Barry Allen Should Have Stayed Dead (and Wally West Proves It)

The Flash is one of DC’s most venerable franchises, having existed since 1940. Jay Garrick was the original Flash (and honestly still one of the best Flashes of all time), and he began a race that would lead readers to some of the best heroes of all time. Jay was the beginning of the Flash legacy, but he wouldn’t be the one who actually made the mantle popular. That would be Barry Allen. Barry Allen’s premiere in 1956’s Showcase #4 is generally credited off the Silver Age. The Flash became a hugely popular comic, and Barry Allen would run into the hearts of the fandom. However, Barry was definitely a relic of his time, and his comic got less popular as the 1980s dawned. Barry wouldn’t survive the decade of excess, dying in Crisis on Infinite Earths #8 to save the universe. Of course, since this is comics, he’d eventually return in 2008’s Final Crisis #2, 23 years after his death.

Allen’s return as the Flash was a part of ’00s DC and their mission to bring back the classic DC Multiverse of the pre-Crisis. It was actually pretty exciting at the time, but Allen’s return would also lead to the marginalization of the character who saved the mantle of the Flash — Wally West. Barry had run the concept into the ground, but Wally saved it. Barry is an excellent character, but Wally was better. Barry’s return led to some great Flash stories, but looking at the character’s post-death history, it’s about time we admitted that Barry should have stayed dead.

Barry Allen’s Death Is More Important to DC History than Anything He Did After His Return

Crisis on Infinite Earths is massively important to DC history, and Barry Allen’s death in the comic is one of the most important events in the comic. Allen sacrificed himself to destroy the Anti-Monitor’s anti-matter cannon, and he immediately became a saint in the superhero community. Allen gave his all, and saved the remaining universes. He became a symbol of heroism to the metahuman community, and his death led to Wally West finally stepping up and taking over as the Flash. Let’s be real for a second — Allen was a boring character that couldn’t change with the times, and that’s why killing him was the right decision. His death allowed Wally to become the hero he always should have been. Wally had to live up to the example set by Barry, and this was the impetus for his journey to becoming the greatest Flash ever. One of the reasons why Wally is better than Barry is that Wally was able to grow. Barry is always going to be the slightly boring hero that will give his all, while Wally was able to become more than just the sidekick. One of the most interesting things about Barry’s return is that creators took the example of Wally as a character, and welded Wally’s characteristics onto Barry. Suddenly, Barry was less of the terminally responsible adult he had been before his death, and became the clever, funny character that Wally had become as the Flash. Even DC’s creators knew why Wally succeeded as a character where Barry failed, using Wally’s example to make Barry into a character that fans would want to read about in the 21st century.

Looking at Barry’s actions between 2008 and 2021, when Wally came back to the mantle of the Flash, there’s nothing that really makes an argument for why he came back to life. Nothing Barry did as a returned hero was as important as his death. What major events did we get from Barry Allen during that time? Flashpoint, and even that was more about using the character to change the DC Universe instead of anything that Barry did in the story in the story. You can see right from the beginning that DC was anxious to make Barry important again, making Allen into the engine of the Speed Force, but it never really worked. His stories were basically Wally-lite Flash stories, and other than the return of the Reverse Flash, Barry’s stories were never nearly as interesting as the years of Wally stories fans had been getting. Barry Allen went back to the least interesting person to wear the lightning bolt, and it made fans miss Wally so much that when West returned in DC Rebirth #1, it became the biggest talking point of a book full of big talking points. Barry Allen is a fine character, but his death — and Wally taking over for him — are more important than anything he had done after his resurrection.

Barry Is a Second-Rate Flash Compared to Wally West

Barry Allen was the embodiment of the Silver and Bronze Age of comics and he was a massively important character to the history of DC. Barry was the one who began the DC Multiverse and brought readers a legion of great villains. His Flash Facts taught kids about science. However, one of the most ironic things about Barry is that the Flash didn’t become truly great until Wally West took over. Wally made everything about the Flash better; even the Flash’s villains got cooler with Wally as the Flash than Barry.

I’ve said this before, but Barry Allen’s death was the symbolic death of the Silver/Bronze Age. Barry’s death closed the chapter on entire eras of DC history, and it made him into a legend after years of obscurity. There was never any need for Barry to come back; his death was more important than anything he’s done since because of its symbolism. Wally was the best Flash by a wide margin, and resurrecting Barry took away one of the most important deaths in the history of comics. Barry is a Flash, but Wally West is the Flash.

What do you think about Barry Allen’s return? Sound off in the comments below.

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