JuicyTalk
While Batman clearly has the most sidekicks of any superhero, Flash has more than most. The Scarlet Speedster, every version of him, has, at one point or another, had at least one teen sidekick who has kept up with them. Or, almost kept up with them. These kid crime-fighters may not be as swift as their mentors, but they are quick learners.
Some come from the past, others from the future, but one thing that really makes them stand out from most other sidekicks is that they are, literally, all part of the Flash Family, sharing DNA with every hero who has taken on the mantle of the Crimson Comet. And while they may not all be as equally speedy, they have what matters most: the heart to do what is right.
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Jai West (Surge)
The son of Wally West and Linda Park, Jai West, who goes by Surge when he’s helping his dad, isn’t just the slowest Flash sidekick, he’s the slowest member of the whole Flash Family. While everyone else has super speed, Jai’s powers are different.
Jai’s connection to the Speed Force has given him a set of powers that makes him completely unique. While he can’t run at amazing speeds, he connects with the Speed Force via empathy, which allows him to “sense” everyone who uses the Speed Force to power themselves. This ability has warned him when his father was in desperate need of help.
Jai can also teleport to the location of people connected to the Speed Force, which has come in handy a few times. He can even travel through time, though that ability is limited; he can only go back to the moment that he initially teleported from.
Along with all this, Jai can also add biomass to himself, giving himself superstrength or changing the size of his body. And while he isn’t super fast, he can heal at amazing speeds. So, while he may be the slowest sidekick any Flash has had, he’s far from the weakest. But, even with all his powers, Jai would rather spend his time being a normal kid and leave the sidekick stuff to his sister.
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Judy Garrick (Boom)
One of the “Lost Children” saved by Stargirl, Judy Garrick, the daughter of the first Flash, was missing – and completely forgotten – for decades. Now back and ready to fight evil alongside her dad, Judy has returned to her life as The Boom.
Like her dad Jay Garrick, Judy got her speed powers after inhaling hard water fumes. Unlike her dad, she wasn’t taking a smoke break. And while the full extent of Judy’s speed has yet to really be seen, it’s safe to assume that, like her pops, she isn’t quite as fast as the other speedsters
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Judy finds herself in an interesting position within the Flash Family. She is, all at once, one of the first members of the family, but also its newest member. And while her existence has been reintegrated with the timestream, she still hasn’t actually spent much time with her extended family.
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Irey West (Thunderheart)
The daughter of the Fastest Man Alive, Irey West, who goes by Thunderheart these days, is still finding her place. Certainly faster than her brother Jai, and able to keep up with her dad as long as he doesn’t go all out, Irey is fast, but still has a way to go before becoming the Fastest Woman Alive.
Unlike her brother, Irey wants to be a superhero, and has taken on a number of identities over her short career. Irey seemed destined to become Kid Flash at one point, as that was the name she used when readers first met her in Kingdom Come. But when she came into the DCU proper, Irey took over the mantle of Impulse from her second cousin who had switched to using Kid Flash at that time.
It was during the “One-Minute War” that Irey took on the name Thunderheart, choosing it after fellow Flash Family member Jesse Quick told her that she had a heart full of thunder. Since then, Irey has started to build out her own legacy, working alongside her father to keep the Twin Cities safe.
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Wallace West (Kid Flash)
Wallace West came into being after his uncle Barry Allen messed with the timestream and created the Flashpoint universe, which, itself, led to Doctor Manhattan rewriting all of DC history and creating the New 52 universe. It can be pretty confusing. But, essentially, Wallace, who tends to go by Ace, is the current Kid Flash who goes it alone.
Barry Allen was Ace’s mentor at first, but since Rebirth, this Kid Flash has been essentially running solo. And, as one of the older teen members of the Flash Family — and the most responsible — Ace tends to act more like a babysitter for Irey and Jai and less like a teen superhero. This hasn’t escaped him, and he isn’t overly happy about it.
Ace is one of the fastest members of the Flash Family, being able to go faster than the speed of light. And while his uncle Barry has become powerless and his older cousin Wally has his hands full with his own kids, Ace isn’t sitting in park. The teen hero spends his time working alongside his girlfriend, Avery Ho, the Flash of China.
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Bart Allan (Impulse)
The boy from the future who grew up in virtual reality, Bart Allen‘s superhero name comes from his tendency to act impulsively. Originally brought to the present by his grandma Iris West so that her nephew, Wally West, could train him, Bart’s style made him, in the eyes of Wally, untrainable.
Bart’s time as the sidekick to the Fastest Man Alive was over in, if you can excuse the pun, a flash. Unable to deal with him, Wally pawned Bart off on the Zen Master of Speed himself, Max Mercury. Amazingly, Max’s calm demeanor was exactly what Bart needed to learn to control his powers.
Bart took on the mantle of Flash for a brief period that no one likes to think about, and was replaced by a different version of himself during the New 52 years that no one likes to think about. He finally returned shortly after Rebirth, and has been back to his old Impulse self ever since. Of the current teen speedsters, Bart is clearly the fastest.
1
Wally West (Kid Flash)
Wally West has the exact life he dreamed of when he was just 11-years-old and was the president — and sole member — of the Flash Fan Club of Blue Valley, Nebraska. After taking a trip to Central City to spend the summer with his aunt Iris, Wally not only met his idol, but gained superspeed and became the first Kid Flash.
During his time as Kid Flash, Wally struggled to match the speeds of his mentor, Barry Allen. As it turned out, Wally’s powers were killing him, forcing him to quit being the hero he dreamed of becoming. But, in a moment of mixed blessings, the Crisis on Infinite Earths caused Wally’s powers to stabilize while also taking the life of Barry Allen.
Wally became the new Flash, but he still struggled to go faster than the speed of sound. It wouldn’t be until he was forced to face off against the greatest Flash villain of all time, Eobard Thawne, and was counseled by Max Mercury, that Wally unlocked his full potential. In time, Wally not only matched Barry Allen’s speed, he surpassed it, truly becoming the Fastest Man Alive.
- Created By
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Gardner Fox, Harry Lampert, Carmine Infantino
- First Appearance
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Flash Comics
- Alias
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Jay Garrick, Barry Allen, Wally West, Bart Allen, Avery Ho
- Alliance
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Justice Society of America, Justice League, Teen Titans
- Race
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Human
- Franchise
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D.C.
