The Flash needs a Brand New Lead

[Shadowcat]

Bart as the Flash could have worked if DC naturally aged the timeline to the point where the 90s sidekicks took over the mantles of their mentors. This would mean Tim Drake becoming Batman, Conner Kent becoming Superman, Cassie Sandmark becoming Wonder Woman, etcetera.

That didn’t work with Dick and Donna, so you know the rest wouldn’t leap frog over the original Titans.

[Dr. Ellingham]

Reading the Paradox storyline, I've become sure that

Just because you or I do not have ideas, is not reason to fear - we aren't writing the Flash.

We do not have foresight of the future. People said that there were no new Batman stories to tell. People said that in the 1960s. And 1970s. Then new writers came along and re-energized Batman - Denny O'Neil. Steve Englehart. Frank Miller.

Unless we can predict the future, we really don't know what great stories will come with Barry and Wally.

[Jon Clark]

Is it that they are out of Flash stories for Barry? Or that they are out of writers who can tell new Flash stories regardless of whether the character is Jay, Wally, John Fox, or Barry?

When most of the stories revolve around either other people gaining speed or the nature of the Speed Force, I don't think the problems stem from your main character.

[Timothy Hunter]

That didn’t work with Dick and Donna, so you know the rest wouldn’t leap frog over the original Titans.

Bad analogy, unlike Wally and Kyle, Dick Grayson was never intended to permantly replace Bruce Wayne as Batman. He was a gimmick that everyone knew was going to last for a finite amount of time. However, his tenure as Batman was well liked and that era of Batman is fondly remembered by fans.

Donna Troy as Wonder Woman can't be considered a legitimate example of a legacy character because she hardly appeared as Wonder Woman. It was inferred that she took on the guise of Wonder Woman during 52, but she was only seen carrying the mantle in the first issue of Alan Heinberg's reboot of Wonder Woman and the World War lll tie in to 52.

[Shadowcat]

Bad analogy, unlike Wally and Kyle, Dick Grayson was never intended to permantly replace Bruce Wayne as Batman. He was a gimmick that everyone knew was going to last for a finite amount of time. However, his tenure as Batman was well liked and that era of Batman is fondly remembered by fans.

Donna Troy as Wonder Woman can't be considered a legitimate example of a legacy character because she hardly appeared as Wonder Woman. It was inferred that she took on the guise of Wonder Woman during 52, but she was only seen carrying the mantle in the first issue of Alan Heinberg's reboot of Wonder Woman and the World War lll tie in to 52.

Tim always said he never wanted to be Batman, Cassie wasn’t being groomed to take over for Diana, and Conner was eternally 16. I’m not seeing how the Young Justicer’s were supposed to be anything more than the sidekicks they were created as.

[Vakanai]

It should pass to Eobard Thawne. Because it makes as much sense to make the villain a hero as it does to endlessly pass the torch.

[married guy]

I love Wally but he definitely wasn't published as long as Barry. Not even close. Barry was 56 to 85. Wally was 87 to 09 with a 2 year break that Barry never had. Even if you only count Barry's "The Flash" comics it's still well ahead.

4 years less than Barry, but more issues published as the Flash. My bad. (I'm talking about headlining their own book as the Flash - not including Barry's Showcase appearances is 1959-85)

[Vordan]

Let Wally have his wife and kids and let him retire until someone actually has a good idea for what to do with him. I’m cool with that. For Barry, it’s time to do something other than the endless Speed Force and Reverse Flash crap. You can keep Barry as the lead but it’s well past time to start doing new stuff with him.

[manwhohaseverything]

Let Wally have his wife and kids and let him retire until someone actually has a good idea for what to do with him. I’m cool with that. For Barry, it’s time to do something other than the endless Speed Force and Reverse Flash crap. You can keep Barry as the lead but it’s well past time to start doing new stuff with him.

Right, all the nonsense done to the character to make him retire. What a phenomenonal waste of his return.

[Digifiend]

Reading the Paradox storyline, I've become sure that we've reached the maximum Barry Allen and Wally West can offer to readers.

Unlike Batman and Superman, The Flash is built on the idea of passing the torch, so no one can tell me that we would be weirded out by a new Scarlet Speedster. All Barry stories became a repeat of the same thing and they don't add anything to franchise anymore.

Does it mean it's time to bring back Wally? No. Wally is beyond saving. He's as obsolole as Kyle and Tim, only exists to bring as a gimmick to fans. No but seriously! Wally is nothing but a walking event gimmick for sales. There is absolutely nothing interesting about him in regards to his personality.

It's time to move on to new Flash. New blood and new adventures will give it what it needs.

Bear in mind, with 5G, this would've originally led to a new Flash. Instead, what they're doing is restoring the Wally era Flash family. That'll create a different dynamic than what we've seen for the past decade.

[Sutekh]

Have them focus on the CSI aspect again. Then it will be fresh.

Especially with the current advancements on forensic evidence.

Definitely. Barry-as-Flash is in an interesting space as a CSI, in that he can get involved in crimes through that avenue, hit up some cold cases using superhero resources, but also has to make sure that his superhero antics don't spoil his police work and make a case unworkable and end up setting apprehended crooks free! There's a fun juggling act there. (With the same ethical squiffiness as Clark-reporting-on-Superman has.)

There wouldn't be umpteen CSI/NCIS shows out there if there weren't a ton of stories to mine from that format, and tapping into *some* of that to find fun stories to tell with Barry should be a no-brainer (just adapting them to have a bit more of 'surprise, this cold case somehow ties into a fight with the new Mirror Master, who thought she got away with this five-year-old crime!').

[Lee]

As others have said, leaning into the crime scene investigator angle, but with a sci-fi twist, would really open up the story potential and make it different from every other super-hero comic on the shelves.

Replacing the lead is never something that should be done casually, especially when that character has a TV series and (supposedly) a movie in the works.

[Jekyll]

Is it that they are out of Flash stories for Barry? Or that they are out of writers who can tell new Flash stories regardless of whether the character is Jay, Wally, John Fox, or Barry?

When most of the stories revolve around either other people gaining speed or the nature of the Speed Force, I don't think the problems stem from your main character.

It's uncertain because no other Flash character gets a chance except Barry. Ever since Barry's return every other character has been tossed into limbo.

[Rise]

Legacy is probably one of the worst thing to happen to DC and it's the reason why its universe is such a mess nowdays.

I would say NO to a replacement. If a new/legacy character can't find a success these days without latching on another character's mantle, they simply don't deserve to be around.

[manwhohaseverything]

Legacy is probably one of the worst thing to happen to DC and it's the reason why its universe is such a mess nowdays.

I would say NO to a replacement. If a new/legacy character can't find a success these days without latching on another character's mantle, they simply don't deserve to be around.

If we are going by that,the the original character's and their stories should have ended a long time ago. Now batman, superman.. Etc aren't even characters anymore. Ending a story or even a franchise takes guts, especially a profitable one. These guys don't. They simply don't believe they can produce something new of equivalent value. Even if they did, "fan" culture is the only thing that sustains the industry because market has shrunken that hard . "fans" can be myopic. They would buy something of the ip they are interested in. Otherwise, they require content quality that's moore level or word of mouth on that level as well.Legacy is one of the reason the dc seems to have been able to sustain itself.