The Flashes' Secret Ids Going Public
By Cury
May 6, 2003 - 22:05
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After reading Green Arrow #17- which was very good- I decided to check some facts on the moments when Barry Allen and Wally West had their identities revealed. The result was a bit too big, but I'll try to post it here anyway in several smaller posts (under this topic). (I guess I'll be stealing SNW21's thunder as über-poster & Flash reference here, but I swear it's just this time, hehh)
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But it didn't begin that way- as anyone who has read the first couple of issues into Wally's run as the Flash (Flash v.2 #1 & 2), and the "Legends" mini-series as well- will attest, the Flash did have a secret identity, at least for a short time.
Also, Barry Allen never revealed his identity to the general public, but after he died (in the Crisis), everyone knew his secret. So how did that happen?- or better yet, did it happen?
The answer is no. There were a few hints here and there, but no actual revelation... or at least till the November, 2002 issue (#17) of Green Arrow, where newcomer writer Brian Meltzer did us Flash-fans a favor by telling us about Barry. Or rather, Oliver Queen himself did:
Green Arrow: "It actually started with Barry. When he died, we all lost a friend. But Hal [Jordan, Green Lantern] lost a brother. It was Hal’s idea to gather Barry’s keepsakes. Not just to honor him... but to protect his identity and those close to him. Unlike Barry, though, we weren't fast enough. The [Flash] Museum opened its newest exhibit six months later, and the whole world knew. Take it from me... that's the real reason Wally went public."
Imposter Syndrome
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Agent Chase: "Why did you go public with your ID?" Flash: "(...)It wasn't the Flash who died in the Crisis, it was Barry Allen. When I went public, part of the reason was to make sure he didn't get forgotten."
Wally's other reason to go public in the beginning of his career as the Flash was, he was going through an identity crisis- due to the pressure of having taken on Barry's mantle, which meant the world to him.
Even though it was Flash writer Mark Waid whom better dwelt on the subject, there is a passage from Secret Origins Annual #2 (1988) by William Messner-Loebs that shows it best- when Wally's shrink tells him, "You're allowed to be alive when Barry's dead."- and then goes on to explain the whole "Imposter's Syndrome" he said Wally was suffering at the time (ergo, feeling that Barry's boots were too big for him to fill).
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But let's move a little further backwards to take a better look at the identity crisis deal: Even though the first time Wally "became" the Flash, it happened in the last issue of Crisis on Infinite Earths... but it was shortly after that, in Legends #1 (11/86, scripted by Len Wein) that he officially debuted.
His ID still a secret, Wally is questioned by a group of New Yorkers after defeating the villain Deadshot- "Didn't you use to be taller?", "Why didn't ya just catch the bullets- or vibrated through them?"
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Anyway, after returning Deadshot to the Police, the Flash goes to the Titans Towers to find someone he can talk to, Gar Logan (Changeling).
Let Me Tell You a Secret
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Captain Boomerang: "Well, fancy meeting you ‘ere... Kid Flash! (...) I ‘eard you was tryin' to fill the old boy's boots, but frankly mate, you just ain't man enough!"
By the end of Legends #6 (04/87), Wally refuses Dr. Fate's invitation for joining up with the all-new Justice League, saying "I'm still trying to sort out all the mess my life has become- but I'll be there if you really need me!"
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Also, by the time he's returning home from his task he foils up some terrorists' attempt at hijacking an airplane and has to reveal his ID to the airport Police... and when he's treating his wounded hand with a doctor at the Hospital, his girlfriend is actually startled that Wally told him his secret. And so on.
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But even so, it is still a secret, only a not well-guarded one at all. When Wally wins the lottery by #2, he is given the money by the state's governor on TV- and it's never mentioned he's the Flash!!
In Flash #3 (8/87), Wally meets Tina McGee, a beautiful scientist, and while flirting with her he's asked:
Tina: "Why do you wear a mask?" Flash: "(...)Tradition, respect for Barry... but I don't lead a double life.
A Normal Life
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In Flash #5 (10/87), after moving in from his shabby Brooklyn apartment to a mansion in Southampton, Long Island (bought with some of the lottery money), Wally is surprised by the editorial of a local newspaper, about the town's liability insurance being cancelled since Wally moved in. Enraged, Wally meets the President of the City Council in a nearby restaurant:
City Council President: "(...)The truth is, Mr. West, your realtor was under obligation to tell us that he was selling that property to a super-powered individual(...)"
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What about the other issues? No- there isn't a specific moment he revealed his identity as the Flash to the world- it was a gradual process since #1. (I'll get to Flash Annual #8's controversial "Year One" tale... and then return to Green Arrow #17, fellow Flash-fans... just hang in there!)
In fact... ever since he finished High School, Wally wasn't very comfortable with his secret identity. Take a look at the 1978 "Dollar Comics" Flash Spectacular (written by Cary Bates). Upon his imminent graduation, Wally chooses to tell his parents he's Kid Flash- and once the ceremony is over, he actually tells Barry (then the Flash) that he is planning to drop his super-hero career once he finishes College!
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But on to Barry's death & beyond:
Barry, as the Flash, died in the Crisis- but we never got to see his funeral nor anything. Barry's widow Iris Allen's book The Life Story of the Flash (late-1997, written by Mark Waid and Brian Augustyn) doesn't mention a thing about secret identities or Barry's funeral- but (and I'm nitpicking here) there is a picture of a Daily Planet (newspaper) of the time, with the headline, "Flash perishes.
The Museum Knew
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So after the Crisis the world knew the Flash was dead- but what about Barry? Barry had been declared a missing person by the Police, being missing since his almost-wedding to Fiona Webb (when he, as the Flash, killed Professor Zoom in self-defense).
Back to Flash #1, "He [Barry] died owning thousands of Dollars in legal bills. The Justice League had to pay for his funeral. He left me his costume- and a picture of what a hero should be."
So the League paid for his funeral, eh? But whose funeral was that- the Flash's, or Barry's? Or was his identity revealed to the world as soon as he died?
Once again, let's take one more look at the quote from Brian Meltzer's Green Arrow #17 of 11/02:
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And now hang on to your winged hats, Flash-fans... for the final, and most troubled leg of our journey: Flash Annual #8 (1995, written by Mark Waid).
All DC's annuals of 1995 all had the same theme- "Year One". The Flash's issue told the reader a never-seen-before period of Wally's life- the period between Barry's death and the Legends mini/Flash v2. Series... namely, Wally's last adventure as Kid Flash- his last adventure wearing his yellow costume before he took on Barry's mantle.
A few months after the Flash (Barry) died, the Flash Museum in Central City was preparing to set up an exhibit honoring the late hero- as the world mourned
Kid Flashes City
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Wally, you see, hadn't accepted Barry's death- since there had been no body, Wally believed Barry would eventually end up finding a way to return- he was probably lost in another dimension or something.
The conversation between the Curator and Wally-as-the-Flash was cut short by a Police alert: Dr. Alchemy, one of Barry's enemies, was back in town... and Wally ran to the city's rescue!
...only to meet a crushing defeat as Alchemy turned his Flash costume to chalk dust, leaving him with only his underwear- humiliated in front of a large crowd. Wally was then saved by the Green Lantern, then a Hal Jordan recently-returned to active duty, who said from then on he'd split his time between Coast City (his hometown) and Central City.
That night back in the Flash Museum, Wally was approached by Jay Garrick and a very angry Green Lantern, who showed him the latest newspaper edition, saying:
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The paper had the humorous headline, "Kid flashes city, Green Lantern saves crowd."
Wally then said the two elder heroes could stop him from taking over Barry's mantle, but couldn't stop him from protecting Central City as Kid Flash- and he returned to his yellow uniform.
A short time later, as Kid Flash raced to stop yet another attack by Dr. Alchemy, he was joined by Jay Garrick and Green Lantern- both heroes had been looking over Barry's home after his death. Since by then Wally was pretty slower than the two of them, they got to the villain before him- and were severely defeated
Saving Grace
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In order to save his friends- and himself- Wally put on the spare Flash costume inside one of Barry's old rings (which Green Lantern had taken from him back at the Museum), and saved the day.
Green Lantern and Jay Garrick then said Wally had earned the right to take over Barry's place as the Flash. (By the way, for those of you questioning Jay Garrick's presence in this tale... yes, it's a bit confusing- for right after the Crisis ended, Garrick and the rest of the Justice Society were transported to Limbo and stayed there for a few years- in the 1986 special edition, The Last Days of the JSA. The obvious conclusion is, the Flash Annual #8 tale happened immediately before Last Days... so no real problem there.)
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Summing it all up, then:
The Flash was unmasked as Kid Flash in the "Year One" tale of Flash Annual #8... Meaning the press, and the world at large, realized it was Kid Flash who was sporting his late-mentor's identity- but never made the connection between Kid Flash and Wally West!
...so by the time the Flash (now Wally) began having identity crisis problems, he moved to New York City- looking for his friends' help- the Titans' help... even though he was not a member of the team at the time.
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We can only suppose Wally had dropped off College by the time he first took on the Flash's ID (Flash Annual #8)... for then it was right off to Legends, and his own series- where he lived by himself in Brooklyn, New York- and after winning the lottery, moved to a mansion in Long Island (Wally ended up losing his money in Flash #14, and had to move to a very poor New York tenement by #15... but that's another story!)
What About Barry Allen?
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In Flash #2, when Wally was given the lottery money, he said (with his identity as the Flash still unknown to the world at large, remember) his goal in life was to pursue a Doctorate in Physics- so either he was fibbing to the cameras, or he really had the intention to go back to his academic life once he'd settled his current problems.
But what about Barry's death?
Both Flash Annual #8 and Green Arrow #17 clearly show a Justice League concerned about protecting his secret after his death... and as to Green Arrow #17, his identity was only revealed by the Flash Museum in an exhibit they did to honor him.
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When the Flash was buried and the JLA had to pay for his funeral (Flash #1), they didn't tell anyone the Flash's identity- as Dexter Miles remembers the funeral in Flash Annual #8, "Superman and the others spoke at his funeral (...)."
I guess the only question without an answer is whether Barry Allen himself had a funeral as well, meaning, for his civilian identity (keep in mind he was declared a missing person after the whole Professor Zoom affair, not dead).
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Regarding graves, then... I recall two times Barry's tombstone was shown- The first time happened in Flash #18 (11/88, written by Messner-Loebs), when Vandal Savage hid a kidnapped baby in Barry's grave and Wally ran for the rescue. Weird enough, it happened in a cemetery around New York City, and even Wally notices it's odd Barry wasn't buried in Central City.
There's an explanation for that one: Messner-Loebs always said he wrote the Flash issues in the "Marvel Method", or "plot first"- where the writer gives the artist a general outline of the story and then writes the dialogue over the artwork- thus Wally's remark was Messner-Loebs quick and easy way out of it. Anyway, Barry's tombstone has a Flash insignia on it- meaning, everyone knew it was the Flash that was buried there
Barry's Puzzle
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Upon seeing Barry's tombstone- much larger than the simple one in #18, and more of a tribute to the Flash, Wally says: "Barry's monument dwarfs all the others in Central City cemetery and it's not big enough(...)".
Well, that's it. I for one am happy with the answers I got from gathering the many different passages of the Flash's career.... and I feel everything important there is to be known about Wally's identity as the Flash going public, and the revelation of Barry's secret upon his death, has been told.
Green Arrow #17 was the last piece to the puzzle- so a big "thank you" goes to Brian Meltzer, a much more capable writer than the way over-hyped Kevin Smith, his predecessor on the title.
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Regards from a fellow Flash-fan.
cury@fundacaoesfincter.com.br
Here are some comments by fellow Flash fan SNW21.
Hello Fund! Excellent research. I found an answer for you (based on a question you asked in one of your above posts) and have an important question that was brought up from something in GA#17 which can't really be fixed based on current continuity. I'll get to this last statement I just made in a few minutes. I'd like to address a question you brought up with an answer to it.
You're question was: "Also, I’m unsure whether Barry’s parents got to know their son was the Flash- for as per Flash #143 (12/98, written by Mark Waid), “not long after Barry left us, his parents passed on”- and yes, we saw the graves!"
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The Flash#325: Page 11: (This is two issues after Barry killed Zoom.) Barry and Wally race back to Barry's parents house and his mother Nora says: "Oh Barry, Thank the lord Kid Flash was able to find you. Henry and I were worried sick.
Henry says:"Our hearts go out to you, son. You don't know how much we wanted your wedding day to be the happiest day of your life. But you mustn't forget you only did what you had to do to save Fiona's life."
So, from this issue alone we know his parents knew his secret identity. I should also mention that he did take off his mask then as well (he still had his normal face and yellow hair). So it's not like they assumed The Flash was Barry Allen. At the same time, though, they still had no clue that Kid Flash was Wall West. I'd go back farther, but I don't have every issue of The Flash from the first series. I could only go as far back as The Flash#275. I'll do my best to see exactly what issue it was but it'll take some time. When I do though, I'll post it here a.s.a.p. I think this should be enough to answer your question though. Barry's parents did know that their son was The Flash.
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Why is this picture important? Because this is supposedly when and where Hal came up with the idea to gather all of Barry's things to protect his secret identity.
In short, how could they be on Qward if both of them weren't originally there during Crisis On Infinite Earths?
Anyway, I just thought I'd point this out. Anyone have an answer? I'd love to hear it.
SNW21
Barry's Parents
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As Hol pointed out, Barry told his father his secret identity when the Top took over his father's body. This happened after his father and mother were in a car accident that happened in The Flash#297. In The Flash#302, Barry reveals his secret identity to his father, who's body was possessed by The Top at the time. Barry's father got back into his body by the end of The Flash#303 issue. It turns out that Barry's father still knew Barry's secret identity once his astral form went back into his body. This happened after Barry got The Top's astral form out of his father's body. In short, even though Barry's father wasn't in his body at the time when Barry revealed his secret identity, his astral form was probably around and heard the whole thing. How can we assume this? Because once Barry's father's astral form went back into his body, he called The Flash, Barry and by the next panel, son.
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"Well, son, it does seem like we haven't heard from you much since our recuperation from that nasty accident last year! But Henry and I aren't complaining! Ever since you told us during our recovery that you're The Flash, we've understood how busy you must be!"
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In conclusion, Barry told his father his secret identity in The Flash#302 and his mother probably between the end of #303 and the beginning of The Flash#304. Unless there are anymore questions, I think we can safely say the identity questions have been answered.
SNW21
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