10 Ways The Flash Has Changed Since Jay Garrick | CBR - CBR - Comic Book Resources

Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert in 1940, Jay Garrick made his first appearance in an anthology comic known as Flash Comics (issue #1.) One of multiple new heroes introduced in the comics, Jay would immediately start to appear all over the DC Universe, and even got his own comic in 1941. But thanks to the waning popularity of superhero comics, by 1951 Jay Garrick disappeared.

Only five years later, a new Flash would enter the scene. Barry Allen would revitalize the superhero genre alongside multiple other heroes, and turned the Flash from a single superhero into a franchise that would survive for decades, even bringing back Jay Garrick and allowing the character to see how things had changed since he first started fighting crime.

10 They Explained The Existence Of The Speed Force

Wally West running with his kids Iris and Jai

Until Wally became the Flash, the reason for the Flash’s super-speed was simply that they were fast. It felt like no other explanation was needed, but as the powers of the Flash became more complex, writer Mark Waid added a new wrinkle to the character.

The Speed Force is the reason any member of the Flash Family has their powers, and represents the idea of space-time and motion. There are other heroes who have super speed without using the Speed Force though, and they're best not combined. When the mathematical formula used by the Quick family was used by someone with the Speed Force, it resulted in time stopping for the user!

9 The Flash Gained A Partner

When Jay Garrick was the Flash, the concept of sidekicks hadn’t yet made it to the world of the Flash. Batman had a Robin, but aside from that most of the other DC heroes only had people they worked with rather than junior heroes.

But with Barry Allen, DC made some massive changes to the franchise, and one of those changes involved the creation of Wally West. Flash’s sidekick, Wally West would experience the exact same accident to gain his super-speed, and work alongside both Barry Allen and the Teen Titans.

8 The Flashes Discovered The Multiverse

When Jay Garrick was created, there was no such thing as the multiverse because there wasn’t a need. But when DC decided to reinvent characters like Green Lantern and the Flash in the 50’s, there was a need to explain why these characters existed on the same planet as Superman and Batman.

Where had the Justice Society gone? Where was Jay Garrick and Alan Scott? In The Flash #123 fans got their answer, as the concept of the multiverse, and it was discovered Jay Garrick and the other heroes of the 40s still existed on a separate Earth.

7 The Costume Has Undergone A Change And Now Has A Mask.

Jay Garrick had a very stripped down, realistic costume compared to even superheroes of his era. He wore a simple pair of jeans, red boots, and a shirt with a lightning bolt on it.

He didn’t even bother hiding his identity with a mask, instead he vibrated so fast so no one could ever get a clear look at him. The new Flash would make considerable changes, creating an actual costume including a mask and changing the color scheme from Jay Garrick’s blue/red/yellow to a simple red and yellow combination.

6 Kid Flash Became The Flash

This is something that would become common amongst the Flashes for a time. Barry Allen saving the multiverse from the Anti-Monitor meant the world was without a Flash. Rather than allowing the world to move on, Wally West decided he would step up and take on the role of the next Flash in the DC Universe.

This would make Wally West the first sidekick to ever take over completely for their predecessor, and is something that would happen again after Infinite Crisis where Wally West tried to run Superboy Prime into the Speed Force.

5 Moved From The Justice League To The Justice Society

The Justice Society of America Comic 1991 DC

The Flash was once one of the most important characters in the Justice Society. Alongside Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern Alan Scott, the character was a key founding member. But since then, the Flash has become a key member of every major organization in the world of superheroes.

Barry Allen and Wally West were both Justice League members, while Bart Allen was a member of Young Justice. Even now, Barry Allen is rushing off to become a member of the group watching the Totality.

4 The Flash Has Become Known For Saving The Multiverse

The Flash has gained something of a reputation in the modern era. Thanks to Barry Allen doing what it took to stop the Anti-Monitor, his sacrifice was recognized by heroes everywhere.

But in the real world this had an effect as well. In the real world, people associated Flash with giving up his life to save the world. It would happen again with Wally West during Infinite Crisis.

3 The Flash Has Gained A Host Of Other Speed Powers

The longer they worked with the Speed Force the more the Flash was able to do powers that even Jay couldn’t dream of. More talented speedsters have been able to share a connection with the Speed Force, making them run fast enough to experience super-speed briefly.

Other abilities include being able to create costumes made out of speed force energy, which means the ability to repair them if they’re ever damaged in combat.

2 The Flash Gained A Rogues Gallery

Captain Cold Weather Wizard, Golden Glider, Mirror Master, and Heat Wave

The Flashes might not be the first heroes with rogues, but they created the concept of The Rogues. Barry Allen had an assortment of villains he would deal with in his younger years. Captain Cold, Heat Wave, Abra Kadabra, Trickster, and more. These villains couldn’t keep up with his speed but they could slow him down and working together gave him much more trouble than what they could apart.

A later run in the 2000’s would show The Rogues as a formal group that would oppose the Flash, making their name amongst villains for their habit of committing crimes for the sake of making money and having a “code”.

1 Created The Flash Family

Jay Garrick was of course the only Flash of his era, but as the years went on they gradually grew the group. Behind Batman and Superman, Flash is the most known for having a family. It isn’t just Flash or Kid Flash, but also Impulse and his mentor Max Mercury and Jesse Quick.

They’ve been working both together and separately for years in the superhero community, a tight family drawn together by their need to do good and their unique powers.

NEXT: 10 Worst Time Travelers In The DC Universe, Ranked