Wally West Is My Hero
I was asked by my professor who my personal hero was, and it took me some time to think about it and decide on one. My final answer was Spider-Man, because despite Peter Parker being a human disaster, Spider-Man is one of the best heroes ever created. Later though, I came back to my dorm and looked at my lock screen, I realized who my hero actually is.
My elementary and middle school days were filled with non-stop Marvel comics, movies, and TV shows; I was a bit of a fanboy. About the time I entered my freshman year of high school I started getting interested in DC comics. Almost instantly I latched on to The Flash while binge watching episodes of Justice League. At the time Barry Allen wasn’t The Flash, it was Wally West, his former protégé turned replacement. To me, Wally West will always be The Flash, because that’s the version of the character I fell in love with as a kid. So when I looked at my lock screen and saw a picture of Wally West as Kid Flash, I realized he was my hero.
Not the classic Wally West, who was actually reintroduced in DC Rebirth, but the New 52 version of Wally West, who just so happens to be Black. As a Black comic book fan, it was rare that I got to see someone who looked like me in a major series. Although I could go off and read smaller titles that Black characters got pushed to, it never felt the same. When I went to my local comic book store and saw the Black Wally West in classic Kid Flash colors, I was on the verge of tears. Throughout my high school career, when I made a base layer for who I am as a person, I became attached to this character, and now I can see myself in him.
This wasn’t the first time they put this version of Wally West in the comics, or even had him with super-speed. It was the first time, however, that they didn’t try to be apologetic about changing the race of a classic character. The Flash writers wasted no time, in this series, getting this version of Wally West in the original Kid Flash suit. It’s unapologetic homage to the original, while simultaneously reinventing the character, making him accessible to more people.
We’re not entirely sure who this Wally West is as a person, and I think that’s why I didn’t say that he was my hero at the time. He’s the Black reinvention of one of my favorite comic book characters of all time; he is literally a hero for me, he’s MY hero. And that means the absolute world to me.
Decades down the line, even if Wally doesn’t replace Barry Allen as the Flash like he originally did, I can show these comics to my kids as an important moment in history. The first time that the Black Wally West donned the classic Kid Flash costume. It’s a monumentally important moment in comic history, personally more important than Miles Morales, despite me being a huge Spider-Man fan. This isn’t just a new person taking over the role, it’s a reimagining of a fan-favorite character. All this history, legacy, and potential is transferred to a Black character that I can relate to.
The Flash has been a hero of mine for a while now, but now I’m proud to be able to say that Wally West is MY hero. He’s a hero for me and people like me. This is the point of diversity and reputation: to give people characters to relate to and heroes to aspire to be like.
