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In the first episode of The Flash (2014), Barry's struck by lightning, some chemicals fall on him, and he enters a coma for 9 months. This happens when the S.T.A.R. Labs particle accelerator is turned on for the first time. 9 months later, he wakes up and has powers. He then starts fighting crime, especially other meta-humans who were created by the same particle accelerator accident. However, this is all 9 months after the accident, where were the other meta-humans during those 9 months? The S.T.A.R. Labs people make it sound like they hadn't seen any meta-humans active during the 9 months Barry was out.

Did all people granted powers by the particle accelerator accident also fall into comas? Why weren't they active heroes/villains during the 9 month gap?

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My understanding is that the coma was caused more by the lightning strike than the explosion and subsequent exotic particles raining down on Central City. Those particles covered a large portion of the city. It'd be overwhelming to the city's health care network to care for people affected in each of these areas.

Explosion Coverage

There is evidence, though, that not all meta-humans went into a coma. In the pilot, Barry investigates unsolved crimes while he was in a coma. He discovers missing persons and unexplainable unsolved crimes. He makes the point of saying to the STAR Labs team that the meta humans have been busy.

The bank robbery is not the first robbery that occurred during a freak storm. This is discussed at the Police Department when Barry comes out of the coma.

Speculation - Dr Caitlin Snow shares the name of Killer Frost. If she does, indeed, turn out to have powers at some point in the future then she is one of the meta-humans that did not go into a coma.

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  • Good answer. Regarding Snow, I KNEW I recognized her name, but couldn't place it at the time. Thanks!
    – Omegacron
    Commented Oct 15, 2014 at 15:56
  • @Omegacron: Then again, if Arrow is anything to judge by, it's safe to assume that the authors are throwing out references to characters without any intention of following up on them in exactly the same way as they're portrayed in the comics, (cf. Dinah Laurel Lance, and various other examples,) so there's no good reason to assume that Caitlin will, in fact, turn out to be Killer Frost.
    – Mason Wheeler
    Commented Oct 15, 2014 at 22:07
  • The bank robbery is not the first, but the Police Department spoke about 3 cases in one month. It's superficial and inconsistent suppose that all the meta-humans makes no noise on the first eight months.
    – ton
    Commented Nov 20, 2015 at 18:42
  • Now in Season 3, your prediction about Caitlin Snow has come true.
    – Thunderforge
    Commented Nov 17, 2016 at 15:29
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In the most recent season of "The Flash" (season 8) there is an episode ("Impulsive Excessive Disorder") that revisits the period while Barry is in a coma. At that time, there are apparently several metahumans who are not in a coma (the members of the Royal Flush Gang), but they are still coming to grip with the idea that they have powers, until, in this episode Queen hears Impulse and XS use the term "metahuman," and realizes that she's not alone, but a member of a new class of people.

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Bart and Nora go to work in Barry’s lab where he was struck by lightning. Nora finds the exact moment when Bart saves Joe. They also see Mona Taylor, The Queen standing nearby. She isn’t supposed to for the Royal Flush Gang until after Barry suits up as the Flash. She does so when she realizes there are other metahumans out there. Nora checks the news and there is supposed to be a bombing at the Utopia Casino on New Year’s Eve that kills 30 people. Then she realizes that Mona must have overheard her and Bart talking about metahumans. Now they have to stop the heist.

So the other metas weren't in comas - but they weren't using their powers for crime in an obvious fashion for some time after they got them, due to confusion or fear.

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