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The Fantastic Four is widely considered to be the most iconic family unit in comics, but the Flash family just might give them a run for their money. The Flash is more similar to the Fantastic Four than one would assume, and over time, DC has used the Flash and his fellow speedsters to fill the same role that the Fantastic Four do in Marvel lore.
The Flash is already known to have the superpowers of the Fantastic Four, and the resemblance extends well past that surface level. Much like the heroes of the Fantastic Four, the Fastest Man Alive never runs alone as he embarks on family-first adventures across time and space. Anyone who loves the Fantastic Four would benefit from giving the Flash’s comics a try, since they’re far more alike than they are different.
The Flash Family Is DC’s Answer to the Fantastic Four
DC’s Family of Speedsters Rivals Marvel’s First Family
The Fantastic Four’s primary appeal is its status as a family first and a team second. Likewise, the Flash family shares a tight-knit bond that elevates them to familial status. In spite of any threats that attempt to split them apart, the speedsters of the DC Universe have each other’s backs through thick and thin. The Fantastic Four’s shared exposure to the rays that have given them their powers bonds them, as does the Flash family’s shared connection to the Speed Force. These super-powered teams are closer than any other faction in their continuities, allowing them to stand out.
The Flash Adds A New Member To Wally West’s Family, And I Think They’re Secretly A DC God
The Flash family has a shocking new addition, and one theory suggests that this new family member has a secret connection to a powerful god.
Setting aside the extended Flash family, Wally West’s own speedster family mirrors the Fantastic Four in key ways, especially when it comes to his children. For instance, much like Reed Richards and Sue Storm’s son Franklin, Jai West possesses cosmic powers beyond his imagining that give him the potential to be a true powerhouse. Moreover, Irey West has astounding intelligence in the same vein as Valeria Richards – and, also like Valeria, she’s strikingly similar to her father in terms of her skill-set and personality. Their superhero status from a young age further accentuates the parallelism between the Flash family and the Fantastic Four.
The Flash Plays a Similarly Pivotal Role in Comic History to the Fantastic Four
The Flash Kickstarts the Silver Age for DC Comics, While the FF Begin Marvel’s
Comparisons between the Flash and the Fantastic Four can be traced back to the respective impacts their origins have had. The Flash’s debut in 1956’s Showcase #4 by Robert Kanigher and Carmine Infantino marks the beginning of the Silver Age of comics, bringing about a new era of DC Comics full of wacky sci-fi action. Soon after, in 1961, the Fantastic Four make their first appearance in Fantastic Four #1 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. This release commences Marvel’s age of heroes and grants the Fantastic Four a significance to superhero lore on par with the Flash’s.
Want to experience some of the Flash’s most memorable Silver Age adventures? Check out
The Flash: The Human Thunderbolt
from the new DC Finest line of comics, available now!
These Silver Age eras for the Flash and Fantastic Four share much in common beyond their importance to continuity. Barry Allen stars as the Flash during this time period, and rather than relying on speed alone, he uses his scientific genius to outsmart villains who range from critical to comical. Reed Richards is likewise renowned for his intellect, so his battles as part of the Fantastic Four aren’t too different in tone from Barry’s as the Flash. The Flash and Mister Fantastic can use their heads to solve even the most troublesome trials, a skill that comes in handy when they face off against their nemeses.
The Flash Has His Own Doctor Doom in Reverse-Flash
The Flash’s Nemesis Bears a Resemblance to the Fantastic Four’s
Most comics fans are familiar with Doctor Doom, the Fantastic Four’s most prolific villain. Victor von Doom met Reed Richards in college, and he constantly competed with the future Mister Fantastic in an effort to prove that he was superior. Therefore, when Reed tried to inform him that one of his inventions was flawed, Victor ignored him and activated it regardless – only for it to literally blow up in his face, scarring him. From then on, Doctor Doom dedicates himself singularly to triumphing over Mister Fantastic and his family, and the Flash has his own rival with a near-identical fixation: Reverse-Flash.
Reverse-Flash made his first appearance in
The Flash
#139 by John Broome and Carmine Infantino.
There have been multiple villains operating under the Reverse-Flash name in DC lore, but they all share one thing in common: a targeted vendetta against the Flash. Eobard Thawne’s hatred is perhaps the strongest, however. Hailing from the future, fanboy Eobard’s original goal was to earn the Flash’s respect as an equal. Upon failing, he became Reverse-Flash and has since schemed to methodically ruin Flash’s life via extreme measures that Doom would approve, including killing Barry Allen’s mother. Unfortunately for these villains, though, the families they contend with beat them time and time again due to the strength they draw from each other.
The Flash’s Current Era Embraces the Fantastic Four’s Core Values
Like the Fantastic Four, the Flash Family Faces Off Against Cosmic Oddities Together
Nowadays, the Flash’s stories resemble the Fantastic Four’s more than ever. The Flash by Simon Spurrier, Mike Deodato Jr., Ramón Pérez, and Vasco Georgiev places the Fastest Man Alive in the Fantastic Four’s cosmic setting as he encounters alien beings such as the Stillness. In one of the Flash’s recent endeavors, he and his family discover that the Speed Force they draw power from is alive, making it as enigmatic of an entity as the Fantastic Four’s Negative Zone. With these and other examples, the Flash and the Fantastic Four embrace the eccentricities of science fiction that many superhero comics shy away from.
As outlandish as the Flash and Fantastic Four’s plots seem from an outsider’s perspective, the central focus on family grounds the high-concept events unfolding around them.
As outlandish as the Flash and Fantastic Four’s plots seem from an outsider’s perspective, the central focus on family grounds the high-concept events unfolding around them and brings humanity to the otherwise superhuman. Wally West braves his fight with the Arc Angles because he has the Flash family supporting him, after all. In fact, the Flash arguably embodies these themes of love more effectively than the Fantastic Four due to the Speed Force binding the Flash family as a tangible manifestation of their love, a power every other family in DC and Marvel lore lacks.
Wally West is currently adventuring with his wife and children in Skataris to investigate mysterious occurrences of mystical proportions, following in Reed Richards and his teammates’ footsteps. The West family’s exploration of the unknown solidifies the Flash as DC’s refreshing take on the Fantastic Four.
The Flash
The Flash is the superhero name given to the DC Comics character who utilizes unparalleled speed tied to a dimensional power known as the “speed force” to overwhelm their opposition. Premiering in 1939, the original Flash arrived as Jay Garrick. Still, it would be superseded by Barry Allen in popularity and featured status, but the Flash is one character that has met many of their alternate selves. The character is typically seen as a part of the Justice League in nearly all incarnations.
“}]] The Flash is DC’s take on the Fantastic Four. Read More