I want to talk about a superhero. One of my favorite superheroes and, in my opinion, one of the more underrated in the eyes of the general public: The Flash.

Sadly, many people now only know a superhero if the word Marvel precedes their movie that just got released. However, there are many people, like me, who are huge fans of the Flash primarily thanks to the CW-aired television show starring Grant Gustin, which began in 2014 and is about to premiere its sixth season this October.

Now in the DC universe, as with many comic book characters, there are more super speedsters than you could shake a stick at. The Jay Garrick Flash of the "golden era" of comics, who was replaced by Barry Allen in 1956. Also, Wally West, who began as Kid Flash, but with the death of Barry Allen in a huge crossover comic series called "Crisis on Infinite Earths" in 1986, became the main Flash for decades, before bringing Barry Allen back in "Flash: Rebirth" in 2009. In fact, the CW show is adapting elements of "Crisis on Infinite Earths" in the upcoming sixth season, as well as for the crossover event spanning "The Flash," "Arrow," "Supergirl," and "DC's Legends of Tomorrow."

Those who aren't familiar with the comics or the show may not even know his name or even his origin story. They may only know that he wears a red suit and that "he's the fast guy in the Justice League" which I find heartbreaking. Many people do not know his tragic origin; his set of powers, just how powerful they are, and what he can do with them; they don't know him or his character, or what truly makes him a hero.

His name is Barry Allen, and he is the fastest man alive. Barry became a crime scene investigator for the Central City Police Department due to the mysterious death of his mother and subsequent imprisoning of his father, who was wrongly convicted for the murder. Barry underwent an electrochemical bath by simultaneously being struck by a bolt of lightning and crashing into shelves of chemicals, all in his lab. The effects of this gave him speed beyond his, or anyone's, imagination.

Flash can travel anywhere in time and space, with only his legs and what's called the "Speed Force." He can use this for something as simple as generating electricity (to throw lightning or even resuscitate someone), or for something as complex as traveling backward or forward in time as he pleases, as well as traveling to different "Earths" or different versions of Earth that reside in different dimensions.

If all of that wasn't enough to get you to check out a highly-rated Flash comic, or even check out the show (it's on Netflix too, by the way.) I will tell you why he's an inspiration to me. I'm not just talking about going on runs and trying to increase my speed each time or trying to get things done faster, just so you can picture what being The Flash might feel like; imagining that you could go anywhere and do anything at super speed is fun enough on its own (or maybe it's just me). I am talking about the mindset of The Flash/Barry Allen.

There is a classic comic story, called "Flashpoint," in which Barry Allen wakes up in a world entirely different from the one he, and us as comic book readers, are used to. And it is different for the worse. It's later revealed that he is not at all in an alternate timeline, and what caused all the changes was Flash himself using the Speed Force to go back in time and change something monumental to him. In short, in doing this, he messed up a lot of stuff.

The Flash as a character is all about moving forward. It's not about going back to fix mistakes you may have made or bad things that may have happened to you, but learning from them, and moving on. The world is a fast-paced place, and often, we must be fast-paced people to get ahead of, or even just keep up with it. Heroes like The Flash remind me to always keep moving. Not just moving but moving forward; full speed ahead.