17. He Died
Letting his nephew Wally West take over the mantle of The Flash, it appeared as if Barry Allen had finally found peace with the love of his life Iris West. However, he was soon dragged into the Crisis on Infinite Earths, and it was this which would lead to his death. Creating a speed vortex to stop the Anti-Monitor's plan to destroy the Earth with an anti-matter cannon, the power proved to be too much for Barry's body, and he appeared to disintegrate. Weirdly, Barry's "death" transformed him into the lightning bolt which gave him his powers in the first place, but returned from the Speed Force over two decades later.