10 Superheroes Who Changed Identities For The Better

Barry Allen became the Flash after a freak lab accident gave him super-speed. A few years later, the exact same thing happened to his nephew Wally and, instead of questioning his lab's lax attitude towards health and safety, Barry took him on as his sidekick Kid Flash.

Much later, Barry sacrificed himself to save the world during Crisis on Infinite Earths and Wally had to step up and become the Flash.

Unlike Dick Grayson's occasional stints as Batman, Wally's time as the Flash lasted for decades. At first he struggled with being slower than Barry, but as he grew into the role, he became faster than even his old mentor and also found more creative uses for his super-speed, such as creating whirlwinds.

What really made Wally special though, was his treatment of his villains. Instead of the usual punch to the face method of rehab, Wally would treat his foes like the down on their luck human beings they actually were and tried to help them stay on the straight and narrow. He even made reformed criminal Pied Piper an essential part of his team.

Wally was another casualty of the New 52, vanishing from continuity. However, he returned as part of DC Rebirth, restoring the emotional heart of the DC Universe.

Thanks DC (for real this time).