Hero Profile: The Flash (Wally West)

Big shoes to fill. Amazing they've held up
so long give how much Allen runs around.

Now we hit the Hairy Chest… I mean the third incarnation of the Flash. Wally West began his superhero career as the Flash’s sidekick, Kid Flash. Why he didn’t go by something… a little more creative, I’ll never know. Also, he’s Barry Allen’s nephew by marriage. I’d hate to imagine the chewing out Barry must have received for every broken bone or scuffed knee Wally suffered. What am I talking about, I’m here to talk about Wally as the Flash. Here we go.

Wally West took up the mantel of the Flash after his uncle’s apparent death defeating the Anti-Monitor. West was the first Flash to discover the Speed Force, Allen’s importance wasn’t revealed until his return, and was the first to really tap into it. He became the fastest Flash to date. It is also revealed just how tied to the Speed Force DC speedsters are. During a crossover event with Marvel called JLA/Avengers, it was discovered that not only was the Speed Force something unique to the DC-verse, when West entered the Marvel-verse he was cut off from the Speed Force and left powerless. They jerry-rigged a magic battery to let him circumvent this, but it is still interesting to note. I guess if we want to see who is fastest, The Flash or Quicksilver, it will have to be on DC turf.

Wally help found the most recent incarnation of the JLA.  Why do they keep disbanding it? Seems silly to me. He also pulled an Iron Man, revealing his true identity to the world. Which was later removed from everyone’s mind by a friend of the Flash. West also had to deal with the pretty major tragedy of his nemesis, Zoom, causing his wife to have a miscarriage. Which was later removed from the timeline because…reasons. Comic Writers really need to learn to stick with things. Seriously. West retired, for the time being, to raise and train his rapidly growing twins. Like his predecessor, he comes back. Can’t keep a good speedster down.

Wally's costumes: Kid Flash, The Flash,
and The Flash after Allen's return

Like the previous Flash, West is connected to the Speed Force. He has virtually identical powers, plus the rather weird ability to create a costume from the Speed Force itself. Makes about as much sense as Marvel’s Storm making a costume out of lightning bolts. <sigh> Don’t question everything Mike, you’ll give yourself a headache.West is also the first Flash to demonstrate the ability of transferring his speed to other beings/objects. With a touch he can make an old clunker of a car into something that could outrace a racecar.

West has appeared in a number of series, sometimes as Kid Flash, sometimes as The Flash. His biggest appearance was in the Justice League and Justice League Unlimited animated series. It’s interesting to note that while the character is supposed to be Wally West, they also incorporated aspects of his predecessor into him. He’s the hero of Central City instead of Keystone City, he works for the Police Department instead of his normal day job which I can’t find for some reason, and he has Allen’s special way with some of his villains. He actually “defeats” one by telling said baddy to go back to the Hospital and get back on his meds. Impressive, no?

Wally West also appeared in his Kid Flash persona in Young Justice. I only mention this because, unlike his comic continuity, West is depicted as slower than Allen. Which makes sense because in this continuity, he recreated the chemicals + lightning strike = superpowers, rather than being caught in the same blast as his mentor. One of the better jokes about this difference in power was when Allen conversed with his time-traveling grandson Bart Allen at high speed. In their perspective, they were speaking normally, to everyone else they were on Fast Forward. The cop standing with West asks, “You gettin’ any of this?” to which West replies, “Like every fifth word.”

Great way to bond with your kids,
By beating up Bad Guys.

I’m unsure if Wally West will appear in the new Flash TV series, but if he does he’ll probably appear rather different than normal. Let me explain, Wally West in the comics and most of his other incarnation is depicted as being a red head. It’s not a huge thing, it’s just how he looks when not wearing the red suit. While Wally West hasn’t been shown as of yet in The Flash’s promos, Grandfather Joe West and Aunt Iris West have, and this time around they are African American. So odds are if Wally appears he is going to be African American or mixed race, I don't believe either of those allows for a red head to be born. Again, not a huge thing, just a visual difference really. I only bring it up because it’s something I for one, haven’t seen before.

Wally West is a good character. He has a lot in common with his Uncle and Jay Garrick in terms of powers and personality. He’s a little more impulsive then Allen, and a bit more relaxed, which makes him a bit more likeable. Even with this, when things get serious West shifts his personality, in a Flash! Sorry couldn’t help myself. Next we have the Flash that has the oddest background, Bart Allen, time-traveling grandson of Barry Allen. Good thing Allen was out of the picture by this point or I’d bet a lot of weird conversations probably would have been raised. 

Gangway! If you have the time...

 http://theflash.wikia.com/wiki/The_Flash_%28Wally_West%29

 http://www.comicvine.com/forums/gen-discussion-1/wally-west-racial-preference-if-any-1558575/

 http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/File:Flash_Wally_West_0119.jpg

 http://www.geekexchange.com/screwed-over-losers-of-dcs-new-52-wally-west-14807.html