Editing Kid Flash (section)

===Wally West===
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[[File:Kid Flash (Wally West) 2nd costume.png|thumb|150px|left|[[Wally West]] in his second Kid Flash costume, in ''[[Teen Titans|The New Teen Titans]]'' # 31 (May 1983). Art by [[George Pérez]].]]
Outside of Iris West, Kid Flash was the first person to whom Flash revealed the secret of his double-identity (''The Flash'' #120 (May 1961)). In that story, the two speedsters were inadvertently thrown 25 million years into the past, where they battled a race of golden humanoids. It was only the first of many time-trips for the pair, who teamed up next to try out Flash's Cosmic Treadmill.<ref>''The Flash'' #125 (December 1961)</ref>

Shortly after meeting Flash's friend Elongated Man,<ref>''The Flash'' #130 (August 1962)</ref> Kid Flash received his own unique costume.<ref>{{cite book |last=Wells |first=John |title=American Comic Book Chronicles: 1960-64 |date=2015 |publisher=TwoMorrows Publishing |isbn=978-1605490458 |page=125}}</ref> The Flash, who had been toying with a new design for Wally, was inspecting an alien mind over-matter machine when, in a burst of light, the new costume sprang from his mind and onto the body of his protégé.<ref>''The Flash'' #135 (March 1963)</ref> Since the new outfit exposed Wally's bright red hair, Flash provided his costume-storage ring with a special instant-dye spray with which he could easily change his hair color, as Wally, to brown.<ref>''The Flash'' #138 (June 1963)</ref>

The boy speedster first met [[Dick Grayson|Robin]] and [[Garth (comics)|Aqualad]] in ''[[The Brave and the Bold]]'' #54 (June–July 1964), in an adventure that would predicate the formation of the [[Teen Titans]] shortly thereafter. Kid Flash remained a member in good standing of that team, though his participation limited his involvement in solo adventures considerably. At 18 Wally revealed his alter-ego to his parents Bob and Mary for the first time, chose his university (Taggart), and confided to the Flash his intentions to retire from superheroing upon graduation from college so that he might live a normal life.

As it happened, he left his crime-fighting career behind even before that,<ref>''The New Teen Titans'' #39 (February 1984)</ref> when he retired from the third incarnation of the Teen Titans for personal reasons, including a desire to devote more time to studying, to his new girlfriend Frances Kane, and because, as a result of his changing metabolism, he was beginning to lose his powers.

Kid Flash came out of retirement to fight in ''[[Crisis on Infinite Earths]]'', and was hit harder than anyone when the heroes found Flash's costume and ring and realized that their compatriot was dead. However, even though a blast from the Anti-Monitor reduced Wally's top speed to that of sound, it cured him of his metabolic malady. This, combined with the desire to honor his mentor and friend, caused Wally West to discard his Kid Flash identity and, instead, adopt the name and costume of Flash. However, after fully accepting that Barry was not returning, West removed a mental block, unlocking his true powers, making him faster than Barry Allen. He also acquired unique abilities such as sharing and stealing speed, and accessing the speed force itself, allowing time travel. When it was eventually discovered that Barry Allen was, in fact, alive, Wally took on his own version of the Flash costume, fighting alongside Barry Allen and his grandson, Bart Allen (Impulse or for a time Kid Flash).
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