DC History Club - Vote and Defend

Barry has to be the most important flash. Flash of 2 Earth’s, COIE, and Flashpoint are major stories in DC continuity. Plus, regardless of his abilities with the speed force, being the founder and starting it all is still a huge event which provided the circumstances for all other Flashes/speedsters to exist!

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I believe the 1993 Legionnaires series features XS!

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I was about to post my rationale for Wally but @DCGF12 nailed it so I’m just gonna say ditto

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I voted Wally…

But ALL OF THEM.

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@SpookyJamags clubs the Legacy and Wally haters with a hefty does of reality.

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I mean, I can see the argument that Barry set off the Silver Age and introduced the multiverse. As far as significance to comic history more broadly, I might concede that Barry’s more important, but I think Wally has more significance to the history of the Flash franchise itself.

Also an interesting note for the Jay camp: Jay Garrick was the first superhero themed around a single superpower.

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Another vote for Wally, the only Teen Titan I can think of who actually graduated into their mentor’s role and stayed there long term. He learned to use the Speed Force in ways Jay and Barry never did, he mentored several speedsters who came after him, and he was one half of the single best marriage in the DCU.

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Wally slowly closing the gap as the rural ridings report in.

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Love Jay and agree he starts it off, but he was no longer being published when Barry launched the silver age.

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Barry was the smoothest and fastest so he should be the numero uno. Personality-wise, he’s also the charmer.

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Welcome to DCU Community @JannetJamison!

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Welcome @JannetJamison!

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Polls close in 4 hours, get your votes in!

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Results really changed overnight! I still say historically Barry, Wally, and Bart owe it to Jay. However Barry played a very important part in a lot of comics.

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And the polls have closed. Barry Allen, launcher of the Silver Age who sacrificed himself during the Crisis on Infinite Earths, and messed up the timeline in Flashpoint is the winner. Wally West, based on the deep Flash lore building during his tenure made a late rally to finish a strong second, with the original speedster Jay Garrick in a respectable third.

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Though we should make an honorable tip of the hat to the obvious historical significance of Jay Garrick’s own eminently tippable hat.

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Personally, I don’t think “being first” makes a character “most important.”

Just sayin’.

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I have to say Jay Garrick. I completely understand the viewpoint many people have about Barry launching the Silver Age or literally saving everyone in the Crisis but it really does come down to Jay Garrick being the genesis of it all. Barry is inspired to take on the persona of someone who, in his universe, was a comic book character he knew. Without Jay Garrick, Barry may have ended up with a completely different identity. Also without Jay we never would have had the genesis for the phenomena that led to Barry’s historic sacrifice. In Flash #123 Barry and Jay meet and kick off the whole idea of the multiverse that would ultimately lead us to Crisis on Infinite Earths. Really any way you choose to look at it without Jay literally nothing tied to the “Flash” moniker exists.

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I’m not about to change my Wally vote - but since someone mentioned Flashpoint, I will concede that Barry messing up the universe was historically significant. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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His impact on the original Crisis wasn’t too shabby, either.

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