7 Times The Flash Improved DC Mythology (& 4 Times It Failed)

Failed To Improve...

4. It Makes Wally West Feel Second-Rate

Wally West Kid Flash
The CW

To a whole generation, Wally West is the Flash.

Following Barry Allen sacrificing himself to save the existence of the multiverse during 1985’s Crisis on Infinite Earths, Wally ended up taking on the mantle of the Flash. And not just did he take on that moniker for a few months before Barry miraculously rose from the dead. No, Wally continued on as the Flash for over two decades!

Death in comics is usually merely a plot point these days, yet Barry Allen remained dead for 23 years – only returning in 2009 thanks to Geoff Johns’ The Flash: Rebirth tale.

The point being, Wally West is a major deal and has been a long-time staple of the DC Universe for so long.

In The Flash, Wally has just felt, well, lacking. Sure, the show’s Wally West followed his comic book counterpart in beginning life as Kid Flash, but West just ended up feeling lacklustre – at least for those whose only knowledge of this character is through The CW’s The Flash.

Where the mythology of DC Comics is concerned, it could be argued that Wally West is the best and most important Flash in history. From watching The Flash, you’d simply think of Wally as the moody Kid Flash who ran off to become Zen.

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Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.