|













| |


Last Updated on
Sunday, March 21, 2004
| Personal Data: |
|


Click here to view a
gallery of The Flash III graphics.
|
Real Name: |
Wallace Rudolph
(Wally) West |
Versions of the JLA: |
Justice
League Europe, Justice
League America,
The JLA |
Known Aliases: |
Kid Flash |
Nicknames: |
"the
Fastest Man Alive", "the Scarlet Speedster", "the Crimson Comet" |
Occupation: |
Full-time
Superhero |
Other Group Affiliations: |
Current member of
both The JLA and The Titans, former member
of Justice League Europe and Justice League America |
First Appearance: |
(as Kid Flash)
Flash (first series) #110, December 1959-January 1960; (as Flash) Crisis on Infinite
Earths #12, March 1986 |
Base of Operations: |
Keystone-Central Cities, USA |
Age: |
Approximately 25
years old. |
| Height: |
6' 0" |
| Weight: |
175
lbs. |
| Eyes: |
Green |
| Hair: |
Red |
Known Relatives: |
Rudolf West
(father), Mary West (mother), Barry Allen (uncle, deceased), Iris Allen (aunt), Bart Allen
(cousin), and Ira West (adoptive grandfather), Don and Dawn Allen (The Tornado Twins f the
30th Century, cousins, deceased), Jenni Ognats (XS of the Legion of
Super-Heroes, second
cousin), Mr. and Mrs. Edgar Rhodes (uncle and aunt), Inez Rhodes (cousin) |
Known Allies: |
Johnny Quick
(Deceased), Flash I (Jay Garrick), Max Mercury, The Pied Piper, Jesse Quick (Johnny
Quick's daughter), John Fox (the Flash of the 25th & 853rd Centuries), Linda Park
(fiancée), Green Lantern V (Kyle Rayner),
Green Arrow II (Connor Hawke), Flash II (Barry
Allen, deceased), Nightwing, Impulse (Bart Allen),
Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman,
Wonder Woman III, and the Justice League of America and many others |
Known Enemies: |
Kadabra,
Weather Wizard, Mirror Master, Captain Cold, Captain Boomerang, Heat Wave, Black Flash,
The Injustice Gang, Kobra, Neron, Savitar and many others |
Powers and Abilities: |
The effect of
the Speed Force on the original two Flashes was to grant them the ability to move at
superhuman speeds, often at their peak moving at a good fraction of light speed. They
could also vibrate their molecules, allowing them to pass through solid objects. Both were
gifted scientists and were skilled in the use of their superspeed, often using their
abilities creatively. All the
Flashes seem to have a special aura that allows them to move at superspeed without
suffering the effects of friction or air resistance, while allowing them to breathe.
Wally's control over the Speed Force is much greater than either of the two previous
Flashes, giving him both greater speed and varied abilities. Recently Wally had both of
his legs broken by a supervillain called the Suit. In order to defeat the villain, Wally
experimented with his Speed Force powers to create a costume around himself out of solid
speed force energy, supporting his broken legs. The new suit also cycles excess energy
away from Wally, reacts to shape itself subtly against air resistance and acts to absorb
momentum from impacts.
Wally originally had powers identical to the other
two Flashes when he was Kid Flash, however as he slowed down due to various physical and
mental effects, his maximum speed was more of the order of the speed of sound. However,
now that Wally has encountered the heart of the Speed Force, his abilities have been
greatly enhanced. Wally West can now run faster than any of the other Flashes before him,
but if he hits light speed, he is catapulted into the Speed Force itself, with an effect
that often means that he enters the timestream allowing him to time travel under the
control of the Speed Force. Wally can also impart kinetic energy to other objects or
people, turning normal materials into super fast bullets or lending his speed to others.
Like other speedsters, Wally can vibrate himself through solid objects, but he has the
unique effect of imparting much of his kinetic energy to the molecules of the object that
he is passing through, causing the object to explode. |

| Background: |
|
Beyond human understanding exists an
elemental essence known as the Speed Force, it the source of power that lets those
superhumans with the ability to superspeed to move at velocities that far exceeds anything
the human body can or should be able to do. To join with the Speed Force is to go beyond
the limits of physically known speed and to enter a realm that is more a metaphysical
afterlife rather than a normal dimension.
To
those that have attained the ability of superspeed the Speed Force is literally the
Creator, and at times it can seem to be an intelligence that guides the fates and
destinies of any that are fortunate enough to be part of it. Those that do for what ever
reason become connected with the Speed Force are destined to became heroes or in the rarer
case villains. One name that has become synonymous with the ability is the name of the
Flash and the three generations of heroes who have carried the mantel.
The first Flash was Jay Garrick whom first gained
his superpowers while a student at Midwestern university. He would go onto become one of
the stars of the Golden Age and a founding member of the Justice Society of America. Jay
retired when the JSA disbanded. To an extend the memory of Jay Garrick and his home of
Keystone City would fade because of a plot by a number of his foes to isolate Keystone
City from the rest of the world by a memory clouding spell.
Meanwhile police scientist Barry Allen was
transformed into a second Flash when his laboratory was struck by a bolt of lightning
knocking over a cabinet of unknown chemicals onto him. Like his predecessor before him
Barry Allen became one of the core members of the superhero community and a founding
member of the Justice League of America.
Wally West grew up with a strained family life, but
for all intents and purposes he was a normal child. Except for three events in his
childhood. One was being the head of the Flash Fan club at school, the second was the
words of a stranger to never let go of his dreams (that stranger was later to be revealed
to be Wally himself on a roller coaster ride through his own life via the Speed Force),
the third was the fact that Wally was the nephew of Barry Allen (a.k.a. the second Flash).
Barry actually arranged for Wally to met the Flash
and while at the lab where the original accident had transformed Barry into the Flash,
Wally asked if the same thing could happen to him. As if fate needed to no more promoting
a second lightning bolt hit the building and this time transformed Wally West into the Kid
Flash, junior side kick of the Flash.
Wally played the part of the Kid Flash along side
Barry and eventually became a founding member of the Teen Titans. At that time Wally was
as fast as Barry but some have conjectured that perhaps Barry was actually subconsciously
transferring speed to Wally in the same way that Wally can now do to others. However
things have always been for more complex for Wally, his collage work began to suffer and
he discovered that he had gained a condition where if he overused his superspeed then he
might very well die.
Retiring from the adventuring life Wally was to
eventually return to active status during the Crisis when a blast from the Anti-Monitor
sent the disease into remission yet at the same time dramatically reduced his top speed.
After the death of Barry while saving the planet, Wally took up the name of the Flash and
tried to follow in the foot steps of Flash II.
At almost every stage Wally was somehow reminded of
Barry and he grew tired of the comparisons, particularly from people such as Ralph Dibny
(a.k.a. The Elongated Man). However as time went by Wally began to increase in speed again
and to move from under the shadow of Barry Allen. Along the way he has had as always a
roller coaster private life including winning the state lottery, loosing the money,
finding out that his dad was actually a Manhunter agent and slowly falling in love with
the television reported Linda Park. All this was to be turned on its head when as part of
the Zero-hour Wally had to push his speed to the limit in an effort of close an Entropy
rift, in the process he was catapulted into the timestream and was plunged into the Speed
Force as Barry once had in his final moments.
Wally was different, the Speed Force transformed
Wally to the point that he now has a "direct line" to the heart of the force
that grants all the speedsters their speed. It has transformed his abilities and he may
now well be the fasted man that has ever lived. It has also galvanized Wally as never
before and forced him to examine his humanity. At last Wally West is the Flash in his own
right and is only now taking his rightful place among the statesmen of the superhero
community.
Wally faced perhaps his greatest challenge in the
form of Savitar, who had joined with the Speed Force sometime after the retirement of the
original Flash and the emergence of the second. He had devoted his life to the study of
the speed force and had turned it into his religion. During the course of the battle
Johnny Quick lost his life and Wally finally realized that he had to give Savitar what he
wanted. Wally used his speed to boost Savitar to such a velocity that he was propelled
into the Valhalla of the Speed Force.
On yet another roller coaster flight through the
future Wally found himself teaming up with future Flash John Fox and the Tornado Twins
(the children of Barry Allen). Meanwhile back in his home time John Fox (also time
traveling) had tried to take the place of Wally. This started to generate feels for John
by Linda with the result that the emotional bond that anchors Wally to this world started
to breakdown leaving at the mercy of the Speed Force. It took everything that Wally had to
return to our own time, make John Fox realize his errors and defeat the bad guys. The
emotional bond between Linda and Wally was further reinforced during a recent battle with
Neron.
Notes:
|

|