Wally West's job

[Tzigone]

There was a Barry thread, so I decided to start a Wally one. I'm more a Barry person (particularly silver-age Barry), but I really want to hear from Wally fans on this one. Though, of course, everyone is welcome to voice an opinion.

What job should Wally have? In the silver age, he was a high school student, and a good student (I think all teen characters were at that time). Then a college student (this was bronze age, and he had work a bit more, I think). Then post-COIE, he won the lottery and quit school - don't blame him, I would have, too. Then he lost that money. It seems like he then came into some more money (or had some left over?) that left him financially independent, but I never had a sense of how much money he had then, as I haven't much of that era. I understand him to have been a a mechanic working on police cars at one time.

The wiki said he was a college graduate in post-COIE, and I recall reading a comment somewhere that he talked about getting a phD, but I don't remember where that was established or what he was interested in pursuing.

Then he got erased, and came back, but wanted his family, and his career wasn't really at the forefront of his mind.

Then, of course, there's other media.

So, do you think he should need to work or be of independent means (and any idea where that money would come from)? Should he be blue collar or white collar? Have any post-secondary education, and if so, to what degree and in what field?

[Hol]

I have always preferred when Wally West's only job was to be the Flash. It is all he ever wanted to be. It fulfilled him and he was great. He doesn't need a day job and it was one of the things that made him unique from other heroes. I wasn't a fan of the mechanic gig either. He inherited money from the Icicle so invested correctly he is set for funds. That is my .02.

[Rend20]

I've always leaned towards Waid's take which is Wally being a college dropout who considers being The Flash his job.

If he were to have a paying job, I'm not really sure what it would be. The mechanic thing felt out of left field and more about connecting him to the police than something that actually fit the character. Honestly, Wally would probably hate everything else because he could be out there doing the superhero thing.

[Will Evans]

Go work for Jay

[Digifiend]

Jay has a job?

[ERON]

Waid toyed with the idea of Wally endorsing products and appearing in commercials as the Flash. I think that would be cool avenue to explore. Have him be a spokesman, make cameos in movies, appear on Hollywood Squares, and stuff like that.

[Twice-named]

It seems like he then came into some more money (or had some left over?)

The Icicle left his fortune to Wally.

[Godlike13]

Have him open a racing garage.

[SecretWarrior]

Waid toyed with the idea of Wally endorsing products and appearing in commercials as the Flash. I think that would be cool avenue to explore. Have him be a spokesman, make cameos in movies, appear on Hollywood Squares, and stuff like that.

This is exactly what I want to see.

One of the running gags could be that a scene Flash is in takes a weird turn only for the reader to learn he's acting in a deodorant or energy bar commercial.

[The_Sneezing_Stormtrooper]

The Icicle left his fortune to Wally.

Wasn't he also funded directly by Keystone city for a while too during the Waid years?

I forget who suggested it but I remember someone on the Wally thread suggesting that maybe Wally could stream some of his adventures and maybe do something along the lines of starting a patreon. That's an idea that I could get behind.

Regardless, I like the idea of Wally being the Flash fulltime and finding some way to fund that rather than having a secret identity and working a day job.

[SecretWarrior]

Wasn't he also funded directly by Keystone city for a while too during the Waid years?

I forget who suggested it but I remember someone on the Wally thread suggesting that maybe Wally could stream some of his adventures and maybe do something along the lines of starting a patreon. That's an idea that I could get behind.

Regardless, I like the idea of Wally being the Flash fulltime and finding some way to fund that rather than having a secret identity and working a day job.

"Yo, what up Flash Nation! If you want to see more great Flash content, smash that like button, hit subscribe, and ring that bell!"

"Hey, Captain Cold, how's it feel to go trending for having your butt kicked? . . . Sorry, guys, I don't think he can talk right now."

"Alright, we've got to take a break for our sponsor Big Belly Burgers, but I'll be back in a Flash!"

--

Imagine Mirror Master popping out of Flash's phone, lol

Or the Flash having Lex Luther on his podcast

This stuff writes itself

[Dred]

He worked literally as The Flash for a city one time but eventually he and Linda lived off Linda's salary. She was the bread winner in the family while Wally saved the universe.

It's one of the subversions I liked about Waid's run. There wasn't some weird hullabaloo about it. They just treated it like normal that Linda's career was where the money came from and Wally was, essentially, a humanitarian worker.

[SecretWarrior]

Imagine him releasing a dramatic memoir called "Life in the Fast Lane: Becoming the Fastest Man Alive"

[Tzigone]

Waid toyed with the idea of Wally endorsing products and appearing in commercials as the Flash. I think that would be cool avenue to explore. Have him be a spokesman, make cameos in movies, appear on Hollywood Squares, and stuff like that.

Thing is, we already have Booster, and (to a lesser extent) Gar doing that. Or at least attempting to.

[SecretWarrior]

Thing is, we already have Booster, and (to a lesser extent) Gar doing that. Or at least attempting to.

Booster is self-serving and Gar is just an actor. I could see Wally doing it for charity.