Barry Allen is the alter ego of the DC Superhero The Flash. Barry Allen was killed off in the 1980s in an epic storyline called Crisis On Infinite Earths. His death is considered one of the most iconic and heroic in comics. His sidekick Wally West took on the role of The Flash after Barry's death. Barry Allen was the Flash of my childhood. After twenty five years death isn’t adding anything to the character. The character has been handled with so much reverence the perception of him has become stiff and boring. While intending to preserve the character what’s happened is that the character has gotten dusty on the shelf.
In the meantime, Wally West has become a fan favorite. He earned the role of the Flash. So the way I figure it, if you’re going to bring Barry Allen back you should do it totally wrong. Everyone has all this reverence and respect for Barry, what if he’s back but he’s totally messed up. He has brain damage from the Crisis, he has an impulsive temper, his powers have been reduced, and the truth is Wally West has surpassed the man he was.
In my idea of how this story plays he’s not going to be living up to expectations. On top of that, Wally is an adult now and more experienced than he was. Iris is gone, the JLA looks at Wally as the Flash, and they don’t trust Barry anymore. Barry falls from grace. But that’s not the end of the story. While Barry Allen is no longer the Flash, and is no longer the icon he was in death, Impulse is about a man who has crashed but continues to struggle despite of himself, and is still a hero at his core.
