- Kid Flash, fastest boy alive.
- ―Kid Flash[src]
Kid Flash is a superhero, Honorary Titan, the boyfriend of Jinx, and the former sidekick of The Flash.
Character history[]
Pre-Teen Titans[]
Kid Flash was born in Blue Valley, Nebraska, as Wallace Rudolph "Wally" West to Rudolph and Mary West. As a child, Wally idolized the Flash and was the founder, president, and also the only member of the Blue Valley Flash Fan Club, often daydreaming about being the Flash. While Wally practically lived off of these dreams, his mother and father believed that he was setting himself up for failure and attempted to get rid of Wally's rather active imagination by beating him. His parents wanted Wally to do something more "productive" with his life, and he eventually became apathetic to their lack of faith in him. His father believed that everything that Wally did was wrong, and yelled at him when he made the slightest error. However, Wally's aunt and uncle constantly told him to never give up on his dreams, and Wally listened.
When Wally was ten years old, he spent the summer in Central City visiting his Aunt Iris and Uncle Barry-who was actually the Flash. The ten year old had been told that his Uncle Barry was 'friends' with the Flash, and was excited to meet his lifelong hero/idol. The Flash took Wally to his lab, where he told him how he got his powers-he had been doused in chemicals and struck by lightning nearly at the same time. Wally said that he wished something like that would happen to him. The Flash dismissed his nephew's comment saying it was a "one-in-a-billion chance." However, it turned out the Flash was mistaken. Later on that same afternoon, thanks to a sudden lightning storm the arrangement of certain chemicals on a shelf, and Wally's placement in the lab, the Flash fanatic was transformed into a speedster under the same circumstances as his uncle. His Uncle Barry trained him, and thus, Kid Flash, Fastest Boy Alive, was born, and Wally got to live his dream of being a Flash and working alongside the person who, in his opinion, was the greatest superhero ever. While other sidekicks, such as Robin and Speedy, often ended up having a strained relationship with their mentors, Kid Flash and The Flash always remained very close and Kid Flash thinks of The Flash as his true father figure, as the father he was born to abused him verbally and physically.
After a while, the Flash introduced Wally to some of the other Justice League sidekicks, namely Speedy, Wonder Girl, Robin, and Aqualad, whom Kid Flash became close friends with. But, his best friend by far was Robin, and on many occasions Robin and Kid Flash have stated they think of each other as brothers.
Kid Flash is also known to have several villain friends, including several members of the Rogues, who are a large group of villains dedicated to the demise of the Flash and Kid Flash, although the biggest Rogue rule is to never kill a Flash. Kid Flash is known to be quite friendly with some of the Rogues, such as the Trickster and the Pied Piper.
Teen Titans[]
He came to Jump City after the Titans East, following a period of filling in for the Titans, had been called back to their headquarters. He quickly came to blows with the H.I.V.E. Five, who could not at first apprehend him. However, Kid Flash took a close personal interest in their leader,Jinx.
He eventually revealed himself at the museum, where Jinx was alone and trying to steal back the necklace. Kid Flash tried convincing Jinx to leave the H.I.V.E. Five and join him to fight crime, but Jinx blasted him with her hex and the H.I.V.E. Five arrived, ready to take Kid Flash down. However, Kid Flash decided to stick around and fight, but his confidence overtook him, and he slipped on a puddle of water and was knocked unconscious by Jinx.
He was captured and Jinx contacted Madame Rouge of the Brotherhood of Evil to present Kid Flash to her in order to win her respect and thus become a recognized villainess. But Kid Flash decided not to stick around for that and escaped, but not without first dismantling the H.I.V.E. Five's headquarters. Kyd Wykkyd's stealth, See-More's see through vision, Gizmo's technical weapons, and Jinx's hex blasts proved no use; Kid Flash is just too fast for them. Exasperated, Rouge went after him, Jinx did as well, desperate to prove her worth to Rouge. Rouge found him first and engaged Kid Flash in an arduous chase; Kid Flash only barely managed to get away and hide in a warehouse, where he was found by Jinx. She disabled him and presented him to Madame Rouge as her prisoner, but Rouge struck her aside. Then Kid Flash was released by Jinx and she struck Madame Rouge, letting Kid Flash get away. Jinx decided to change her ways of evil and joined forces with Kid Flash due to her crush on him.
When the Brotherhood of Evil finally executed its plans to eliminate all young superheroes around the world, Kid Flash and Jinx (although Jinx did not have a communicator while Kid Flash did) were among the few who managed to elude capture. The two were the last to arrive at the Brotherhood's base. Kid Flash taunted the retreating H.I.V.E. Five for joining the brotherhood by stating he warned them. He told Cyborg he had to pick up something and it was Jinx and he left her to defeat her old team. He then made up for his absence by carrying off all the unconscious, defeated villains to the freeze machine, where they were made into statues by Más y Menos (who were amazed at his similar speed powers), while Jinx knocked Kyd Wykkyd, Mammoth, Gizmo, and Billy Numerous unconscious, as well as making Mother Mae-Eye disappear and taking down Madame Rogue.
Teen Titans Go![]
Kid Flash makes several appearances in the Teen Titans Go! comic series. He and Jinx have since formed a romantic relationship, but it occasionally falls on rocky times since Kid Flash still could not suppress his flirtatious nature. In issue #34, he participates in a racing competition against Más y Menos, but he loses the race because he flirts with Raven, Argent, and other female Titans on the way and infuriates Jinx. In issue #36 Jinx is captured by the Gordanians, with Kid Flash helpless to stop them. Eventually, thanks to him, Wonder Girl, Aqualad, Speedy, Beast Boy, and Robin, his girlfriend was freed along with the other captured Titans.
In issue #39, they are together, though their relationship is a bit strained at the time. When Kid Flash tries to apprehend Andre Le Blanc, he is hindered by Larry, who is on a match-making quest with Cupid's bow and arrows and inadvertently makes three female pedestrians (one an elderly lady) fall in love with Kid Flash, unintentionally inciting Jinx's jealousy once more.
In issue #53, Kid Flash and Jinx have since moved to Keystone City where they continue to fight crime. After a cold encounter with one of Jinx's former boyfriends and his sister, she and Kid Flash share their first official kiss.
Physical appearance[]
Kid Flash wears a red and yellow one piece unitard which includes his yellow mask. From his head to his waist, his costume is yellow, and his legs are red, ending with yellow ankled-high boots. His mask has two big eyeholes and it leaves his nose, mouth, and chin exposed. Similar to his uncle's costume, he has two red lightning bolts on the sides of his heads where his ears would be. Kid Flash has spiked, red hair which adds significant height. He also wears long, red gloves. He also has bright blue eyes.
Personality[]
- It's never too late.
- ―Kid Flash[src]
One of Kid Flash's most notable personality traits is his wit. Because his super-speed literally allows him all the time he needs, Kid Flash is very laid-back. He likes to wise-crack and make snappy quips, and seems to be quick with making decisions as well. He seems to prefer humiliating his criminals rather than arresting them, as seem in his actions against the Hive Five. Perhaps due to his cocky nature, he sometimes finds himself going far too fast for himself, which can lead to mistakes. Despite this, Kid Flash is very charming and has a kind heart that can see people for who they really are, which he displayed in his interactions with Jinx.
He is shown to be very insistent with pursuing somebody he fancies as shown in Lightspeed. After he was taken by Jinx, he tried multiple times to get close to her, but she always struck him down. Despite this, he kept trying and eventually succeeded.
As seen in Teen Titans Go! issue #34 "The Great Race", Kid Flash enjoys flirting with any pretty girl he sees. During the race, he stopped to flirt with Argent, Raven, and other random women (much to Jinx's jealousy and anger).
Even though he is laid back and sometime seems like he does not have a care in the world, occasionally he shows some parts of himself that does not seem like him. Sometimes he worries a lot about Jinx and has concerns about her. In Fearsome Five, he is worried about Jinx and he said that he hated to see her like that. When Kid Kold (Jinx's ex-boyfriend) and Ice Kate are arrested he shows some concern about her past, but Jinx stirs away from explaining the whole story. This proves that he is not as laid back as he seems.
Relationships[]
Jinx[]
As being her boyfriend, it is shown that Kid Flash and Jinx truly care about each other. In Lightspeed, their relationship started out very unstable, but as shown in the ending of the episode, she finally realized how great of a guy he is and turned good because of him. In the comics, their relationship is more romantic, as they go to carnivals, movies, etc. Jinx however easily gets jealous when Kid Flash flirts with the other girls. Kid Flash and Jinx are a strong couple in the series, despite only featuring them for a few episodes. They deeply care for each other and they help each other when one is in trouble.
Más y Menos[]
Kid Flash is very good friends with the twins, since they all have super speed. As shown in the comics, they love to hang out with each other. Even when they argue or have a friendly competition, they still manage to keep their friendship stable.
Robin[]
Kid Flash is very good close friends with Robin
Powers and abilities[]
- When you're as fast as me, time is something you've got plenty of.
- ―Kid Flash[src]
- Transcendent Homo Superior Physiology: First of all, despite having the potential to be the fasted Metahuman to ever exist, Kid Flash counts as a Metahuman of godly power.
- Speed Force: The source of all of Kid Flash's powers comes from an ancient force known as the Speed Force. The Speed Force governs all motion in the universe, and all speedsters draw their power from it. Every one of Kid Flash's abilities comes from the Speed Force.
- Speed Infinitum: Perhaps the most obvious power that Kid Flash has in his arsenal, it grants him many interesting abilities. By harnessing the speed force more and more, Wallace's speed will become shockingly infinite, and that is what makes him truly live up to his name being the fastest boy alive. Some of the abilities Kid Flash has displayed are:
- Creating small tornadoes which are strong enough to lift humans up.
- Vibration of his own body molecules to pass through solid objects.
- Creating high frictions hot enough to cause burns, which comes useful at times whenever somebody gets a hold of him.
- At one point, Kid Flash caused a small earthquake of some sort due to high-velocity impacts with his hands supplemented by his speed.
- Kid Flash can use his super speed to propel himself into the air, allowing him to (briefly) fly.
- Peak Human Endurance: Kid Flash can run at an undetermined amount of time and is very sturdy against punishment, as he has been shown crashing into a wall, being electrocuted and receiving blows while recovering rather quickly.
- Supercharged Mental Activity: Kid Flash's mental abilities are also hyper-accelerated, simple computations can be done at lightning speeds and can devise strategies and solutions to problems when fighting villains in no time at all.
- Hand-to-hand Combat: Although not his main preference and although it was not shown in the cartoon, in Teen Titans Go! issue #36 "Troy", he was seen kicking the Gordanians.
- Regeneration: Due to his super-fast metabolism, Kid Flash can heal at an extremely accelerated rate, and can also speed up the healing process of other people's wounds.
- You do realize, I can vibrate my molecules through solid objects.
- ―Kid Flash[src]
- Density Manipulation: Just as Kid Flash can vibrate his molecules enough to phase through solid matter, he can also make his molecules become tightly packed together, making his skin harder and denser than steel and practically invulnerable.
- Kinetic Energy Manipulation: Kid Flash can control the vibrations of objects at a molecular level, allowing him to make any object he comes into contact with explode, as well as granting him several other abilities.
- Bio-Electricity Manipulation: Due to his connection with the Speed Force, not only can Kid Flash control and generate lightning and electricity, but he can also shoot it out of his hands as bolts and shock people.
- An apparent drawback to Kid Flash's super-speed ability is that he needs to rest and consume plenty of food (most likely due to his super-fast metabolism) in order to maintain his superpower. This was especially shown in Teen Titans Go!, where many of his appearances showed him eating in mass quantities. Madame Rouge was likely aware of this downside, as she made it very clear to Jinx that Kid Flash should not be given food or drink while under capture.
Appearances[]
Teen Titans[]
Season 5[]
- "Homecoming - Part 2" (Cameo)
- "Lightspeed"
- "Calling All Titans!" (Cameo)
- "Titans Together"
New Teen Titans shorts[]
- "Kidz Korner 4 Kidz" (Cameo)
Teen Titans Go![]
- "Who Wants Pie?" (Cameo)
- "The Great Race"
- "Troy"
- "Stupid Cupid"
- "Bad Girls" (Cameo)
- "The Fearsome Five"
- "Red Raven" (Cameo)
- "Wildfire"
- "Legacy"
- "Graduation Day"
- "Dial H for Hero"
- "Wacky Wednesday/Hot & Cold"
- "When There's Trouble..." (Cameo)
Gallery[]
Click here to view the gallery.
Trivia[]
- Kid Flash is voiced by Michael Rosenbaum, who was the voice of Wally West/Flash in the animated Justice League series. This lends more to the fact that this animated version of the character is none other than Wally West, the first and original Kid Flash.
- Rosenbaum had also provided the voice for Barry Allen/Flash in the 2012 animated film Justice League: Doom.
- Rosenbaum also portrayed Lex Luthor in the live-action TV series Smallville.
- In the DC comics, Wally West gained his powers when he was exposed to a lightning blast under the same circumstances as his uncle. He eventually becomes the Flash after his uncle's untimely demise during Crisis on Infinite Earths. He and Robin are also best friends.
- According to Beast Boy at the beginning of "Calling All Titans!", Kid Flash already had a communicator even though it was not shown how he got it.
- Even though he had a communicator, Kid Flash was not ambushed by the Brotherhood of Evil.
- In the original DC Comics, Kid Flash, along with Robin, Speedy, Wonder Girl, and Aqualad, was among the founding members of the Teen Titans, who were sometimes referred to as the Fab Five.
- Out of the four boys with obvious crushes on Jinx (the others being Cyborg, See-More and Kid Kold), he is the only one who succeeds in stealing her heart.
- Kid Flash is one of the few characters in the series to fully resemble his comic counterpart. However, the current Wally in the comics has green eyes, but the design of Kid Flash with blue eyes remains consistent with his original Pre-Crisis appearances.
- Two of the villains that Kid Flash faces in the show's comic counterpart are siblings called Kid Kold and Ice Kate, real names Leo and Katie. Their designs, names, and powers lend to the extremely likely probability that they are based on the Flash villains Captain Cold (real name Leonard Snart) and his sister Golden Glider (real name Lisa Snart). Captain Cold is the leader of a group of Flash enemies known as the Rogues, and Golden Glider vowed to get revenge on the Flash after she blamed him for the death of the man she loved.