Comixfan Forums - Flash III (Kid Flash I)

<img src="http://comixfan.com/xfan/images/headshots/dc/flash.gif" align=left alt=>Real Name: Wallace 'Wally' Rudolph West
Former Aliases: Kid Flash I
First Appearance: Flash (1st series) #110
Known Relatives: Linda Park (wife), Rudolph and Mary West (parents), Iris West Allen (aunt), Barry Allen (Flash II, uncle, deceased), Ira West (grandfather), Charlotte West (aunt), Malcom Thawne (Cobalt Blue I, uncle) Edgar Rhodes (uncle), Inez Rhodes (cousin), Don and Dawn Allen (Tornado Twins, cousins, deceased), Bart Allen (Kid Flash III, second cousin), Jenni Ognats (XS, second cousin), Iris West II (Kid Flash II, future daughter), Barry West (future son)
Group Affiliation: Justice League Elite, Justice League of America III, formerly Teen Titans I, Teen Titans II, Justice League Europe, Titans IV, Justice League of Adventure
Known Allies: Green Lantern Kyle Rayner, Flash I, Cyborg, Pied Piper, Detectives Chyre and Morrillo, Max Mercury, Jesse Quick, Chunk, Keith Kenyon (Goldface), Nightwing, Arsenal, Tempest
Major Enemies: Captain Cold, Weather Wizard, Mirror Master II, Captain Boomerang, Heatwave, Zoom, Gorilla Grodd, Blacksmith, Cicada,
Height:6'2
Weight:175lbs
Eyes:Green
Hair:Red

It was every boy's dream day. Wally West was going to meet his hero, the Flash. As president of the Blue Valley chapter of the Flash fan club he couldn't believe it when his aunt fixed it for him to meet his hero (and unbeknownst to him, his uncle.) Whilst meeting the Flash, Wally was shown the chemicals that caused the Flash to receive his powers and in a freak accident a bolt of lightning hit the exact same spot, dousing Wally in the chemicals and giving him similar powers to the Flash.

Wally became Kid Flash and wore a costume identical to Barry's. During one adventure Barry was inspecting an alien mind over-matter machine when a new costume sprang from his mind and onto the body of his protege. Since the new outfit exposed Wally's bright red hair, Flash provided Wally's costume-storage ring with a special instant-dye spray with which he could easily change his hair colour, as Kid Flash, to brown.

Wally raced as Flash's sidekick and joined the original and second group of young adventurers calling themselves the Teen Titans. The first group consisting of Robin I, Wondergirl I, Speedy and Aqualad were like family to him. They attended his graduation ceremony and continue to this day to be close friends. Wally revealed his identity to his parents shortly before graduating and told Barry he intended to retire from superheroics after his graduation. However, circumstances beyond his control forced him into retirement early. Due to Wally having inherited his powers before puberty hit, he discovered that they were waning and that each time he used his powers he was causing himself increasing pain and accelerating his death.

Wally was hit with a major loss when Barry died whilst saving the DC Universe from a disaster that threatened all of reality. He was among the heroes who discovered Barry's ring and costume where he had died. During the operation to avert the disaster an intense beam of energy hit Wally. The beam had two effects on him. Firstly it reduced his top speed to the speed of sound. Second, and more importantly, it removed the detrimental effects Wally's powers were having on his health. Out of a mark of respect and his growing maturity Wally once again started heroing, not under the name Kid Flash but as the third person to hold the name, the Flash.

Wally continued to adventure solo. He won the lottery, which meant he was able to become a full time adventurer. During one of his first outings, an inexperienced Wally revealed his secret identity, which became common knowledge to the general public. He occasionally fought alongside the other Titans who had graduated past their Teen prefix. During this time he had a string of whirlwind romances and relationships and also accepted membership into the Justice League International, being posted in the Justice League Europe branch. Wally's womanising reputation and irresponsible nature led him to seek psychiatric counselling. Wally was also shocked to discover that his father, who he thought died during an invasion by the alien race, the Dominators, was actually a Manhunter agent and had faked his own death.

Wally's life started to turn around when he met Linda Park and though the reporter was turned off by his initial arrogance, she soon saw through him and the two started a serious relationship. Linda helped Wally mature and regain confidence in himself. This gradually led to him regaining his speed to higher levels culminating in him shedding the shadow of Barry Allen and racing faster than anyone previously. By doing this Wally first encountered and joined the Speed Force. Wally was able to focus on his love for Linda in navigating his way out of the Speed Force, the only person to do so. Upon leaving the Speed Force, Wally found his speed had increased and he could now steal or lend speed to and from objects and he wore a costume composed of the Speed Force.

Previous to this Wally had been reintroduced to his aunt Iris, Barry's wife, who had been living in the 30th century for a number of years. She had returned to the 20th century, bringing with her, her grandson Bart who was suffering from an illness similar to Wally's. Bart's powers were rapidly aging him. Wally managed to cure Bart and set him off as a super hero in his own right, Impulse. In an effort to make Impulse work harder at controlling his powers, Wally named Jesse Quick as his successor. This had no effect on Bart and caused Jesse to fall out with Wally as she didn't initially realise the trick.

When Superman and Batman reformed the JLA, Wally was one of the iconic heroes who was asked to join. Showing his prowess against worldwide threats, Wally exhibited a new level of maturity and power. Exhibiting newfound levels of speed Wally was able to achieve such feats as retuning every radio in the world in a pico second.

When Wally's former team mate, Vic Stone aka Cyberion, came to Earth intent on fulfilling his Technis imperative, the core Titans members rejoined to save Vic from destroying the Earth. This brought them into conflict with the JLA who were more gung ho in their salvation attempts. Wally decided to rejoin the Titans full time as well as serving on the JLA full time and continuing his solo career.

Despite his heavy commitments, Wally's personal life was also moving along smoothly as he was organising his impending wedding to Linda. Tradgedy struck though, when Abra Kadabra, a foe from the 64th century, abducted Linda in an attempt at revenge on Wally. Abra Kadabra was able to erase Linda from everyone's memory except Bart, due to his coming from a different time period. Wally then faced his uncle Malcolm Thawne, who possessed the Cobalt Blue gem. With the power this gave him he intended to destroy all the Flashes through to the 30th century as he was jealous of Barry, his twin's, life. Wally was joined by legions of alternate Flashes who defeated Cobalt Blue, though Wally appeared to have sacrificed himself by entering the Speed Force.

Whilst in the Speed Force, Wally was drawn to a reality where Linda had escaped her prison and was trapped in time. With Linda by his side Wally fought an alternate version of himself who believed Linda to be his and then Kadabra himself. After endless searching through alternate realities, Wally and Linda managed to trick Kadabra into reversing his spell. The newly returned Wally and Linda married the same day they returned from the Speed Force with Dick Grayson serving as Wally's best man.

The results of Wally's travels through the Speed Force have been far reaching. Various futures have been documented including one where he constantly patrols Keystone City without having a civilian life and another where he has a child, Iris Allen, who becomes the second Kid Flash. What is to happen in Wally's future appears to be unwritten as even Iris Allen admits that things she knew to be true have since been proven false.

Wally resumed his crime fighting career though he stepped down as a member of the Titans, wanting to let Jesse Quick have the spotlight as the team's sole speedster. This sign of respect helped to repair the speedsters' relationship.

Wally's hometown of Keystone City houses a prison known as Iron Heights. The warden of this prison is Gregory Wolfe. Wally recently uncovered the brutality that was being exhibited by Wolfe on the metahuman criminals, unmasking such abuses as the use of the radioactive criminal, Fallout, as a generator. Wolfe has retained his position though not the respect of Wally. Wally was powerless to do anything about Wolfe's rule though, as Wolfe has a metahuman power to induce painful muscle spasms in others, causing Wally's legs to be inoperable should he try to attack Wolfe.

Wally found out that Linda was pregnant and was expecting twins. This joyous news was ruined though by the former Rogue Profiler at Keystone City's Police Department, Hunter Zolomon. Wishing to change history due to his own personal loss, and being angry with Wally's unwillingness to aid him, Zolomon managed to gain speed powers based on something other than the Speed Force that made him faster than Wally. Taking the name Zoom, he caused Linda to have a miscarriage in order to make Wally feel personal loss as he had. Whilst Wally defeated Zoom, the pain of losing his twins was immense and left him susceptible to an offer from the Spectre.

Realising that had Wally's identity as the Flash been a secret Linda would still be pregnant, he requested the Spectre to erase the knowledge that Wally was the Flash from everyone's memory. Whilst the Spectre warned Wally against this, he acted out of mercy. What Wally didn't realise was that this would include himself.

Starting his life with Linda anew, Wally became a police mechanic and during a freak lightning storm discovered his powers. Aided by the Batman in remembering his secret identity, Wally is faced with a future where he has to relearn how to use his powers and where his wife blames the Flash for the loss of her children. Wally once again wears a costume similar to Barry's due to his lack of knowledge regarding the Speed Force

Wally has the power of super speed. By accessing the Speed Force he can run at speeds faster than light. He can also accurately time travel using this speed. Wally is protected from friction and air resistance by a natural aura emitted by all speedsters. He can also use the speed force to increase or decrease the speed of an object, effectively making an object stand stock-still. Wally can also vibrate the molecules in his body to pass through solid objects. However, doing this causes the object to explode. Wally's costume used to be made of the Speed Force and helped absorb impacts and withstand the pressures of the speeds he can reach. Currently he wears a costume, which expands from a ring.

APPEARANCES:
Action Comics #532, 536, 546, 650, 675, 780
Adventures of Superman #463, 488-489
Batman #241
Batman and the Outsiders #5
Batman Family #14
Best of DC (Digest) #18
Bloodbath #1-2
Brave and the Bold #54, 60, 83, 94, 102, 149
Captain Atom #34, 38
Crisis on Infinite Earths #9-12
Darkstars #18-20
DC Bonus Book #9
DC Super-Stars #10
Doom Patrol (1st series) #104
Eclipso: The Darkness Within #2
Final Night #1-2, 4
Flash (1st series) #110-112, 114, 116, 118, 120, 122, 125, 127, 130, 133, 135, 138, 144, 149, 156, 159, 161, 164-165, 167, 173, 189, 202, 204, 207, 209, 211, 216, 220-221, 232, 239, 240, 265-266, 269, 277, 324-325, 343-345, 349
Flash (2nd series) #0-115, 117-160, 162-181, 183-, 1,000,000
Flash Annual #1
Flash Annual (2nd series) #8
Flash Spectacular
Green Arrow (2nd series) #130
Green Lantern (3rd series) #29-31, 96, 134-135
Green Lantern Corps #220
Hawk and Dove (1st series) #5
Impulse #10-11, 84
JLA #1-32, 36, 41-64, 66-68, 70, 72, 74-82, 84-Justice League America #32
JLA: Our Worlds at War #1
JLA/Titans #1-3
JLA: World Without Grown-ups #1-2
Joker: Last Laugh #2
Justice League Europe #1-4, 6-10
Justice League International (1st series) #24
Justice League International Annual (1st series) #3
Justice League of America #114
Justice League Quarterly #1, 8
Legends #1-6
Legends of the DC Universe #18
Marvel and DC Presents #1
Millennium #1, 3-5, 7-8
New Teen Titans (1st series) #1-11, 13-26, 28-34, 36-37, 39
New Teen Titans (2nd series) #2-6, 19-21, 24-26, 28-31
New Teen Titans (Drug Awareness Giveaway) #2-3
New Teen Titans Annual #1-2
New Titans Annual #5
Nightwing (2nd series) #63, 88
Showcase #59, 100
Sins of Youth: Kid Flash/Impulse #1
Superboy and the Ravers #7
Supergirl (5th series) # 4-5
Superman (2nd series) #65-66
Superman: The Man of Steel #20
Takion #2
Tales of the New Teen Titans #1-4,
Tales of the Teen Titans #45, 49-50
Teen Titans (1st series) #1-33, 35-37, 39-40, 42-53
The Flash: Iron Heights #1
The Fury of Firestorm, the Nuclear Man (2nd series) #69
Titans #1-4, 14-20, 25, 42
Titans East Special (2008) #1
Underworld Unleashed #1-3
Valor #14
Wonder Woman (1st series) #287
Wonder Woman (2nd series) #110
World's Finest Comics #205
Young Justice #5-6, 20, 23, 54
Young Justice: Sins of Youth #1-2
Zero Hour: Crisis in Time! #4