A Sunshine Boy

So Impulse showing up in Young Justice got me talking about a Flash Family animated series, and after several back and forth posts (and several people telling me they wanted to see it) , I started formulating ideas, so here’s what I had in mind.  Follow the “#Flash Family: The Animated Series” tag to keep up with this (if you don’t already follow me), cause I have no idea how long it’s going to take me to do each Season.

If you enjoy this (or even if you don’t), I would be super thrilled if you passed this around, and I’d love to hear your thoughts and opinions.  Regardless, I had a ton of run putting this together.

So let’s see:

While in tone the show will be close to the DCAU (particularly Justice League Unlimited) and Young Justice, in format it will be closer to “Batman: The Brave and the Bold”: a revolving door of characters and scenarios (and time periods) based solely around the anchor of a “Flash.”  Although I try to put a complete story in each episode, there are several ongoing plot threads building in the background across the series.

The show will be four seasons, each season revolving around one of the four main Flashes (but still featuring the whole family, although, with this being season one, I’m taking my time introducing them).

Season One (Barry Allen):
EPISODE 1: “WELCOME TO CENTRAL CITY”
EPISODE 2: “GLORY”
EPISODE 3: “GORILLAS IN OUR MIDST”
EPISODE 4: “FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES”
EPISODE 5: “ROGUE PROFILE: CAPTAIN COLD”
EPISODES 6-7: “ROGUE WAR, pts. 1 and 2" 
EPISODE 8: "MY NAME IS WALLY WEST”
EPISODE 9: “CSI: CENTRAL CITY”
EPISODES 10-12: “THE FLASH THAT TIME FORGOT, pts. 1-3”
EPISODE 13: “THE TWIN CITIES”
EPISODE 14: “ROGUE PROFILE: HEAT WAVE”
EPISODE 15: “VALENTINE’S DAY”
EPISODE 16: “NO RESPECT, KID”
EPISODE 17: “THE OLD GUARD”
EPISODE 18: “THE BRAVE, THE BOLD, AND THE NETWORK”
EPISODE 19: “THE TITANS OF TOMORROW”
EPISODE 20: “FATHER’S DAY”
EPISODE 21: “ROGUE PROFILE: ABRA KADABRA”
EPISODE 22: “THE SINGLE SYNAPSE THEORY”
EPISODE 23: “MY FATHER THE TOP”
EPISODE 24: “LEGACY VS. LEGACY" 

Episode summaries and character bios under the cut:
 

EPISODE 1: "WELCOME TO CENTRAL CITY”: We spend the first half of the episode meeting Barry Allen: watching the workaholic CSI stay late to work on a Cold Case, get struck by lightning, zoom through the city like a giddy fanboy (making him late for a date with Iris), pull out his old Jay Garrick “Flash” comics, and take on the mantle of the Flash himself.

Immediately we skip three years into the future and find Barry knee deep in a battle with the Rogues (Captain Cold, Heat Wave, Mirror Master, Weather Wizard, Captain Boomerang, Pied Piper, and the Trickster).  Barry and the Rogues engage in some lighthearted battle; Flash stops them from achieving their objective, but Scudder helps them escape.

The episode ends with Barry zooming home to Iris, revealing that she is now his wife; meanwhile, the Rogues retreat to their headquarters, where they’re confronted by The Top and Golden Glider, and the Top reveals that he has a new plan to kill the Flash!

EPISODE 2: “GLORY”: Episode two shines a bit of spotlight on Barry’s supporting cast, his relationship with Iris, and how he’s viewed by the inhabitants of the city as The Flash puts his life on the line to protect them all from the return of the gloryhogging technosorcerer, Abra Kadabra, at the opening of the Flash Museum.

Meanwhile, The Top and his plan to kill the Flash begin to clash with Captain Cold, who doesn’t want the heat that comes with offing a cape.  Despite the manipulations of his sister, Cold kicks Top and Golden Glider out of the Rogues, but it’s obvious their ideas have already begun to divide the group.

EPISODE 3: “GORILLAS IN OUR MIDST”: Thanks to a Justice League alarm, the Flash discovers a base hidden beneath Central City, filled with sentient, intelligent apes with devious intent.  Barry manages to defeat them and shut down their machine, then tracks its source to Central Africa, where he “discovers” Gorilla City, a metropolis filled with the apes (though not all evil), and ripe to be conquered by a vain, psychic terrorist named Grodd.  Gorilla Grodd plans to use the City’s resources and the bases he’s set up across the globe (including the one Barry destroyed) to turn every human on Earth into a Gorilla (Barry spends the entire episode griping about the scientific impossibilities of this, while Grodd makes fun of his dim human intellect).  Barry manages to defeat Grodd, but Grodd just taunts him, saying that not even the fastest man alive can get to all his bases and shut them down in time.  The Flash says he doesn’t have to, because he’s got some very powerful friends already on the case…

…and as if on cue, The Justice League arrives!

Meanwhile, the Rogues continue to splinter.  Captain Boomerang approaches the Top to join his cause willingly, and it doesn’t take much for Roscoe to pull Mirror Master to his side.  But the Top oversteps his bounds when he attempts to recruit Pied Piper, and when Hartley threatens to blow his entire operation, Roscoe is forced to reveal his new Mind-Over-Matter abilities to make Hartley forget any of it ever happened…

EPISODE 4: “FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES”: The episode opens by flashing back to the Justice League (in this case Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern [Hal Jordan]) each taking down one of Grodd’s bases.

And then we cut to the present, where the Justice League and the Gorilla City Council clash over how to best deal with the defeated Grodd.  Grodd, regaining consciousness, takes advantage of their antagonism and uses his psychic abilities to turn them against each other, making his escape.

The League chases after Grodd, but Grodd uses his psychic abilities to inflate the League’s gripes with each other, causing them to fight amongst themselves and giving him more time to escape.  Eventually the League realizes that they need tech to shut down Grodd’s psychic abilities if they’re going to make any progress, and although he’s reluctant to give up pursuit of “his perp”, Barry realizes that his scientific skills are needed, and teams up with the head of Gorilla City’s science center, Solovar, to create a psychic blocking headband, allowing the League to apprehend Grodd with minimal hassle.

The League and the Council come to an agreement: Grodd will be held in Gorilla City and be judged by its rules (at least for this offense), but the League will monitor him.

As the League prepares to depart, Hal Jordan ribs Barry about his Rogues and how “harmless” they are; meanwhile, we cut to the Top leaving a note for Captain Cold and his Rogues.  It’s on.

EPISODE 5: “ROGUE PROFILE: CAPTAIN COLD”: Through the eyes and internal monologue of Captain Cold, Len Snart, we see the origin stories of Cold and Golden Glider, the forming of the Rogues, and the tensions that have arose within the group over the years, especially between Cold and the elitist Top, who have clashed off and on over leadership ever since the group formed.

In present day, Cold receives Top’s note, and gathers the Rogues still loyal to him (Weather Wizard, who wants Flash dead but knows it would just cause disaster for the Rogues; poor, deluded Heat Wave, who doesn’t want to hurt anyone, just see things burn; and The Trickster and Pied Piper, who turned to crime for fun and for a challenge, and lose both if the Flash is gone).

Together they attempt to track down The Top, but fall right into a trap.  “Taking you out of the equation was always part of my plan," Roscoe tells Len as he holds him separately from the other captured Rogues.  Cold may be down, but he’s not out: he’s gonna break free and stop The Top, whatever it takes.  Not because he cares about saving the Flash’s life, but because Roscoe made it personal.

And you never make things personal with Captain Cold.

EPISODE 6: "ROGUE WAR, pt. 1”: The Rogues are committing small, petty crimes all over town.  Barry Allen is more annoyed than anything as he sets out to track them down, but the crimes are just a lure, meant to pull The Flash straight into their clutches.

It succeeds, thanks in large part to Mirror Master’s technology, which pulls an unsuspecting Barry into their headquarters; he’s knocked unconscious immediately.

Flash wakes up to find himself strapped down, drugged up on tranquilizers, and at the Rogues’ mercy.  Fortunately for him, The Top (surrounded by the other Rogues, both the ones loyal to him and to Cold) feels like monologuing.  He explains to The Flash about his new mind-over matter powers, how he’s using them to manipulate Cold’s Rogues, and how he’s going to manipulate the Flash into maligning his entire reputation before finishing him off.

He talks just long enough for the tranquilizers to run through Barry’s enhanced metabolism, and he vibrates out of the trap.  Unfortunately, he can’t leave the compound, as it has no entrance or exit: it’s accessible only through Scudder’s mirrors, and attempting to vibrate through them could leave Barry stranded in a mirror world.

The Rogues split-up and pursue Flash, but it’s Golden Glider, far more ruthless than she looks, who manages to bring the speedster to his knees.  Captain Cold, having broken free of his cell, comes to Flash’s rescue, and together they take on the Rogues, trying to break Cold’s allies free of Top’s control.

The compound’s corridors are too tight; Flash needs more room to fight to his full potential.  Top gleefully agrees, abandoning his plan to manipulate Flash and instead planning to execute him in front of all of Central City.  He brings the Rogue War to the streets, immediately causing widespread chaos.  The news (and Iris Allen) pick it up, and Iris makes a call to her 15 year old nephew over in Blue Valley.

Wally West, Kid Flash, is on his way!

EPISODE 7: “ROGUE WAR, pt. 2”: The Rogue War is raging through the streets of Central City.  With all the chaos, the Top is losing his control over his Rogues.  Sides are switched constantly; it’s every Rogue for himself.  Barry Allen, the Flash, the Fastest Man Alive, is pushing himself to his limits rescuing civilians and keeping the Rogues from killing each other.  It’s understandable that he’d forget to look out for himself.

Fortunately, he has Wally West, Kid Flash, to rescue him!  Kid puts his appearance in just in time, and the two Flashes team up, having trained well, playing super-speed tricks off each other to take the Rogues down one-by-one.

Desperate, The Top attempts to “spin” the Flash’s mind, knowing that using the Flash as his weapon is the only way to win this war.  Unfortunately for him, the Flash’s vibrations backlash in his brain, knocking the Top to the ground.  He’s pale, ill, in pain.  He feels like he’s falling apart.

The Top is dying.

Captain Cold uses this as his moment to reassert control of the Rogues.  They retreat through Scudder’s mirrors, all except Golden Glider, who stays by her love’s side as he dies.  Kid Flash chases after the Rogues, but it’s of no use.  He’s frustrated not to have caught them; Barry’s frustrated to have let someone die, even if he was an enemy; and Lisa’s distraught over the death of the man she loved.

The only person happy here is Abra Kadabra, who shows up in the Rogues’ hideout with news from the future: He’s discovered the date and location of the Flash’s death!  Cold slams the door in Kadabra’s face, but Kadabra just smiles…

EPISODE 8: “MY NAME IS WALLY WEST”: Just who is The Flash’s young partner?  Find out by spending a day in the shoes of Kid Flash, Wally West, in Blue Valley Nebraska as he deals with his abrasive parents, the maddeningly slow world of High School, small-time crooks, a suddenly distant best friend, and the appearance of a strange vigilante known only as Magenta…

EPISODE 9: “CSI: CENTRAL CITY”: The Flash and Kid Flash team up to investigate an unusual homicide.  Barry slowly and methodically researches the evidence, which frustrates the impatient Kid Flash.  Wally decides to find the criminal his own way, but winds up in over his head when he stumbles upon the enigmatic and deadly Dr. Alchemy.  Can The Flash track them down before it’s too late?

EPISODE 10: “THE FLASH THAT TIME FORGOT pt. 1”: A routine training session between the Flash and Kid Flash takes a bizarre turn when Barry, vibrating at an odd frequency, sees a strange outline of a phantom city across the Central City Bridge.  The duo investigates and discover an entire city, called Keystone, which seems to have been phased out of reality and from the world’s memory.  The populace is frozen in place, obviously manipulated and played with like dolls; the city is dirty and looted.  Shadowy figures lurk in the background, and Kid Flash gives chase, only to be thwarted around every corner; Barry, meanwhile, is stopped in his tracks by strange visions, seeming memories. He’s flabbergasted, because this city seems so familiar.  

Wally corners the shadowy figures, three villains going by the names of The Thinker, The Fiddler, and the Shade.  Kid Flash puts up a good fight, but these three have been criminals longer than Wally’s been alive, and they defeat him by syncing his vibrations with that of the frozen city’s, putting him in stasis.

Finally Barry realizes why the city finds so familiar; he finds Kid Flash, vibrates him awake, and shows him the city’s amazing secret: Jay Garrick, the original Flash, World War II hero, and, as far as Barry Allen knew, a fictional character.

We flash back to 1940, where college student Jay Garrick is caught in a freak lab accident and imbued with fantastic super-speed.  He becomes the first to take on the mantle “The Flash”, and becomes the hero of Keystone City.  Jay marries his high school sweetheart, Joan, and becomes a founding member of the world’s first superhero group, the Justice Society of America.  Together, they become legends.

“What happened after that?” asks Kid Flash.

“I don’t know,” replies Barry.  "His comic was cancelled.“

So The Flash adjusts Jay’s vibrational frequency to match his, jolting him back into consciousness.  Before Barry can even introduce himself, Jay lashes out in anger.  He recognizes them.  "Where were you?” Jay asks.  "I waited for you!  You were supposed to save me!“

But they have no idea what he’s talking about…

EPISODE 11: "THE FLASH THAT TIME FORGOT, pt. 2”: The year is 1951.  Jay Garrick, the Flash, as well as his companions in the JSA, are brought before the US Government and asked to reveal their secret identities, or else be accused of being communists.  Instead, the JSA disbands, and the heroes retire.  Before leaving the courthouse, Jay runs into The Flash and Kid Flash (appearing a year or two older than the versions in the show’s current timeline), future inheritors of his mantle traveling backwards through the time-stream.  They tell Jay that things will get better, they’ll be there to help, and that someday he’ll be a hero again.

Several years later, Jay Garrick is startled by the arrival of The Shade, a former adversary of the Flash’s whom he thought had retired as well.  The Shade warns Jay of the return of the Fiddler and the Thinker, and that they’re hatching a plan so heinous that it even made him think twice about joining in.  Jay decides this is worth coming out of retirement for, albeit temporarily, and he and the Shade speed to face the two criminals.  Just as they’re starting to win, however, the Shade turns, joining the other criminals.

The Shade says that he missed matching wits with Jay, and simply wished to lure him out of retirement.  This attack was his ultimate test for The Flash: a desperate fight against three of his greatest foes with the fate his city on the line.  If he wins, everything’s okay.  If he loses, a machine designed by the Thinker and built by the Fiddler will vibrate the city out of reality, freezing its inhabitants in time and erasing it from the memories of the world.

No matter who wins, the Shade gets what he wants.

Jay puts up a valiant fight, alternating between attacking the three villains and trying to destroy the machine, but he’s simply outnumbered.  As he’s overtaken, he wishes the Flash from the future would show up.  Didn’t he say that things would get better?  How can he let him lose?

Then Jay blacks out.  Disappointed, the Shade activates the machine.  Keystone City is launched into eternal slumber, vibrated out of sight and out of mind.  Every mention of Central City’s twin city vanishes.  Only a hazy, dreamlike memory of Keystone and its protector survives, making its way to the mind of a comic book artist, who publishes the “Flash” comic.

And 10 year old Barry Allen becomes the book’s biggest fan…

EPISODE 12: “THE FLASH THAT TIME FORGOT, pt. 3”: Back in the present, Jay apologizes to Barry and Wally for his outburst, but Barry is too starstruck to care, instead apologizing and assuring Jay that he would have helped save Keystone if he could have, but apparently he hasn’t gone back in time to meet Jay yet.  Kid Flash interrupts the reunion to remind the two Flashes of the fifty year old crime still left for them to solve.

“Perfect,” smiles Barry.  "I love cold cases!“

Finally the odds are in the favor of the speedsters!  Kid Flash confronts the telekinetic genius the Thinker, frustrating the criminal with his bull-headedness and obliviousness.  Barry attacks the Fiddler, matching his vibrational attacks with his own fine-tuned vibrational abilities.  Jay Garrick, meanwhile, finally gets his rematch with the Shade!

The Shade assures Jay that he took good care of his city.  Sure, Fiddler and Thinker had fun playing with the citizens and wrecking the buildings, but Shade always stopped them before they could kill or rape anyone.  Still, he was growing bored of the lost city. Three Flashes is a much more fascinating challenge, and the challenge hasn’t changed: take down all three villains to win!

Jay grins and takes off, leaving Shade behind.  Instead he teams up with Barry and the two take Fiddler out easily; they meet up with Wally, and take out the Thinker even easier.  The Shade gives them a slow, smug round of applause before disappearing into the shadows.  Stopping their machine, however, proves to be a bigger problem, but thanks to the combined scientific knowledge of the two Flashes and a little of Kid Flash’s common sense, they finally manage to take it down!

Keystone city shakes as it slowly returns to its former state, reappearing across the bridge from its twin city, Central; memories return as well, spurring numerous revelations on both sides of the bridge.  It will take a while to truly put things back in order, but for the first time in fifty years, the twin cities have each other again.  

And the Flash that many thought only existed in a comic book is now free to continue his grand adventures for many years to come!

EPISODE 13: "THE TWIN CITIES”: The return of Central’s twin city, Keystone, creates interesting challenges for all their inhabitants.  Barry Allen attempts to round up a criminal who escaped when Keystone was freed–the Turtle, the slowest man alive–but ends up biting off more than he can chew when he discovers that the Turtle has the ability to siphon speed!  Jay and Joan Garrick work to acclimate themselves to their new time and understand the 50 years they missed (Jay especially feels uncomfortable with the “mentor” role he’s suddenly found himself thrust into).  Wally West plays messenger, reuniting lost families and friends.  Iris Allen covers the political debates that rage between the two cities’ governments.

Meanwhile, Captain Cold finally visits his sister in prison–via Sam Scudder’s magic mirrors.  The death of the Top has left Len and Lisa Snart with a pretty rough relationship, but Cold leaves his sister with a gift anyway: a pair of her ice skates.  A slasher smile crosses her face; it’s all she needs to escape this place.  The Golden Glider is back!

EPISODE 14: “ROGUE PROFILE: HEAT WAVE”: Mick Rory is a reluctant Rogue, a pyromaniac, not a thief or killer. He doesn’t want to hurt people, not really. That’s why he’s finally allowed The Flash and the staff of Iron Heights penitentiary to try to reform him, to go through therapy. Through his appointments, we see Mick’s sad fall into mental illness and his criminal lifestyle, and then watch as he tries to live everyday life as an average Central City citizen.

Captain Cold isn’t ready to let Heat Wave leave his little group, and he’s willing to fight the Flash for Mick’s soul. Mick ignores their little custody struggle; he’s happy where he is, rapidly making friends in his new apartment building. But even with his therapy, every day proves to be more and more of a struggle. He misses the fire. Finally he breaks, leaving his beloved new home in flames (much like his beloved childhood home). The Flash still believes he can be rehabilitated, but Mick knows better. He knows Len is right: Mick will destroy everything he ever loves, except for the Rogues, because they can fight back.

Heat Wave isn’t vicious, isn’t a thief or murderer. But he is a Rogue, and that will never change.

EPISODE 15: “VALENTINE’S DAY”: Lisa Snart, the Rogue known as the Golden Glider, kneels at the unmarked grave of her recently departed boyfriend, Roscoe Dillon, The Top.  She can’t help to think of a time when things were better…

She thinks back two years ago, to Valentine’s Day, where Lisa and Roscoe are on their first date at a fancy restaurant.  Roscoe pulls out every fact he knows to impress her, but Lisa just calls him on his ego–although she still finds it charming.  Normally Roscoe would be infuriated, but he finds her boldness oddly charming as well.

Meanwhile, Barry Allen and Iris West are on a date at the exact same restaurant.  Iris wants Barry to finally admit that he’s the Flash–but without cluing him in on the fact that she already knows.  Barry has an equally worthy goal for the occasion: he’s ready to ask Iris to marry him.

Needless to say, the two dates collide in the worst way possible.  When Lisa and Roscoe decide to skip out on the bill and hold up the restaurant, Barry has to both take down the Rogues and protect his secret identity in the process!  Iris, meanwhile, works to protect the other patrons.

As always, good eventually triumphs over evil, but today it doesn’t matter; everyone got what they wanted anyway.  Tired of keeping his secret from one he loved, Barry revealed his identity to Iris, and she accepted his proposal.  Lisa and Roscoe, meanwhile, fought their way out of the prison truck and began their relationship.  From that day on, no matter what they faced, they always had each other…

…Until the Top died.  Now Lisa’s alone, but she’s not out of the fight.  She swears vengeance on the Flash…and a voice congratulates her.  It belongs to a strange, unfamiliar man, but the voice is unmistakable.

It’s the Top’s.

EPISODE 16: “NO RESPECT, KID”: Kid Flash feels like he gets no respect from the people and media of Central City, and even his reporter aunt Iris can’t seem to help.  Meanwhile, the failed, colorblind artist Roy G. Bivolo has become the villain “The Rainbow Raider”, but his attempts to terrorize Central City have met with constant, humiliating failure, and the Rogues won’t even return his phone calls.  Both Kid and Raider end up setting their sights on the newly returned Keystone City as a chance to redeem themselves, and make quick enemies of each other.  Neither is pleased by their choice of opponent, but neither can back down without risking what little respectability they have left.  One will win, one will lose: but can either save their reputation?!

Meanwhile, the Golden Glider can’t believe that the Top is alive, albeit in a new body.  He reveals that his mind became so powerful that it was able to survive on its own in the physical world even after his body had expired.  He since learned that he is able to to possess corpses, but before he did that, he trailed the Flash in astral form.

The Top knows who the Flash is, and has the perfect plan for taking him down.  He just needs a little help from Lisa…

EPISODE 17: “THE OLD GUARD”: Jay Garrick, the original Flash, reunites with the surviving members of the Justice Society of America (the original Green Lantern, Alan Scott; Wildcat, Ted Grant, hard-nosed boxer gifted with nine lives; Hippolyta, the original Wonder Woman and Queen of the Amazons) in order to take on an evil from their past. Can these old timers still fight the good fight? Will the JSA be reformed? Is this just what Jay needs to come to terms with his place in the world?

EPISODE 18: “THE BRAVE, THE BOLD, AND THE NETWORK”: When former Green Lantern villain “Goldface” arrives in Central City claiming to be a reformed, legitimate businessman, Iris Allen is suspicious and launches an investigation. Meanwhile, The Flash (Barry Allen) and his buddy Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) investigate rumors of something called “The Network”, an underground black market for buying and selling stolen goods, led by the mysterious “Blacksmith.” How do these two cases relate to each other? And can even the combined might of these three crusaders take down an institution that’s managed to operate in secret for decades?

EPISODE 19: “THE TITANS OF TOMORROW”: When the Flash and other members of the Justice League begin acting strangely, it’s up to their sidekicks–Kid Flash, his best friend Robin, Wonder Girl, Speedy and Aqualad–to discover what’s going on. But when the League turns criminal, Wally goes into denial. Can he bring himself to fight his mentor, his idol? Can the Justice League be saved? And can these inexperienced heroes be the ones to do it?

EPISODE 20: “FATHER’S DAY”: It’s Father’s Day, and everyone has different ways of celebrating.  Iris Allen’s absent-minded father barely remembers the holiday, giving her the fun of surprising him.  Jay Garrick visits the grave of his father for the first time; he was still alive when Keystone was sent into stasis.  Wally West struggles to connect with his brusque, insensitive father (when he’d much rather be with the man he truly considers his father, Barry).

Pied Piper, the only Rogue whose family is both still alive and halfway decent to be around, decides to visit home, accompanied by his best friend, the Trickster.  Piper’s been feeling increasingly alienated by the Rogues and upset by the rapidly growing stakes of their exploits.  He hopes he might find answers to his existential crisis at home, but his reunion with his parents goes worse than planned, and Piper simply ends up more more uncertain where he belongs than he was to begin with.

Barry Allen, meanwhile, spends Father’s Day in the hospital.  His parents were in a horrendous car accident the previous night, and although his mother made out fairly decently, his father is in critical condition.  Barry agonizes over possibly losing his father without ever telling him his secret (that he’s the Flash).  As Barry’s friends and family file into the hospital, Jay advises Barry to cherish every moment he can spend with his father, and keep no secrets he’d later regret.

A few weeks later, Barry’s parents finally get to go home from the hospital.  Barry is there to greet them, and admits to his parents that he’s the Flash.  They react with much love and understanding…but as soon as Barry leaves, the first thing his father, Henry Allen, does…is meet up with the Golden Glider!

It turns out that the entire accident was set up by the Top and Golden Glider, an attempt to murder one (or both) of Barry’s parents so that the Top could possess their body and give them a way to get close enough to The Flash to do some real damage.  And the plan was a total success…

EPISODE 21: “ROGUE PROFILE: ABRA KADABRA”: Abra Kadabra has always been a man of the future trapped in the past, using his advanced technology to imitate magic and coerce crowds into worshipping at his feet–and making a hated enemy out of the Flash, Barry Allen, in the process.  Finally all of that is changing, however; thanks to the help of some of the 20th century’s smartest scientists (turned into Kadabra’s literal puppets), he’s managed to repair his time machine!

Returning to his home time, a much hated future where science has destroyed all sense of exploration or mystique, Kadabra looks into historical records and finds a most useful piece of information: every detail on the death of his most hated enemy, the Flash, Barry Allen!  Infuriated to find out that he won’t be responsible for the Flash’s demise, Kadabra decides to rectify that.  When the Rogues of Barry’s time deny his offer (as seen in Episode 7), Kadabra instead starts taking trips to every era of the Flash, recruiting Rogues from all across history.

Soon Kadabra has recruited a veritable army of Rogues–The Turtle, The Fiddler, The Thinker, Girder, Tar Pit, Plunder, Murmur, Peek-A-Boo, The Trickster II (Axel Walker), Mirror Master II (Evan McCulloch), Captain Boomerang II (Owen Mercer), Double Down, White Lightning, Griffin, Glory Shredder, and the Green Cigarette–and is ready to return to the day of Barry’s death…

When all of a sudden he’s intercepted by a streak of white…a tiny speedster with giant hair and feet…a speedster named Impulse!

EPISODE 22: “THE SINGLE SYNAPSE THEORY”: Bart Allen, Impulse, is the grandson of Barry Allen, currently a 12 year old living 40 years into the future.  He’s inherited his grandfather’s tremendous speed, but unfortunately, is cursed with terrible ADHD and even worse judgment (his father describes it as the “Single Synapse Theory”: from thought to deed in one electric leap, with no concern for the consequences.)  Bart also lives in a future without Barry Allen, a future where he never met his famous grandfather.

All his life Bart has wanted to meet his grandfather; he’s dreamt of saving his life.  Now, on the day of the unveiling of the world’s first prototype time machine, Bart’s found his chance.  True to his name, Impulse bursts in, steals the device, and heads towards the past with barely a second thought.

Impulse is overwhelmed by the timestream, but fortunately (?), he runs across Abra Kadabra and his futuristic time sphere!  Impulse follows him and confronts him, but is greatly outmatched by his army of Rogues, and barely escapes into the timestream.  Arriving on the day of Barry’s death (Season One’s present day), Bart tries to track him down, but instead runs into his grandmother, Iris, who is spending the day with her nephew, Wally West. Bart confounds and annoys the two, trying to explain who he is, what’s going to happen to Barry, and about Kadabra’s army.  Any attempt of theirs to comprehend is ruined when Bart sees what time it is, realizes that Barry is scheduled to die any minute, and runs off mid-conversation.

Impulse intercepts the Flash outside of his parents’ house, colliding with his grandfather and sending the two sprawling.  Barry has no idea who this speedster is or what he wants, and Bart won’t give him a chance to ask as he begs the Flash not to go into the house.

“You can’t go in there!  Your dad is the Top and he’s gonna kill you!”

EPISODE 23: “MY FATHER THE TOP”: It’s a story Bart Allen has been told all of his life: His grandfather, Barry Allen, the Flash, was murdered by The Top, who possessed the body of Barry’s deceased father and lured him into a sneak attack, and then possessed Barry’s corpse and caused havoc for weeks.  The Flash is still reeling from the information, and although he doesn’t want to believe it, one look at Impulse tells him the boy is incapable of lying.  This means Barry needs a plan…

The Flash sends Impulse around the back of the house, so that he can vibrate through the walls to launch a sneak attack while Barry distracts the Top.  However, Bart’s instead attacked by Golden Glider, stranding his grandfather.  Henry and Nora Allen look perfectly normal, but Barry is keeping his perceptions sped up, waiting for Top to try to sneak attack him.  Instead, Impulse and Golden Glider burst through the house’s wall in mid-battle.

The Flash sees this is his chance and bursts forward, but the surprise of the situation caused him to pause just for a second, and it was all he needed to lose the element of surprise.  Top counters, and the two clash in a surprisingly even battle.  Just as Barry starts to gain the upper hand, Top “spins” the mind of Nora Allen and pulls her in as a hostage; likewise, Lisa finally manages to pin down Impulse.

There’s nothing Barry can do: he’s powerless. Top strikes, murdering the Flash with one swift attack.  He gloats for a second before possessing The Flash’s body; Henry’s body falls to the floor, but the Flash’s doesn’t make a move.  Golden Glider is shocked, and Bart uses the moment to vibrate through her grip and remove Nora from the premises.  Then Barry vibrates through the wall, knocking out Lisa before she has a chance to retaliate.

We flash back to the beginning of the episode.  As ill-prepared as Impulse is, he did manage to bring with him a futuristic micro-chip that can store the Top’s consciousness, the device that was eventually used to capture him in the original time-line.  Barry steals a mannequin double of himself from the Flash museum, and, when Top lashes out to murder him, substitutes the dummy in faster than even the Top can see.  Top kills the dummy, not Barry, and when he tries to possess it, he instead traps himself inside the micro-chip.

Impulse is thrilled to have fulfilled his mission to save his grandfather, and all around it looks like a win, except for one thing…Henry Allen is still dead, and has been dead ever since the car accident.  Barry never got a chance to say goodbye…

Meanwhile, Kadabra brings his new army to meet Cold and his Rogues, sparking some interesting interactions.  Kadabra threatens Cold, and Len realizes that this isn’t like Top’s Rogue War; his little group of Rogues can’t overcome an army this big.  For better or for worse, he’s stuck working with them: So he’d better make damn sure they win.

Before confronting the Top, Barry called Iris to let her know Impulse was with him, and asked her to send Wally and Jay out looking for this army of Rogues Bart mentioned.  The elder Flash and Kid Flash search the city in a wild goose chase, and just as they’re getting ready to quit, Kadabra and his cronies appear.

“Um, Flash?” hails Wally over their com.  “We could use some help!”

EPISODE 24: “LEGACY VS. LEGACY”:  Abra Kadabra rises above Central City, transmutating the trees and monuments around him into cameras.  Below him, an army of Rogues from all across time faces off against the original Flash, Jay Garrick, and Kid Flash, Wally West.  Kadabra’s cameras capture every moment, broadcasting them onto every screen in the Twin Cities.  “Today the Flash will die!” declares the technosorcerer.  “Today all the Flashes will die!  And then you will bow to me!”

The Flash, Barry Allen, and his grandson from the future–Bart Allen, Impulse–streak to help their teammates, but their path to the battle isn’t exactly clear.  Plunder takes potshots at the speedsters from nearby roofs, and Mirror Master appears in every reflective surface–every window, every puddle, etc.–providing portals for the other Rogues to open fire.  Weather Wizard glides into the sky, brewing up a storm and sending lightning strikes their way.  The Flash just barely manages to pull Impulse out of the path of a lightning strike (that he foolishly tries to vibrate through).  Finally they arrive at the battle, just in the nick of time to knock some enemies away from the fatigued Jay and Wally.

With the flick of his wrist Kadabra creates a massive circular wall of mirrors that surrounds the entire army, rising in into the sky and sealing into a dome.  The two Mirror Masters press a button in sync, and the mirrors light up, creating the same trap used way back in the Top’s underground base: if anyone tries to break through, or if any of the speedsters tries to vibrate through, they’ll become trapped within a mirror world.  There’s nowhere left to run.

The four speedsters, back to back to back to back, stare down the angry army of Rogues surrounding them from every side.  “Finally!” cries Kadabra, “It’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for!  The Flash family vs. The Rogues of all eras!  It’s legacy vs. legacy!”

And so the battle begins!

Something about that word “legacy” hits Cold like a punch to the gut.  This certainly isn’t how he imagined the future of the Rogues, filled with murderers and sociopaths and monsters like Murmur and Girder.  And the thought of Kadabra of all people leading the group makes him want to vomit.  What is Cold more willing to let happen: the Rogues turn into this army, or the Rogues break up altogether?

The idea of “legacy”, meanwhile, gives Barry Allen strength.  Together they fight, four generations of speedsters, the past, the present, the future.  Barry knows that he isn’t the first Flash, and that he won’t be the last; that no matter what happens today, no matter how hard Kadabra and the Rogues try to wipe him out, the Flash will always live!

As the battle rages, several of the Rogues start to feel uncomfortable.  Pied Piper and Trickster never signed up for carnage like this.  White Lightning was just a thief, not a murderer!  Green Cigarette’s just a guy with a fire on his head!  (He winds up on the perimeter of the battlefield, rolled up in the fetal position.)  White Lightning is the first to revolt, approaching Kadabra and refusing to fight.  Girder wants to take her out, but Kadabra stops him, saying that there’s a much simpler way to handle the situation.  He presses a small watch on his wrist, and Lightning simply disappears.  Kadabra says that he simply sent her back to her own time, and that’s what he’ll do to anyone else who doesn’t stick with the program.

The Flash grins; he’s found the key to victory!  Kadabra realizes this, and snapping his finger, he reveals his trump card: The Turtle!  The old man’s eyes light up, and he saps the Flashes of their speed, leaving them powerless.

The Rogues form a tight perimeter around the four Flashes, and Kadabra lowers to the ground; he sprouts two extra arms, all four wielding a lightning-bolt shaped sword.  He raises his arms, ready to execute the speedsters, when suddenly he hears a weird song.  He stops in his tracks, as if hypnotized, dropping his weapons to the ground; the Rogue Army follows, standing fully erect and parting like the Red Sea.

Through the opening walks the Pied Piper.  He never looks up and never stops playing his mind-control flute; instead, he makes Kadabra press his watch and send the Turtle back to where he came from!  Instantly repowered, the Flashes take advantage of the opening and begin pummeling Kadabra from every angle; before they can knock him unconscious, however, he disappears, reappearing in the sky and unleashing a sound-nullifying wave the breaks Piper’s control over the other Rogues.

Instantly a beam of white lashes out, encasing Piper’s flute and hand in ice.  “What are you doing?!” roars Captain Cold.  “Look at this!” counters Hartley.  “What happened to your Rogues?!  To moral codes and blue-collar crime?!  Are you really gonna let it end like this?"  It’s something Cold’s been pondering himself, but as he stares Piper in the eye, he makes his decision.  "Traitor,” he growls, blasting Piper.

Jay pulls Piper out of the line of fire, while Wally clobbers Cold.  Barry calls for them to use “Maneuver 12” (Impulse has no idea what this is, and an exasperated Kid Flash has to explain it).  “Is that safe in a contained space like this?” asks Jay.  Barry just looks ahead grimly.  “I have a plan.  Trust me.”

So Jay, Wally, and Bart begin spinning, whipping up three whirlwinds that tear through the Rogues and the roads, throwing asphalt and dirt into the air and basically eliminating visibility.  Kadabra and Weather Wizard both try to dispel the tornados, but only add to the chaos…which is exactly what Barry wants.  He runs directly into the side of the dome, then up the dome.  As he nears the top he pushes off, spinning in the air and using his momentum to launch himself like a missile!

Barry collides with Kadabra in mid-air, pelting him with a hundred spinning punches a second before tackling him to the ground.  By the time Barry stands he’s already grabbed Kadabra’s watch and pressed it 24 times.  As the smoke clears, they see that the mirror-dome has crumbled, and only the four Flashes and Kadabra’s mangled body remains (no doubt Cold’s present-day Rogues escaped through the mirrors, but Piper’s whereabouts are a mystery…)

Suddenly a single figure approaches the battlefield, riding a rainbow.  "Sorry I’m late, guys!“ apologizes Rainbow Raider as he hops off his ride, only to see no Rogues and four speedsters, grinning and cracking their knuckles.  Roy just sighs.  "Oops.”

The next day the Flashes gather to repair the damage caused by the skirmish, and are joined the the Justice League, the Justice Society, and the Teen Titans.  Even Magenta–Frances Kane, Wally’s best friend-turned-magnetic hero–has joined in on the fun, and Fran and Wally share their first kiss amongst the wreckage.  Meanwhile, Batman guarantees The Flash that he’ll have Martian Manhunter wipe Barry’s secret ID and all knowledge of future events from the minds of Golden Glider and Abra Kadabra.

Meanwhile, The Rogues fume in their secret hideout.  Cold declares that they’ll never turn out like Kadabra’s army, and pulls out a blueprint for a new blue-collar crime spree (“Just like old times!”)  But something’s changed, and Trickster can’t help but stare at the empty chair that used to belong to the Pied Piper and sigh…

Several days later, the Flash Family gathers to see Impulse off as he prepares to return to his home time.  "I still have one question,“ ventures Wally.  "Uncle Barry, if you were supposed to die fighting the Top, before you ever had kids, how was Bart even born?!”  All eyes turn to Iris.  "Well, I was hoping to save it for later,“ she says with a sign, "but…surprise!  I’m pregnant!”

With that, Bart leaves on a high-note, launching his time-machine into the timestream.  Impulse just grins, remembering all his good times in the past and imagining seeing everyone back home again so he can tell them all what he did!  But as he reaches three years into the future, something happens.  A calamity, a flash of white rocks the timestream, and it damages Bart’s time-machine.  It sparks and shoots smoke before breaking entirely dropping out of the timestream.  Bart reemerges, accompanied by a huge explosion, five years into the future.

As he tries to get his bearings, the Flash rushes to his side, attracted by the explosion.  "Grandpa!“ Bart cries as he leaps to his feet and hugs the Flash.  But something feels different.  His costume is a darker shade of red, and the eyes and belt are different.  "Grandpa?”

The Flash pulls off his mask, and although he’s five years older, there’s no mistaking the face beneath.  Wally West is the Flash.  "Bart, I’m so sorry,“ says Wally, barely able to say the words himself.

"Barry Allen’s dead.”

Next time: SEASON TWO (WALLY WEST)!

THE CHARACTERS:
THE FLASH FAMILY:

The Flash–Barry Allen: Barry Allen is the main Flash of Season One, and the second man to wear the mantle (though he doesn’t know this at the beginning of the Season).  Barry is patient, calm, methodical and scientific, and quite a nerd, growing up on comic books, which led him onto the path of police work (and later, superheroism itself).  Barry’s often lost in a world all his own within his mind (which made it easier for him to adjust to super-speed), making him constantly late to almost every appointment he makes.  Barry is slightly slow to open up and trust, especially with his secret identity, but once he trusts someone, that faith never wavers.  Barry is kept grounded by his wife, Iris, who often takes charge of their affairs and helps keep his head out of the clouds.

More than any other speedster, Barry spends Season One dealing with his many enemies, and the constant looming threat of his inevitable death.  For a man with so much to lose, Barry manages to take it pretty much in stride.  The bigger challenge for him is the loss of his father to the Top.

While Barry is excellent at hand-to-hand combat, he excels in trickery in his fighting style, using his brain and scientific knowhow to take villains down.  He also has the greatest control over his vibrations, and knows how to use them to great advantage.

As the Flash family grows over the course of the season, Barry is incredibly proud to be a part of the Flash legacy.  He knows he isn’t the first, and now he knows he won’t be the last, and from now on, no matter how much or how little he accomplishes as The Flash, he’ll forever be proud of every moment in the scarlet suit.

Kid Flash–Wally West: As of his introduction into the series, Wally West has been Kid Flash for a little under a year.  He and Barry have trained together and developed a great chemistry for team-up combat.  That said, Wally is still stubborn, hot-headed, and impatient, qualities that clash with Barry and sometimes put their crime-fighting methods at odds.

Wally yearns for respect, a side-effect of his own insecurities passed onto him by his overbearing parents.  Through his trials over the Season, culminating in a battle alongside his fellow side-kicks against a mind-washed Justice League, Wally slowly gains confidence in himself and his abilities.

Of the four speedsters, Wally is probably the slowest, but it’s just by a hair.  Wally’s speciality in battle is actually acrobatics (learned mostly from his close friend, the Batman’s sidekick Robin), making him a lethal threat both on the ground and in the air.

Wally practically worships Barry, viewing him as a surrogate father (and Iris has been his surrogate mother for even longer); being a superhero and following in Barry’s footsteps is fulfilling his life’s dream.  While he doesn’t yet have the personal connection with Jay he does with Barry, Wally still greatly respects the elder Flash’s experience, and the two actually get along as individuals as well (Jay makes Wally laugh).  While he’s ashamed to admit it, Wally feels intense jealously for Impulse, both for Bart’s close connection to Barry and his greater speed.

The Flash–Jay Garrick: Jay Garrick is the first man to be known as the Flash.  He became the fastest man alive in 1940, operated through all of WWII, and was forced into retirement in 1951 when the JSA was accused of having Communist ties.  In the late 50s Jay–and his entire home town, Keystone City–was locked out of time by a trio of his greatest foes, and wasn’t rescued until the middle of Season One, when Barry and Wally find the city.  Jay is left a bit shell shocked; he has 50 years of history to catch up on, for starters.

Jay is also a little uncomfortable with the role of “mentor” he finds himself thrusted into as soon as he returns, despite not feeling old at all.  He still resents being forced to give up being The Flash in the first place, and now finding himself in a time where his career is in the past is making him feel a little useless.  That said, as he interacts with Barry and Wally he starts to overcome these feelings, and when he teams up with the other surviving members of the JSA, he sees how people admire their legacy and embraces his role as elder statesman.

In terms of personality, Jay is remarkably patient and slightly old fashioned and overprotective, but he’s also quick witted, has an excellent sense of humor, and is naturally charming, charismatic and outgoing (much moreso than the slightly socially awkward Barry).  He quickly embraces modern technology, especially the internet and Facebook (Jay sees no need for it personally–he can run to see anyone in person faster than it takes to turn on his computer–but he’s happy that the world has started moving as fast as he does).

In terms of fighting, Jay is the best hand-to-hand combatant of the four speedsters, having been formally trained in combat by the US Military.  He’s also fond of using his WWI era helmet as a weapon.

Impulse–Bart Allen: Impulse, Bart Allen, is Barry’s 12 year old grandson from 40 years in the future.  He has a big heart and a generous personality, but he’s also hyperactive, easily distracted, and incredibly reckless, which is why he’s largely been shut out of superheroing in his own time.  Bart’s success in traveling back to the past to save the life of his grandfather does nothing to curb his recklessness, but when he accidentally finds himself stranded five years later, in a time where Barry is dead anyway and Wally West has become the Flash, he’ll realize how much he truly has to learn.

Bart is actually the second fastest of the four speedsters (second only to Barry), but is by far 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 idolizes his grandfather, whom he only knows from nostalgic stories from his childhood (though meeting the real deal is no disappointment.)  He’s largely apathetic to Wally, although he finds it amusing what a surly kid he was.  As for Jay…well, Bart’s fond of his hat.

Iris West/Allen:  The girlfriend/wife of Barry Allen, Iris is a tough as nails reporter/newscaster whose sense of justice rivals Barry’s.  She’s practical and no-nonsense, but still finds time to be idealistic.  Despite having no powers, she never hesitates to run into battle alongside her husband to do whatever she can to help.  She’s a formidable and indispensable ally, but more than that, she’s the tether that keeps Barry grounded, and the spark that keeps his heart running.

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, but now that she’s found herself 50 years in the future, she’s also looking for a new way to keep herself active while Jay’s out circling the globe.

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-sped 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 some of the Rogues, Len does not have a personal vendetta against the Flash, but he also doesn’t view fighting him as “fun” like some of the other Rogues.  To Len, fighting the Flash is no different from fighting the police, albeit an extremely powerful police officer.  The Flash is simply an obstacle in the Rogue’s way; 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.

Despite their rather tempestuous relationship, the Rogue Len is closest to is his sister, Lisa Snart, the Golden Glider, which is why he views her relationship with his rival, The Top, as such a betrayal.  Cold would never say that out loud, though.  Cold tries to keep his emotions to himself, 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.

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.

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.  Scudder is constantly finding new uses for his mirror technology, including teleportation to and from any reflective surface, and is quite proud of how formidable it makes him, even if he doesn’t even begin to comprehend the full potential of his weapon.

Mirror Master is instrumental to the survival and every day operation of the Rogues; his abilities are what allows the Rogues to constantly evade capture and to move across the city unnoticed.  For that reason alone, he is often considered the most dangerous of the Rogues.

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.

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–James Jesse:  A former circus acrobat and a professional con artist, Jesse commits crimes with an ever growing array of impressive tricks, including his signature “air walk” shoes.  He joined the Rogues for the challenge of trying to trick the fastest man alive, and is the only member of the Rogues to have formed a real friendship with the Pied Piper, who joined the group with similar motives.

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.

The Rogues was the first place where Piper ever felt at home, accepted…but lately this hasn’t been the case.  After the conflict with the Top and the Rogue War, Hartley became uncomfortable with the rising stakes of the Rogues’ crimes.  After the Rogues join forces with Abra Kadabra and his ruthless Rogues from across time, Piper rejects the Rogues completely, betraying them to fight on the side of the Flash.  Cold nearly kills him for his betrayal, and now his whereabouts are unknown…

OTHER VILLAINS:

The Top–Roscoe Dillon:  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 a weapon, 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 clashed with Captain Cold over leadership of the Rogues, a rivalry that only got worse when he began dating Cold’s sister, Golden Glider.  Eventually the conflict got Top and Glider kicked out of the group, but Top just used his psionic abilities to create a Rogue War.  When Roscoe attempted to take control of the Flash, however, his vibrations caused backlash that ended up taking the Top’s life.  His spirit, however, lived on in a powerful astral form, eventually possessing the body of Barry’s father and using it to launch a sneak attack.  The Flash managed to defeat the Top and store him inside a futuristic containment device, but if he ever manages to escape, he just might be unstoppable.

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 her ice skating, but after her drunk father sabotaged her 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, later, trick diamonds designed by her boyfriend, The Top.

Forced to be quite 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.

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.  His technology grants him nearly limitless power, but his hubris and his penchant to ramble on prove his greatest weaknesses.

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 (still being a beast at heart), and is an opponent that should never be underestimated.

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 Demond has no qualms about using them to experiment on humans.

The Shade–Richard Swift: An enemy of the original Flash, Jay Garrick, The Shade is actually centuries old, and has operated as a hero, a villain, a mercenary, or whatever else tickled his fancy at the time.  Although he does seem to follow some sort of moral code, he generally seems to follow his own whims more than anything else.  He commands the power of darkness, able to control and travel through shadows.

The Fiddler–Isaac Bowin: The black-sheep if 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 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.

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 so far he’s failed to use the abilities in any memorable manner.  He sets his sights on the newly returned Keystone City as a way to salvage his reputation, but fighting (and losing to) Kid Flash did little to help.  But he’ll never stop trying!

Blacksmith (Amunet Black) and Goldface (Keith Kenyon):  Keith Kenyon was the wayward son of a Union owner, whose crimes eventually led him to an ancient gold elixir that granted him super strength but turned his skin golden, and put him in conflict with the Green Lantern.  Amunet Black has spent decades founding and running “The Network”, an underground black market connecting Central City’s criminals to others all over the country.  The two met and fell in love, but later divorced; Amunet later discovered that her time with Kenyon granted her powers of her own, the ability to merge and separate flesh and metal, and took on the name “Blacksmith”.  Kenyon eventually went straight and returned to Central City as a legitimate businessman, attempting to take down Blacksmith’s Network, but this only brought him into conflict with Green Lantern and the Flash. 

ALLIES:

Director Singh: Barry’s boss, Director Singh is always in a hurry, dealing with every case in a direct, no nonsense manner.  Singh has little patience for Barry’s sentimentality, but even he can’t deny that Barry’s the best CSI he’s got. 

Patty Spivot:  One of Barry’s co-workers and a fellow CSI, Patty nurses a slight, unrequited crush on Barry (which he is completely oblivious to, of course).  Very politically active and opinionated, she always provides an unique perspective that Barry often finds quite useful.

Officer Fred Chyre:  Chyre is The Flash’s most consistent contact on the police force, an older beat cop with a slight attitude problem who’s been handed metahuman detail (largely because no one else wants the job).  Despite all his bluster he greatly respects the Flash’s work, even if he favors much more aggressive tactics than Barry.

Superman–Clark Kent:  The most famous and respected hero on the planet, Superman is also the only hero outside the Flash family who can even begin to keep up with Barry speed-wise.  Amongst the League they share an unique perspective due to this, as well as because of their similar moral code.

Batman–Bruce Wayne:  The dark guardian of Gotham City and unofficial leader of the Justice League, this brooding loner at first appears to have little in common with the optimistic and outgoing Flash.  However, Batman and Barry actually have a surprisingly close friendship, and spend much time discussing each other’s “perps” and their tactics for dealing with them.

Wonder Woman–Princess Diana:  Princess of the Amazons and ambassador of peace.  As a hero rooted in mythology and magic, she confounds the scientifically minded Barry, and he still hasn’t quite wrapped his mind around her very existence.  Diana takes it all in stride, especially since Barry’s so endearingly awkward about the whole thing.

Green Lantern–Hal Jordan:  Hal Jordan is Barry’s closest friend on the League (even if he makes Iris cringe every time he opens his mouth).  Cocky, outgoing, and flirtatious, he’s the yang to Barry’s ying, constantly dragging Barry into ridiculous situations.  Despite everything he says, Barry loves every second of it.

Magenta–Frances Kane:  Frances Kane is Wally’s childhood best friend, a girl whom he nurses a slight crush on (he doesn’t quite realize it yet, but she completely reciprocates). Frances has always been a quiet wallflower, but her recent discovery of her magnetic superpowers has allowed her to cut loose, becoming Blue Valley’s newest vigilante, Magenta!  Wally’s discovery of her alter-ego has only drawn the two closer.

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 served on the JSA together and were best of friends, and Alan is extremely grateful to have both Jay and his memories of their past together back.

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:  Hippolyta, immortal queen of the Amazons and original Wonder Woman, relishes the opportunity to once again fight alongside her fellow JSA members. Themyscara hasn’t always had the best relations with men, but she makes an exception for Jay and Alan…and sometimes Ted…

Robin–Dick Grayson:  Batman’s acrobatic sidekick, Dick is also Wally’s best friend (Wally is the only person he’s revealed his secret ID to).  The two often drag each other into immature jokes and pranks, but they also bring out the more serious and loyal sides of each other, and Dick has even trained Wally in some acrobatics.

Wonder Girl–Donna Troy:  The younger sister of Wonder Woman, Donna is new to the world of man and is constantly amazed by the new sights and experiences.  She’s still naive, but she’s a quick learner.  She’s the heart of the teen heroes.

Aqualad–Kaldur'ahm:  A student of Aquaman and Mera, Kaldur is calm, patient, and quite intelligent.  He’s by far the most competent and well adjusted of the teen heroes, but he’s still learning to assert himself among his rowdier comrades.

Speedy–Mia Dearden:  Mia is a tough-nosed former prostitute (depending on the target demographic of the cartoon, we’ll have to work around this), taken in by Green Arrow and trained in archery.  Stubborn, sarcastic, and quick witted, Wally finds himself slightly intimidated by her.

KADABRA’S ROGUES:

[AUTHOR’S NOTE: I forgot how grim some of Johns’ Rogues were.  With their small role in this season, most of these backstories will probably be glossed over, and possibly be changed when/if I use them in future seasons]

Girder–Tony Woodward:  A future Rogue of Wally’s, he’s a rapist who was thrown in to a vat of irradiated scrap metal and 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, and completely self-centered.

Tar Pit–Joey Monteloni:  A future Rogue of Wally’s, he’s the younger brother of a mobster known as The Candyman.  Joey used his ability to astral project to joy ride, 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 closest friend among the Rogues is the new Trickster, Axel Walker.

Plunder–Jared Morillo:  A future Rogue of Wally’s, Plunder is a sniper from an alternate version of Keystone City found within one of Mirror Master’s mirrors.

Murmur–Dr. Christian Amar:  A future Rogue of Wally’s, Amar’s a serial killer who suffers from a nervous tic that compels him to confess to his crimes.  This caused him to cut off his own tongue, and to cut the tongues out of his victims.

Peek-A-Boo–Lashawn Baez:  A future Rogue of Wally’s, Lashawn is an unintentional Rogue, who used her fledgling teleportation abilities to steal a kidney for her dying father.  Wally busted her, and she’s had a vendetta against the Flash ever since.

The Trickster–Axel Walker:  A future Rogue of Wally’s, Axel is a punk kid with a supremely underdeveloped conscience and a penchant for mischief.  His brand of trickery is much less sophisticated than the previous Trickster’s, James Jesse.

Mirror Master–Evan McCulloch:  A future Rogue of Wally’s, McCulloch is a mercenary who stumbled upon Scudder’s mirror technology after Scudder’s untimely death.  He’s in this solely for the money.

Captain Boomerang–Owen Mercer:  A future Rogue of Wally’s, Owen is the son of the original Captain Boomerang, Digger Harkness, and is just as handy with a boomerang as his father.

Double Down–Jeremy Tell:  A future Rogue of Wally’s, Tell is possessed by a magical deck of cards that follows his every command.  The other Rogues are unsure why he operates out of Keystone, but they feel bad enough for him that they allow him to stick around anyway.

White Lightning:  A future Rogue of Bart’s, White Lightning is an anti-establishment freak who recruits children to help her steal from authority figures.  She’s normally not involved in murders or high level crimes, but the chance to take down an authority figure as high-profile as the Flash is too good to pass up.

Griffin–Griffin Grey:  A future Rogue of Bart’s; Bart and Griffin were once friends, until Griffin discovered Bart’s identity and, jealous of his power, injected himself with a serum that enhanced his strength, speed and endurance, but is slowly sapping away his life.  Griffin blames Bart for his predicament, and with his powers messing with his sanity, is now lashing out at all speedsters.

Glory Shredder:  A future Rogue of Bart’s, Glory Shredder considers himself a hero, but is really a deluded mad-man with a gun fetish, seeking to kill even the mildest of criminals (he once fired a rocket at a jaywalker before Bart intercepted it).

The Green Cigarette:  A future Rogue of Bart’s, the Green Cigarette is just a guy with a green flame on his head.  He’s mostly harmless, and is basically just excited to be included along with the other Rogues.