For lifelong Flash fans, we have seen many faces take on the mantle of the Scarlet Speedster, but of the many, two are among the most tenured, Barry Allen and Wally West. Barry basically started the Silver age of comics, introducing something we've never seen in comics before, science fiction. And as the man who started it all, in just about every depiction of the hero have we seen Barry star as the Flash.
Wally, who up until Barry's disappearance in Crisis on Infinite Earths was Kid Flash and only took the mantle for about 20 years before being erased into existence from the events of Flashpoint. With both characters bringing something to the legend of the Flash, here are five reasons Barry Allen is the best Flash and five reasons Wally West is.
Wally: Greater Feats
When we talk Flash, we talk about his God-like speed and all the great things that come with having a connection to the Speed Force. Wally by far has accomplished the most impressive feats, with shows like the CW's Flash stealing feats for their iteration of the Flash.
Wally was the first known speedster to actually come out of the speed force when he had been trapped there, he was the first speedster to master the speed force, being able to use it to his advantage in a way, not even his mentor could. Wally was also able to clear an entire village from a nuclear explosion in less than a tenth of a second.
Barry: Popularity
As mentioned before, any iteration of the Flash has been with Barry Allen taking the cowl. Considering he has been the longest-tenured Flash and the Flash we see everywhere, whether it be in the the CW show, Barry is often who we associate with The Flash, even though most adults today knew Wally West as the Flash.
With new movies and shows coming out and with the current Wally West being killed off or erased out of existence, it seems like there are no plans to use Wally as the Flash anytime soon.
Wally: More Powers as The Flash
Given Wally has the strongest connection with the Speed Force, it's no wonder he can accomplish more than his predecessors. Given Wally is able to travel through time, lend his speed force powers and even siphon off speed, Wally has been able to do things Barry nor Jay have even been able to imagine.
These feats are so impressive, the CW show has also stolen some of these feats to accommodate the Flash. Also, the fact that Wally understands the speed force more than any of his mentors helps him reach his potential and be considered one of the greatest heroes in DC.
Barry: Closer Relationship with the Justice League
Given that Barry is one of the founders of the Batman, an accomplishment not a lot of heroes can say they have.
Barry is easy going and loved by many, so when Wally took over following Barry's supposed death, not many took to him as easily as Barry. Add in the fact that Wally dealt with a lot of anger that projected as arrogance and recklessness, a lot of the fellow leaguers were quickly annoyed by Wally.
Wally: Family First
One of Barry's best features is his commitment to the job, always putting himself in the way of danger, regardless of his own fears and dangers to his life. We've seen it in the comics, the CW show, even in the animated movies. Unfortunately, this means Barry doesn't often see the turmoil he puts his family in and the risks they face losing him.
This is where Wally gets the edge, he always puts his family first and avoids making any choices that will negatively affect his loved ones. Wally may not be seen as brave, but he is just a much a hero as Barry just taking fewer risks.
Barry: Best Detective
Long before Barry took the mantle of the Flash he was a forensic scientist and CSI for Central City, making him very adept at solving crimes. Part of the reason Batman has so much respect for Barry is due to his love for science and using forensics to solve crimes.
Unfortunately for Wally, he was still a kid when he got his powers and often thinks more as an engineer rather than a scientist like his mentors Jay Garrick and Barry. For this reason, Wally needed a lot more help from those around him and he was a little bit slower at solving crimes although he was still as effective catching the bad guys.
Wally: Better Costume
This one is up for debate. Barry has more or less always had a similar costume, red with yellow highlights and boots, and a white and yellow emblem in the middle. There have been a lot of different designs of the costume through different media but it has more or less stayed the same.
Wally has greatly changed his costume several times in his time in DC, going from the classic yellow and red color scheme to the classic Flash costume, all the way to his new rebirth costume, that has quickly become a fan favorite. It is a good combination of his old Kid Flash costume, with the same design tied together with the same color scheme with his time as the Flash.
Barry: Better Mentor
Wally couldn't have chosen a better mentor than Barry. Barry is patient, reasonable and empathetic, making him a good mentor to Wally, Bart, and all the new speedsters in Rebirth. Some can argue that Wally and Barry have the best relationship among hero and sidekick due to Barry's laidback demeanor. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Wally.
As a mentor, Wally is almost the complete opposite of Barry and often gets impatient and even point-blank refuses to be a mentor. He's been known to manipulate and degrade those he's mentoring, playing ineffective mind games to get those to do what he wants. Although he's a family man, he made the irresponsible choice of taking his kids to fight crime with him despite being untrained.
Wally: Fastest Man in the Multiverse
In the most recent Flash comics, Wally is the clear fastest man alive, despite Barry holding the title. They have literally raced against each other and Wally has wiped the floor with his mentor, proving to not only be the fastest man alive but the fastest being in the Multiverse, beating out any Flash in any world.
Considering Barry is known for being the original Flash it came as a shock to fans as Wally spent so many years chasing after his mentors legacy. But if Wally is the fastest, Barry is the second fastest, with not a lot of characters even getting close to the two.
Barry: More Control of His Powers
Although Wally has more powers than Barry, Barry has more control over his. The fact Barry was a scientist, he is able to understand his limitations and manipulate the speed force in different ways. Although Wally is faster, his potential hasn't reached its ceiling due to his inability to master some of the most basic speed force powers.
Barry can vibrate through solid objects, create mirages of himself and walk on water, in a way Wally has never been able to do before. The two are very different from each other in ways of their powers, Barry utilizes them strategically and Wally is more technical and uses his raw powers.
