Flash (DC Comics character)

The Flash (or simply Flash) is the name of several popular comic book characters from the DC Comics universe. Nicknamed the "Scarlet Speedster", all versions of the Flash have the ability to travel at a very high speed, use superhuman reflexes and defy the laws of physics. The original Flash first appeared in Flash Comics #1 (cover date January 1940 / release month November 1939). This fictional character was created by writer Gardner Fox and Harry Lampert.

At least four different characters—each of whom somehow gained the power of the "Speed Force"—have assumed the role of the Flash in DC's history: College athlete Jay Garrick was the first character to take on the alter-ego "The Flash", other characters who have been the Flash are forensic scientist Barry Allen, Barry's brother-in-law Wally West who is currently the youngest Flash, he calls himself "Kid Flash"; and Barry's grandson Bart Allen who becomes "Impulse", the second hero known as Kid Flash. Each version of the Flash has been a key member of at least one of DC's premier teams: the Justice Society of America, the Justice League, and the Teen Titans. Most of the Flash stories take place in the fictional city of Central City.

The Flash is one of DC Comics' most popular characters and has been integral to the publisher's many reality-changing "crisis" storylines over the years. The original meeting of the Golden Age Flash Jay Garrick and Silver Age Flash Barry Allen in "Flash of Two Worlds" (1961) introduced the Multiverse storytelling concept to DC readers, which would become the basis for many DC stories in the years to come.