Wally west

The nephew of Iris West, Wally West grew up idolizing the Flash. While he did not know at first his aunt's mild-mannered scientist boyfriend was the Scarlet Speedster, Wally found as once he gained the same powers as the Flash in an accident identical to the Flash's. In issue #110, he joined the ranks of the underaged sidekick, in the company of Batman's boy wonder Robin and Green Arrow's sidekick speedy. Intially introduced by DC just to test the waters, the reaction was favorable enough to award a partial storyline to the character or to occassionally appear in the background of the storyline. It was years before he ever made his first appearance on the cover of the book. While his own homelife was something other than ideal (in his grownup years his father tried to kill his mother), his mentory Flash became very much the father-figure in his life, and he tried to mimic the Flash's behavior as much as possible.

He did a fairly good job following in his mentor's foodsteps. Just as Flash had helped to form the original Justice League of America, Wally joined with fellow sidekicks Robin, Speedy, Donna Troy, and other teenaged super heroes, to form the original Teen Titans, released in 1960. The series saw several changes over the years in lineup, but Wally West and Dick Grayson (Robin's real name) were constant forces in the group until the early 80s.

The 80s were a time of tremendous change for the publishing powerhouse. Dick Grayson, in an attempt to leave Batman's shadow, changed his name to Nightwing and began his solo career. Wally had to reexamine his fitness to be a superhero after battling inconsistencies in his powers for several years.

When Barry died during Crisis on Infinite Earths (See DC History) Wally decided to take up the mantle of the Flash and continue the legacy. While he did things his own way, such as allowing his name to be known publicly and being a terrible flirt, he battled for years to feel worthy of filling his mentor's shoes. A bit of stability was added when he began dating Linda Park.

She was strong enough to not be intimidated by Wally's arrogance or childlike attitude, yet flexible enough to be able to handle a boyfriend whose past relationships were with super-models and would-be super-heroes. Eventually the two married and have faced interdimensional time travel, Wally's mergence with the speed force, and even Linda's complete removal from the timeline with faithfulness and integrity.

It was not until Linda was attacked by Dr. Hunter Zolomon, the new Zoom, and miscarried the couples' twins that they're relationship has ever been in real jeopardy. In an attempt to fix the danger his public identity placed upon those he loved, Wally made a deal with the mystical Spectre and erased his identity from the mind of everyone. Unfortunately, that included Linda and Wally! While their relationship has since been restored, the future looks rocky as Wally must battle his own set of villains, plus all those he "inherited" from his uncle. The current rogue war, Zoom's escape from prison, and Wally's recent discovery that his uncle may not have been as "straight-laced" as he always assumed has put Wally on a path searching for answers.