The Flash: Barry Allen’s Return Was the WORST Thing to Happen to Wally West - CBR - Comic Book Resources

For his first few years as The Flash, Wally West was still finding his way. Following Barry Allen's death in Crisis on Infinite Earths, Wally seemed as if he was merely standing in for his predecessor. The new Flash wasn't confident or comfortable in his role, and he was nowhere near as fast as the original.

With no real memorable moments, feats or stories featuring Wally's Flash, it appeared that the former Kid Flash would forever be in Barry's shadow. Of course, there were parts of Barry's legacy that weren't so perfect. For example, his final confrontation with his nemesis, Professor Zoom.

Indeed, The Reverse-Flash tormented Barry for the last time by murdering his wife, Iris West-Allen. When Zoom attempted to kill Barry's fiancé years later, The Flash killed him, placing Barry on trial for his crime. This trial ultimately saw Barry flee into the far future, living out the remainder of his days with Iris, who had secretly survived.

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All of these components set the stage for "The Return of Barry Allen" by Mark Waid and Greg LaRoque. In this tale, Barry mysteriously reappeared, alive and well. Although Wally was initially skeptical about his uncle's resurrection, eventually, he grew to enjoy having Barry back. For a time, everything seemed perfect, as Barry, Wally and Jay Garrick all teamed up to fight crime.

Yet soon, Barry began to behave rather erratically. When Wally was nearly killed, Barry violently attacked the criminal who shot his nephew. The Silver Age Flash was enraged, not because Wally almost died, but because the villain triumphantly yelled that he "killed The Flash." Later, Barry further cemented his jealousy of Wally, leaving his old protégé to die in a supervillain's force field. Barry told Wally that he stole The Flash's name and identity, angrily reclaiming his title. Wally was shocked and deeply hurt by his mentor's words, sending him into a deep depression.

While Wally wallowed in this misery, Barry terrorized Central City. The Flash clashed with Hal Jordan, along with fellow speedsters Jay Garrick, Max Mercury and Johnny Quick. These speedsters eventually realized that they needed Wally's help. Taking Wally under his wing, Max taught The Flash to overcome his fear of replacing Barry. Wally had also discovered a book called "The Life Story of The Flash," written by his aunt Iris, which revealed to him who "Barry" really was.

Wally then lured "Barry" to The Flash Museum, revealing his true identity: Eobard Thawne, The Reverse-Flash and owner of the book Wally found. Indeed, Thawne was a big fan of Barry's, traveling from the far future to meet his idol, but he arrived after Barry's death. Discovering that he would become The Reverse-Flash, Thawne went into a state of shock, believing himself to be Barry Allen.

Although Thawne escaped Wally, he returned to attack The Flash's girlfriend, Linda Park. Enraged, Wally finally broke through his mental barriers, running faster than ever to mercilessly attack Thawne. Wally, no longer plagued by doubt, tricked Thawne onto The Cosmic Treadmill and sent him back to the future.

For so long, Wally had idolized Barry, fearing that he would replace his mentor. Yet now, Wally was forced to stand up for Barry's legacy by becoming his own hero. Only by surpassing Barry's speed could Wally defeat Thawne and protect Barry Allen's good name. Seeing the results of obsessive idol worship, Wally decided to forge his own path for a change.

This feat earned Wally the title of The Flash, which he used on many exciting adventures from that point forward. Wally would go on to discover the speed force, train Barry's grandson, Bart, travel through time and encounter Flashes of other dimensions, among other astonishing tales. For many readers, Wally became the definitive Flash.

Professor Zoom also became more prominent, with tales often depicting different iterations of the character from numerous points in time. In Flash: Rebirth, by Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Scriver, Thawne even went back in time and killed Barry Allen's mother, cementing his status as the ultimate Flash villain and setting up events such as "Flashpoint" and "The New 52."

Ultimately, "The Return of Barry Allen" transformed Wally West into a true hero and Eobard Thawne into a truly sinister villain.

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Nabeel Gaber (144 Articles Published)

Nabeel Gaber is a longtime reader of a plethora of comic books. He's based in Houston, Texas, following all of the latest comic book media from movies to television. Nabeel is a graduate of Trinity University, working now as a freelance comic book features writer. In his spare time, Nabeel enjoys running, improv comedy, and all the comics he can get his hands on!