The Flash The Flash is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1 (cover date, cover-dated Jan ...
''. In January 2014, Jesse L. Martin was cast in the role, described as "an honest, blue-collar cop who is a surrogate father to Barry", and the biological father of Iris West. Although Barry's foster father in the comics is Darryl Frye, and Iris' father during the
Bronze Age of Comic Books The Bronze Age of Comic Books is an informal name for a period in the history of American superhero comic books, usually said to run from 1970 to 1985. It follows the Silver Age of Comic Books and is followed by the Modern Age of Comic Books. ...
was Ira West, and William West since the launch of
the New 52 The New 52 was the 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire Line (comics), line of ongoing monthly superhero American comic books, comic books. Following the conclusion of the "Flashpoint (comics), Flashpoint" Fictional crossover, cros ...
, Joe West is an original creation for the TV series. However, like Iris' family in the comics since the launch of the New 52, he and Iris were written as
African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...
for the TV series. Regarding Joe's relationship with Barry, Martin said, "When something is bothering
arry Arry is the name of the following communes in France: * Arry, Moselle, in the Moselle department * Arry, Somme, in the Somme department 'Arry is also a nickname, an example of H dropping in the name Harry. Those with such a nickname include: * Har ...
he will come to oe He won't go to Harrison Wells to talk about his real life. He comes to oe" Martin also reprised his role in the TV crossover event "
Crisis on Earth-X "Crisis on Earth-X" is the fourth Arrowverse Crossover (fiction), crossover event, featuring episodes of ''Supergirl (TV series), Supergirl'', ''Arrow (TV series), Arrow'', ''The Flash (2014 TV series), The Flash'', and ''Legends of Tomorrow' ...
". In season five, Joe made less appearances due to Martin taking a medical leave of absence after suffering a back injury, and thus Joe became an
unseen character An unseen character in theatre, comics, film or television, or a silent character in radio or literature, is a character who is mentioned but not directly known to the audience, but who advances the action of the plot in a significant way, and w ...
before Martin's return. On April 13, 2022, it was announced that Martin would not return as a series regular for season nine, though he would still recur.


Critical reception

Reviewing the
pilot episode A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie) in United Kingdom and United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television netwo ...
of ''The Flash'',
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's Jesse Schedeen praised the dynamic between Joe and Barry, calling it "solid". In 2015, Leah Thomas of ''
Bustle A bustle is a padded undergarment or wire frame used to add fullness, or support the drapery, at the back of women's dresses in the mid-to-late 19th century. Bustles are worn under the skirt in the back, just below the waist, to keep the skir ...
'' ranked Joe fifth in her list of "original characters who help complete DC Comics' TV Universe". Irina Curovic of ''
Comic Book Resources ''CBR'', formerly ''Comic Book Resources'', is a news website primarily covering comic book news, comic book reviews, and comic book–related topics involving movies, television, anime, and video games. It is owned by Valnet, parent of publicat ...
'' felt that Joe lacked a clear purpose in season 3 since, unlike the first two seasons where he was an important ally for Barry in catching criminals, "the third season mostly used Joe for the purposes of exposition". She felt that for this reason, the series no longer needed him. ''
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''s Jason Berman ranked Martin eighth on his 2016 list "20 Best Actors in the
Arrowverse The Arrowverse is an American Superhero fiction, superhero media franchise and shared universe that is centered on various interconnected television series based on DC Comics superhero characters, primarily airing on The CW as well as web series ...
". The following year, Katerina Daley of the same website included Joe in her list "7 Best (And 8 Worst) Arrowverse Characters", saying, "One of the most loving and committed fathers on television right now, Joe West portrayed with beautiful conviction by the esteemed Jesse L. Martin, is everything that a father should be."


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:West, Joe African-American characters in television Central City Police Department officers Characters created by Andrew Kreisberg Characters created by Geoff Johns Characters created by Greg Berlanti DC Comics television characters Fictional American police detectives Fictional police captains Male characters in television Superhero television characters Supergirl (TV series) characters Television characters introduced in 2014 The Flash (2014 TV series) characters