Wally West
Wally West is a male comic superhero who features in DC Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Origin
Wallace Rudolph West was the son of Rudolph West and Mary West where he lived in the modern age. It was noted that he spent a decade of his early life in Blue Valley, Nebraska. (The Flash v2 #62)
Flash
The Flash was then ambushed by the new Rogues who were brought together under the Blacksmith. In the fight, Wally was infected with the Frenzy virus whilst the Thinker also made his own bid to take over Keystone City. However, part of his plan involved the Flash and aided him in finding a cure for the virus. The Thinker then used his cybernetic tentacles to capture the Flash and use him as a living processor. (The Flash v2 #185)
Faced with the death of his unborn children, Wally still tried not to succumb to Zoom's goading with the villain nearly crippling him. However, a side effect of Zolomon's powers created windows into the past and he was shown the day his father-in-law died leading to him leaving the scene. Jesse Quick managed to recover Wally who was taken to the hospital where he met Linda briefly. Whilst there, Jay briefed Wally on the nature of Zoom's powers that were tied to time itself after his failed attempt to use the Cosmic Treadmill to go back in time. Thus, he was not a speedster as his powers stemmed over his linear manipulation of time and that this could affect time itself over prolonged use. Wally thus decided to confront the villain again with Jesse wanting to help him as she regretted not being there for him. However, West refused and stated that Zoom was too dangerous for another speedster to fight and that he needed to do so alone. He confronted Zoom at Kansas City where Hunter was reliving the moment his father-in-law died again but then battled the Flash where he overpowered Wally again. It was only Jesse Quick's arrival that saved him where she urged him to accept her help and not to make her mistakes. Zolomon then caught up with the pair but Jesse then lent the power of her speed equation to Wally thus super-charging him to the point that he could fight in the same time instance as Zoom. Impressed at his power, Zoom though came to still see that Wally lacked the willingness to do what must be done and thus decided to kill Linda to goad him further. Thus, he raced to Linda's hospital with Wally in pursuit where their fight went all across the planet in the matter of seconds. In this time, Zolomon urged him to do what Barry did namely to kill him and only then would be embrace his true potential but West refused to do so. As their fight dragged on, the increased speed the Flash had was dissipating as they reached Keystone City. Wally then managed to latch onto Zolomon who expected the Flash to snap his neck but instead West pushed Hunter into one of the time windows that his time manipulation powers had created incidentally. This was with the hope that this would lock Hunter in the current part of the timestream but it locked him in a state of stasis where he could not move and instead was replying the death of his father-in-law constantly. The Flash then allowed the authorities to take Zoom to Iron Heights though he felt that he had not achieved a victory but only a defeat as he had lost his unborn children as well as his close friend. (The Flash v2 #200)
He along with his wife and children were later brought back to Earth by seven members of the Legion of Super-Heroes who had journeyed to the present to use their lightning rode devices. Upon his return, he was offered membership by Hal Jordan into the new incarnation of the Justice League of America which he accepted. (Justice League of America v2 #10)
Wally had ignored much of his responsibilities to the Justice League as he instead devoted his time to his own life leading to Wonder Woman having a quick talk with him about returning to his duties. (Justice League of America v2 #20)
Post-Flashpoint
Following the Flashpoint, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events.
After Perpetua's defeat, the Multiverse was restored and expanded into an infinite frontier. In this time, Wally was invited to the House of Heroes by Barry who had become their Earth's representative in the Justice Incarnate. Allen had decided to help chart the new Multiverse but not before passing on the mantle of Flash to Wally. (Infinite Frontier v1 #0)
Overview
Personality and attributes
For a brief moment, he came to be known as Kid Lantern when he operated as a Green Lantern. (Flash & Green Lantern: The Brave and the Bold v1 #2)
He first met Wonder Woman when he was 13 years old possibly where he thought she was the most beautiful person he had ever seen and wanted to impress her along with wanting to get her respect. This position did not change even when he grew up as he was always amazed when he saw her helping people. A compliment from her made him grin that was similar to a first grader that had a crush on their homeroom teacher. (Justice League of America v2 #20)
Wally's aunt Charlotte was the eldest of the West siblings and he noted that she used to talk down to him. His grandfather was Ira West was a noted professor who had won the Nobel Prize. It was said that his father and grandfather never had a close relationship. (The Flash v2 #62)
Powers and abilities
As a speedster, it was said that he had a high-velocity brain. (JLA v1 #16) Whilst able to heal, the super-fast metabolism meant that viral infections were only accelerated to spread faster in his body if he attempted to use it to recover in such conditions. (JLA v1 #32) He could vibrate the molecules in objects such as statues placing their status as hyperspeed in order for them to generate heat making them a kind of radiator. (JLA v1 #55)
On an instinctual level did he vibrate his body if he felt the pressure of a bullet allowing him in an instant allow bullets to pass through him. (JLA v1 #44)
Among his Speed Force derived abilities included the:
- Infinite Mass Punch : by using the Speed Field and accelerating towards approaching lightspeed, his body's mass began to increase towards infinity with him being able to strike with an incredibly powerful punch able to send powerful superhumans flying across continents. (JLA v1 #3) Thus, as the faster he went the more mass he generated until he reached lightspeed whereupon his fists could strike with the force of a white dwarf star. (Flash v2 #148)
He could impart some of his super-speed to another person to accelerate their metabolism thus increasing their natural healing process. (JLA v1 #16) Wally could steal the speed from the metabolisms of wounded people in order to control any bleeding. (JLA v1 #80)
It was possible for other speedsters to lend their own super-speed to Wally where he could reach a super-charged state where he was incredibly fast. In this state, he could even fight people that operated by manipulating time in the span of seconds. This power was only temporary though and wore off over time which meant that he needed to defeat his foes before it ran out. (The Flash v2 #200)
His speedsuit was noted to be able to absorb the kinetic energy from bullets. (JLA v1 #16) As his suit was molded out of the Speed Force itself it meant that there was nothing metallic to polarise on it thus preventing it from being manipulated by those who could control metal. (JLA v1 #59)
When he briefly lost his powers, Hal Jordan provided him a Power Ring that tapped into his own abilities as a Green Lantern. Thus, he could fly and also create constructs so long as his will was strong enough. (Flash & Green Lantern: The Brave and the Bold v1 #2)
Notes
- Wally West was created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino where he made his first appearance as Kid Flash in The Flash v1 #110 (December, 1959) and debuted as the Flash in Crisis on Infinite Earths v1 #12 (March, 1986).
Alternate Versions
- In The Flash v2 #150 (1999), Walter West from an alternate future was shown where his wife Linda Park leading to succumbing to grief and brutally stopping criminals. He later went back in time to the modern day in order to replace the Wally West from that era and take his life so he could be with that world's version of Linda Park.
- In Future State: The Flash v1 #1 (2021), an alternate version of Wally West appeared in the possible future setting of Future State. This version came to be possessed by one of the riders with this one being Famine who turned him against the world. Famine was responsible for using West to kill Jay Garrick and remove the Speed Force from other speedsters whilst feeding on the despair he created in his victims.
In other media
Television
- In the DC Animated Universe, the Flash made multiple appearances in the shared continuity setting.
- In Superman: The Animated Series, the Flash first appeared in the animated television as a guest star in the episode "Speed Demons" where he was voiced by actor Charlie Schlatter.
- In Justice League, the Flash returned in the animated television series where he was voiced by actor Michael Rosenbaum. It was revealed in the "Starcrossed" cross-over that this version of the character was Wally West.
- In Justice League Unlimited, the Flash appeared in the animated television series where he was once again voiced by actor Michael Rosenbaum.
- In Teen Titans, Kid Flash appeared in the animated television series as a guest star where he was once more voiced by actor Michael Rosenbaum.
- In Young Justice, Wally West appeared as Kid Flash in the animated television series where he was voiced by actor Jason Spisak.
Films
Video games
- In Young Justice: Legacy, Wally West as Kid Flash appeared as a playable character in the video game where he was voiced again by actor Jason Spisak.
Appearances
- The Flash v1: (1959)
- Teen Titans v1:
- Crisis on Infinite Earths v1:
- Flash v2:
- JLA v1:
- Flash & Green Lantern: The Brave and the Bold v1:
- Justice League of America v2:
- The Flash:
- Titans:
- Flash Forward v1:
- Infinite Frontier v1: (2021)
External Links
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