Wally West
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| Flash | |
 Cover art for The Flash vol. 2, # 207 Art by Michael Turner |
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| Publication information | |
|---|---|
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | as Kid Flash: The Flash vol. 1, #110 (Dec. 1959 – January 1960) as Flash: Crisis on Infinite Earths #12 (March 1986) |
| Created by | John Broome Carmine Infantino |
| In story information | |
| Alter ego | Wallace Rudolph "Wally" West |
| Team affiliations | Justice League Teen Titans Justice League Elite |
| Notable aliases | Kid Flash, Kid Lantern, Supersonic[citation needed] |
| Abilities | Super speed, augmented by the extra-dimensional Speed Force, molecular control, time and dimensional travel, enhanced strength, stamina, and durability |
Wally West is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the DC Comics Universe, the first Kid Flash and the third Flash.
[edit] Fictional character biography
When Wally is eight years old, he dreams of being like the Flash, though his parents do not approve. One day, he is visited by a friendly stranger, whose kindness gives young Wally the hope he needs for the future. The stranger then mysteriously disappears. It is later revealed in The Flash vol. 2 #0 that the stranger is an older version of Wally himself, who makes a detour in his travels through time to meet his younger self.
[edit] Kid Flash
Wally West is the nephew of Iris West (and consequently, Barry Allen's nephew by marriage), and is introduced in The Flash vol. 1, #110 (1959). When West is about ten years old, he visits the Central City police laboratory where Barry Allen (Iris' boyfriend at the time) worked, and the freak accident that gave Allen his powers repeats itself, bathing West in electrically-charged chemicals. Now possessing the same powers as The Flash, West dons a smaller sized copy of Barry Allen's Flash outfit and becomes the young crimefighter Kid Flash.
He soon adopts a slightly different, yellow-and-red outfit with his hair exposed, and becomes a founding member of the Teen Titans, along with fellow sidekicks Robin and Aqualad. Always something of a straight-shooter from rural America, Kid Flash sometimes feels out of place alongside more flamboyant heroes such as Speedy and Wonder Girl.
[edit] Flash
As a young adult, West finds his powers to be failing and even damaging his body. He retires from crimefighting until a cure can be found. However, he is called to action again by the Crisis on Infinite Earths, in which his uncle Barry has vanished. As a side effect of the energies he was exposed to during that adventure, West's powers stabilize. However, he can no longer run at the extraordinary speeds of his uncle. West is limited to the speed of sound and has to eat vast quantities of food to maintain his metabolism.
Despite these handicaps, West resumes his career, though he retires his Kid Flash costume and adopts the costume and name of the Flash to honor his uncle. He does, however, make his identity public knowledge to keep from replacing Barry Allen in the minds of the public. This makes him the first sidekick to actually take on the name of his mentor. A short time later, West wins a lottery, buys a large mansion, and becomes something of a playboy. He joins Justice League Europe early in his career as Flash and later joins the reformed Justice League. West's finances and luck continue to ebb and wane until Flash vol. 2, #62, when his playboy ways end and his fortunes stabilize.
[edit] The Speed Force
Over the next few years, West learns several things about his powers. First, it is suggested that Allen had not actually been human after gaining his own powers, but was in fact a powerful energy force. As Allen's career ends after his death, West has access to only a fraction of this energy. Later, West discovers that Allen was in fact a conduit to the Speed Force, an extradimensional energy force that West and other speedsters could also tap. West had been holding back from fully embracing the Speed Force for fear of replacing his uncle in the minds of the public.
In honor of his mentor, Wally took the name and costume of the Flash. He went through a difficult period of emotional instability during which he used his powers irresponsibly, developed a reputation as a womanizer, and finally sought psychiatric help, As he matured—much of which he credits to his now-longstanding relationship with reporter Linda Park—and learned to fulfill his responsibility, Wally slowly developed confidence and regained his earlier speed.
Finally breaking through his mental block of replacing Barry Allen, he achieved full speed, only to find himself changing into energy. In the midst of a battle for Keystone, he sacrificed his life and his humanity to save Linda—and became the only person known to return from the other side of the speed barrier. Wally now has a direct connection to the speed force, and subconscious knowledge of new ways to use it, including the ability to lend speed to other objects and people (Terminal Velocity and aftermath: Flash #95–101, 1994–1995).
Wally now wears a costume made of concentrated speed force energy. Unable to wait for both broken legs to heal and inspired by a then-recent Justice League case, he gained enough control over the speed force to create a costume which would support him and enable him to run despite his injury (Flash #131, 1997).
[edit] Realization of his full potential
A difficult encounter with a particularly vicious foe, the first Reverse-Flash (Eobard Thawne, originating from a time before he even had his first encounter with Barry), who was bent on destroying Allen's legacy finally motivated West to use his abilities to their fullest potential. Upon arriving, Thawne believed he was Barry Allen due to the shock of time travel and the trauma of learning of his future death at Barry's hands, causing him to 'hide' behind the identity of Barry Allen, whose life he had learned all about thanks to an as-yet-unpublished autobiography of Barry he possessed in his time. Although he initially worked as a hero, Thawne's true personality began to emerge, and "Barry" went rogue, attacking Central City for "forgetting him," even breaking Jay Garrick's leg in a battle. However, as Thawne (now his true self, uniform and all) bragged to Wally about how, when he was finished with Central City, no one would even remember Barry, a subconscious mental block Wally had imposed on his speed finally snapped; Wally had always limited his speed because, when he could move as fast as Barry, he really would have replaced him, but he feared Thawne replacing Barry more than he feared himself doing so. After this encounter, he was Barry Allen's equal in speed, though he still had not been able to recover Barry's vibrational abilities.
After discovering and being absorbed by the Speed Force, returning to Earth found Wally to be even faster than Barry Allen. This also saw the return of his vibration powers, though they had a destructive side effect of destroying any walls or objects he passed through. Battling the student/priest of speed, Savitar, West gained some additional powers from the Speed Force, and even more powers after meeting an alternate version of himself, Walter West (the Dark Flash), via Hypertime travel, including the ability to 'steal' speed from other speedsters to temporarily increase his own.
Until West's accumulation of new powers circa issues #90 and up, some of his uncle's abilities continued to elude West; most notably, the power to precisely travel through time, especially with the ease which Allen accomplished these feats. More recently, West has on several occasions used his speed to break time and even dimensional barriers, though unlike Barry Allen, he did not require the use of the Cosmic Treadmill to do so. By this time, Wally had also learned to temper the destructive nature of his vibration powers. While Walter seemed able to traverse dimensions easily (in The Flash vol. 2, #159, Walter West landed on our Earth and recognized himself on the cover of what was then the current month's issue of the comic), Wally has not, to date, been able to do so easily. The abilities that West has not been able to duplicate seem to coincide with Barry Allen's unique and complete control of his molecular structure.
Like his uncle, West had a friendship with Hal Jordan, a.k.a. Green Lantern. When Jordan became Parallax, he was replaced by Kyle Rayner. Having grown up with Jordan as Green Lantern and having always seen him as 'Uncle Hal', West did not warmly embrace Rayner when Rayner first took over the mantle and was very critical and sometimes harsh with Rayner during his early days. In time, West eventually accepted Rayner as Green Lantern and they became best friends and supporters. When John Stewart reprised his role as a Green Lantern once again and took Kyle's place within the Justice League, Wally accepted him as well. He also has a solid friendship with another one of his uncle's best friends, Oliver Queen, the Green Arrow, and his son, Connor Hawke, the second Green Arrow.
[edit] Marriage
West married journalist and longtime girlfriend, Linda Park. After an attack on Linda by a new Reverse-Flash, Zoom, caused a miscarriage of their unborn twins by triggering a sonic boom that caused Linda severe internal damage, West regretted the public knowledge of his identity. With the aid of the The Spectre (Hal Jordan), the knowledge of the Flash's secret identity was wiped from the minds of everybody in the world, but the Spectre's attempts to "reassert" its mission of vengeance over Jordan's attempts to make it a mission of redemption resulted in even Wally forgetting his own superheroic identity. He began working as a mechanic for the Keystone City Police, a job that reminded him of Barry Allen (whom he only remembered as a police scientist).
Eventually, Batman deduced the truth and restored West's memory by revealing his own identity. The truth has also been revealed to Wally's friends in the heroic community, and to Linda Park, who initially found it difficult to deal with (as in her false memories, their twins had been innocent victims caught in the crossfire between the Flash and Zoom) and took some time away from her husband before reuniting. Disillusioned with typical heroics for a time after this, the Flash took up joint membership with the Justice League and the newly-formed Justice League Elite, working under Sister Superior- sister of the deceased Manchester Black- and assorted anti-heroes as a superhuman 'black ops' team, working to track down and eliminate metahuman threats to the populace before they went public, although the team eventually fell apart after Black's spirit was discovered to be influencing his sister and trying to drive her to destroy London.
Due to another fight with Zoom, which featured the temporary return of Barry Allen and Professor Zoom, the events leading to Linda's miscarriage were altered, as Zoom's future self took the brunt of the sonic boom that would have hit Linda when he attempted to ram her at superspeed, and the miscarriage was erased. Linda delivered twins shortly after Wally returned to the present, leading Wally to reconsider his position as the Flash, aiming to give more time to his newfound family than to the superhero business.
[edit] Infinite Crisis
In Infinite Crisis #4, Wally, Jay, and Bart joined together to stop the rampage of Superboy-Prime in Smallville, using their top speeds to hinder him and trap him in another dimension. During the battle, Wally seemed to turn into energy and started to disappear. He was able to appear to Linda (his "lightning rod"). Refusing to be separated from her husband, Linda grabbed onto Wally in the middle of her good-bye with their infant children in her arms and all four vanished.
Apparently, Linda, Wally and their twins were still alive in an alternate reality, living in its version of Keystone City, from which only Bart Allen managed to return. Bart told the other heroes that Wally was "just taking some time away" with Linda to watch his twins grow without dealing with the pressures of being a hero.
[edit] Return
During the events of the JLA/JSA "The Lightning Saga" crossover, several members of the Legion of Super-Heroes travel to the present to resurrect an ally via lightning rods. The locations the Legion travels to include the spots where Barry Allen and Wally West gained their powers as well as the last spots on Earth where Barry appeared before his death. Both Batman and Hal Jordan realize this fact and believe Barry's return is imminent. However, they instead retrieve Wally, Linda and his twin children, Iris and Jai, who appear to have aged several years. Wally is immediately offered membership in the Justice League, which he accepts. Brainiac 5 implies West's return was a freak accident and that they still retrieved the correct person they wanted and he is encased in one of the lightning rods used in the resurrection ceremony.
In All Flash #1, after learning of Bart's death, Wally seeks those responsible: Inertia and the Rogues. He steals Inertia's speed, immobilizes him in stasis in the Flash Museum, and leaves him conscious to stare at Bart's statues as Impulse and Kid Flash for eternity.
Flash has returned as a regular monthly comic book. The book has much to do with Wally being a father of twins with powers, similar to his own. The first few issues dealt with Wally teaching his kids how to control their powers along with a minor alien invasion in which the Flash takes care of with the help of the Justice League.
[edit] Trade Paperback Collection
Collected editions reprinting The Flash (vol. 2) series featuring Wally West. NOTE: a new edition of Blood Will Run will be released in 2008, with stories from The Flash Secret Files and Flash: Iron Heights, where as the earlier edition published in 2002 did not contain Iron Heights. All collected editions are trade paperback releases, except for The Flash: The Wild Wests which will be released as a hardcover.
| Title | Material collected |
|---|---|
| Original | |
| The Flash: Born to Run | The Flash (vol. 2) #62-65 Flash Annual #8 Speed Force #1 Flash 80-Page Giant #1 |
| Flash: The Return of Barry Allen | The Flash (vol. 2) #74-79 |
| Impulse: Reckless Youth | The Flash (vol. 2) #92-94 Impulse #1-6 |
| The Flash: Terminal Velocity | The Flash (vol. 2) #0, 95-100 |
| The Flash: Dead Heat | The Flash (vol. 2) #108-111 Impulse #9-11 |
| The Flash: Race Against Time | The Flash (vol. 2) #112-118 |
| The Flash: Wonderland | The Flash (vol. 2) #164-169 |
| The Flash: Blood Will Run (2002 edition) | The Flash (vol. 2) #170-176 |
| The Flash: Blood Will Run (new edition, 2008) | The Flash (vol. 2) #170-176 The Flash Secret Files The Flash: Iron Heights |
| The Flash: Rogues | The Flash (vol. 2) #177–182 |
| The Flash: Crossfire | The Flash (vol. 2) #183-191 |
| The Flash: Blitz | The Flash (vol. 2) #192-200 |
| The Flash: Ignition | The Flash (vol. 2) #201-206 |
| The Flash: The Secret of Barry Allen | The Flash (vol. 2) #207-211 and 213-217 |
| The Flash: Rogue War | The Flash (vol. 2) #½, 212, 218-225 |
| The Flash: The Wild Wests (Hardcover; to be released July 30, 2008) | The Flash (vol. 2) #231-237 |
Collected editions featuring other Flashes, Jay Garrick and Barry Allen, as well as Wally West:
| Title | Material collected |
|---|---|
| Original | |
| The Greatest Flash Stories Ever Told HC (1990) and TPB (1991) | Flash Comics #1, 66, 86 Comic Cavalcade #24 Showcase #4 The Flash (vol. 1) #107, 113, 119, 124, 125, 137, 143, 148, 179 Five-Star Super-Hero Spectacular The Flash (vol. 2) #2 |
| The Flash: The Greatest Stories Ever Told TPB (2007) | Flash Comics #86, 104 The Flash (vol. 1) #123, 155, 165, 179 The Flash (vol. 2) #91 DC Special Series #11 |
[edit] Powers
Wally's primary super power is his speed. Over the years, this has fluctuated from his career as Kid Flash, where he could approach the speed of light, to the beginning of his career as The Flash, in which he was limited to a top speed of approximately 700 mph (1,100 km/h), leading to near retirement and returning to college before the death of Barry Allen. In recent years, with the knowledge and mastery of the Speed Force at his disposal, Wally has managed to surpass the speed of light, though it is tough to do and can lead to being trapped in the Speed Force.
As Kid Flash, Wally had the ability to control the vibration of his molecules to the degree that he could vibrate through solid objects and traverse other dimensions and times. He lost this ability when he became The Flash, and regained this power in later years with the added twist that vibrating through objects could cause them to explode; apparently, this later version of the power passed kinetic energy into the molecular structure of the object he vibrated through, and the object would explode from the charge.
Other applications of super-speed:
- Does not leave a scent trail that a bloodhound can track, even at the "low" speed of 700 mph
- Being able to run across the surface of large bodies of water--moving so fast that he does not break the surface tension of the water as he runs.
- Overcoming gravity by running up and down vertical surfaces.
- Creating wind vortices by running in circles or rotating his arms and legs.
- "Lending" velocity to objects or people already in motion
- "Stealing" the speed of others and utilizing it himself.
- Vibrating his molecules so fast he can travel through objects such as walls.
- Use of his incredibly fast reflexes in order to withstand powerful blows.
- Gaining infinite force or weight as he approaches light speed, resulting in extremely heavy blows.
- Creating after-images of himself.
- Vibrate so that light does not reflect off him sufficiently, rendering him invisible[1]
- "Accelerated Healing" the ability to speed up his natural healing process.
- Talking at a super-speed whereas only other super-speedsters (like Superman, Jesse Quick, Max Mercury, etc.) can receive, interpret and return communication at the same velocity.
As with most super-speedsters, Wally possesses an "aura" which protects him (and whatever he carries) from heat and air friction when he travels at high velocities. He also has a slight amount of invulnerability with this "aura".
[edit] Costumes
As Kid Flash, Wally wore a costume that was primarily yellow with red leggings, gloves and mask. The costume, like that of the Flash, would compress into a ring's compartment for quick changes.
At the beginning of his career as The Flash, initially wearing the costume of his late mentor Barry Allen, Wally would soon modify the belt of his costume to resemble two connecting lightning bolts, remove the wings from the top of his boots, alter the material of his costume, and add opaque lenses to the eyes of his cowl. This modified design utilized elements of the costume designed by artist Dave Stevens for the live action television series, The Flash. Later, after an accident left him with two broken legs, Wally discovered he had gained enough control over the Speed Force to create a costume of solidified energy which would support him and enable him to run despite his injury. With enough control, his Speed Force Energy costume could be shaped identically to his costume. This energy-based costume could appear at Wally's will, and could be mentally modified to show his eyes (which he resumed as the normal appearance) and mouth, or to shield both from a hostile environment.
As of All Flash #1, Wally's costume has been modified slightly with the addition of wings to his boots similar to those featured on Barry Allen's costume.
[edit] Villains
Like his predecessor before him, Wally has accumulated a Rogues' Gallery as well. Many of his uncle's old rogues are still around, except for Captain Boomerang (George "Digger" Harkness, who was killed during Identity Crisis by Jack Drake, the father of the current Robin, in self-defense, although Jack died as well) and the first Mirror Master (Samuel Scudder, who was killed during the Crisis on Infinite Earths by Krona).
Some of these newer rogues include:
- Blacksmith - head of the Network with the ability to fuse metal with flesh.
- Cicada - cult leader with immortality
- Double Down - has a cursed deck of mystical playing cards embedded in himself. They can be thrown telekinetically and are razor sharp.
- Girder - superstrong and superdurable, made of steel.
- Magenta - uses magnetism-based powers.
- Mirror Master (Evan McCulloch) - uses the original Mirror Master's equipment.
- Murmur - a serial killer who developed the "frenzy virus," an anthrax-like virus based on his own blood.
- Peek-a-Boo: A teleporting metahuman and reluctant rogue.
- Plunder - a bounty hunter from a mirror universe. His analogue in this world is the Keystone City PD cop Fred Chyre.
- Tar Pit - mind trapped in invulnerable asphalt.
- Thinker - A sentient computer program in hologram form based on the brain patterns of the original Thinker.
- Trickster (Axel Walker) - based on the original Trickster.
- Zoom - exists on a separate timeline from the world. This gives the illusion of super-speed.
- Captain Boomerang II - The son of the original Captain Boomerang killed by Tim Drake's father Jack Drake in the Identity Crisis story line. Now reformed and a member of the Outsiders and the Suicide Squad.
[edit] Allies and friends
Wally's father, Rudolph West (a Manhunter agent), was presumed deceased following an explosion in Cuba during the Invasion series. He reappeared years later at, among other places, his ex-wife Mary West's (Wally's mother) second wedding. They both later attended Wally and Linda's wedding.
While they disagree regularly, Wally has a developed an odd friendship/respect with Batman, whom has more than once made it clear that those feelings are mutual.
Like his predecessors, West is good friends with the Green Lantern of his time (Kyle Rayner). Wally also retained a close friendship with Kyle's predecessor Hal Jordan, who often looked out for Wally even while he was the Spectre. His best friend is perhaps Dick Grayson, who served with Wally on the Teen Titans as the first Robin.
[edit] Supporting cast
Wally also has developed a very extensive supporting cast over the duration of his ongoing comic book series which began in 1987. It should be noted that a few of them are former villains and adversaries, such as Pied Piper, Speed Demon and Chunk.
- Mary West - Wally's mother
- Dr. Tina McGee - a scientist/nutritionist with whom he had a brief romantic involvement
- Dr. Jerry McGee a.k.a. Speed Demon a.k.a. Speed McGee - Tina's (formerly ex-) husband and former super-speed villain
- Connie Noleski - a model and girlfriend of Wally's in his early career as the Flash. She is currently married to Chunk.
- Chester P. Runk a.k.a. Chunk - a brilliant physicist who became a walking black hole after a matter-transmitting machine he invented imploded during its first test
- Mason Trollbridge - the former kid sidekick of a hard-edged depression-era crimefighter known as the Clipper.
- Pied Piper - one of Barry Allen's former Rogues.
- Linda Park-West - originally introduced as a television news reporter, Wally began dating and eventually married her.
- Jay Garrick - the original Flash. Currently out of semi-retirement and a member of the Justice Society of America.
- Jesse Quick - the daughter of Liberty Belle and Johnny Quick, Jesse is a second generation superhero and speedster like her father.
- Max Mercury - the Zen Master of Speed.
- Iris Allen - Wally's aunt, returned from the future.
- Kid Flash - Bart Allen, Barry and Iris Allen's grandson from the future. Originally code-named Impulse. Was a member of the Teen Titans when he took on his cousin's old identity. Wally and Bart are second cousins by marriage, adoption, two-way time travel and cloning.
- Ashley Zolomon - current Rogue Profiler with the Keystone City PD, and former wife of Hunter Zolomon
[edit] Children
At the end of Rogue War, Linda retroactively gave birth to twins, eventually named Iris and Jai [2] The twins were quickly aged due to their time inside the speed force. It has recently been revealed that the twins can control and manipulate their own molecules, accordingly Jai can “bulk up” and Iris can pass through solid matter. In Mark Waid's Kingdom Come and The Kingdom an alternate version of the twins are named Barry and Iris West and inherit their father's speed, but only Iris decides to become a superhero, a new Kid Flash. In Waid's The Life Story of the Flash, "written" by Iris Allen, she describes her namesake in a positive light and Barry West as "a tragedy." However, the timeline has since been altered.
Jai West
He is very likely named after Jay Garrick, the original Flash. He has inherited the ability to accelerate muscle growth, giving himself temporary super-strength. He is roughly 8 years old and is about 2 years "younger" than his sister, Iris.
Iris West II
She is named after her great-aunt Iris West I. She has inherited the ability to vibrate her own molecules (and anything she touches) at super-speed, enabling her to phase through matter. She is close to 10 years old, about 2 years "older" than her twin brother, Jai.
Though they are twins, one born just after the other, Iris appears about two years older than Jai, likely due to different aging speeds of their respective accelerated metabolisms.
[edit] Other versions
- Flash has appeared in the Justice League Unlimited spin-off comic book.
[edit] Walter West
During the 1990s, an alternate version of Wally, called Walter "Wally" West, arrived to the regular DC Universe from an alternate timeline in Hypertime. In his timeline, Walter wasn't able to save Linda Park from her death at the hands of Kobra. He became known as the Dark Flash. Besides his name and reality, Walter is also different because he has blue eyes, while the normal Wally has green. Among his abilities, he can vibrate through objects without making them explode and he can also steal the speed from others. He is currently travelling through Hypertime to find his own timeline. Walter has not appeared since, but he was an alternate costume for Wally in the video game Justice League Heroes.
[edit] Superman & Batman: Generations
In Superman & Batman: Generations 2, Wally started as Kid Flash around the same time as he did in his first appearance. There was a few notable differences, as his suit was primarily red rather than yellow. Also he, Robin II, Wonder Girl, and Supergirl formed the Justice League rather than the Teen Titans. He became the Flash roughly around 1974 up until 1986, when his cousin Carrie took over. Also, Wally married a woman named Magda, rather than Linda Park, who gave birth to their son Jay.
[edit] The Barry Allen Story
In Flash Annual #7, an alternate universe is shown where after Wally became Kid Flash, he became a superstar celebrity. However, after Barry was killed in a battle with Captain Cold, Wally's speed began to give out on him. He eventually lost use of his legs. Ten years later, Captain Cold wrote the "true" story of Barry Allen. Wally eventually decides to direct a movie about Barry's life to show the world what a great man he was. The resulting film is a success and Wally becomes "the fastest director alive."
[edit] Facets
In an alternate reality shown in The New Titans Annual #10, where Queen Raven was the ruler of N'Yarque. The queen needed help, so she kidnapped people and transformed them, one of whom became the Flash.
[edit] Other media
[edit] The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure
In 1967, The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure was produced by Filmation and featured seven minute shorts which starred various DC Universe heroes. Wally West was featured in two of them as Kid Flash.
Wally West is in a segment starring the Flash (Barry Allen), "To Catch A Blue Bolt" shows Barry and Wally changing into their Flash and Kid Flash uniforms using their rings. It should be noted that Wally's appearance differs from his comic book counterpart. He has black hair and his red and yellow color scheme is reversed from his second uniform.
Wally was also featured on the Teen Titans segment which featured Aqualad, Wonder Girl, Speedy and the Wally West version of Kid Flash as seen in the Flash segment.
[edit] The Flash TV series (1990-1991)
The Flash was a live action CBS television series that starred John Wesley Shipp and Amanda Pays. The Flash featured in the series was an amalgamation of the silver-age Flash, Barry Allen, and the modern-age Wally West. The only resemblances between the TV Barry Allen Flash and the comic book Barry Allen Flash were his name, his profession as a forensic scientist, and his love interest Iris (who is very short lived as a love interest in the television series). Most of the elements in the television show were taken directly from the main story line in the first Wally West Flash comic books: The STAR labs researcher Tina McGee, her and her husband's research into speed, her husband's allegedly fatal accident with their speed research, the Flash's ravenous appetite, heat problems (which were mitigated by the TV show Flash suit), and speed limit on the order of the speed of sound were all elements from the main Wally West comic book storyline.
The Flash TV Special #1 comic introduced a variation on Kid Flash. The particular version of the character was a teenage thief named Vince Everett. Unlike The Flash, his powers didn't require eating to replenish. His speed is pushed to the limit as he chases The Flash through an amusement park, eventually burning his powers out.
[edit] Justice League of America pilot
The Flash (Barry Allen) was in a CBS live-action pilot called Justice League of America, portrayed by Kenny Johnston. The pilot did not air in the United States. Similar to The Flash (TV series), this Flash appeared to be Barry Allen in name only, as he reflected Wally's age, ravenous appetite, and personality. In addition, this version of Justice League was inspired by the Keith Giffen-era Justice League, of which Wally was a member.
[edit] DC Animated Universe
[edit] Superman: The Animated Series
An episode of Superman: The Animated Series called "Speed Demons" featured the first animated appearance of Wally West as Flash. He was voiced by Charlie Schlatter.
[edit] Justice League/Justice League Unlimited
Wally West is the Flash featured as one of the seven founding members of the Justice League, in both the Justice League and Justice League Unlimited animated series. His personality is more or less the same as it was from his appearance on Superman: The Animated Series, and his flippant attitude is often used to provide comic relief from the often intense nature of his fellow Leaguers, though he is the featured hero in several episodes. However, in one episode of Justice League Unlimited, he complains to Elongated Man that he dislikes being viewed as the "teenage sidekick" even though he was part of the original seven. His super fast metabolism, which results in him eating absurdly and inhumanly large portions of food, was something of a running gag on the series. Flash's endorsement of the "Lightspeed" candy bar (which created controversy fueled by a talk-show host who constantly dissed the League in one episode) was also a sort of running gag (no pun intended), as the bars make numerous other appearances, with Flash's picture on the wrapper in some cases. He was prominently featured in "Divided We Fall," where he successfully defeated a fused Lex Luthor and Brainiac when the others could not (in addition, this also allowed him to contact the Speed Force) though the process almost kills him (in fact, he even remarked that he doesn't think he could ever go that fast again because he probably couldn't come back), "Flash and Substance," a day in the life of The Flash in Central City during Flash Appreciation Day, and "The Great Brain Robbery," in which he switches bodies with Lex Luthor.
The Flash in this series is a hybrid of both Barry Allen and Wally West.
Barry Allen elements of the JL/JLU animated Flash: He's the only existing Flash in the series, he was never Kid Flash. He lives in Central City, Barry Allen's hometown as opposed to Keystone City, Wally West's hometown. He is a police scientist, which was Barry Allen's job in the comics. His origin is also that of Barry Allen's. This Flash also fought some of the Barry Allen Flash's enemies throughout the series, such as Captain Cold, Mirror Master, Captain Boomerang, Gorilla Grodd and The Trickster. Has the Flash ring, which was invented by Barry Allen in the comics, to store his Flash costume in.
Wally West elements of the JL/JLU animated Flash: He has red hair and green eyes like Wally does in the comics. This Flash also has Wally's girl crazy, occasionally show offy and child like attitude and intelligence. When he tries to vibrate his molecules through solid objects, he causes them to explode as opposed to passing through the object intangible like Barry Allen would. Linda Park, Wally's girlfriend and eventual wife in the comics, appears in an episode and is a suggested love interest for the Flash.
Wally appears not wearing the Flash costume twice in the series. The first is in the Starrcrossed episodes when the Justice League decides to remove their costumes and move around as ordinary people to hide and regroup. The Flash appears reluctant to trust his fellow Justice League members with his secret identity, whereupon Batman exclaims, "Wally West!" while pointing at the Flash, followed up by revealing the secret identity of Superman (Clark Kent) and himself (Bruce Wayne). Wally then removes his mask and Wonder Woman tells him that she likes his red hair just before mussing it. The next is in the episode Flash and Substance, where Wally is shown to be working at the forensics lab before taking a half day off to attend the Flash museum opening. Wally's face is also exposed in one other episode, "The Great Brain Robbery". When his mind is switched with Lex Luthor's, Lex removes the mask to see if he can at least "figure out" who the Flash really is by looking at his face in the bathroom mirror, only to state in an annoyed tone, "I have no idea who this is."
Flash was voiced by Michael Rosenbaum, the actor who portrays young Lex Luthor in the live action television series Smallville. Flash is shown to have an infatuation with Fire in the episode "I Am Legion."
[edit] Teen Titans animated series
Kid Flash appears in an episode of the Teen Titans animated series entitled "Lightspeed". While the character's true identity is never given, the fact that Michael Rosenbaum voices the character implies that he is intended to be Wally West as Rosenbaum also voices an older Flash/Wally West in Justice League. In the series, he is portrayed similar to the way that Wally was portrayed in comic books. His personality is often considered "laid back", and he is known to be comedic and sometimes flirtatious. However he has blue eyes like Impulse, unlike Wally's green eyes.
When Jinx asks Kid Flash who he is working for he says "I work alone these days", implying a previous partnership with The Flash.
When the Titans are searching for the Brotherhood of Evil and the Titans East have gone back home to Steel City, Kid Flash decides to help protect Jump City and stop crimes from being committed. When he interferes with the H.I.V.E. Five's criminal deeds, he flirts with their leader, Jinx, and tries to make her reevaluate her life of crime. Shortly afterwards the Brotherhood of Evil attempts to capture him and, after Madame Rouge tires him out, Jinx traps him in an electric field. He is nearly handed over to Madame Rouge, but is freed by Jinx when she realizes Madame Rouge isn't as great as she seemed and that Kid Flash was the one who truly cared for her well being. Afterwards, Jinx quits the H.I.V.E. Five and joins forces with him as a Titan and the two quickly form a romantic relationship.
He briefly appears in a shot of all the Titans in "Calling All Titans", where it is revealed the Titans have come in contact with him and he has a Titan communicator. In "Titans Together", he brings Jinx to the Brotherhood's lair as his ally and helps the speedsters Más y Menos and the other Titans freeze the Brothehood's member villains inside cryogenic cases. Más y Menos are very impressed by Kid Flash's speed and abilities which he can engage on his own.
Kid Flash is one of the few Titans in the animated series to fully resemble his comic counterpart. However, Wally's eyes in the comics are currently green. The design of Kid Flash with blue eyes remains consistent with his original appearances, pre-Crisis.
Kid Flash is mentioned in issue #28 of Teen Titans Go!, and makes cameo appearances in several other issues. He is featured in a worldwide race against Más y Menos in issue #34. Although knowing that Jinx obviously has feelings for him, he inadvertently flirts with Raven, Argent, and several other girls behind while running the race, making Jinx jealous and causing him to lose the race to Más y Menos when Jinx shows up at the finish line and confronts him about his flirtatious nature.
[edit] Stop Motion
Stop Motion, a novel about Wally West by Mark Schultz, explores the relationships between Wally and those closest to him. However, it contradicts established continuity on several points such as by frequent mentions of a genetic link between Wally and Iris, whom the comics have established as adopted.
[edit] DC vs. Marvel
During this series, Flash faces off against his Marvel counterpart, Quicksilver. The two battle until they accidentally cause an oil truck to crash. Flash saves the people inside, but is then attacked by Quicksilver. Due to Quicksilver wanting to win by more dishonorable means, Flash regains the lead and defeats his foe.
[edit] Justice League: The New Frontier
Although Barry Allen is The Flash portrayed in this movie, Wally West's face can be seen as Kid Flash in the movie.
[edit] Bibliography
- The Flash (Vol. 2) #1 - 230; #231 - (June 1987 - March 2006; Oct. 2007-present), #0 (Oct. 1994), #1,000,000 (Nov. 1998)
- Annuals 1 - 13 (1987-2000)
- Special 1 (1990)
- All Flash #1 (Sept. 2007)
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Titans Tower biography
- Crimson Lightning - an online index to the comic book adventures of the Flash.
- The Flash: Those Who Ride The Lightning - fan site with information about the super-speed characters of the DC Universe
- The Unofficial Flash Biography
- Photon Torpedoes - Flash Facts
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