@Superdork said:
Mythology.
Flash doesn't really do anything new or especially epic, and despite the fact that he's a forensic scientist, Barry Allen isn't a character that you can make very dark. His world is not meant to be. He's more of a Pixar-type character. For example, most of the time, a Flash story is a simple cops and robbers story--literally (nothing new). And several Flash villains have hokey alliterative names (Captain Cold, Mirror Master, Weather Wizard, Gorilla Grodd, etc.) He's a character who can only operate within one kind of story (Light), while all the other heroes you listed can operate within two types of story (light and dark). This difference is important because it affects which demographics you can hit. Furthermore, the only "new" thing that separates Flash stories from other stories is time travel. That should be it's epic selling point, but he rarely has time travel stories (of significance. He'd probably be more popular if he were Booster Gold-ing it up. The only issue with that would be coming up with challenges for a man who can travel at light-speed.
For comparison, let's look at the other four characters you listed.
Superman- The last alien survivor of a dying world. He fight alien invaders insidious tycoons, and government shadow cabinets. He's got inspiration and intrigue as well as global politics.
Batman- A man who has turned tragedy into strength. He deals with deconstructive maniacs that are dark reflections of himself. You can tell Batman stories that deal with everything from ninjas to Dracula.
Wonder Woman- A warrior princess from a hidden, militaristic nation. She defends us from magical creatures,corrupt gods, and evil sorceresses. Sometimes she even has to side with us against her own people. And she doesn't even just take on villains from her own mythology.
Green Lantern- A man who was chosen above all other to defend our entire galaxy from forces that could easily destroy us. Alien worlds, alien women, and alien prophecies? Epic.
I think that both Aquaman and Cyborg have more potential than Flash because they have epic mythologies that are just waiting to be mined (Atlantis, Apokolips, the Red Room).
Aquaman- King of 71% of earth. He deals with royal politics, preventing full scale wars, and magic. He also has the mystery of a fallen civilization to drive his stories.
Cyborg- He's a man who has lost everything, but he's still a hero. He works for an organization that studies alien technology recovered from locations all around earth. He can travel almost anywhere with a thought--even to the home of an inter-dimensional conqueror.
On the other hand, Flash is a pretty boring, generic nice guy who fights stereotypical thieving villains 99% of the time. He's only really interesting when he's resetting universes or fighting time travelers (which is very rare).
The Flash doesn't have Mythology?
Your perception of a Flash story shows that you don't really read the character. The Flash's mythology is definitely lighter than other heroes but that doesn't make it any less interesting. And even if you needed a story to be dark to be interesting, he's definitely not devoid of darkness. The Flash has always dealt with all kinds of issues, Wally or Barry. Blitz, one of the best Flash stories was about Hunter Zolomon, a crippled cop friend of Wally's turning evil, becoming Zoom, and systematically attempting to destroy Wally's life in order to push him to be a better hero. He gave Linda Park-West a miscarraige. Sounds a little dark to me.
Your list of how the other heroes are epic undervalues the Flash. The Flash is a catalyst for this mysterious speed force and has to keep running and being the Flash in order to prevent time from unravelling. Epic. His villains may be a little cheesy but they're still fun and dangerous.
You cannot say that Cyborg is more epic than the Flash. I love pre-52 Cyborg a lot, he was a great character. But the guy has never had an ongoing series, and his mythology lies strictly with the Titans. His new mythology in the New 52 hasn't even been explored because they haven't given him a solo title and in the Justice League series he really hasn't done anything all that exciting other than act as a plot device.
You say the Flash is boring and generic and fights stereotypical villains 99% of the time. But based on the fact that you clearly don't actually read the Flash I fail to think that you can be qualified to make such a bold statement. Just because the Flash is a nice guy doesn't make him boring and generic. And I don't know how you can call his villains any more stereotypical than any other villain.
The Flash is very well liked by fans but he hasn't gotten the recognition he deserves. If they gave him an animated series and after the inevitable movie he'll get, you'll see just how popular he can be.
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