THE FLASH (II) Real Name: Barry Allen First Appearance: Showcase #4 HISTORY
Barry Allen was the Flash before Wally West, obviously. The first to use the modern-day idea of a Flash costume, Allen and Hal Jordan were the two "dawn-of-the-Space-Age" reincarnations of a couple of World War II heroes from the Justice Society of America. Barry was, in current continuity as well as Pre-Crisis thinking, one of the founding members of the Justice League of America, though in each era his teammates differed. After working for years as the Flash and training his nephew--the super-powered Wally West--as his sidekick, Allen was killed during the Crisis on Infinite Earths when he destroyed the Anti-Monitor's anti-matter cannon just before it could go off and disrupt reality.POWERS
Super-speed, the ability to manipulate the Speed Field to enable him to travel through time, vibrate through objects, manipulate winds, etc.
FLASH (III) HISTORY
Barry Allen's nephew and sidekick became Flash in much the same way his
uncle did--the combination of lightning and a "unique" combination
of chemicals. It was always kind of joked that the Crisis was probably responsible
for the same thing happening twice--in the same family, no less!--and it
was revealed after Barry's death that his body, joining the Speed Field
and becoming pure energy, ultimately BECAME the lightning that struck Wally
West. At any rate, West has proven himself as the Flash, learning more about
the Speed Field than even Barry knew, and using it not necessarily better,
but differently from Barry and setting himself apart as one of Earth's greatest
heroes. His recent marriage to longtime sweetheart Linda Park was one more
way of overcoming a kind of "Barry was better at this" stygma
that Wally's always faced when thinking about his uncle's life and career.
POWERS
Super-speed, the ability to manipulate the Speed Field to enable him to travel through time, vibrate through objects, manipulate winds, etc.
PRE-CRISIS SUPERGIRL HISTORY
Kara, the cousin of Kal-El and a member of a Kryptonian society that somehow survived the world's destruction, found her way to Earth in search of her cousin. Here, she used her powers for the betterment of mankind until the Crisis on Infinite Earths, when she was not only killed in action, but retconned completely out of existence to boot. Ouch!
POWERS
Heat vision, X-ray vision, super speed, super strength, invulnerability
POST-CRISIS SUPERGIRL HISTORY
 The product
of an otherdimensional genetic engineering experiment, Matrix came to our
world as a shapeshifter who took on the shape of our dimension's Superman
as a tribute to the hero. The Lex Luthor of her dimension--a benevolent
scientist--sent her to our world to recruit Big Blue's help in saving his
world from a handful of Kryptonian convicts escaped from the Phantom Zone.
She and Superman returned to her world too late--Superman was forced to
kill the Kryptonians after they'd slain everyone on Martix's world, and
Matrix was forced to start over with a clean slate…in our world. She
substituted for Superman for a while when he exiled himself in space and
lived with Clark's parents on earth before settling down as Lex Luthor's
Metropolis-based girlfriend. When she became aware of the evil he was responsible
for hiding from her, Matrix almost killed Luthor and left him, heading out
to the small town of Leesburg where she came in contact with a dying girl
named Linda Danvers, a local student who had fallen in with the REALLY wrong
crowd. Matrix and Danvers became one, and life in Leesburg would never be
so boring again. Supergirl is the city's official protector now, fighting
such menaces as Gorilla Grodd, demons and Linda's ex-boyfriend (literally!).
Struggling to discover where she stands in this bizarre new world, Supergirl/Linda
is alienated from her parents, outcast and hunted by her former circle of
friends. It's not easy being a superhero--especially when you haven't been
one all your life, as Linda Danvers is finding out. POWERS
Invulnerability, telekinesis, fire vision, fire wings, limited shapeshifting
This article is © 1999 Russell Burlingame.
All characters are © DC Comics |
THIS ISSUE:
"Community Service Poster" Art Challenge
Alt Showcase '94 Writing Challenge
DC Futures: Conclusion of "Squad Run"