The Best Members of the Flash Family

The Flash is one of the most important mantles in the history of comics. The first Scarlet Speedster debuted in Flash Comics #1 in 1940, with Jay Garrick running his race against evil and joining the Justice Society. In 1956’s Showcase #4, Barry Allen first appeared, the new Flash for a new age of comics: the Silver Age. Not long after, he would get his sidekick Wally West, and Jay would be brought back. The Flash family was born. Since then, the family has gotten bigger and more powerful, as well as more important. Who the Flash is has defined entire eras of comics, and the various lightning bolt wearing heroes have become the standard for the superheroes of their age.

The Flash family is one of the most beloved in all of comics. There have been numerous members, but as with all things, some of them are just plain better than others. Here are the best members of the Flash family, warriors of the Speed Force who save the universe faster than anyone realizes.

10) Avery Ho

Avery Ho is one of the newer members of the Flash family, but she’s more than earned her place. Back at the beginning of DC’s Rebirth publishing initiative, we got a Justice League of China from the book New Super-Man. Ho would act as the Flash for the team, and much like Kenan Kong’s Super-Man, would join the American superhero family she was based on. She’s proven to be a pretty great speedster, and has showed up in numerous Flash comics, including a recent mini with her and Wallace West. She’s a great character and a talented speedster.

9) Jai West

Jai West is one of the children of Wally and Linda West, and is honestly one of the most powerful Speed Force users ever. Jai is sometimes known as Surge, and his powers are more about controlling the Speed Force than running. He can mold and shape its energy in unique ways, giving him powers like super strength, a protective force field, teleportation, electrokinesis, and more. He’s been hitting on Maxine Baker, the daughter of Animal Man, and is coming into his own as a member of the one of the most illustrious families in comics.

8) Irey West

Irey West is the twin sister of Jai, and is the more traditional speedster of the two. She’s used the name Impulse, after Bart Allen’s first heroic identity, and has since changed her name to Thunderheart. She’s always been the more overtly heroic of the West twins, fitting into her father’s world perfectly. She’s still young, so she’s still mastering her powers, but she’s played a big role in her father’s life over the last few years as she’s gotten older. She and Maxine Baker form a sort of “cool girls with superpowers” clique, and she’s always there with a quip or a super fast punch when there’s trouble. She’ll be the Flash one day if she plays her cards right, and is on her way to becoming a star.

7) Wallace “Ace” West

Wallace West was created in the New 52, as a way to shut up fans who wanted Wally West back. However, he was a good enough character for fans to enjoy and when Wally West came back in DC Rebirth #1, Wallace stayed around, joining the Rebirth Teen Titans. Since then, he’s become a more beloved characters that ever. He’s a character that DC could develop into something better if they put the work in, and he’s had quite a glow-up since he became his own thing in the years after Rebirth. It would be great if he became Wally’s Kid Flash, but until then, nearly every appearance of the young hero has been a lot of fun.

6) Jessie Quick

Jessie Chambers is the daughter of Golden Age heroes Johnny Quick and Liberty Belle. She became Jessie Quick, using her father’s Speed Force equation to move at superhuman speed, and eventually unlocked her mother’s super strength, invulnerability, and sonic scream. Jessie is an ancillary member of the Flash Family, having been a member in good standing with the JSA for almost 20 years now, but still shows up for the big fights and group pictures. She’s a great character; it took her years to overcome her fear of not living up to her parents’ examples, and her relationship with the Hourman II is a favorite of some fans. Jessie is underrated hero, and a boon to the Flash family.

5) Max Mercury

Max Mercury has long been considered the “Zen speedster”. Once known as Quicksilver in the Old West, he was the first speedster to talk about something akin to the Speed Force, as the mysterious energy kept him young and vital for over a century. He helped Wally unlock his full potential and defeat the Reverse Flash in the “The Return of Barry Allen”, and helped train young Bart Allen when he came to the present in the mid ’90s. If Jay Garrick is the Flash family kindly grandpa, Max is the cantankerous uncle. He knows things that no one else knows and is willing to teach them, but he’s not going to mollycoddle you.

4) Bart Allen

Bart Allen is the grandson of Barry Allen, born in the future. His super speed was always a part of him, and he was raised in a VR setting. He eventually came back in time and became Impulse, living with Jay Garrick, getting trained by Max Mercury, and fighting alongside Wally West and Young Justice. He joined the Teen Titans and became Kid Flash. He ended up becoming the Flash for a year before being killed by his clone Inertia and the Rogues. Bart returned to life, and since hasn’t done much of note, but the last couple of years have seen creators reminding readers how cool he can be. He’s the ultimate ADHD superhero, and has always been the most fun of the modern speedsters.

3) Barry Allen

Barry Allen is the second Flash, and the father of the Silver Age of Comics. His first appearance in 1956’s Showcase #4 opened the door for the modern superhero comic, and he’s become a legend over the decades. He was one of the exemplars of Silver Age superheroism, and the death of Barry Allen in Crisis on Infinite Earths is a major moment in DC history. He’s since returned, and re-took up his mantle as the Flash, showing that he was still one of the best around. Barry isn’t the most interesting character, but that’s part of charm. He’s as white bread as they come, but still an amazing hero.

2) Jay Garrick

Jay Garrick was the first Flash, establishing the mantle starting with 1940’s Flash Comics #1. He helped found the JSA, and became a legend, returning in The Flash (Vol. 1) #123, and bringing the multiverse with him. Jay has become one of the icons of DC Comics, a character who has been battling evil for 86 years. The Speed Force grandpa is everyone’s best friend, a hero who supports everyone he can, and an indefatigable presence on the battlefield. He’s been a huge part of the success of Golden Age heroes in the modern age, anchoring every Justice Society run, and has become a character that everyone loves. Jay started the family, and he remains one of its best members.

1) Wally West

Wally West first appeared as Barry Allen’s sidekick in the Silver Age, and since then has become one of the most important superheroes of all time. He was a founding member of the Teen Titans as Kid Flash, and took up Barry’s mantle after his death. Wally took a few years to catch on as the Flash, but he’s since become one of the most powerful speedsters in the history of comics. He is the first sidekick to graduate, and the first to completely overshadow their mentor. The New 52 getting rid of Wally was a declaration of war on an entire portion of the Flash fandom, and his subsequent return and mistreatment caused a massive uproar. Wally West is the best Flash, and for most fans that’s all there is to it.

Who’s your favorite Flash? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!

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