Flash Introduced 1 of His Best Costumes Just to Reject His Mentor

Summary Wally West once updated the Flash costume to escape Barry's shadow.

The new, practical uniform is similar to the Flash costume from the DCEU.

The Flash's legacy moves forward as Wally honors the past.

The Flash is one of DC Comics’ most iconic legacies, and few heroes have honored that legacy as well as Wally West himself. Having proven himself the true Fastest Man Alive, Wally spent much of his career as the Scarlet Speedster racing in the footsteps of his mentor, Barry Allen. But when one misadventure changes Wally to his core, he gets a brand-new Flash uniform that leaves his mentor’s uniform in the dust.

Continuing the “Divided We Fall” storyline, JLA #52 by Mark Waid, Bryan Hitch, Paul Neary, Ken Lopez, and Laura Depuy catches up with the League after a mysterious phenomenon has separated their human and superhuman natures into two distinct beings.

Reflecting this change, the entity now operating as Wally West dons a new uniform all his own, updating his iconic scarlet and gold with a new logo and mask. When Aquaman questions the wardrobe change, the Flash dismissively replies, "Overdue. Past time I got out of Barry Allen’s shadow."

Related Flash's Most Underrated Villain Just Changed the Entire Course of DC's Future (Does This Make Him a Hero?!) The Justice League just got the upgrade they need to save the DC Universe, and it's all thanks to one of the Flash's most obscure villains.

The Fastest Man Alive Refused to Look Back

Close

This new look doesn’t stick around once Wally West and the Flash are rejoined, but that doesn’t mean it’s lacking in style. On the contrary, the almost entirely red uniform’s more paneled look hints at a more practical level of protection not dissimilar to what Flash fans saw from the DCEU’s portrayal of the Scarlet Speedster. With the addition of built-in goggles and a stylish new Flash emblem, the new uniform is singularly unique to Wally – or at least Wally without any of the humanity that makes him a hero.

Both as the Flash and as Kid Flash, Wally West has sported several different uniforms in his long race for justice.

A major aspect of Wally West’s journey as The Flash is his reverence for Barry Allen and the other speedsters that came before him. When he first took on the mantle, Wally even wore Barry’s exact same uniform, only modifying it with his own flare once he was more comfortable with the possibility of surpassing his old mentor. Eventually, West did indeed surpass Barry both in speed and status, but their shared uniform, even with Wally’s modifications, always linked them together. But without his human reverence for Barry Allen, this fully realized Flash needed to stand out on his own.

The Flash Legacy Always Moves Forward

Wally West Still Honors What Came Before

Both as the Flash and as Kid Flash, Wally West has sported several different uniforms in his long race for justice. Usually, the third hero to call himself the Scarlet Speedster reverently follows a cue from those who came before him by donning the scarlet and gold with his own unique twist. But without a care for the legacy that defines him, Wally West was able to branch out on his own – even if the Flash's persona became unrecognizable in the process.

JLA #52 is available now from DC Comics.