Flash introduces 1 of his best costumes only to reject his mentor

The bottle is one of DC Comics’ most iconic legacies, and few heroes have honored that legacy like Wally West himself. Proving himself the true fastest man alive, Wally spent much of his career as the Scarlet Speedster racing in the footsteps of his mentor, Barry Allen. But when one misadventure changes Wally to his core, he gets a brand new Flash uniform that leaves his mentor’s uniform in the dust.

Continuing the “divided we fall” storyline, JLA #52 by Mark Waid, Bryan Hitch, Paul Neary, Ken Lopez and Laura Depuy catch up with the league after A mysterious phenomenon separated their human and superhuman nature into two separate beings.

Reflecting this change, the entity now operating as Wally West dons a new uniform all his ownUpdating its iconic scarlet and gold with a new logo and mask. When Aquaman questions the wardrobe change, the Flash dismissively responds, “Leftovers. Past, I’ve stepped out of Barry Allen’s shadow.“

The Flash’s updated costume has put his past to shame

The fastest man alive refused to look back

The new look doesn’t stick around once Wally West and The Flash are reunited, but that doesn’t mean it lacks style. On the contrary, the Almost entirely red uniform’s more paneled look hints at a more practical level of protection Not dissimilar to what Flash fans saw from the DCEU’s portrayal of the Scarlet Speedster. With the addition of built-in glasses and a stylish new Flash emblem, the new uniform is unique to Wally – or at least Wally without any humanity that makes him a hero.

A major aspect of Wally West’s journey as the Flash is his fear of Barry Allen and the other speedsters who came before him. When he first assumed the mantle, Wally even wore Barry’s exact same uniform, only modifying it with his own flair once he was more comfortable with the possibility of surpassing his old mentor. finally, West indeed surpassed Barry in both speed and statusBut their shared uniform, even with Wally’s modifications, always linked them together. But without his human reverence for Barry Allen, this fully realized bottle had to stand alone.

The Flash legacy always moves forward

Wally West still honors what came before

As The Flash and as Kid Flash, Wally West has sported several different uniforms in his long race for justice. Usually, the third hero to call himself the Scarlet Speedster reverently follows a cue from those who came before him by donning the scarlet and gold with his own unique twist. But without worrying about the legacy that defines him, Wally West is able to branch out on his own—even if The bottle Persona was unrecognizable in the process.

JLA #52 is available now from DC Comics.