A Sunshine Boy

Hey all! Back during the halcyon days of Young Justice (and especially after “Bloodlines,” the episode that found the four Flashes teaming up), some friends and I here starting discussing what a Flash Family animated series might look like. I got so inspired that I ended up coming up with an pitch and even outlining the first season.

Well, the good news is that I’ve finally finished Season Two, and I’m ready to share it with all of you! I’m sorry for how long it took, and while I have a bunch of excuses, they really don’t matter. It’s done now, and that’s that. I want to give a great, giant thank you to everyone who read, shared, and enjoyed the first season, and I hope you do the same with this second one!

So just as refresher, The Flash Family: The Animated Series will be closer to the DCAU or Young Justice in tone, but in format more similar to Batman: The Brave and the Bold: a revolving door of characters and scenarios (and time periods) based around the anchor of a Flash. Although I try to make each episode a complete story, there are several ongoing plot threads building across the season. The show will be four seasons, with each season revolving around a different Flash.

Click here to check out Season One (Barry Allen)

And without further adieu, here’s Season Two!:

Season Two (Wally West):
EPISODE 1: THE FLASH OF TOMORROW, TODAY!
EPISODE 2: HOW TO WIN FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE
EPISODE 3: A VICIOUS LOVE
EPISODE 4: THE ABSENCE OF THOUGHT
EPISODE 5: FRENZY
EPISODES 6 & 7: THE REVERSE FLASH pts. 1 & 2
EPISODE 8: PEEK-A-BOO
EPISODE 9: ROGUE PROFILE: MIRROR MASTER
EPISODE 10: THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS
EPISODE 11: MONSTERS
EPISODE 12: TALES OF THE FLASH
EPISODE 13: YOUNG, JUST US
EPISODE 14: ROGUE PROFILE: THE TRICKSTER
EPISODE 15: THE CASE OF THE MISSING ROGUES
EPISODE 16: FASTER FRIENDS
EPISODE 17: THE DIGITAL REVOLUTION
EPISODE 18: RESPONSIBILITY? WHAT’S THAT?!
EPISODE 19: A CRISIS IN TIME
EPISODE 20: THE RETURN OF BARRY ALLEN
EPISODE 21: THE ROGUES’ CRUSADE
EPISODE 22: HALF THE MAN I USED TO BE
EPISODE 23: THE INTERVENTION
EPISODE 24: THE ZEN OF SPEED

Episode summaries and character bios under the cut:

PREVIOUSLY ON THE “FLASH FAMILY: THE ANIMATED SERIES”: Impulse, Bart Allen, traveled 40 years into his past to save the life of his grandfather—Barry Allen, the Flash—and ended up succeeding in his mission. When he attempted to return to his own time, however, his time machine malfunctioned, stranding him five years in the future (35 years in his past). Here Bart found himself in a time where, despite his best efforts, Barry Allen had died anyway, and his sidekick—Kid Flash, Wally West—was now the Flash…

EPISODE 1: THE FLASH OF TOMORROW, TODAY!: The episode opens on The Flash, Wally West, battling with Tar Pit on the ice at the Keystone Combines hockey rink. Between mourning and dealing with his own fluctuating powers–Wally’s super-speed has been in flux the past few years, usually topping out around the speed of sound–Wally’s had a tough few years since taking over his late mentor’s mantle (as well as revealing his secret identity to the world). So while he’s frustrated that his day out’s been ruined by the attack, he’s at least grateful for such a straightforward, simple battle.

Of course, nothing’s ever really simple. As Wally’s new girlfriend, television reporter Linda Park, struggles to record the battle on her phone, Jay Garrick’s voice suddenly sounds in Wally’s earpiece, alerting him that Captain Cold and his Rogues have robbed a store across town. ’Figures’, grumbles Wally. Cold’s been pulling this shtick for months now; waiting until one of the new Rogues, unaffiliated with Cold’s group, pulls some sort of crime, and then successfully pulling their own heist in the meantime. With all the chaos, they’ve continually escaped scot-free, often before anyone even realized they committed the crime. ‘The Rogues had to get smarter after Mirror Master died, stop showing up out in the open. I wish I were smarter, faster. Barry would have stopped them by now.‘ 

'Why did the Rogues have to get smarter as soon as the Flash got dumber?’ 

By the time Wally finishes off Tar Pit the Rogues have escaped, evading even Jay. The next day is a meeting of the minds at police headquarters, and all the Flash Family is invited—except for Linda Park, whose position as a member of the press makes her unwelcome at private police business. Linda swears she won’t blab, but Wally moves fast enough to see her fingers crossed behind her back—he just smirks. 

Inside, it’s time to come up with a strategy to stop the Rogues. Wally and Jay join up with Impulse–who’s been trapped in this era for a week and still hasn’t stopped asking questions–Detectives Fred Chyre and Jared Morillo, the heads of metahuman operations, Rogue Profiler Hunter Zolomon, and the Pied Piper, who has been reformed ever since the battle with Kadabra’s army and now mainly fights to protect the rights of the Twin Cities’ oppressed and downtrodden. Using inside information on the Rogues collected by Piper and James Jesse (The former Rogue known as the Trickster, who has since reformed and joined the FBI. A shocker, I know), Chyre and Morillo determine that Cold is using the new Trickster—a punk kid named Axel Walker who used to associate with the newer Rogues—as a mole to convince the new Rogues to pull jobs. 

Meanwhile, Zolomon—trained to analyze the motives, past, and behavior of “super criminals”–is able to discover a pattern in the Rogues’ crimes, and determine when and where they’ll strike next.  Now it’s just up to the Flashes to be there to stop it. 

Wally is nervous about allowing Bart to work on the mission, but Jay (whom Impulse has been living with since arriving in this time period) vouches for him; Jay’s been working with him some, and says that Bart’s got a good heart, and (according to Bart) was an experienced hero where he came from in the future.  Wally doubts it. 

Fast forward to the night of the Rogues’ next job. As if on cue, Girder attacks, and the Pied Piper shows up to take him down.  Across town, Wally, Bart, and Jay finally catch Captain Cold and his Rogues (Heat Wave, Weather Wizard, Captain Boomerang, Trickster/Axel, and Golden Glider) red-handed.  They have no Mirror Master and the entire block is surrounded by ¾ths of the Central City police force–they have no choice but to fight their way out. 

Piper manages to make quick work of Girder (these new Rogues ain’t got nothing on the old school), and it looks like the The Flashes have the Rogues on the run.  Weather Wizard and Heat Wave are down, and Trickster’s cracking under the pressure. The Rogues are falling apart at the seams. ‘About time,’ thinks Wally. 

But then it happens. Impulse misreads a situation, runs in like a rookie without thinking, and nearly gets himself killed, nearly gets police killed. The remaining Rogues escape in the chaos, and while Jay tries to look at the bright side (the two Rogues they captured), Wally is livid. Bart admits that he exaggerated slightly–in the future he’s a celebrity, the grandson of the legendary Flash and the son of the famous hero Don Allen, one of the Tornado Twins, and he was basically raised in isolation, away from the general public.  He was very rarely allowed to fight crime because of his impulsiveness.  All he wanted was to prove himself in this time…but he failed at that, too. 

Jay realizes that Bart not only needs training, he needs socialization, he needs to be a normal kid for a while–and for that to happen, he needs to have a secret identity. He can't have that if he lives with Wally or Jay, though, so Jay calls in a favor…he calls the man who trained him, a speedster known as Max Mercury… 

Meanwhile, as Wally drags Weather Wizard, Heat Wave, and Girder to jail, he’s praised by the Mayor, by Linda Park, even by Iron Height’s stern Warden Wolfe.  But Wally just can’t help feeling like he failed, like he let Barry down…

EPISODE 2: HOW TO WIN FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE: Max Mercury has relocated Impulse and himself to the slow, idyllic town of Manchester, Alabama to begin Bart’s training and socialization.  Bart’s first assignment: make a friend.  This proves to be harder than it looks as Impulse tackles his first day of school with the same brand of obliviousness and impulsiveness that he uses to fight crime.  By the end of the day, Bart has embarrassed himself, been sent to the principal, enraged bullies, been crushed on by half the female students, ran to France to answer his geography quiz (and taken down a French supervillain in the process), inadvertently started a food fight, and sparked a massive brawl between practically the entire student body, but the one thing he hasn't done is make a friend. 

“Oh well,” shrugs Bart.  "There’s always tomorrow.“ 

Meanwhile, it’s election time in Central City, and the good working relationship between Wally West and current Mayor Harold Lampert is threatened by the new Mayoral Candidate Thomas O'Neil, whose entire platform seems to be based on fixing the “mistakes” The Flash has been making across the city.  He acts civil to Wally’s face, but the truth is that his goal is a city free from speedsters altogether… 

EPISODE 3: A VICIOUS LOVE: It’s not easy dating a superhero, as the Flash’s girlfriend, television reporter Linda Park, recently discovered.  She’s being targeted by Magenta, Frances Kane, a crazed woman with magnetic superpowers and a serious grudge against her ex–the Flash, Wally West–that she’s ready to take out on Linda!  As we cut between flashbacks of how Wally and Linda met and how Wally and Fran’s relationship (as well as Fran’s sanity) fell apart, The Flash races to save the love of his life.  But Magenta isn’t an enemy he can defeat with his fists; can Wally save Linda, own up to the mistakes he made dating Fran, and get her the help she needs?!

EPISODE 4: THE ABSENCE OF THOUGHT: Once upon a time Clifford DeVoe was a supervillain known as The Thinker, who used a strange helmet to enhance his intelligence and cultivate telekinetic powers.  Now, however, he is an old man, dying in a hospital bed from a rare, incurable brain cancer caused by years of using the Thinking Cap.  By his side is Jay Garrick, the original Flash, who was once DeVoe’s mortal enemy but now, in the years since DeVoe hung up his thinking cap and reformed, has become his closest friend.  Jay wants DeVoe to put on the cap one last time, to give himself the ability to cure his cancer and perhaps the cancer of millions more.  DeVoe knows better than anyone that it isn’t that simple, that once the cap is on it has a bit of a mind of its own…but the temptation is too great…

Working like a madman, The Thinker concocts a cure and takes the liberty of testing it on various cancer patients in hospitals around Keystone City; however, the serum seemingly misfires, triggering a mass mutation in their disease and transforming the victims into hapless, mindless monsters, who promptly wreak havoc.  The two Flashes move in to stop them, but as they uncover the clues and realize who’s behind it all, Jay breaks off to confront the Thinker in person.  Unfortunately for him, the Thinker has also used the serum, and his hulked out form combined with the intelligence and abilities of the Thinking Cap make him a formidable foe indeed.

As the fight goes on, though, Jay realizes that the Thinker isn’t fighting to kill, merely keeping him away, stalling for something.  Jay sees that DeVoe’s body is deteriorating, and he can see desperation in his eyes; Jay realizes that DeVoe must be fighting against the Thinking Cap, trying to hold himself back from doing any damage until his body gives out and dies.  Spurred on by his renewed faith in his friend, Jay manages to remove the cap, and DeVoe collapses.  His strength quickly fading, DeVoe apologizes to Jay before dying in his arms, the last light on his Thinking Cap fading out at the same time…

However, further inside DeVoe’s lab, a computer screen blinks.  Words scroll across the screen: “DOWNLOAD COMPLETE.  THINKER ONLINE.”

Meanwhile, the remaining Rogues (Captain Cold, Golden Glider, Captain Boomerang and Trickster) realize that, in order to survive, they need Mirror Master back.  Remembering that they had once met a new version of Mirror Master from the future, The Rogues track down Abra Kadabra in order to find out more, but discover that Kadabra’s memories of future events have been completely erased.  So Axel leads them to the FBI holding facility where he discovered the original Trickster’s gear, and together they find that the area where Scudder’s equipment was being held…is completely empty. 

Somewhere out there a new Mirror Master may already be operating, and the Rogues have no idea who or where he is… 

EPISODE 5: FRENZY: Iron Heights Penitentiary is in chaos; a strange sickness is sweeping through the prison, and in the madness, the inmates have revolted.  While Jay Garrick searches for a cure to the virus, it’s up to Wally West and the Pied Piper to bring order to the prison.  Inside they’re quickly overwhelmed by the crazed, diseased convicts and the overwhelming doom of the oppressive prison; If they’re going to stop the virus in time, the Flash will have to turn to one of the darkest cases of his predecessor, Barry Allen, for answers: the case of Murmur… 

EPISODE 6: THE REVERSE FLASH part 1: Today is the Flash’s day to train Impulse, but overwhelmed by the hyperactive boy, Wally instead takes him to the Flash Museum.  As Bart zips around, he sees a statue of a strange villain he’s never heard of, one who wore a costume just like his grandfather’s, only yellow and black.  Bart asks who it is, and a strange look passes over Wally’s face. 

“That’s the Reverse Flash…and he’s the most dangerous opponent Uncle Barry ever fought…" 

We flash back to a little over two years ago.  Barry Allen is in the middle of a fight with Rainbow Raider and his new army of raiders, fellow petty cons outfitted with Roy’s strange tech in an effort to finally defeat the Flash; Barry is surprised by how good of a fight they’re putting up, but still isn’t too worried, at least not until one gets in a lucky shot and freezes him in place.  The Raiders surround the Flash, ready to take a kill shot; Barry’s mind scrambles trying to figure out how to escape, when suddenly his job is taken care of for him!  A yellow streak explodes into view, followed by a sonic boom; in an instant all the Raiders are out cold. 

"Kid Flash?  That you?” Barry asks, but as the streak skids to a stop, he can see that the figure is the same age and height as himself, and dressed in a nearly identical costume, only with the colors changed. 

“No,” answers the man.  "My name’s Professor Zoom. I’m here to help!“ 

He tells Barry a far out story: He was born as Eobard Thawne in the 25th century, where he was an average citizen until he was struck by lightning in a freak accident and–inspired by historical records of his hero, the 21st century speedster known as the Flash, Barry Allen–became the hero known as Professor Zoom!  He says that he protected the future for years until a battle with a time traveling villain accidentally sent him back to the 21st century!  Zoom brings the Flash to the site of his arrival, and as the Flash inspects the shattered time machine, strange mechanical tendrils emerge, releasing knock-out gas that makes him just sluggish enough to be subdued and pulled within the machine. Zoom runs off as the cockpit electrocutes Barry and straps him down, injecting him with sedatives even as a video starts playing on the holo-screen.

It’s Eobard, telling Barry his true origins, as if he wishes to brag.  Eobard is indeed from the 25th century, but the 25th century is a cold, emotionless place.  Eobard grew up idolizing Barry Allen, poring over all the records of his exploits that had survived the last 400 years (which weren’t much). Eobard became fixated on Barry, a fixation that caused his schoolmates and teachers to ostracize him; his revenge against them turned violent. Eobard was a convict for much of his adult life, using every moment he spent not in prison working on a way to replicate the accident that gave Barry his superpowers. Eventually, through much struggle and a helluva lot of blackmail and murder, Eobard was able to gain superspeed, but the accident left him in some sort of haze for quite a while, and he was immediately arrested. Despite the 25th century government’s best efforts, though, he eventually broke free, took on the name "The Reverse Flash”, stole a time machine, and headed to the past.

“My obsession for you has consumed my entire life,” Eobard says as the video draws to a close.  "I don’t know whether I want to be you or if I want to destroy you for having ever set me down this path, but either way, you’ve got to go.“

Barry bears it all with grit teeth as he struggles to escape. If historical records of his life are as spotty as Eobard implies, maybe he doesn’t know everything there is to know about his powers!  Barry speeds up his metabolism to burn through the sedatives and speeds up his perceptions so that he barely feels the electricity, but the shackles are another matter; they seem to have been especially calibrated to match his vibrations so that he can’t phase through! Barry tries phasing at different frequencies at a rapid pace, and at first the shackles start to match his shifting frequencies, but they quickly lag behind; overloading their system, Barry finally phases through his restraints and breaks free!  Still, Thawne is long gone.  Where could he have possibly gone? Barry suddenly comes to a chilling realization; he doesn’t know exactly what details of his life survived to the 25th century, but if the Reverse Flash has any idea of who Barry cares about the most, then…then he has to go now!

We cut to the Allen household, where Iris is caring for her twin children while at the same time dictating an article for the newspaper. "Barry, is that you?” she calls as she hears the distinctive noise of him vibrating into the house.  "Oh, silly me, who else would it be?“

"Me.”

Iris nearly drops one of the twins as Reverse Flash approaches her, moving slowly and deliberately, slasher smile pasted across his face, raising his vibrating hand towards her forehead.

“Who are you?!  What do you want from me?!”

“You’re competition,” Eobard stutters, “You’re a reminder, a symbol, of what I could never have.”  His hand inches closer to Iris.  "I can’t stand to keep you around, but don’t worry, this will all be over for you…in a flash…“

"GET AWAY FROM HER!”

Barry tears into the room, tackling Eobard and vibrating them out of the house before slugging the Reverse Flash with so much power that he sends him flying to China. Eobard recovers as Barry dashes towards him, his look of shock and bewilderment quickly giving way to twisted respect.

“Yes, of course, I couldn’t kill the great Barry Allen that easily. This was the only way it could ever end!”

The two clash, criss-crossing the Earth two dozen times a second and exchanging just as many blows in that time. Barry can’t believe how evenly matched things are; their speed is practically equal, and whatever advantage Barry’s experience gives him is quickly countered by Eobard’s sheer ruthlessness. Every time Barry gets close to subduing Eobard he attacks a civilian, forcing Barry to slow down just enough for Eobard to retake the lead. 'I can’t win this with speed alone,' Barry thinks. 'I need a plan!’

And then it comes to Barry.  With one last burst of speed he pushes himself forward, passing Eobard instead of trying to grab him. A livid Eobard quickly gives chase, unwittingly giving Barry control over their path. Barry keeps criss-crossing the Sahara, kicking up streams of sand. Right as Eobard passes through one, in the instant his vision is obscured, Barry slows down just enough to let Eobard get within reach, then tackles the monster, running as fast as he can towards Central City. Without ever slowing Barry slams Eobard into his time machine, vibrating him right into the same trap he had sprung on Barry!

“I bet you won’t get out of that as fast as I did,” Barry grunts between gasps for air. Without missing a beat he enters coordinates into the time machine, dashes off to the Batcave and grabs a small-scale timed-explosive, vibrates it into the dashboard, and watches the time-machine blink out of existence, returned to whence it came–and although it won’t happen for several hundred years yet, he swears he can hear the boom of the explosives.

Barry collapses onto his knees, absolutely exhausted. “Thank god…thank god Iris is okay…”

“You know, Barry, there’s more than one time machine in the 25th Century.”

Barry’s head immediately snaps upwards–standing above him is the Reverse Flash, with perhaps a few more age lines on his face, but otherwise no worse for wear.

“What’s wrong? Did you miss me?" 

EPISODE 7: THE REVERSE FLASH part 2: "It took me ten years to find a way back here, Barry, but I just couldn't keep you waiting that long…”

Exhausted beyond compare, The Flash, Barry Allen, can only look up in horror as the toughest opponent he’s ever faced, the Reverse Flash, looms above him. Eobard had years to recover from their last bout; Barry only had seconds. That doesn’t stop Barry from lashing out in rage, though. Iris’ life is still in danger, so can’t stop until the Reverse Flash is down for good!

Eobard easily sidesteps Barry’s clumsy attack, before backhanding him and pursuing. The two speedsters’ globetrotting battle picks up right where it left off, only this time Eobard seems far less interested in trying to make his way back to Central City. Barry can’t figure out whether Eobard is toying with him, taunting him in his exhausted state, or simply trying to kill him out of anger for trapping him in the future for ten years. Either way, Barry realizes he can use it to his advantage! As Eobard lunges at him Barry pivots, countering Eobard and using his momentum against him, launching him into the ocean. Barry spins as he takes pursuit, kicking up a waterspout–as soon as he regains his footing Eobard counters by spinning in the opposite direction, but thanks to the Top, Barry’s an expert in spinning combat. He lands a powerful punch backed by the momentum of the waterspout, sending Eobard flying up the Egyptian coast.

Finally back on equal footing, the two chase each other up the steps of the great pyramid. Barry vibrates inside, and though he takes a few hits as he tries to avoid some artifacts, he finally manages to dash into one of the tomb’s many dark crevasses, escaping Eobard’s sight. It gives him the momentary edge he needs to land a sucker punch, launching Eobard across a pit and toward the wall of the pyramid. Eobard, of course, begins to vibrate, but Barry runs up the side of the wall, vibrates his hands inside, and just as Eobard starts to vibrate though, begins rapidly changing the frequencies of his vibrations, rotating through a few thousands frequencies a second. Unable to take it, a segment of the wall explodes, and even in a semi-intangible state, Eobard takes the brunt of it.

Barry uses this to his advantage, pummeling Eobard back across the Atlantic and straight into the basement of Iron Heights, where Barry and the warden had been working on a special containment cell for Gorilla Grodd. It was a measure Barry hated taking even as Grodd grew more and more savage by the year, but there was no denying it was the only option for dealing with the Reverse Flash. Barry sighs in relief as he watches Eobard fall into a cryogenic slumber, and after leaving the warden a note, collapses on the lawn of Iron Heights. “Finally, it’s over…”

“No such luck, Barry.”

Barry leaps to his feet, again face-to-face with an even older Reverse Flash! He’s absolutely livid. “It took me almost five years to escape that cell and find a way back to the past, Barry! FIVE YEARS!” He lets loose with a vicious assault on the utterly exhausted Flash, punctuating each word with a punch. “That was a smart move, an impossible trap. You’re so smart; that’s why I love you!” He punches again, harder this time. “That’s why I hate you!” He tosses Barry to the ground. “But I can’t waste time fighting you anymore. You’re too good. That’s how you keep beating me.” A sick smile crosses his face. “Let’s see how well you fight after I take Iris out of the picture!”

Barry starts running before Eobard can even finish his sentence, but in his weakened state, he doesn’t stand a chance. Eobard takes off, and though Barry gives chase, he can’t even begin to get close enough to catch him. This time Eobard’s really stopped playing around; it takes only seconds for Central City to come back into view, and as they grow closer, Eobard gets even faster, nearly disappearing from Barry’s line of sight.  Tears drip down Barry’s face as rage fills his entire body–he can't let Iris down! The air around him ignites as he catches his second wind; it feels like lightning filling his veins, like his very physical body is starting to transcend the laws of physics! Barry’s moving so fast that the world around him starts to vanish in a whirl of light, but Barry just focuses harder on Thawne, on Iris, and suddenly there he is! Barry tackles Thawne only feet from his front door. He can’t let Thawne escape again. Barry’s arm clenches around Thawne’s neck, and—

“Grandpa Barry killed him?!” Impulse jumps to his feet, horrified. Wally nods solemnly. “Uncle Barry wasn’t Superman, Bart. He was a cop. He understood that sometimes killing is unavoidable.” “Do you think that too, Wally?” The Flash’s resolve wavers. “I do, Bart, but I’ve got to tell you…if I was in Barry’s position, I don’t know if I could do what he did.”

The public wasn’t so understanding. The Flash was put on trial for murder, and prosecutors demanded that he reveal his secret identity. It became a debate that nearly split the twin cities in two, and when the Justice League threatened to step in, Barry realized this couldn’t be allowed to continue. He told the world he was Barry Allen, and it had immediate consequences–Jay and Wally barely managed to prevent Grodd from killing Iris and the twins. The trial wasn’t much better. The Rogues protested outside the courthouse, demanding retribution against their newly unmasked nemesis. Dr. Alchemy took advantage of the distraction and nearly burned S.T.A.R. Labs to the ground. Abra Kadabra turned the judge and jury into his puppets as he pursued a “guilty” verdict. The court eventually exonerated Barry, but by then the damage was done.

“Barry took Iris and the twins and just…vanished,” Wally explains. “We never saw Aunt Iris again. Uncle Barry reappeared a few months later, during a crisis that threatened to destroy the entire universe. He saved us all, Bart, he saved all of existence…but he sacrificed himself in the process.”

Impulse knew some of that, but this was the first time he’d heard the entire story. He was still in shock. “So this Reverse Flash guy just showed up outta nowhere and wrecked Grandpa Barry and Gramma Iris’s whole life in a day?” Wally nodded. “In minutes. Thawne and Barry fought for less than five minutes, and it was enough to forever cement him as the Flash’s greatest enemy.

"That’s just how the world works now, Bart. It’s scary, but just one moment can change everything." 

EPISODE 8: PEEK-A-BOO: At first, The Flash finds the case cut and dry: a new metahuman criminal with explosive teleporting abilities is trying to steal a kidney from a medical team.  Stop her and send her off to jail, case closed!  But then he finds out why Peek-A-Boo was after the kidney.  Now things have become more complicated.  Faced with a criminal that he sympathizes with and the prospect of sending her to the horrific, torturous Iron Heights, Wally West grapples with the moral dilemma.  What will he do?  Can the story of Peek-A-Boo have a happy ending?! 

Meanwhile, Impulse notices that a neighbor woman, Helen Claiborne, has taken an interest in Max Mercury, but Max is completely ignoring her advances.  Not content to let this stand (and hoping for some time away from Max), Bart tries to play matchmaker and set the two up, but with Bart involved, his plans are no doubt doomed to disaster… 

EPISODE 9: ROGUE PROFILE: THE MIRROR MASTER: His name is Evan McCulloch, and today might just be the most important day of his life.  Faced with a strange proposition that could mean the difference between life and death, he can’t help but to think of what brought him to this point.  For as long as he could remember, Evan had searched for escape–first from the orphanage where he was raised in Scotland, then from the nickel-and-dime world of petty crime he had turned to support himself.  Evan finally found an out by entering the elite world of assassins, becoming a top-class hitman.  However, this house of cards came falling down when Evan was caught by American authorities during a hit; those same authorities now had Evan strapped to a chair, with only one demand given: 

"We want you to work for us." 

The Feds wheel out a strange orange and green suit and a set of matching guns, and they came with two things: instructions, and a story.  The feds fill Evan in on the suit’s original owner, Sam Scudder, the criminal known as the Mirror Master.  They tell him the story of Scudder’s last stand…and we flash back two and a half years, to when Scudder discovered a way to trap people in alternate mirror dimensions permanently and planned to use it to take down the Flash (Barry Allen) for good, no matter what objections Cold had to it.

Scudder manages to lure the Flash into his trap, but as he pulls the trigger that would forever seal Barry in a mirror dimension, the Flash spins his arm to create a whirlwind and blows Scudder’s arm aside, causing him to shoot his own machinery, which promptly explodes, releasing a wave that traps both of them within the nearest mirror’s surface!  Time’s running out; the effects of Scudder’s gun has sealed them within the mirror, and it’s slowly cracking as the room collapses from the effects of the explosion. If it shatters, they’re both goners! 

Barry thinks he can take advantage of the crack in the mirror and vibrate them both through it, but as he tries to vibrate Mirror Master through, Sam pulls away.  He says that he tried so hard all this time to kill the Flash, and there’s no way he’s going to let his hated enemy save his life!  Sam fires his gun, shooting Barry into the crack; he vibrates on instinct, safely phasing through the shattering mirror, but Sam isn’t so lucky.  Mirror Master’s dead body lies on the floor, covered in shattered fragments of glass… 

Back in the present, the Feds finish up the story.  It’s a warning of what could happen if Evan ever abused the suit or tried to follow in Sam Scudder’s footsteps.  The Feds repeat their offer: "We want you to work for us.  We want you to use this technology to become our ultimate assassin, and if you do, we will drop the charges for all your crimes.  If you refuse, then don’t expect any trial.”  

But how could Evan refuse?  Becoming the new Mirror Master is the escape he had always dreamed of…at least for a while.  Soon enough he begins to chafe under the rules of his handlers.  He begins to study Scudder’s notes and perfect uses of the mirror technology Scudder had only dreamt of.  He realizes that a life of fun and games with the Flash, that a life of blue collar crime and no rules to follow is exactly what he’s always wanted.  So McCulloch sends his handlers to a mirror dimension and sets his sights on Central City. 

He hopes the Rogues’ initiation process isn’t too humiliating… 

EPISODE 10: THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS:  Wally West, the Flash, has found himself trapped in a demented, backwards world with no memory of how he got there and, even worse, with no trace of his superspeed!  Pursued by demented versions of Central City’s cops and a merciless mercenary known as Plunder, the helpless speedster is forced to look deep within himself for a way to fight back.  If he’s going to escape, Wally will have to use every ounce of brains, wits, and charisma he has! 

Meanwhile, the new Mirror Master approaches the Rogues with a prize he thinks will immediately get him in their good graces: the Flash, Wally West, trapped within a mirror dimension!  But it turns out that there’s rules even for a Rogue, and Evan will have to go through a lot more than he ever planned if he wants to be a part of the group… 

EPISODE 11: MONSTERS: After a fierce battle with the Justice League, Gorilla Grodd has once again been captured, and is on his way to Iron Heights–fully repaired after Murmur’s attack and still the best equipped metahuman holding center in the country–when disaster strikes, and Grodd’s restraints somehow come loose, unleashing the beast into Central City.  It’s up to the Flash, Wally West, to stop this monster’s rampage before he tears the city to shreds, but what no one realizes is that this is the first time Wally has ever faced Grodd one-on-one! 

Grodd was one of the very few Rogues Barry forbid Wally from fighting alone back when he was Kid Flash. The first time Wally ever saw someone murdered it was at Grodd’s hands, and he still has nightmares. Grodd isn’t afraid to twist these insecurities to his advantage with his psychic abilities, and if Wally’s going to defeat this monster, it’s going to take everything he’s got! 

Meanwhile, Bart Allen is tasked with watching his friend Preston after he starts showing up at school with black eyes and strange injuries.  Discovering the culprit exposes Impulse to a kind of monster he’s never seen before, one more human yet far more cruel than any supervillain; but in order to prove it, he’ll have to put his secret identity on the line… 

EPISODE 12: TALES OF THE FLASH: It’s Flash Appreciation Day in Central City!  In an attempt to help combat Mayoral Candidate Thomas O'Neil’s smear campaign against the Flash, a very special ceremony has been arranged, all with the goal of reminding everyone how great the Flashes–all of them–have been to the city.  Wally’s overwhelmed by the spectacle of it all, but he still can’t shake the nagging feeling in his stomach, even with Linda’s reassurances.  Something about O'Neil gives him the heebie jeebies. 

It’s time for the testimonials, as both citizens and friends and family of the Flash alike get up to share stories of how the Flashes have helped shape the city–and helped them personally. First up is an elderly man in a wheelchair, a WWII veteran who tells the tale of when the Twin Cities’ soldiers returned after the war’s end.

“They held a homecoming ceremony on the Van Buren bridge to honor all of Central an’ Keystone’s soldiers, but just as things got under way, Captain Nazi attacked!” Captain Nazi was one of Hitler’s experiments, a “perfect Aryan specimen” with powers comparable to Superman’s and nothing but rage and hatred in his heart. It was his goal to destroy America one city, one soldier at a time, but before he could attack the bridge, the Flash, Jay Garrick, intervened!

“Flasher had no chance of winnin’, but he still fought that monster single-handedly for close to an hour until his JSA buddies showed up and finally took 'im down!” The veteran shakes his head, a bit embarrassed, as he continues. “The mystery men, those first superheroes, we were told they couldn’t fight in the war cause Hitler had some sorta weapon that could steal their powers. We never believed it, though. I always thought they were just cowards…but that was 'til I saw Flash in action. He kept these cities safe when we couldn’t, and put his neck on the line to save all of us. That’s a legacy we can’t afford to forget!”

Next Joan Garrick takes the stage, holding an open book in her hands. “This is a story my dear friend Iris Allen–the widow of the previous Flash, Barry Allen–once told me, one I now recount from a journal she left behind before her…disappearance.” It’s a tale from four and a half years ago, of the day Iris and Barry’s twins were born.  Just as Iris went into labor, Dr. Alchemy attacked a science expo across town.  Even in labor pains Iris told Barry to go, but he said that there was no way he could leave his wife and children at a time like this.  Instead…he became blurry.  Nearing his top speed, pushing himself to the limit, and changing in and out of his costume between locations, Barry did the unthinkable: He moved so fast that he was in two places at once!  

At the same moment Barry was dodging the deadly chemicals Alchemy’s stone spewed at him, he was watching his wife give birth.  Just picoseconds after he shattered Alchemy’s jaw, he held his twins, Don and Dawn Allen, in his arms for the first time.  And as soon as handed the twins back to the doctor…he passed out. 

“Barry slept for a week after that. He ran himself into complete exhaustion trying to be there for both the city he loved and the family he loved.” Joan looks up from the diary with tears in her eyes. “A few years later Barry Allen gave his life to protect the world, and to protect each and every one of you. He loved Central City with all his heart. It would be criminal to end that legacy now.”

Next, much to Wally West’s surprise, Linda Park takes the stage. Introducing herself as the Flash’s biggest fan (much to the audience’s amusement), she admits that she didn’t always feel that way. When she first met Wally she thought he was brash and arrogant, but the longer she knew him, the more she came to admire him. What finally changed her mind for good, she recounts, was when she discovered how Wally became the Flash.

Wally loved being Kid Flash, loved being a hero, but gaining super speed as a child played havoc on his developing body. With his speed fluctuating and doing real harm to his body, Wally was eventually forced to retire. Despite the danger to himself, though, Wally selflessly picked his suit back up when a Crisis threatened to destroy all of existence. He even attempted to save Barry Allen from his heroic sacrifice. Despite pushing himself to his limits, Wally failed to save Barry, but in doing so, he stabilized his body chemistry–his speed was no longer killing him, but his top speed now fluctuated somewhere around the speed of sound. With his uncle gone, Wally took up the mantle of the Flash himself.

“I once thought Wally revealed his secret identity to the world out of ego,” Linda explains, “But it turns out that he just wanted to make sure that Central City never thought he was Barry back from the dead. He needed all of you to understand, to remember, what Barry had done to save you. That’s how important the Flash’s heroic legacy is to him.” And it’s a legacy Wally immediately continued to uphold, pushing his dampened speed to its absolute limit by stopping the sentient computer virus, the Kilg%re, on his first day on the job.

“Wally West has devoted his entire life to serving this city. He’s not the first Flash to do so, and I know he won’t be the last. These heroes are a part of the Twin Cities. We can’t let O'Neil wipe that out!”

The crowd cheers; the feeling is unanimous. Wally, Jay, Linda, Joan, and even Bart can’t help but to be humbled and honored by the reaction. They feel confident their city will make the right decision…but when the votes are cast, O'Neil wins in a landslide. Thomas O'Neil is the new Mayor of Central City, and his first order of business is to ban all speedsters from the city limits…permanently.

EPISODE 13: YOUNG, JUST US: It’s supposed to be the Flash’s day to train Impulse, but Wally’s usual frustration with Bart is compounded by his being banned from Central City, and he ends up ditching Bart to go on a mission with the Titans.  ’Fine’, Bart thinks, 'I can do that too!' So Impulse sets out to find his own group of young heroes, and rounds up the new Robin, Tim Drake, the new Wonder Girl, Cassandra Sandsmark, Superboy, the cocky clone of Superman, and the mysterious Empress, Anita Fite.  The teens get off to a rough start, but wind up bonding when they’re recruited by the DEO to track down a dangerous smoke monster who turns out to be much more than she seems.

Yup, Bart Allen knows that he’s found the best friends he’ll ever have… As long as Max doesn’t ground him for life when he finds out what they did to that DEO base… 

EPISODE 14: ROGUE PROFILE: THE TRICKSTER: James Jesse hasn’t always been a criminal, but the one thing he’s always been, and will always be, is a Trickster. Born Giovanni Giuseppe, the eldest son of a several-generations-long line of circus acrobats, he began telling lies and playing tricks to get out of his familial duties, but ended up falling in love with the grift. Taking on the stage name “James Jesse,” he traveled from circus to circus and then town to town, scamming everybody he could. After hearing about the exploits of Captain Cold and the other Rogues, James became the Trickster, devoting his energies to the greatest scam of all: tricking the Flash.

After the Pied Piper’s defection and Barry Allen’s death, though, the Rogues’ particular brand of crime became too much for him, and he left to try his talents elsewhere. James took on a variety of jobs–some legit, many not–before winding up as a security expert for the FBI. It’s a great job, so of course, it bores James to tears. Thus, he leaps at the opportunity to lead a field mission to take down his unwanted heir, the new Trickster, Axel Walker. The FBI’s still sore at Axel for swiping James’ old gear from them–James himself disapproves of Axel’s extreme, harmful pranks, which are quite a bit harsher than James’ con artistry.

Axel’s left Central City to track down–and presumably hurt–an old ex-girlfriend, but James confronts him before he can. James condemns Axel for his remorseless cruelty (as well as his lack of finesse)–Axel doesn’t care what anyone thinks. The two Tricksters duke it out, and once James comes out on top, he confiscates Axel’s gear, arrests him, and threatens to end him if he ever puts the suit back on.

Back at the FBI, James is still energized by the encounter, and that’s what gives him the idea for his greatest heist yet. He has all the inside information and gear he needs to pull it off. He knows their secrets, knows how they fight, and knows who hates them enough to join his crusade. James Jesse is going to take down his old “friends” the Rogues–who aided and enabled his wicked replacement–once and for all….and, of course, claim all their loot and gadgets for himself in the process!

EPISODE 15: THE CASE OF THE MISSING ROGUES: Central City’s been a strange place to live since new Mayor Thomas O'Neil banished all speedsters from within the city limits. Despite the constant presence of his heavily armed para-troopers, crime is at a record high, as Keystone’s criminal element flee to Central to avoid Jay and Wally. Yet, at the same time, both Pied Piper and Linda Park hear whispers of well-known supercriminals just vanishing without a trace. There’s even witnesses who claim to have seen Magenta in town, battling and abducting Double Down. That hits Linda particularly hard–Wally and Fran may have supposedly buried the hatchet, but that doesn’t mean Linda can just forget Fran attempting to kill her. Understandably, she just doesn’t trust Magenta.

So, against their better judgment, Linda and Piper launch an investigation, combing through Central City’s criminal underground and confirming the disappearance of several more supercriminals (Rainbow Raider, Fiddler, the Turtle…); the Rogues even manage to overcome their hatred of the “turncoat” Piper to inform them of Axel’s disappearance as well.

Eventually Linda and Piper manage to track down Magenta, and find her battling Girder at an abandoned construction site. She defeats him easily of course–she literally rips him in half without a second thought–but what surprises Linda is that Fran next declares herself to be FBI, and puts Girder under arrest! Of course, the whole battle turns out to be a set-up; Girder was just bait, and Tar Pit, Murmur, and Plunder quickly appear and attack Magenta, taking her off guard. Linda and Piper join the fray, but are still out-numbered; thankfully, James Jesse, back in action at the Trickster, comes to their rescue!

Together the foursome take down their opponents, and Trickster informs Linda that he’s been tasked by the FBI to take down the Twin Cities’ criminal element, starting with the new kids and leading up to the Rogues themselves! Piper, eager to help Central City in its time of need (as well as to ensure the humane treatment of the FBI’s prisoners), joins his old friend’s task force, but Linda is more wary of the Trickster, especially with Magenta on his team. Still, with the Flashes barred from the city, what choice does she have but to entrust Central into their hands?

Meanwhile, Wally’s living with Jay and Joan in Keystone, but losing his home city is driving him up a wall. Growing more frustrated and desperate by the day, Wally uses some explosions in Central as an excuse to break O'Neil’s law and rush to the site, where he finds Linda Park (but not Trickster and his crew, who’ve alighted with their targets). Thanks to new motion sensing technology lining every inch of Central City, O'Neil and his troopers immediately detect Wally’s arrival and descend on his location, driving him out of town rather forcibly. That seals it: Wally’s lost not only his home, but the city he swore to Barry that he’d always protect, forever. How is he supposed to live with himself now?!

EPISODE 16: FASTER FRIENDS: It’s been tradition for years, reaching back to the time of the JSA with Alan Scott and Jay Garrick, and continuing on to the days of Hal Jordan and Barry Allen: Green Lantern and the Flash are always best friends!  Or, at least, they were, until Kyle Rayner and Wally West met…

Wally West is upset by how this new Green Lantern, Kyle Rayner, replaced Hal and was immediately accepted onto the Justice League; Kyle’s upset by Wally’s attitude towards him but is also secretly jealous of the years of experience Wally has as a hero and by how much the League respects him.  Unfortunately, neither seems to be able to set aside their grudges and work out their differences…until catastrophe draws them together.  With the lives of Jay Garrick and Alan Scott on the line, these two heroes must learn to work together…or risk losing their mentors forever…

EPISODE 17: THE DIGITAL REVOLUTION: Keystone City is under digital attack! Someone is mining personal information and hacking into the power grid itself, but the attack soon escalates as strange tentacles emerge from every piece of technology, enslaving Keystone’s citizens and quickly erecting a dome around the city that neither Wally West nor the Justice League can break through! The mastermind soon reveals itself as The Thinker–as in, the consciousness of Clifford DeVoe, the original Thinker, digitized, uploaded onto the internet and given free reign of all digital information, stripped of all its former human emotion and dead-set on making the people of Keystone City–and soon, everyone in the world–just like him! It’s up to Jay Garrick and a small band of misfits who managed to escape the Thinker’s tentacles to put an end to this madness…but does Jay have what it takes to put an end to his former friend once and for all?

EPISODE 18: RESPONSIBILITY? WHAT’S THAT?!: Notorious outlaw White Lightning–a young thief who rallies against authority figures and uses her popularity to recruit impressionable teenagers as her henchmen–has rolled into Manchester. Word of a White Lightning recruitment drive has even reached Bart Allen’s middle school, and the young speedster thinks it would be the perfect chance to infiltrate Lightning’s gang.  For once, Max Mercury approves of Bart’s plan; taking down White Lightning becomes Impulse’s first solo mission as a superhero. Bart’s feeling the pressure to succeed, but even that pressure can only help him focus so much.

Max, however, is distracted by his own issues. Though he’s continually turned down her romantic advances (much to Bart’s confusion), Max’s still been spending quite a bit of time helping out his neighbor, Helen Claiborne. The more time he spends around her, the more his mind drifts to his past…he thinks back to over fifty years ago, when he was gravely injured in battle and a young doctor and his wife, David and Laura, took him in and nursed him back to health. He drew closer and closer to them as the months passed. He saw how strained their relationship was, and eventually, he and Laura fell in love. After he and Laura were found out by David, Max simply ran–ran so fast that he traveled through time, winding up thirty years in the future in mere seconds. Uneasy, he leaves Helen’s early, but is startled by a loud crash coming from her place only a few hours later. He bursts into her place and finds Helen under attack by her abusive ex-husband. Suddenly enraged, Max pulls him away and shouts, “STAY AWAY FROM MY DAUGHTER!”

Impulse’s mission, meanwhile, constantly teeters on the verge of disaster. Remarkably, Bart manages to foil White Lightning’s plot and prevent anyone from being harmed, but in doing so, he allows White Lightning to get away. Beating himself up inside, he wonders if he can hide the news from Max–and speaking of Max Mercury, as Bart’s nearly reached home he sees Max suddenly dashing away from Helen’s house at full speed!

Indeed, in the moments of shocked silence following his proclamation, Max realizes what he’s let slip, and flees. He’s in a blind panic; the same fear that caused him to run away from Laura Claiborne all those years ago, that caused him to miss out on the birth of their daughter, again consumes him. Just as he starts to feel the familiar sensation of time speeding up around him, though, Bart catches up.

“Max! Max, I’m sorry…I screwed up! I let White Lightning get away!”

The two speedsters skid to a stop as Impulse continues his confession. “I guess that means I failed the mission, right? Well…I guess that’s my fault. I tried this time Max, I actually really tried my hardest and still got it wrong! This is all my fault.”

Despite himself, Max smiles, and ruffles his young charge’s hair. “It’s okay Bart. You did great. And if there’s anybody who needs to take responsibility for his actions, it's me.”

Bart can only stand and watch, stunned at what he’s hearing, as Max returns to Helen’s and explains everything. She’s furious at first, of course, but as time passes, she realizes that it makes sense. Together, Helen and Max connect as father and daughter as they stare up at the night sky together, as Helen once did with her mother as well. Meanwhile, Bart watches the two from a distance. He’s only beginning to piece their story together, but what he knows for sure is that, for the first time since he arrived in this time period, he finally has some people in his life who are starting to feel like family…

EPISODE 19: A CRISIS IN TIME: Time is coming apart at the seams!  Yes, the timestream itself is splintering, releasing addled, hostile time-stranded refugees all over the world! It’s a job too big for even the Justice League to tackle alone, so they recruit the JSA, the Titans, and even Young Justice and break off into teams, hoping it gives them enough manpower to turn the tide before it’s too late! Wonder Woman and her team take on a group of viking warriors, Jay Garrick and his team must fight futuristic soldiers, and Impulse and the rest of Young Justice face down a troop of dinosaurs, but Batman has a special mission for Wally West!

Batman sends Wally and a team of Titans–Nightwing, Troia, Cyborg and Starfire–to the very first fissure in time to take on the source of the crisis itself: Wally’s Rogue, Abra Kadabra! The technosorcerer puts up a fierce battle, but it quickly becomes clear that the crisis isn’t Kadabra’s doing–he’s hoping to use the anomaly as a portal to return to the future and regain his lost knowledge of future events, but nothing can get in or out of this fissure! As Wally’s team takes down Kadabra, the first anomaly only grows in power; the others close and fade away (taking their time-refugees with them) as this one grows larger, sparking and flashing and threatening to suck the whole world into its wake. The rest of the teams assemble but, despite their best attempts, can find no way to get the anomaly under control. As they grow more and more frantic the fissure works itself up into a climax and, eventually, violently explodes in a burst of temporal light–Green Lantern protects the various heroes, and in the wake of the explosion they find a sole figure.

Yes, through the portal emerges Barry Allen…

EPISODE 20: THE RETURN OF BARRY ALLEN: For the first time in his life, Wally West doesn’t trust Barry Allen. The return of his mentor and idol two years after his supposed death should be the best day of his life, but something feels off. Maybe it’s how addled he was when he first emerged from the rift in time, how he barely seemed to remember his own name, much less how he’d managed to travel through time. Maybe it’s the fact that he hasn’t even mentioned the one person both men loved more than anyone in the world since his return. Either way, despite the assurances of Batman’s DNA testing, Green Lantern’s ring, and Wonder Woman’s Lasso of Truth that this man is indeed Wally’s uncle, Barry Allen, returned from the dead, something still feels off to Wally.

Barry’s having a rough go of it too. So much has changed. Between new and reformed Rogues, a new Green Lantern, the ban on speedsters in Central City, the return of his grandson from the future, and his former protege, Wally West, growing up and taking on his mantle, it’s all too much for Barry to take in. No wonder he’s a little cranky.

Both men have a lot of frustration to rid themselves of, which is why they decide to follow one of Piper’s tips and stake out a Keystone City Union Rally held for Keith Kenyon, the former supervillain Goldface, who has since reformed and become one of Keystone’s most renowned businessmen and Union Leaders. Sure enough, Piper’s tip is right on the money–despite Keystone’s current glut of speedsters, Kenyon’s opposition has hired the metahuman assassin Multiplex to take him down. The two Flashes take great pleasure in tearing through Multiplex’s many duplicates. Along the way they rediscover their old rhythm, battling together in harmony as they once had all those years ago.  Wally’s finally starting to regain faith in his old mentor.

But when the battle’s over, Barry gets a far off look in his eyes, and suddenly takes off, his drastically greater speed leaving Wally in the dust. He returns a few moments later, looking haunted. “I’m…sorry, Wally,” Barry begins. “You must think I’m awful, not talking about Iris. Dying, or getting thrown through time…whatever happened to me, it’s really messed with my memory.” He points to a building across the street from where they’re standing. “The Infantino Theater, it…jogged my memory. It’s where I took Iris on our first night to ourselves after the twins were born. I’m sorry I ran off–I snuck into the Flash Museum to try and find out what happened to Iris and the kids, moved so fast O'Neil and his men never even knew I was there, but I couldn’t find a thing! I’m…I’m the only person who knows where they are, aren’t I?”

Wally can’t believe what he’s seeing as Barry sobs. “I can’t believe I’d ever forget about them, even for a minute! I promise, Wally, I’ll do whatever it takes to remember where they are, and to bring them back!”

“I know, Barry. I believe you.” Wally means every word of it. He berates himself for having ever doubted Barry–this is the Flash he remembers, the man he grew up idolizing. He picked a great mentor. “It’s good to have you back, Uncle Barry.”

EPISODE 21: THE ROGUES’ CRUSADE: Six years ago to the day, the Rogue known as the Top attempted to take control of the group, sparking a war across Central City that ended with his death. Although his mind survived and later returned to cause havoc, it too was captured and sealed within a microchip by the Flash and Impulse–a microchip which Iron Heights “accidentally” misfiled and lost, seemingly dooming him for eternity. Captain Cold never liked the Top, but his sister, Golden Glider, was in love with him, so every year, on the anniversary of the Top’s (first) death, the Rogues take up his signature weaponized tops and cause havoc across Central City.

This year’s celebration is different from the start, strangely calm without any speedsters to try to stop them (O'Neil’s troopers don’t seem to care what they do). Mid-celebration, though, the Rogues are approached by a man in a suit, a lawyer who claims to have a message for them from the Top! He shows them Roscoe’s will, where he declares that, should he die, he’s arranged for nine armed bombs to be hidden across Central City and detonated on the sixth anniversary of his death as one giant “screw you” to the city. To the Rogues, Roscoe leaves a warning: they have two hours to either save Central City, or leave it to its fate.

This kick-starts a fierce debate among the Rogues. Some want to run, but Cold declares that Central City is their home, and they’re not going to abandon it. Others object that they’re not heroes, that they should contact the Flashes to take care of it, but O'Neil’s still actively keeping them out of the city. For this one time only, the Rogues have no choice but to save the day.

So they split into teams, following Roscoe’s clues to track down his bombs; even though they’re all booby-trapped, they eventually work through them and disarm a few of the bombs. The problems start when James Jesse, Magenta, and Pied Piper suddenly attack, choosing today, of all days, to launch the final salvo of their plan to take down the Rogues! Trickster, of course, doesn’t believe the Rogues’ story about the Top’s bombs, and fighting both the FBI team and the bombs proves taxing. Eventually Piper realizes the Rogues are telling the truth, and though there’s little love between Hartley and his former teammates, they still temporarily align. James and Magenta don’t come around until all teams have converged at the final bomb at Broome Square, but even working together, they simply can’t stop it in time. It explodes, and although Magenta deflects the shrapnel, the force still scatters and dazes the Rogues.

All the Rogues, that is, except for Golden Glider, who suddenly finds herself pulled from the path of the explosion. It happens so fast that she thinks it must be the Flash, but as she looks up, standing above her is, not a scarlet speedster, but Mayor Thomas O'Neil!

“I’ve missed you, Lisa.”

And that’s when it hits Glider. Looking at O'Neil–reallylooking at him–this close makes it immediately clear. Somehow, Thomas O'Neil is The Top!

EPISODE 22: HALF THE MAN I USED TO BE: The last of the Top’s bombs has gone off, leaving the Rogues strewn about Broome Square, battered and dazed. Only Golden Glider remains conscious, somehow saved by…Mayor Thomas O'Neil? Suddenly O'Neil starts spinning, twirling into a blur of yellow and green before coming to a stop in full Rogues regale: he’s actually Roscoe Dillon, the Top!

As Lisa looks on in shock, Roscoe explains that when Wolfe became Warden of Iron Heights he had the Top’s microchip prison destroyed. It was meant to kill him, but instead his prodigious mind was simply released from captivity, again roaming free in astral form! He immediately sought to take his revenge on Barry Allen, only to find that, during his imprisonment, Barry had died! Dazed by the revelation, Roscoe simply drifted for a while, until he stumbled upon the accidental death of low-level politician Thomas O'Neil. Roscoe immediately possessed his corpse and set about furthering his career, all with the goal of eventually becoming mayor of Central City! It was Roscoe’s hope that he could use his position to humiliate the remaining Flashes and forever tarnish their legacy by banning them from the city before destroying it entirely with his bombs, and he brought his plans to fruition by “spinning” the minds of the voters from afar. As for the Rogues’ role in the bomb plot, Roscoe admits that he simply thought it would be a bit of fun to see if he could outsmart his former frenemies. He was curious to see how they’d react, and he’s disappointed, but not surprised, to see them so eagerly defending Central City.

It’s about this time that the other Rogues start stirring, but the Top immediately sends them back to their knees by “spinning” their mind’s eye, giving them all crippling motion sickness. Roscoe reveals that he has one more bomb hidden in Central City’s sewers, one big enough to destroy the entire city in one blast. He gives the Rogues a chance to pledge their allegiance to him and escape Central’s fate, and while Lisa eagerly agrees, Captain Cold refuses. Weather Wizard is able to push past the nausea and lash out with a bolt of lightning, breaking the Top’s mental control. A battle royale between Roscoe & Lisa and both groups of Rogues ensues–in the chaos, Piper sends an emergency transmission to the Flash.

Barry and Wally had been spending a peaceful day together in Keystone City, but when they receive Piper’s alert, immediately dash to the scene. Roscoe’s overjoyed to see Barry–it was the one event that didn’t go just to his plan, but he admits that it’s for the best, as he’d rather destroy the original Flash than his replacement!

It’s talk Wally’s used to by now, but something within Barry’s head seems to snap when he hears the word “replacement.”  ”I'm the real Flash!“ Barry screams; Wally instantly feels his heart shatter. Suddenly moving at blinding speeds, Barry lands dozens of punches to Roscoe’s head in an instant, mildly vibrating his body all the while, and letting the now babbling, drooling Top crumple to the ground. Lisa screams, but it only takes Barry a moment to tear through the rest of the Rogues in a savage assault–he even takes down James Jesse and Magenta, and only Wally’s quick intervention saves Piper. Barry doesn’t even speak to him as he vibrates beneath the ground, and by the time Wally makes his way into the sewers, Barry’s already deep into the task of disarming Roscoe’s final bomb. Wally joins Barry’s efforts and they finally disarm the weapon, but Barry still seems disturbed, even as a flash of green explodes from the disabled weapon and captures both men within an impenetrable energy bubble!

The Top’s face appears on a monitor, congratulating the Flash on being smart enough to disarm his bomb, but proclaiming that despite it all, he will always come out on top! The energy bubble starts to both shrink and heat up, threatening to crush the Flashes if it doesn’t burn them alive first. The energy is able to sync itself to Barry’s vibrations, preventing him from phasing, but Wally guesses that if they both vibrate at different frequencies, they’ll be able to overload the program. Wally’s been unable to vibrate since his speed was dampened, but Barry is able to send a vibration through Wally, kick-starting him, before vibrating himself at an opposing frequency. Barry seems to be calming down–Wally knows his mentor’s been through a lot lately, and just wants to put the outburst behind him.

The plan works–Barry vibrates out of the bubble. He starts to pull Wally through, but then he stops, a dark expression spreading across his face. Wally begs Barry to save him, and Barry nearly does, before letting go. “You almost fooled me,” growls Barry before speeding away from the room.

Wally feels like his life is ending, but he holds on, focuses on the vibrations Barry kick-started, and is eventually able to phase out of the bubble himself right before it implodes into itself. Hurt and despondent, in shock, he hobbles home, turns on the TV, and sees something that shatters his world to its very core.

On the news is Barry, holding a press conference: “It is with a heavy heart that I announce to the twin cities that Wally West has been killed in battle…”

EPISODE 23: THE INTERVENTION: Barry Allen, the Flash, has become the greatest menace Central City’s ever seen. Ever since taking down the Top’s bomb he’s become obsessed with the “crime” of Central “forgetting” him and moving on without him, and is determined to make the city pay for it. With Wally West thought dead and the police force rendered useless by O'Neil/the Top’s short, yet disastrous reign as Mayor, it seems like there’s no one left who can stop Barry Allen. Finally, as Barry attempts to topple the half-finished structure of Central’s newest bank–nearly killing a dozen construction workers in the process–saviors appear in the form of Jay Garrick, Max Mercury, and Impulse! Beyond their simple devotion to justice, each of these speedsters has a deeper reason to want Barry stopped. Max never met Barry before his death, but can’t stand to see his grand legacy tarnished this way; Jay wants to save his dear friend from whatever madness has consumed him; Bart is horrified to see the man he idolizes, the man he traveled to the past in the first place to rescue, turn evil, and can’t let it stand! Their attempt to stage an intervention, of course, fails, as Barry grows more belligerent with every passing moment. A battle is inevitable. Each of the heroic speedsters has their own styles, their own tricks they can levy against the Flash, yet the tide quickly turns against them. The reason is simple: Barry’s simply faster than them.

Wally West, meanwhile, has told no one besides Linda that he’s still alive. Instead he’s been moping around the house, unable to comprehend what Barry’s done. Suddenly a strange notion strikes him, a doubt that’s been gnawing at the back of his mind ever since Barry’s return, but didn’t fully form until now. He packs up some gear and embarks on a long run, headed straight towards the site of the fissure in time that returned Barry to them in the first place! There was so much chaos surrounding Barry’s return that Wally doubted anyone properly investigated the site, and sure enough, he’s right: buried beneath the rubble, still slightly singed from the trip through time, is a book. Wally opens it, and what he sees printed inside changes everything. He immediately hails Batman on his com, requesting access to the Justice League teleporter. He has to get back to Central City now!

Back in Central City, the battle between Barry and Jay, Max, and Bart ends in a ball of fire as Barry ignites some propane tanks, seemingly leaving his friends to their doom. Of course, the three speedsters are able to outrun the worst of the explosion; they’ve lost Barry, but fortunately, it’s just then that Wally puts in an appearance! The joyful reunion is cut short as Wally shows his friends what’s written inside Barry’s book–the speedsters’ jaws practically hit the floor, with even Bart understanding the dire implications of those words. “Batman and I came up with a plan,” Wally says, “But I need your help too. I’m sorry, but I need you to face him one more time.”

So the original Flash, Max Mercury, and Impulse find themselves staring down their fallen friend and mentor once more. Barry still outpaces them with every move, but this time the speedsters have a plan of attack, an attainable goal–they don’t have to beat him, they just have to wound his pride. As Max and Bart cut Barry off, Jay rips his costume’s lightning bolt insignia straight off his chest. “You don’t deserve to wear this!” Jay cries. “You’re no Flash!”

Barry roars and moves so fast that he unleashes several sonic booms, scattering the other speedsters as he races to the Flash Museum in search of a replacement costume.  Instead, he just finds Wally West! Wally tosses Barry a ring, one of the kind Barry’s always used to store his costume.  "Look familiar?“ asks Wally as Barry releases the costume.  A sinister expression crosses Barry’s face.  "Yes…yes it does…”  Barry becomes a blur as he puts the costume on; when he finally comes to a stop he’s no longer wearing his familiar scarlet suit, but instead, an almost identical costume in yellow and black!

Yes, somehow, this returned Barry Allen has been Eobard Thawne, the Reverse Flash, all along!

EPISODE 24: THE ZEN OF SPEED: Several weeks ago, Barry Allen–Wally West’s beloved mentor and predecessor as the Flash–seemingly returned from the dead, dropping from a portal in time in the midst of a worldwide disaster. It took him a while to get acclimated to his new time period, but he still seemed to be the great man Wally had once admired. That all changed during a confrontation with the Rogues, where Barry snapped, leaving Wally to die and taking up a vendetta against Central City for the “crime” of forgetting him and moving on. In the process of trying to stop him, Wally discovered a game-changing secret–this man wasn’t Barry Allen at all, but instead his greatest enemy, Eobard Thawne, the Reverse Flash! Wally wants to know how–how he flawlessly imitated Barry and how he’s even here when Barry killed him several years ago–and Thawne is happy to oblige.

He tells a story very similar to the one he told Barry, that he grew up in the cold, clinical future of the 25th century idolizing the great Flash of the past, Barry Allen. He adored him so much that he got plastic surgery, and even had his genetics manipulated and remapped, in order to become as identical to Barry as possible! Eventually he was able to replicate the accident that gave Barry his powers, and combining his new speed with illegal 25th century tech, traveled to the past in hopes of meeting his idol–he even wore a Flash costume as a tribute (Wally doesn’t fully trust anything Thawne says, and suspects that even then Thawne had some sort of vague aspiration to somehow replace or succeed Barry). But the trip through time was rougher than he thought (his efforts nearly tore the timestream apart!), addling his mind and memories–when he arrived in the wrong time period and was met by Wally and the rest of Earth’s heroes, all hailing him as Barry Allen, his damaged mind immediately accepted it as truth, even though deep down something felt off. Still, it wasn’t until he visited the Flash Museum after he and Wally fought Multiplex that the delusion fully took hold–it was there that Thawne saw the museum’s exhibit on the Reverse Flash. While the exhibit briefly jogged his memories when he saw his name, it immediately led to horror: Thawne discovered that he was someday fated to fight, and die at the hands of, the man he admired so much! His mind rejected that fate, and instead fully embraced his new life as Barry Allen! Still, his madness couldn’t help but to seep through, and every time he saw Wally or someone called him the Flash, Thawne’s jealously and hatred tore away the facade of Barry Allen a little more. Wally presenting him with the Reverse Flash’s costume was the last piece of the puzzle needed to tear down the persona of Barry Allen and let Eobard Thawne regain control of his life!

“And there’s no way I’m going to go back to a future where my hero kills me!” declares Thawne. “I’ll stay here, I’ll replace him for good, I’ll be better than he ever was! I'll be the hero Central City’s always deserved, but to do that…you imposters’ve gotta go!” Before the words can even register Thawne savagely attacks Wally, blindsiding him with his far superior speed. Wally can’t believe how outclassed he is–it’s a battle he simply can’t win, but fortunately, he was prepared for this. The Justice League and the Titans burst through the museum’s wall, forcing Eobard to retreat.

Wally, the other speedsters, and their various teammates all meet up at Wally’s place to discuss their final strategy. Wally explains that, in order to preserve the time-stream and keep the history they know from getting wiped out forever, they have to return Thawne to the future so that he can eventually die at Barry’s hands. Batman and the rest of the heroes travel to the site of the time incursion that brought Thawne to the present with hopes of reopening it. The four speedsters, meanwhile, have the unenviable job of corralling Thawne and getting him into the incursion.

To do so, though, they need to get faster. It’s a sore subject for Wally, who’s tried in vain to rekindle his lost speed ever since becoming the Flash. For the first time, though, Max Mercury, the zen master of speed, has the opportunity to weigh in on the matter, and he guesses that science has failed to restore Wally’s speed because the problem isn’t physical, but psychological. He theorizes that Wally’s been unable to tap into his full power because of his many insecurities, and especially because of his fear of replacing Barry.  After all, if he’s never as fast as Barry, then he’ll never truly be the Flash, right? Wally immediately denies it, but deep down, he can feel the terrifying pain of the truth stabbing him right in the gut.

Unfortunately, they don’t have time to explore it further. Linda’s news program is on TV, and suddenly her broadcast is interrupted by the Reverse Flash storming the studio! He grabs Linda and threatens her, and before the other speedsters can even register what’s happening, Wally’s at the TV station. He pulls Linda away, but Thawne just uses it as an opportunity to whale on Wally, knocking him through the station’s wall and halfway across town.  "Face it kid, you’ll never be as good as him!“ taunts Thawne as he looms over the Flash. ”I'm the Flash Central City deserves, and until they accept that, I’ll tear down everything Barry Allen built! I’ll be so good they won’t even remember him!“

And it’s at that moment that Wally finally accepts that Max was right. Unconsciously or not, Wally’s been holding back all this time, afraid of surpassing his mentor, putting himself down because he’s scared to death that if he truly takes his place, Central City will forget Barry Allen forever. Truth be told, the thought of it still terrifies Wally. But there’s one thing he knows for sure: while he may be hesitant to "replace” Barry…

…he sure as hell can’t let Thawne do it!

Lightning surges through Wally’s veins as he suddenly ducks under one of Thawne’s punches and counters with one of his own–Thawne is stunned. Staggering, he takes off, and Wally gives chase, easily keeping up with Thawne. As they criss-cross the world, exchanging blows, Wally realizes that he’s way faster now than he ever was as Kid Flash–he might even be faster than Barry was! While he never backs down on his offense, between that and Thawne’s relative inexperience (this is technically the first time he’s fought someone as fast as himself) he’s clearly running scared.

Finally, as they run through a desert, Thawne vibrates through a boulder before immediately coming to a stop. Knowing that Wally can’t vibrate, he hopes to ambush him as he either leaps over or runs around it, but with his new and improved speed, Wally decides to give vibrating another shot. It works, and much to Thawne’s surprise, Wally vibrates through the boulder–only an instant later, though, the boulder, suddenly shaking in sync with Wally, explodes! Thawne is caught in the crossfire, and Wally uses the opportunity to drag him straight to the time portal, which the League has managed to reopen once again.

He tosses Thawne to the ground, where he lies scared and humiliated before his victorious opponent, the Justice League, and a massive, sparking hole in time. “You know, Thawne, if you really wanted to be the hero this city deserves, then you wouldn’t be so obsessed with replacing Barry. Instead, you’d try your hardest to live up to his legacy and honor what Barry stood for.”  Wally lashes out with one final punch, knocking Thawne through the portal, which the League quickly seals behind him.  "That’s what I’m gonna do.“

The return trip to the 25th century is just as stressful as the first, and Thawne arrives back in his own time with his mind once again addled and his memories hazy at best. He’s immediately arrested, and although he can’t remember exactly what happened to him in those moments after his first attempt to travel to the past, what he knows is that his obsession with Barry has only grown stronger. Nothing will keep him away from Barry Allen!

Back in the present, meanwhile, there are still loose ends to tie-up. James Jesse’s return to the FBI is reluctant; he doesn’t want to face his handlers after failing to bring in the Rogues. Moreover, he doesn’t like the person he’s become–the kind of person who would prioritize chasing criminals over stopping bombs–since he joined the bureau. So, what that means is it’s time for "James Jesse: FBI agent” to disappear, and the Trickster to reappear! First Jesse releases every Rogue he handed over to the FBI (besides Axel, who he’s content to let rot), and then he absconds from FBI headquarters with every bit of money and sensitive information he can get his hands on. That should be enough to keep him living large and to keep the government off his back for years to come!

The Rogues, in contrast, aren’t doing so hot. Though they’ve physically recovered, their morale is shot. The Top’s mind has been completely scrambled by Thawne’s vicious attack, and the more Captain Cold watches footage of Thawne on the news (which has completely absolved Barry), the more he relives their battle, the more nauseous he feels. It’s been building ever since Scudder died, but this is the final straw–Central City is no longer the same place he once called home. Attempting to hide more pain than he cares to admit feeling, Cold decides that it’s time for the Rogues to try something new…

On the other side of town, Wally, Linda, Jay, Joan, Bart, Max, and Helen celebrate Wally’s victory with a picnic at the park. Max and Jay attempt to play some normal speed football with Bart, Linda attempts to keep Wally’s victorious ego in check, and Helen gets to know her new family better. As they finally sit down to eat, Wally regales his guests with the tale of how he defeated Thawne. “So, there’s still one thing I don’t get,” says Helen. “How did you figure out that Barry was actually Thawne in the first place?” Wally pulls out the book he found at the site of Thawne’s arrival and shows her Thawne’s name scribbled on the inside cover.

“But that’s not important anymore,” says Wally as he shows his friends something even more shocking: the book is “The Life Story of the Flash” by Iris Allen, and it won’t be published for another ten years!  Yes, somewhere out there, Iris Allen is still alive and well–relief and joy washes over the group like a wave.

That moment of catharsis is shattered when Jay’s phone suddenly rings; it’s the governor! He reminds Jay that Central City’s been without a Mayor ever since O'Neil was unmasked as the Top, and then he makes Jay an offer he never thought he’d ever hear:

“Jay Garrick…we want you to be the new Mayor of Central City!”

Next time: SEASON THREE (Jay Garrick)!

THE CHARACTERS:
THE FLASH FAMILY:

The Flash (formerly Kid Flash)–Wally West: The best day of Wally West’s life was the day he was struck by lightning. Granted tremendous speed, he became Kid Flash, sidekick to Wally’s greatest hero, the Flash (a.k.a Barry Allen)! Four years later, though, Barry Allen died, and in an attempt to respect his uncle’s memory, Wally took up the mantle himself, becoming the latest man to call himself the Flash! He now lives in Central City with his girlfriend, Linda Park, and, having made his true identity public, works as a superhero full time, living off funds from the city and supplemental income provided by the Justice League and the Titans.

Although Wally’s an experienced hero by this point in his career, he still struggles with insecurities (his temper, impatience, and stubborn streak don’t help either), both those passed onto him by his overbearing parents as a child and those he brings on himself by comparing himself to Barry. Of course, Wally’s always been a true hero, dedicated to enforcing justice and helping others, and loving his job and responsibilities more than any other person alive, but it isn’t until he can overcome his fear of replacing Barry Allen and embrace his own best qualities that he can fully live up to his new mantle.

While Wally was never the fastest of the Twin Cities’ speedsters, he found his speed drastically reduced–generally fluctuating around the speed of sound–around the time he became the Flash. This meant that Wally had to rely more and more upon his brains and acrobatic abilities, because for the first time, he wasn’t fast enough to handle every threat in an instant. During his battle with the Reverse Flash, Wally was able to unlock his full speed, making him as fast, if not faster, than Barry himself! With this new speed Wally also regained the ability to vibrate his molecules through solid objects, though this also now seems to have the side effect of making whatever he vibrates through explode!

Reverse Flash’s attempt to smear Barry Allen’s name has done nothing to lessen Wally’s respect for his fallen mentor, but much of Wally’s arc throughout Season 2 is about learning to honor Barry without putting himself down in the process. Since Barry’s death, Wally and Jay have become especially close, working more as partners than any form of mentor/student. Wally’s sporadically attempted to mentor Bart since his arrival, but Bart usually just drives him to his wit’s end. As much as Wally hates to admit it, he just sees too much of himself in Bart. Wally still doesn’t know Max very well, but he can’t help but get the feeling that Max knows much more than he’s letting on about…well, pretty much everything.

The Flash–Barry Allen: When police scientist Barry Allen was struck by a bolt of lightning he gained phenomenal super speed, which he used to fight crime as The Flash, the fastest man alive! Patient, calm, methodical, and scientific (and quite a nerd!), Barry was led onto the path of police work and superheroism by his childhood love of comic books. Barry was often lost in a world all his own within his mind, making him constantly late to every appointment he made. Barry was slow to open up and trust, especially with his secret identity, but once he trusted someone, that faith never wavered. Barry was kept grounded by his wife, Iris, who took charge of their affairs and helped keep Barry’s head out of the clouds.

Barry was the fastest of the four speedsters (only Wally, with his full powers unlocked, could have given him competition), and while he was excellent at hand-to-hand combat, he excelled in trickery in his fighting style, using his brain and scientific know-how to take villains down. He also had the greatest control over his vibrations, and knew how to use them to great advantage.

Two years before the start of Season Two, Barry Allen sacrificed his life to save the entire universe from an unfathomable threat. Not just Central and Keystone City, but the entire world has been in mourning for him since. He’s essentially been sainted by the superheroic community, with his sidekick-turned-successor, Wally West, leading the charge. Even in death, Barry remains an inspiration to other speedsters, fellow superheroes, and the world at large.

Impulse–Bart Allen: Bart Allen is Barry and Iris Allen’s 12-year-old grandson (Bart’s father is Don Allen, one of the “Tornado Twins”) from 35 years in the future. After traveling 40 years into his past to save Barry’s life, Bart’s time machine broke on his way home and stranded him in this era. Bart was placed in the care of the mysterious zen master of speed, Max Mercury, who moved him to Manchester, Alabama in order to train Bart to better be a superhero and a normal 20th century teenager, although Bart still spends a fair amount of time in the twin cities working with the Flashes.

Bart has a big heart and a generous personality, but he’s also hyperactive, easily distracted, incredibly reckless, and unable to get invested in anything that doesn’t immediately capture his full attention, which (along with his fame as the celebrity grandson of Barry Allen) is why he was largely shut out of superheroing in his own time period. Max and the Flashes have (slowly) been able to teach Bart to take some responsibility, but he still has a long way to go–in the meantime, he continues to tackle each new threat in a manner that’s uniquely Impulse.

Up until Wally unlocks his full abilities Bart’s actually the fastest of the Season 2 speedsters (although he still can’t match Barry at his best), but he’s still the most inexperienced. His hyperactive personality proves to be both his biggest asset and his biggest liability in battle; his offense is instinctual and unpredictable, making him hard to counter or anticipate, but his defense is nonexistent.

Bart still idolizes Barry Allen, and is torn apart by his death. Max initially drives Bart bananas, but by the end of the season, Bart’s begun to find a sense of comfort (and perhaps even family?) with Max and his daughter, Helen. Bart has a love/hate relationship with Wally West–Bart would love to earn the respect of the man who took up his grandfather’s mantle, but can’t stand the way Wally treats him. Bart’s actually incredibly fond of Jay Garrick, who treats Bart with patience and respect at all times (although, to be fair, he doesn’t have to live with Bart).

The Flash–Jay Garrick: The first man to call himself the Flash, Jay Garrick operated throughout the 1940s, in the midst of WWII. In the late 50s his hometown of Keystone City was vibrated out of sync with time by a trio of his greatest foes, and not released until the Flash and Kid Flash found it over 50 years later. It took Jay a while to adjust to this new time period and his place within it, but since then Jay has fully embraced his role as an elder statesman to the superheroic community.

Jay splits his time between Keystone City and New York, where he serves as a Senior Member of the Justice Society of America. Although Jay is faster than Wally for much of Season 2, he still encourages Wally to be the “main” Flash and the designated hero of the Twin Cities; Jay would rather focus his attention on mentoring future generations of heroes, whether it be Wally himself, or his younger teammates on the JSA.

Everybody loves Jay Garrick. Despite being slightly old fashioned and overprotective, he’s quick witted, charming, charismatic, and outgoing, a killer combination that even wins over many of his enemies (such as the Thinker, who he’s helped reform in the past five years). In terms of raw speed, Jay finds himself slightly outclassed by Max and Bart (and Wally once he unlocks his full power), but he can still run many, many times faster than the speed of sound, so he’s not going to split hairs over the difference. Jay is the best hand-to-hand combatant of the speedsters, though, having been formally trained in combat by the US Military. He’s also fond of using his WWI-era helmet as a weapon.

Jay too still mourns the loss of his friend Barry, though he hides it better than most–he’s a man far too used to loss. Jay does his best to guide and mentor Wally and Bart without ever condescending to them–Wally’s more partner than protegee at this point, and Jay feels as if Bart could be his own grandson. Jay has great respect for Max, who trained him back in the day, but even he knows very little about who Max Mercury is or where he comes from.

Max Mercury–Max Crandall: Not much is known about Max Mercury. An elder statesman even in Jay Garrick’s day, Max is incredibly fast, a skilled combatant, and full of wisdom and knowledge, both about the science/myth of superspeed and about life in general. Dubbed the “Zen Master of Speed,” he’s become a respected, if elusive, mentor to the speedster community.

Max has recently taken on a full-time role as guardian and mentor to Bart Allen, and the combination of his limitless patience and his inability to suffer foolishness makes him a perfect fit for the job. More of Max’s past has come into the light since his and Bart’s move to Manchester; not only is his longevity due in-part to his ability to travel through time via superspeed, but he also has a daughter named Helen who, due to said time travel, is nearly the same age he is! Even with Max becoming a more consistent and open member of the Flash Family, though, it seems like only a matter of time before more secrets of his past rise to the surface.

Linda Park: Reporter and anchorwoman for Central City’s Channel 52 news. When she first arrived in Central she and Wally West butted heads, but they eventually fell in love. Linda admires Wally’s heroic heart and his dedication to his friends, family, cities, and legacy – Wally admires Linda’s courage, intelligence, and kindness. Like Iris Allen before her, Linda never hesitates to run into battle alongside Wally, and focuses her investigations and coverage on trying to better Central City in her own way as well. She and Wally are truly an unstoppable team.

Joan Garrick: Joan is the wife of Jay Garrick, the original Flash, and was his college sweetheart, although she dumped him after graduation. After discovering his powers, Jay worked his hardest to earn back her affection, both in and out of costume. He succeeded, and he’s never lost it since. Joan’s a wonderful partner and companion. She’s always put priority on supporting The Flash, and she’s also taken on a grandmotherly role among the superheroic community, supporting not only Iris and Linda, but Jay’s teammates in the JSA and their families as well. Bakes the best cookies in the Twin Cities.

Iris Allen (and Don and Dawn Allen): The wife of Barry Allen, Iris was a tough-as-nails reporter whose sense of justice rivaled Barry’s. While practical and no-nonsense, Iris still found the time to be idealistic. Despite having no powers, she never hesitated to run into battle alongside her husband to do whatever she could to help. She was a formidable and indispensable ally, but more than that, she was the tether that kept Barry grounded, and the spark that kept his heart running.

Don and Dawn Allen are Barry and Iris’ twin children. Although still toddlers when last seen, we know from Impulse that they grow up to become talented and heroic speedsters in their own right, heroes known as the Tornado Twins!

Iris and the twins, along with Barry Allen, vanished shortly after Barry’s murder trial. Although Barry resurfaced a few months later, when he sacrificed his life to save the universe, Iris and the twins’ whereabouts remain unknown. Still, the appearance of a book that seems to be written and published by Iris ten years in the future gives the entire Flash Family hope that, not only are they alive and well, but that maybe they’ll see them again soon!

Helen Claiborne: Helen is introduced as a neighbor of Max and Bart in Manchester, nursing a slight crush on Max–this turns embarrassing when she discovers that Max is actually her biological father! This changed their relationship instantly, but ultimately for the best, as both are rediscovering what it actually means to be in a family. Though still a little sheepish, Helen’s been welcomed into the Flash Family with open arms.

As a dentist, Helen initially terrified Bart, but he’s since come to admire and care for her. She brings out a side of Max that Bart likes. She also keeps Max out of his hair.

THE ROGUES:

Captain Cold–Len Snart: The self-proclaimed leader of the Rogues, Captain Cold is a career criminal from an abusive home who discovered his signature Cold Gun in an attempt to slow down his super-speed nemesis, The Flash. He was the first to think of banding together with the Flash’s other super-criminal opponents, eventually creating the Rogues. The Rogues’ code of ethics and small-scale of operations–which has branded them with the moniker “blue collar criminals”–came straight from Snart’s brain and has been their modus operandi ever since (much to the frustration of some Rogues, especially the Top).

Unlike many of the other Rogues, doesn’t consider fighting the Flash as fun, nor does he have a personal vendetta against him–to Len, facing down the Flash is simply a part of the job. He’s far more dedicated to keeping the Rogues together. Len is extremely possessive of the other Rogues, for reasons sometimes selfless and sometimes quite selfish; finding out where one ends and the other begins can be quite challenging. Still, Len tries to keep his feelings for his fellow Rogues to himself, tries to keep his emotions buried, his persona as cold as his moniker. But no matter how he tries to hide it, deep down Len’s just a man who never had a proper family, and will do whatever it takes to keep his new family together. Whatever it takes.

Cold’s job of keeping the Rogues together has only grown continually more stressful since the defections of the Top, Pied Piper, and the first Trickster, and the death of Sam Scudder. Although Cold tried to carry on as if nothing had changed, the Top’s bomb threat, the attack of the “Reformed Rogues,” and the Reverse Flash’s assault on the team has Cold seriously considering a major change for the first time in the Rogues’ history. Is it time for the Rogues to leave Central City?!

Golden Glider–Lisa Snart: Lisa Snart was raised in a broken home by an abusive father and a distant mother. She had only two good things in her life: her brother, Len, and her ice skating skills. After Len left home, a heartbroken Lisa focused on skating, but after her drunk father sabotaged her last chance at a professional skating career, Lisa lost her cool (and her hope) and joined her brother’s group of Rogues as the Golden Glider, battling with a pair of absurdly sharp anti-gravity skates and trick diamonds originally designed by her boyfriend, the Top.

Forced to be quiet and obedient in her youth, Lisa uses crime as an outlet for all her repressed rage. She’s astonishingly vicious, and is easily the most underestimated of the Rogues.

In the years since the Top’s “death” Lisa has become a steadfast, dedicated member of the Rogues, but when Roscoe reappears, she’s willing–albeit reluctantly–to join him and work against her friends. Now that Lisa and the Rogues are taking care of a mentally-damaged Roscoe, it’s only a matter of time before the repercussions of her betrayal start hitting home.

Heat Wave–Mick Rory: Mick Rory doesn’t want to be a criminal. He’s a slightly slow, gentle soul, but he suffers from pyromania, and his repeated attempts at rehabilitation are constantly thwarted by his destructive arsons. Mick feels at home with the Rogues, and more importantly, he feels safe there–not because the Rogues protect him, but because they can protect themselves from his fires, unlike everyone else he’s ever cared about.

After being captured by the Flashes, Mick spends a few months in the hellish Iron Heights before being freed by the new Mirror Master. This experience seems to have not only toughened Mick up, but made him a bit more cynical as well. Cold’s not sure he likes the change.

Mirror Master–Evan McCulloch: A mercenary who inherited Sam Scudder’s mirror technology and persona from the FBI, he quickly rebelled against the organization. While McCulloch loves money more than almost anything, he mainly joined the Rogues–and indeed, remained the Mirror Master at all–in order to find an escape from the oppressive reality of his everyday life. The Rogues still don’t know if they fully trust McCulloch, but they desperately need his abilities, so they let him join the team with minimal hassle.

As a native of Ireland, McCulloch speaks with a thick brogue. Axel literally can’t understand a word he says.

Weather Wizard–Mark Mardon: A career criminal, Mardon found a “weather wand” created by his beloved brother (reports vary on how exactly he attained the weapon and how exactly Mark’s brother died), and used it to become a super-villain, eventually joining the Rogues. Mardon is cynical and realistic, using his abilities to commit petty crimes despite their great potential for destruction. He’s also an amateur philosopher and a Mark Twain junkie.

Like Heat Wave, Mardon too spent a few months in Iron Heights. It hasn’t stopped raining there since his escape.

Captain Boomerang–Digger Harkness: Raised in poverty on the Australian Outback, Harkness spent his childhood constructing and perfecting the use of Boomerangs. As an adult he traveled to America to take a job as a toy mascot, but became a laughingstock and turned to committing crimes with a staggering variety of lethal trick-boomerangs, which eventually lead to him coming into confrontation with the Flash and being recruited into the Rogues. Digger is crass, obnoxious, sexist, racist, and a cheapskate, but he’s also skilled in battle and fights with a fury so useful that it alone earns him a continued slot on the team.

The Trickster–Axel Walker: A punk kid with a supremely underdeveloped conscience and a penchant for mischief. He stole former Trickster James Jesse’s bag of tricks from the FBI and put them to use terrorizing Central City before being drafted into the Rogues. His brand of trickery is far less sophisticated (and much more cruel) than the previous Trickster’s, and that fact hasn’t escaped Jesse’s notice.

Mirror Master–Sam Scudder: An amateur scientist who stumbled upon a strange invention that allowed him to use mirrors to manipulate light, create illusions and so much more, Scudder stole the technology and used it to begin committing crimes. His ability to travel through any reflective surface became essential to the survival and every day operation of the Rogues. Scudder’s death meant that the Rogues were no longer able to easily evade capture and escape prison–the last two years have been a tough time for the Rogues.

THE “REFORMED” ROGUES:

Pied Piper–Hartley Rathaway: The son of rich, preoccupied parents, Hartley was born deaf. Eventually technology allowed him to hear, and he fell in love with music. Considered an outcast everywhere he went, and failing as a musician, Hartley experimented with sonics and eventually discovered how to use sound to manipulate people’s actions. Rebelling against a society that rejected him, Hartley took on the persona of the Pied Piper and started committing crimes–and fighting The Flash–for the sheer fun of it.

Eventually, though, Piper started to feel uncomfortable with the Rogues, and after they joined forces with Abra Kadabra and nearly killed all four Flashes, he quit the team for good. It took Hartley a while to figure out how to repent for his crimes, but he eventually found his place in the world by becoming an advocate for the Twin Cities’ poor and downtrodden. He’s also been a useful asset to the police, and has become good friends with the current Flash, Wally West.

The Trickster–James Jesse: A former circus acrobat and a professional con artist, during his time as “The Trickster” Jesse committed crimes with an impressive array of tricks, including his signature “air walk” shoes. He joined the Rogues for the challenge of trying to trick the fastest man alive, but left the team once their tactics became a bit too violent for his tastes.

After conning his way across the country for a few years, Jesse eventually joined the FBI as a security expert, hoping to use his position to pull off a major haul. After completing a mission to take down his unwanted successor, Axel Walker, Jesse turned his attention to taking down the Rogues themselves! When that mission failed, though, Jesse decided to cut his losses. He became the Trickster once more, fleecing everything he could from the FBI before disappearing into the night!

Magenta–Frances Kane: A quiet girl from Blue Valley Nebraska, Fran’s entire life changed when she developed magnetic superpowers. She initially used them to become the hero Magenta and work aside her longtime best friend/crush/eventual boyfriend Wally West (Kid Flash!), but over the years the shifting polarities of her powers played havoc on her mind and warped her personality; she began to develop vicious, criminal tendencies. This eventually drove her and Wally apart (he certainly could have handled things better himself), and they’ve clashed off-and-on ever since.

After discovering that Wally had a serious new girlfriend, Fran fell into one of her dark spirals, and attacked Linda. Wally intervened and owned up to his past mistakes, and the two finally found some sort of peace. Since then Magenta’s been attempting to make up for her past crimes by working with the FBI, but it hasn’t been easy–not only is controlling her erratic mental state a constant challenge, but James Jesse’s disappearance has left her to take the blame for his failed mission…

OTHER VILLAINS:

The Reverse Flash–Eobard Thawne: Barry Allen’s psychotic stalker from the 25th Century. Obsessed with the legends of the Flash from a young age, Thawne spent most of his life trying to obtain Barry’s powers by any means possible (most of them illegal and/or murderous). Thawne eventually succeeded, and traveled to the past several times in order to meet/fight/replace/murder Barry. The first time, which has been since wiped from his memory, put him in conflict with Wally West, while his later trips found him battling Barry, eventually leading to Thawne’s death.

Thawne is just as fast as Barry Allen or Wally West at their peak, and although he’s less experienced, he’s far more ruthless. He’s also absolutely, irreparably out of his mind, and his madness, as well as his tenacity, perhaps make him more dangerous than anything else. It was that madness, after all, that allowed him to convince himself that he was Barry Allen for weeks! Even in death, Thawne essentially ruined the lives of Barry Allen and his family, something Wally sadly can’t even attempt to undo when Thawne reappears in the present day (because of the possibly of altering the timeline for the worse). Alas, the Reverse Flash will forever remain the darkest chapter in the history of the Flash.

[Thawne would be voiced by the same actor who voices Barry, but hopefully with a distinct enough voice that people wouldn’t catch on; he’d probably be credited under a pseudonym in the Reverse Flash two-parter]

The Top–Roscoe Dillon/Thomas O'Neil: A faux intellectual who became a laughingstock during college, Roscoe Dillon vowed revenge and turned his childhood obsession with tops into a criminal persona, eventually clashing with the Flash and shifting his revenge onto him. Originally Roscoe used only weaponized tops as weapons, but eventually he taught himself to spin like a top, channeling latent telekinetic powers to spin faster and faster. The spinning shifted his brain, amplifying his psionic abilities, his intelligence, and his ruthlessness.

The Top died six years ago during a failed attempt to take over the Rogues and kill the Flash, but his prodigious mind survived, possessing various corpses in order to continually plague the Twin Cities. His most recent plot found him possessing the body of former politician Thomas O'Neil and using his credentials (as well as his mind-over-matter powers) to become the mayor of Central City. His plan nearly succeeded, but the Reverse Flash (posing as Barry Allen) finally brought it to a sudden, brutal end. Thawne’s attack seems to have scrambled Roscoe’s mind, and while his girlfriend Golden Glider is taking excellent care of him, nobody knows if he’ll ever be the same again…

Roscoe’s been in O'Neil’s body for so long now that his DNA has begun to overwrite O'Neil’s, essentially transforming it into an exact duplicate of Roscoe’s original body. Because of this, it’s likely that Roscoe’s mind can no longer even leave this body–though it seems even less likely that he’d want to at all by this point.

Gorilla Grodd: A super-intelligent, super-strong, telepathic gorilla from “Gorilla City” (a hidden society of sentient, intelligent gorillas), Grodd has an unquenchable thirst for power and an intense hatred for all humans. Grodd displays both great cunning (such as knowing how to play various personalities against each other with his mental pushes) and great savagery, and has only grown more dangerous over the years. He is an opponent that should never be underestimated.

Abra Kadabra–Citizen Abra: Born in a distant future where technology has advanced to its limit, choking out all imagination, the young boy became obsessed with the 20th Century’s idea of “magic” (Inspired by his citizen designation, “Abra”). As an adult he stole a time machine and traveled to the past with as much technology as he could fit into the machine, passing off the technological marvels as “magic” and searching for celebrity and worship. When his shows started turning deadly and his lust for recognition surpassed what his audiences were willing to give, the Flash intervened, and Kadabra focused his attention on destroying the Flash at all cost.

Kadabra is a glory hog, a diva, obsessed with receiving recognition, praise, and eventually, worship (although he’s also become obsessed with regaining the knowledge of future events he lost after his battle with the Flash Family at the end of Season One). His technology grants him nearly limitless power, but his hubris and his penchant to ramble on prove his greatest weaknesses.

Dr. Alchemy–Albert Desmond: Armed with the fabled Philosopher’s Stone (capable of transmuting all matter), a mysterious past and an unflappable attitude, Alchemy is one of the Flash’s most dangerous enemies. He shares a psychic link with his stone and can call it to him at any time, making him impossible to properly incarcerate; fortunately, Alchemy is interested in learning, not crime, and only breaks the law when its “in the way of his pursuing knowledge.” He actually seems to enjoy prison, considering it a peaceful place to study, but when he does decide to break out, Central City is gripped in fear. His abilities are extremely deadly, and the detached Desmond has no qualms about using them to experiment on humans.

The Thinker–Clifford DeVoe: A former gangster who came to value brains over brawn, DeVoe invented a “Thinking Cap” that amplified his intelligence and allowed him to project blasts of psionic force and manipulate objects telekinetically. He became an enemy of the original Flash, Jay Garrick, and eventually became a part of a plot to vibrate Keystone City out of time; after Keystone’s return, though, DeVoe eventually reformed and became one of Jay’s closest friends. After his death the Thinking Cap uploaded DeVoe’s consciousness to the internet, where it was stripped of its humanity and eventually decided to try to assimilate every resident of Keystone into its digital consciousness. Although Jay seems to have deleted this new Thinker, you know what they say–nothing on the internet ever really goes away…

Murmur–Dr. Christian Amar: Dr. Amar was a serial killer who took to melting his victims’ throats with a specialized virus of his own creation after his compulsion to confess to his crimes nearly led to his capture. After finally being put away by Barry Allen, Amar lost what little sanity he had, cut his own tongue out so he could never incriminate himself again, and became the Rogue known as Murmur. Murmur was nearly responsible for Iron Heights’ first mass breakout, but the Flash and Pied Piper stopped him from escaping and from killing his fellow inmates.

Peek-A-Boo–Lashawn Baez: An unintentional Rogue, Baez initially intended to use her fledgling teleportation abilities only to steal a kidney for her dying father, but was captured by the Flash. Although Wally tried to advocate for her when he discovered her motives, by that point Baez had already developed a seething hatred for the Flash, and refuses to allow anyone to help her or her father. The Baezs trust nobody but themselves. Seeing how she’s treated in Iron Heights, Wally almost can’t blame her.

Girder–Tony Woodward: Tony Woodward was thrown in to a vat of irradiated scrap metal by his angry coworkers after he assaulted a female coworker. Instead of dying, though, he was transformed into a massive metal monster, who is rusting away more and more every moment he’s exposed to the air. He’s cranky, vicious, misogynistic, and completely self-centered.

Tar Pit–Joey Monteloni: The younger brother of a mobster known as The Candyman, Joey used his metahuman ability to astral project to possess various objects and cause chaos across the Twin Cities, until the night his astral form got stuck in a vat of tar. Now he wreaks havoc with his toxic body, loving every second of it. His friendship with the new Trickster, Axel Walker, makes him an uneasy ally with the Rogues.

Plunder–Jared Morillo: A sadistic sniper and mercenary from an alternate version of Central City found within one of Mirror Master’s mirrors. He’s a dark reflection of Flash’s friend and ally, police detective Jared Morillo.

Double Down–Jeremy Tell: Tell was attacked by a cursed deck of cards that transformed his skin into organic, constantly regenerating, razor sharp playing cards that follow his every mental command. He’s yet to make any real allies in the Twin Cities, but sticks around anyway.

White Lightning: An anti-establishment freak who relies on her flawless rep and internet fame to recruit children as henchmen. Her ultimate goal is to subvert and humiliate authority figures (and most adults in general), mainly as a form of twisted revenge against her horrific father. While she has no qualms about stealing or allowing her flunkies to get arrested, she doesn’t want to hurt anyone, and genuinely tries to protect her young henchmen from danger.

The Fiddler–Isaac Bowin: The black sheep of an aristocratic family, Bowin traveled the world, stealing to pay for his expenses until he was arrested in India, where he learned an ancient, mystic form of music, allowing him to control minds or use the vibrations as a physical weapon. Fiddler first encountered the original Flash, Jay Garrick, when he attempted to murder his twin brother, a famous orchestra leader. He’s been a thorn in Jay’s side ever since, eventually becoming a part of a plan to vibrate Keystone City out of existence. Fiddler acts composed and high society, but underneath that veneer lurks a criminal as ruthless as any of the Rogues.

The Turtle: One of Jay Garrick’s original Rogues, The Turtle is the slowest man alive (and one of the oldest men on the planet). At first he appears pathetic, until he reveals his ability to siphon speed, making himself a walking black hole for speed and a speedster’s worst nightmare.

Rainbow Raider–Roy G. Bivolo: A failed, colorblind artist, Bivolo turned to crime for revenge and to make an artistic statement, and failed spectacularly in both regards. His goggles allow him to make light solid for attack and defense, or to manipulate emotions with certain colors, but despite leading a gang of his own (the Rainbow Raiders) for several years, Bivolo’s still failed to make a name for himself with his abilities. Like a true artist, though, he continues to persevere!

Multiplex–Danton Black: Caught in a bizarre experiment gone wrong (the same one that created the superhero Firestorm), scientist Danton Black gained the ability to instantly grow (and later reabsorb) clones of himself–he can create several dozen comfortably, but if he strains himself, can create and control around 100 simultaneously. After failing to get his so-called revenge against Firestorm, Black put his abilities to work as a mercenary, taking on any job that pays. He runs afoul of Barry Allen and Wally West when he’s hired to assassinate Keith Kenyon–it doesn’t end well for him.

Captain Nazi–Albrecht Krieger: A so-called “Perfect Aryan Specimen,” granted powers comparable to Superman by Nazi scientists. He claimed to be powered by the very spirit of the Nazi party, and fought to further their interests across the world, even after Hitler’s fall and their loss in WWII. Eventually defeated and captured by the Justice Society of America, but only after fighting to a standstill with the Flash, Jay Garrick, for nearly an hour, despite his abilities greatly outclassing Garrick’s.

The Kilg%re: Essentially a sentient, alien computer virus, the Kilg%re can hide and live inside electronic systems, but is compelled by its very nature to incessantly consume electronic matter and energy in order to amass power within its physical form, an advanced cybernetic body. The Kilg%re was the first opponent Wally West faced after taking on the mantle of the Flash.

ALLIES:

Detective Fred Chyre: A former beat cop with a slight attitude problem, Chyre runs the CCPD’s Metahuman Containment Department along with Jared Morillo, mainly because nobody else wants the job, but also because their coworkers find the pair impossible to work with. Despite his far more aggressive tactics, Chyre had a close working relationship with Barry Allen, and thus essentially treats Wally like a beloved nephew.

Detective Jared Morillo: A new transfer from L.A., Morillo runs the CCPD’s Metahuman Containment Department along with Fred Chyre, mainly because nobody else wants the job, but also because their coworkers find the pair impossible to work with. Morillo can be arrogant, but he cares deeply about justice, and is (unhealthily) devoted to his beloved wife.

Hunter Zolomon: A brilliant criminal profiler, Zolomon uses his knowledge of psychology and criminal behavior to assist the Flash and the CCPD in their cases. Zolomon seems to be hiding a dark past (he refuses to talk about why he walks with a cane), but he’s generally an affable presence, and has become good friends with Wally West.

Warden Gregory Wolfe: The warden of Iron Heights Penitentary. Wolfe is an intimidating, stubborn man who does not believe in redemption or reformation. His harsh methods have led to zero break-outs at Iron Heights since his appointment (not counting Mirror Master’s escapes), but they’ve also put him at odds with the Flashes and especially the Pied Piper. Both parties consider their tense working relationship a necessary evil.

Mayor/Ex-Mayor Harold Lampert: The Mayor of Central City up until Thomas O'Neil defeats and succeeds him. Lampert was a decent, unassuming Mayor, best known for deputizing Wally West as the city’s hero (and putting him on the payroll), but also known for some selfish, cowardly moments. While Lampert never really did anything wrong as Mayor, it’s telling that, once O'Neil was revealed as the Top and ousted from office, the Governor turned to Jay Garrick to replace him instead of Lampert.

Preston Lindsay: One of Bart Allen’s best friends. When he starts showing up to school with strange bruises and injuries, Bart is tasked with helping Preston out, and initially suspects that Preston’s harsh father is hurting him. As Impulse, though, he eventually discovers that it’s Preston's mother who’s been abusing him. Preston’s home life has improved drastically since his abuse came to light and his mother left to seek help for her instability. Preston dreams of being a filmmaker.

Carol Bucklen: Another of Bart Allen’s best friends. Unlike most of Bart’s schoolmates, Carol sees past the infamous persona Bart’s (inadvertently) built up at Manchester Junior High to the sweet, if bumbling, kid beneath. She sees his true potential, but sometimes finds herself frustrated by his flighty behavior, especially when he can’t explain it (which is pretty much whenever Impulse is involved).

Director David Singh: The head of CCPD’s CSI unit, Singh was Barry Allen’s boss before his untimely death. Singh is always in a hurry, dealing with every case in a direct, no-nonsense manner. Singh had little patience for Barry’s sentimentality, but to this day, still can’t deny that Barry was the best CSI he ever worked with. Singh continues to work with the Metahuman Containment Department and the Flash whenever his services are needed.

Patty Spivot: When Barry Allen was still alive, Patty worked alongside him as a CSI, and even nursed a slight, unrequited crush on him. Very politically active and opinionated, she always provided an unique perspective that Barry often found quite useful, and continues to help the new Flash, Wally West, whenever she can.

Goldface–Keith Kenyon: Keith Kenyon was the wayward son of an Union owner, whose crimes eventually led him to an ancient gold elixir that granted him super strength but turned his skin golden. After battling the Green Lantern and the Flash for years, Kenyon eventually reformed and started working with his former opponents in order to take down his ex-wife’s extensive underground black market. He now runs one of Keystone’s largest Unions, and is considered a model businessman and citizen.

JUSTICE LEAGUE:

Superman–Clark Kent: The most famous and respected hero on the planet, and the only hero outside the Flash family who can even begin to keep up with them speed-wise. They share an unique perspective because of this; Superman and Barry got along famously, Superman often coordinates with Jay Garrick when the Justice League and Society need to team up, and he essentially treats Wally as if he was his own sidekick. While meant as a gesture of affection, Wally sometimes found it condescending instead, and Superman’s now working to treat Wally more as an equal.

Batman–Bruce Wayne: The dark guardian of Gotham City and unofficial leader of the Justice League. While this brooding loner at first appears to have little in common with the more optimistic Flashes, he and Barry had actually bonded over their equally large and troublesome rogues galleries. Batman keeps an especially close eye on Wally, both out of respect for Barry and because of Wally’s friendship with his adopted son, the original Robin, Dick Grayson.

Wonder Woman–Princess Diana: Princess of the Amazons and ambassador of peace. As a hero rooted in mythology and magic, she confounded the scientifically-minded Barry Allen, who could never quite wrap his mind around her very existence. She intimidates Wally West for entirely…different reasons. She takes it all in stride.

Green Lantern–Kyle Rayner: The last of the Green Lanterns. A talented artist but total rookie as a superhero, he and Wally have inadvertently formed a sort of rivalry; Wally resents the way Kyle just “replaced” Hal and how he was seemingly immediately accepted onto the League, while Kyle is jealous of Wally’s years of experience and of how much the League respects him, especially since Wally seems blind to that latter fact. After working together to save their mentors, Jay Garrick and Alan Scott, the two have buried the hatchet and finally become friends–new, tenuous, uneasy friends, but friends nonetheless.

JUSTICE SOCIETY:

Green Lantern–Alan Scott: Alan Scott was forever transformed when he discovered the Starheart, an ancient remnant of the Green Lantern’s central battery, which granted Alan immense power and extremely retarded aging. Alan and Jay Garrick helped found the JSA together and quickly became the best of friends. Today they work together to run the new JSA, happily training the next generation of heroes.

Wildcat–Ted Grant: A tough-nosed boxer who trained most of the JSA, Ted is kept young by a mystical “nine lives” he was cursed with at some point in his career. Ted loves to tease Jay about his old-fashioned personality, but every joke he says he says with love.

Queen Hippolyta: Immortal queen of the Amazons and original Wonder Woman. Themyscara hasn’t always had the best relations with men, but she makes an exception for Jay and Alan (and sometimes Ted), and is happy to help further Themyscara’s mission of peace by training the next generation of heroes alongside her fellow founding JSA members, even if she can’t be a full-time presence on the team.

Stargirl–Courtney Whitmore: Courtney Whitmore was once just an average girl who hated her new stepfather, Pat Dugan. Courtney’s average existence came to an end, though, the day she discovered that Dugan had once been the partner of founding JSA-member Starman, and had since inherited Starman’s gear. Courtney swiped it and became Stargirl in order to drive Dugan crazy, but somewhere along the line, fell in love with being a superhero. She now serves as the JSA’s youngest member. Jay is very protective of her.

THE TITANS:

Nightwing–Dick Grayson: Formerly the first Robin, Batman’s acrobatic sidekick, Dick has since struck out on his own as Nightwing. Dick is still Wally’s best friend, and though both have grown up quite a bit, they still bring out each others’ playful sides as well. Dick trained Wally in acrobatics, and he probably owes as much of his fighting style to Dick as he does Barry.

Troia–Donna Troy: The original Wonder Girl. The adopted younger sister of Wonder Woman, Donna came to man’s world in order to discover more about her human heritage and mysterious past. The heart and soul of the Titans.

Cyborg–Victor Stone: A former athlete and son of S.T.A.R. Labs scientists, who was horribly maimed by an accident in his parents’ lab. In order to save his life, they rebuilt him into a cyborg, a half man, half machine. It took Victor years to start working through his anger about it, but he’s found a purpose, a sense of peace, and powerful new friendships with the Titans.

Starfire–Princess Koriand'r: Alien princess of the planet Tamaran, Koriand'r is an impulsive free spirit ruled by her emotions. She feels compassion and love stronger than almost anyone, but feels righteous fury just as strongly when she sees people hurting the ones she loves, and isn’t afraid to lash out with her destructive Starbolts in retribution. Currently in a relationship with Nightwing.

Aqualad–Kaldur'ahm: A former student of Aquaman and Mera, Kaldur is calm, patient, and quite intelligent. Probably still the most competent and well-adjusted of the Titans, he puts his skills to good use in leadership positions both on the Titans and in his home of Atlantis.

Red Arrow–Mia Dearden: A tough-nosed young woman taken in off the streets by Green Arrow and trained in superheroic archery. Stubborn, sarcastic, and quick witted, Wally's still intimidated by her even after all these years.

YOUNG JUSTICE:

Robin–Tim Drake: The current bearer of the Robin mantle. Tim Drake was a lonely young amateur detective who was able to do what no one else could–figure out the secret identities of Batman and Robin! Since joining Batman on his mission he’s become a skilled fighter, but his greatest talent is still his keen analytical mind. Kinda the self appointed leader of Young Justice, though trying to rein in Bart is driving him out of his mind.

Superboy–Kon-El: A cocky young clone of Superman (although 50% of his DNA is actually human) made to replace the Man of Steel, Superboy was eventually freed and has since then focused on proving himself a worthy hero in his own right. Much of his bravado is actually a coping mechanism to cover up his insecurities.

Wonder Girl–Cassandra Sandsmark: The daughter of archaeologist Helena Sandsmark, Cassandra grew up idolizing Wonder Woman, and finally got to meet her when she started working with her mother. In a crisis, Cassandra stole some mystical artifacts in order to assist Wonder Woman, and for her bravery, was rewarded by the Greek Gods with powers of her own! Cassandra is enthusiastic, bubbly, and up for anything, but still has a lot to learn.

Empress–Anita Fite: Young Anita Fite took up the mantle of Empress to keep tabs on her father, DEO Agent Fite, when she suspected the organization was using him to commit less-than-moral acts–this mission caused her to join forces with Young Justice as they attempted to hunt down a “monster” for the DEO. Anita is a skilled fighter, relying on magical artifacts and skills passed down to her by her late mother.

Secret: A young girl made entirely of smoke, “Secret” remembers nothing of her life before waking up in a DEO test-tube. Tired of facing the organization’s endless prodding and experimenting, Secret finally escapes–enraged, the DEO pursues, and eventually sends the newly formed Young Justice after her when they stumble upon the investigation. Instead of capturing her, though, Young Justice take Secret under their wing, lets her join their team, and helps her escape the DEO’s grasp once and for all!