Top 5 Flashes

Hey y’all! Let’s talk about my favorite superhero: The Flash! Of course, anyway that regularly visits this website is probably aware of the fact that there is more than one character to have used the codename. In fact, I can think of about a dozen characters off the top of my head. This list was a ton of fun as it made me really put into words, maybe for the first time, what I love about these characters (Hint: I love characters that surpass expectations placed on them). So, let’s dive in!

Honorable Mention: Jay Garrick, the OG.

5. John Fox

              

               John Fox is the Flash of the 2645. He was a historian that traveled back in time to get help from Barry Allen, Wally West, and Jay Garrick so that he could stop the villain Manfred Mota in his time. Each Flash was unable to help, but on the return trip to his time, John Fox was irradiated with tachyon particles, granting his superspeed. He finds a way to defeat Mota and takes up the Flash mantle in his time.

               Later, Wally West shows up in John’s time and believes he is trapped. As a historian, John knows that Earth will feature a new Ice Age in 1996. John travels back to 1996 without Wally to prevent him from preventing the Ice Age. He takes up the mantle of Flash in the 20^th Century for a time before Abra Kadabra starts the aforementioned Ice Age. Wally makes his way back to his time and together he and John stop Kadabra. Afterwards, someone from John’s time comes to arrest him for breaking a time travel law. John and Wally defeat him, but John knows he can’t stay in this time or return to his own for fear of being caught. So John goes to the 853^rd Century, the setting of DC One Million.

               I love John. He’s so cool. He takes everything in stride and it’s a ton of fun to read. Got superspeed? Become the Flash of your era. In 1996? Get a job, be the Flash, fall for a girl. Being chased by time cops? Go to the future and hang out with a new version of the Justice League/Legion. He’s also incredibly smart and knows what he’s doing. John also uttered the absolutely iconic line, “Never mess with a particle physicist... jerk.” You tell ‘em, John.

4. Bartholomew Henry Allen

               At this point, pretty much everyone knows Barry Allen. Whether it’s from his television series, films, or the modern comics. He was a police scientist (Not a CSI. Not in the ‘50s) that was doused in chemicals that had been struck by lightning/himself (we’ll get there). He gained superspeed and became the second version of the Flash. He married his girlfriend Iris (Who knew he was Flash because Barry talks in his sleep. What a dweeb) and her nephew became his sidekick, Kid Flash. Iris died at the hands of Professor Zoom/Reverse Flash. At what was supposed to be Barry’s second wedding, Professor Zoom returns to kill his fiancée Fiona, but Flash snaps his neck.

              

               Barry is eventually put on trial in connection to the murder in the epic Trial of the Flash storyline. A mind-controlled jury convicts him. Barry, eventually learning this, confronts the villain, Abra Kadabra. Barry travels to the 30^th Century to reunite with Iris, whose soul had been drawn there upon her death and given a new body. Look, it’s a whole thing. Maybe we’ll discuss it some other time.

               In the future, Barry and Iris have twins, one of whom eventually produces Bart Allen (More on him later). Barry is called back into action for Crisis on Infinite Earths. In that mega-event, Barry sacrifices himself to save literally everything. He also runs so fast that he becomes lightning itself and travels through time to become the lightning bolt that gave Barry his powers. He remained dead for almost 25 years before returning. Since then, Barry’s life and history has been in flux because of the New 52 reboot and DC Rebirth soft reboot.

               Look, I like Barry Allen. He’s a nice, smart guy. He loves his wife and his friends. He is a good hero. He’s virtually perfect. Also, he probably should have stayed dead. Barry is not a particularly interesting character. I listed all his character traits above. I think his presence as the ultimate hero casting a shadow over his successors was by far the most interesting way to use the character. After his rebirth, Barry has been constantly refreshed in an attempt to try to make him an interesting character. Geoff Johns, one of my favorite writers, gave him a tragic backstory where Professor Zoom murdered his mother and framed his father for it. This eventually led to Flashpoint which was a really good comic that starred a meh character. After that event, the New 52 arrived and made Barry a 20-something bachelor that tried too hard and often failed because he either wasn’t thinking or the plot needed him to. Jump to the DC Rebirth series and Joshua Williams seems to be the first modern writer to really figure out what the character is. He is just a good dude. He is the beam of light that everyone turns to when they need. Barry Allen is a very smart man that has a habit of overthinking everything because his mind moves at superspeed and he has the time. That is presented as his big character flaw and it has gotten him in trouble constantly in the current era. Finally, Barry Allen is interesting, and he only makes it onto this list because of the current series.

3. Jesse Chambers

Jesse is the daughter of Johnny Quick and the first Liberty Belle. Her primary power is super strength. But her father, wanting a successor, taught Jesse the Speed Formula (“3X2(9YZ)4A” if you’re curious) that allows him to access his super speed. While Jesse was born with enhanced speed, the formula is how she really accessed the Speed Force.

               Jesse did not become the successor Johnny had hoped though. She instead attended college at Gotham University. Her thesis was “The Impact of Superheroes on Society.” Eventually though, she got wrapped up in a Justice Society adventure and became Jesse Quick. Jesse was a recurring character in both Flash and Justice Society comics for some time before eventually becoming a major player in Justice Society of America in the mid ‘00s. At that time, she had taken to using the name Liberty Belle to honor her mother and had married Rick Tyler, the current Hourman. Jesse eventually returned to the Jesse Quick persona before Flashpoint and I am not aware of any appearance of hers since then.

               So, why is Jesse on this list? Well, she was the Flash for about 25 minutes one time. Wally asked her to take up the mantle if something were to happen to him. This was mostly to get Bart to take his legacy and probable future as the Flash seriously, but Jesse did take up the mantle briefly while Wally was inside the Speed Force. This all feeds into why I love Jesse. As the rest of this list will reveal, I love legacy characters. Characters that struggle to live up to the expectations that are placed upon them but end up doing so. But they don’t do it in the way they are expected to. They do it their way because that’s the only way they can. And that perfectly encapsulates Jesse Chambers. She completely rejected her super heroic legacy before eventually becoming a hero and struggling under the weight of having two famous parents. But Jesse became her own woman. She took control of the legacy placed upon her and created her own.

2. Wallace Rudolph West

               I could probably write 5000 words on each of the two final characters on this list and I may one day, but this is not the place for that. Wally is who many fans in their late 20s to late 30s consider the best Flash. And there is a solid argument for that. He is the character that featured in ‘90s series as well as the one that appeared on the Justice League and Justice League Unlimited cartoons. He also had the benefit of having most of his comics being written by Geoff Johns and Mark Waid (With some contributions from Grant Morrison in both the Flash and Justice League series), some truly prolific writers.

               Wally is the nephew of Iris West (And eventually Barry Allen). Wally got his powers from an identical accident to the one that gave his uncle powers. He then was trained by Barry as Kid Flash. After Barry’s death, Wally took up the mantle of Flash because he knew his town and the world needed it. Despite early struggles to live up to Barry’s legacy, Wally eventually became the Flash in his own right. He discovered new aspects of his powers and the Speed Force. He also met and married Linda Park, with whom he had twins, Iris and Jai.

               In the Infinite Crisis event, Wally and his family left to another universe. This opened the door for the final entry on this list to fill Wally’s shows. That status quo did not last long as the West family soon returned to the main universe. This led to maybe my favorite comic ever, All-Flash #1. In which Wally attempts to avenge his cousin’s death. Wally’s children each had their own powers and Wally and Linda struggled to raise them. After Barry returned, Wally was essentially pushed to the side before literally being written out of existence with the advent of the New 52 era. He returned in DC Universe: Rebirth Special, having been trapped in the Speed Force since Flashpoint. This version of Wally was from the Pre-Flashpoint continuity and bounced around the universe for some time before being convinced by Zoom that he could rescue his family from the Speed Force by destroying it. This was a bad idea and Wally ultimately failed. HE then went to Sanctuary and, in Heroes in Crisis, Wally died (Probably, but there’s one issue yet to be released).

               Wally West is THE legacy character in the DC universe. He is also the one that struggled the most with the shoes he was trying to fill. Remember, his mentor sacrificed himself to save LITERALLY EVERTHING. If that doesn’t make you feel insecure, you probably need some help. Wally’s anxiety manifested in interesting ways that affected his performance (i.e. he couldn’t go above 700 mph for some time). It also affected his personal life. Wally tried to compensate for his insecurities by becoming a rich playboy (He won a huge lottery). He eventually got through this phase and became to mature. Wally built a family around himself. First, his chosen family Impulse, Jesse Quick, Max Mercury, etc. and then his own biological family. It was in this way that the Wally West era of Flash comics was defined: Family, both those you choose and those you make.

1. Bartholomew Henry Allen II

               We have finally arrived at my hottest take: Bart Allen is the best character to ever pull on the Flash suit. He carries with intense legacies on both sides of his family. His father, Don Allen, was the son of Barry Allen and Iris West. With his twin sister, Dawn, Don was one of the Tornado Twins. Dawn also had a daughter, Jenni Ognats, that became the Legionnaire XS. Bart’s mother, Meloni Thawne, was a descendant of both Professor Zoom and Cobalt Blue, Barry’s evil twin brother (Comics yo). Meloni is also the mother of Owen Harkness, the second Captain Boomerang. So, Bart had a complicated life even before he started aging at an extremely accelerated pace.

               Bart had a hyper-accelerated metabolism that made him look like a 12-year old despite being a two-year old. He was placed in a virtual reality so that his mind would be able to catch up to his body. This didn’t quite work so Bart is sent back in time by Iris Allen. In the past, Wally challenges Bart to a race and they go so fast that it shocks Bart’s metabolism back to normal (This is not how science works). Bart stays in the 20^th Century and is sent to train with Max Mercury in Alabama (Someone must protect it, I guess). Here, he goes to school and becomes the hero Impulse. Bart was a founding member of Young Justice and it was with this team that he developed his signature powers: Speed Force Duplicates. One of the duplicates was killed during the “Our Worlds at War” crossover. Having grown up in a simulation, Bart had little to concept of danger, but the death of a duplicate lead him to temporarily retire and contemplate his own mortality.

               After Young Justice disbanded, Bart joined some of his former teammates in a new iteration of Teen Titans. He was shot in the knee by Deathstroke and had to receive a prosthetic leg. During his recovery, Bart read every book in the San Francisco Public Library. Upon his return to super heroics, Bart became Kid Flash. This lasted until Infinite Crisis where Superboy-Prime badly injured or killed the Teen Titans. Bart, Wally, and Jay Garrick attempt to push Superboy-Prime in the Speed Force and trap him there. Jay is too old and can’t go fast enough and Wally goes too fast and disappears. The older speedsters that are inside the Speed Force appear and help Bart. Superboy-Prime escapes and Bart follows him to an alternate universe where they spend four years. The return to main universe, although Bart has no memories of the four years. He unleashes his rage over Connor Kent’s death on Superboy-Prime, using up all his speed.

               Well, not exactly. He lies about using all his speed. Bart moves back to Keystone City and retires from superheroing. When his roommate becomes a villain, Bart is pressed into action. He becomes the newest Flash and takes down Griffin. He then moves to Los Angeles and enrolls in the police academy there, wanting to follow in his grandfather’s footsteps. The Rogues, led by Bart’s evil clone Inertia (Again, comics yo), began building a machine that would stop time. After Bart appears to fight them, it is revealed that the machine is actually for siphoning Speed Force energy from an individual. Bart sees the Black Flash, who appears just before a speedster dies. The machine is unstable, and Bart distracts the villains while his ex, Valerie, releases the Speed Force energy from the machine. In a panic, several of the Rogues shoot Bart with their weapons and kill him.

               Bart eventually returned as Kid Flash before being trapped inside the Speed Force similarly to Wally West following Flashpoint. Bart has also recently returned, appearing in his Impulse costume and with a version of that personality.

               So, Bart Allen is one of the most developed characters in comics despite existing for only 25 years. He goes from a child with no concept of danger that jumps in without thinking to a mature, well-read, thinker (For a naturally impulsive teen, anyway). The zenith of his time as Kid Flash comes in his response to Robin asking if Bart is okay with always living in Flash’s shadow. Bart replies, “No, he’ll be living in mine.” He then struggles with not only having aged instantaneously (To him), but also with the fact that he is the only person left capable of carting on the legacy of the Flash. He tries to hide from it, but eventually must acknowledge not only his family legacy, but the mantle he has been training his whole life to take. And finally, the kid that couldn’t recognize danger literally looks Death in the eye and decides that he must face the danger so that everyone else can be safe.

               The two times Bart has been brought back have regressed him to his more popular points in time. One era ended before it got started and the other has only recently started. Hopefully, he can progress in interesting ways. And if he isn’t? We can always go back and see the amazing growth he displayed over the course of his first attempt. Here’s to the best character to ever call themselves The Flash.