Kid Flash


 * This article is about the second Kid Flash, Bart Allen. For his predecessor, see Wally West.

Bart Allen is a speedster from the year 2056 and the grandson of Flash (Barry Allen). When he came to the past, he joined the Team under the name Impulse. After Wally West's death, he took on the mantle of Kid Flash.

Personality
Given the dire situation that his time is in, Bart is serious and slightly jaded. But in order to win over the heroes of 2016, he put on the character of a hyperactive, vivacious and very talkative speedster, who was very appreciative of his extended family in the past. Whether accidental or intentional, Bart constantly seems to "spoil" information for people, such as revealing Robin's and Nightwing's secret identities to Beast Boy, and that Iris West-Allen was carrying twins.

Physical appearance
Bart Allen is a Caucasian teenager with a slim physical build, brown hair and green eyes. In 2056, he wore a white shirt with a green jacket over it, black gloves, blue pants and black shoes.

His costume is a white spandex suit, with a red line on the middle of his body, along with red gloves and boots. He wears yellow goggles with red rims. Bart's red gloves have a small compartment in which Bart can store small items.

2056
Bart and Nathaniel Tryon worked on a way to change the domination of Blue Beetle and the Reach. They believed that the cause of the apocalyptic event that made their time inhospitable started with the death of Flash, so Bart would travel back in time to stop it. Tryon, who as Neutron had been responsible for many past atrocities, gave Bart a special device that would strip Neutron of his powers. He also warned him that the time machine would break after using it once.

February 2016
Bart's time machine arrived in the headquarters where he joyously greeted Nightwing, Robin and Beast Boy. He took the name Impulse and escaped them, starting a chase through the whole base. He was eventually captured by Nightwing.

Impulse was cuffed up and they interrogated the time traveler. Impulse received a glass of water from Nightwing, who wanted to acquire DNA of Impulse, which he noticed and gave his spit. Impulse revealed their secret identities to each other in an attempt to convince them he was a tourist from the future and the grandchild of Barry Allen. When Mal arrived and the door opened, Impulse phased through the cuffs and fled the headquarters.

Impulse arrived at the Allen house at the moment Barry Allen received a phone call about his supposed grandson. Barry initially denied the possibility, reminding everyone that he and Iris did not even have children, until Iris revealed that she was in fact pregnant. Impulse then greeted his unborn father and aunt, revealing to everyone that Iris was actually carrying twins, which surprised even her.

Wally arrived at the party after Nightwing called him. Bart greeted him with the same enthusiasm as he had given the others. Fully aware that Flash was supposed to die, he first attempted to prevent Iris from receiving a phone call from her boss about a rampaging supervillain. When that failed, he tried to dissuade Flash from going, saying that the Justice League could handle it. Flash went nonetheless, and Impulse followed. Impulse chased after the Flash saving him from hurting his derrière after getting hit by Neutron's omnidirectional energy waves. Impulse claimed that he wanted to see Flash fight in his prime. In a slip, he also revealed Neutron's name, and then to cover it up, claimed that Neutron was saying it all the time. They created a plan to stop Neutron: with Kid Flash's help, they created a large whirlwind around Neutron, which caused him and his containment suit to detonate.

Neutron regenerated himself, being unable to stabilize his energy and was about to explode again. The Flash decided to carry Neutron to a nearby desert to save the city. Impulse knew that he could not reach it on time and tripped the Flash before he was caught in the explosion. Neutron detonated, but Kid Flash and Jay Garrick saved them both.

Impulse went back to the place where Neutron was again regenerating. Impulse applied the pill to him, which made him return to normal, with no memory of the events. When the speedsters came back, he lied to them and said that he did not know what happened to Neutron.

After Nightwing's DNA test revealed Bart's claims of his heritage to be true, Bart said he was ready to go back. But because the time machine was broken, he could not return. To maintain his cover, he feigned frustration at being stuck in the past, and claimed that he knew nothing about fixing time machines.

Because he could not return, he was taken under the care of the Garricks in Central City,

March 2016
Bart Allen was among the other male Team members in the Cave's grotto of the fallen, underneath Mount Justice. Looking upon Artemis's hologram, he nonchalantly consumed a bag of Chicken Whizees while the others mourned their fallen friend. When the others glared at him, Bart hand-waved this by claiming that mourning made him hungry. Dissatisfied with the explanation, Jaime Reyes takes Impulse aside—the bag was stolen from his locker. After a brief discussion of scavenger rights in the future, the conversation turned into the League's desire to not have a public shrine to the dead. Jaime confided that he was bummed that he didn't even get the chance to meet Ted Kord, the man who should have been his mentor. Impulse decided to cheer him up by shopping for a replacement bag of chips, and both teens left.

Bart visited Jaime at his home, saying he wanted to hang out with him. Jaime was worried about losing his secret identity, but to avoid the possibility of them being seen together, he changed into his armor and then headed out of town with Bart. In the mountains outside El Paso, Jaime and Bart showed off their powers, but the two were attacked by the Terror Twins, Icicle Jr. and Tigress, with Kaldur observing from a ledge. Tigress restrained Impulse with a net while the others went after Blue Beetle. He vibrated out of it easily. Jaime suggested a strategic retreat. Bart declined to leave without seeing Kaldur, running to the ledge and avoiding a few blows before taking the alien tracking device from Kaldur. Jaime and Bart then escaped.

The two Zeta-ed to the Cave, where Nightwing was waiting for them. Impulse showed him the device, a souvenir. Nightwing was angry, bringing foreign and potentially alien technology into the Cave was a serious security risk.

Nightwing was right: Aqualad and his strike force used the device to disable Cave security and infiltrated the mountain. Impulse, Blue Beetle and Nightwing were surprised in the Mission Room; Nightwing was taken out when Tommy Terror threw Superboy at him. Impulse went after Icicle Jr. first. He saw through his trick of coating the floor in ice, and ran around it. He quickly made it to the elevated hallway and body checked him into the wall. He wanted to try it again on Tuppence Terror, but as she was invulnerable, he bounced off her, right in Tommy's hands. He too was invulnerable, so Impulse's punches had no effect. Tommy placed an inhibitor collar on him, blocking Impulse's powers and his favored means of escape, vibrating. He was knocked unconscious, and carried off by Tommy. Blue Beetle fared better, but was forced to surrender when Kaldur held the Cave for ransom with a bomb in the Mission Room.

Tommy carried Impulse aboard the Manta-Flyer, where he was shackled in the cockpit. They made it to a safe distance before Tigress pushed the detonator and Mount Justice exploded. Impulse watched in horror.

The Manta-Flyer was docked with the Manta-Sub, and Impulse, Beast Boy and Blue Beetle were carried off in containment pods. They were sent to the Partner.

Impulse and the others were transported to a Reach vessel off the coast of Star City, where for a week, they were experimented upon by the scientist and her staff. By exposing them to stress, they hoped to investigate the Meta-Gene's abilities. Impulse and Beast Boy were kept in the same lab, and freed by Miss Martian in the Team's raid of the facility. He immediately went off to look for Blue Beetle. After searching through several labs at super-speed, he found him. He knocked out the scientist and freed Jaime. Because he was too weak to walk, Impulse had to support him. He explained why he came back in time: Blue Beetle would grow up to be the leader of the Reach on Earth, and rule with an iron fist.

Together, they made it to the docking bay where the rest of the Team was fighting the Reach's enforcer. Impulse, Beast Boy and Batgirl made sure everyone made it safe to the Bio-Ship while Blue Beetle held off the enforcer. Impulse wanted to fetch Blue Beetle, but an influx of water held him back. The Bio-Ship escaped, and Lagoon Boy picked up Blue Beetle, who had been thrown clear in the fight. Impulse tended to him as he woke up.

April 2016
Impulse waited with the other Team members the Reach abducted and the teens the Reach experimented on, as they took turns being debriefed by Black Canary. His actions annoyed the others, as first his hands repeatedly slapped his thighs, then he shook his left leg.

After his meeting with Canary, Blue Beetle confronted Impulse, who assured him he didn't tell Canary anything about the Reach apocalypse. He told Beetle that information should be kept secret from the Justice League.

When Jaime interrupted a meeting between Black Canary, Captain Atom and Nightwing, Impulse came in and begged Jaime not to say anything. Jaime, though, told the others about the Reach apocalypse and then asked that they find a way to remove the Scarab from his body.

Impulse stayed with Jaime as the Atom and Bumblebee attempted to remove the Scarab from Jaime's body, but were unsuccessful.

After watching footage of G. Gordon Godfrey's show, in which he discussed a venture between Lex Luthor and the Reach called LexCorp Farms, Nightwing told the Team he wanted a squad to investigate. After assigning Robin as squad leader and Blue Beetle, Impulse requested he be added, to which Nightwing said he figured as much and that he had already assigned him. Arsenal was named the fourth member of the squad.

Alpha Squad, posing as civilians, went on the tours that were being given at LexCorp Farms. After Sharon Vance introduced the groups to samples of the produce, Impulse began eating an apple, explaining to Jaime that he was keeping cover. Vance then took the group to a pluot orchard, prompting Robin to tell Alpha Squad it was a time for a bathroom break. Impulse wanted to go see the pluot orchard but Jaime forced him along.

After everyone but security guards were gone from LexCorp Farms, Alpha Squad emerged from the bathroom. Robin had to remind Impulse to switch to stealth mode, which Impulse seemed unable to figure out, so Jaime elbowed him in the chest. After Robin hacked security cameras, Alpha Squad snuck into the basement, where they learned about an additive the Reach was using, so Robin snuck over to obtain a sample.

The squad exited the basement, but Arsenal had planted explosives, which went off and alerted security to the squad's presence. Impulse took out the security guards as Robin tried to hack the secured door, but Black Beetle arrived and the squad engaged him in battle. Most of their attacks were unsuccessful and Black Beetle ultimately subdued Impulse against the wall with a staple.

Realizing the squad needed to retreat, Robin set explosive Batarangs on the wall of the hydroponic dome as Impulse recovered. Impulse vibrated his molecules through the wall and raced off to find an escape route. As the Batarangs exploded and allowed the rest of Alpha Squad to exit the dome, Impulse returned and indicated they could go through one of two cornfields to escape. As the squad navigated through a cornfield, Jaime told Impulse he could fly off with either Robin or Arsenal if Impulse could carry the other and run at top speed but Impulse said he wasn't strong enough to carry either of them.

As the squad emerged from the cornfield, Robin suggested doubling back but Black Beetle caught up with them. Another individual, wearing green armor similar to that of Blue and Black Beetle, then appeared and surprised everyone by attacking Black Beetle. When the squad observed this individual shape-shifting and density shifting, and then he communicated telepathically with the squad, Robin deduced he was a Martian, the "Green Beetle of Mars."

After Black Beetle took down Green Beetle and flames ignited, Robin ordered Alpha Squad to intervene. Impulse used his super speed to extinguish the flames, as the rest of the squad kept Black Beetle occupied. Green and Blue Beetle eventually coordinated a strategy to take Black Beetle down, which allowed everyone to escape to Jonathan Kent's farm.

Impulse was at STAR Labs with other Team members and Adam Strange as Green Beetle explained to everyone about the additive the Reach was putting into a line of fruit drinks. After Nightwing dismissed everyone, Impulse asked Blue Beetle if he wanted to hang with him but Beetle told him he wanted to go home and get some sleep.

Some time later, Impulse came upon Blue Beetle outside STAR Labs, saying he tried to visit him at home but he wasn't there. He then noticed Green Beetle touching Jaime's Scarab and intervened, but Jaime then told him Green Beetle had silenced the Scarab and given Jaime control of it.

May 2016
Impulse and other Team members snuck aboard the Warworld after Justice League members occupied Mongul, the tyrant who operated the giant satellite, and who was attacking the Earth. Impulse, Blue Beetle and Beast Boy formed Beta Squad, who were en route to a chamber to retrieve a crystal key that activated the satellite.

As the three made their way to the chamber, a carriage came upon them and opened, sending out battle drones, which Beta Squad was forced to deal with. Impulse used his super speed to take out a number of drones. The three eventually made their way to the chamber, but it was heavily protected by drones. It was not until Bumblebee was able to create a power surge and stun Mongul that the drones became inactive and fell to the ground, allowing Blue Beetle to claim the crystal key.

After the Team members regrouped at the entry point, Blue Beetle suddenly attacked Impulse, knocking him out with the crystal key. Beetle took out other Team members as well as Arsenal panicked and opened the entry hatch to try to pull Beetle out into space. Beetle was able to shut the hatch and Arsenal was the only team member who was able to escape. Impulse was stored in a stasis cell aboard the vessel.

Impulse was present in a stasis cell.

Once freed from his cell, Impulse retreated to the Bio-Ship with the rest of the Team.

The Team returned to the warehouse. Impulse was eager to help Jaime, and rebutted Robin's comments that he was a traitor.

June 2016
From a rooftop, Impulse and Batgirl observed as Blue Beetle took down Toyman, being interviewed by Cat Grant.

Batgirl and Impulse traveled to Jaime's hometown to set a trap for them. Batgirl used a line to snag him by the ankle, allowing Impulse to mount the flying hero. The action grounded him. Batgirl used her gas pellets to knock him out, but it was ineffective, because moments later Blue Beetle used his staple gun to pin Batgirl to a tree and Impulse to a wall. With Blue Beetle (or rather, his puppeteer the Ambassador) thinking he had won, Rocket and Zatanna moved in and contained him. Zatanna freed Impulse and Batgirl.

The Team took Blue Beetle to Bialya, to a temple Batgirl had encountered on an earlier mission. After blasting their way in, Zatanna disarmed the guards. Impulse lamented that he had wanted to do that, to which Zatanna suggested he could still knock them out. He made short work of the soldiers, but smashed straight into Devastation. She held him by the ankle, and tossed him aside to engage Zatanna. Zatanna took care of Devastation, as well as Mammoth and Shimmer.

Zatanna led the crew to the right part of the temple. Impulse was worried she might not have enough power for the ritual she had planned, but she had it covered; she would call on mighty Isis. As Zatanna prepared, Green Beetle arrived. Batgirl and Impulse temporarily disabled him by encircling him with fire, but the martian phased through the floor and ended up behind them. Both were taken out by his sonic cannon.

Other members of the Team joined the fight, allowing Impulse time to recuperate. Zatanna was in the final stages of her ritual, but the Beetles rebelled. In the blink of an eye, Impulse grabbed Wonder Girl's lasso and slammed Green Beetle into the line of Blue Beetle's shot. The Reach agents were knocked out, and both had their scarabs cleansed of Reach control. Exasperated, Zatanna collapsed, but Impulse caught her in time. At Impulse's insistence, they checked whether the ritual had worked; it had. The crew returned back to base and debriefed Blue Beetle along the way.

Along with Wonder Girl and Robin, Impulse infiltrated the Light-Reach summit disguised as a ninja from the League of Shadows. After Aqualad's betrayal was discovered, Vandal Savage ordered the children to be killed. Impulse subsequently broke cover and used his super-speed to engage and disarm multiple opponents. He bantered with Kid Flash, who gave him his blessing to adopt his yellow and red identity and tasked him with defeating the Brain. Elated, Impulse rushed his quarry, and divested him of all his armaments in mere seconds. While showing off his prowess, Impulse failed to notice Monsieur Mallah, who slammed Beast Boy into him, and incapacitating him. Despite Impulse's defeat, the battle ended with the heroes victorious, with the capture of the Reach ambassador, Black Manta, the Brain, and Monsieur Mallah.

Along with Kid Flash and Artemis, Impulse infested a corridor of the Reach flagship. The squad dispatched the Reach soldiers present with super-speed and projectile weaponry.

When magnetic field disruptors planted by the Reach threatened the Earth, Impulse joined 39 other heroes of Earth in a briefing in Metropolis City. The heroes would use a computer virus provided by Lex Luthor to safely disable the disruptors. The heroes were paired off with another into twenty squads: one member would run interference against Beetle-tech Drones guarding the disruptors, allowing the other to get close enough to plant the virus.

Impulse and worked alongside Blue Beetle to successfully defuse the disruptor in Taos. Unfortunately, because of the Earth's own magnetic field, Blue Beetle failed to detect a twenty-first device planted on the Magnetic North Pole. When Blue Beetle finally detected it, he immediately informed the Team. Since there was no zeta-teleporter at the Magnetic North Pole, only Flash was fast enough to reach it in time. Impulse immediately left Taos to back up his grandfather.

Impulse joined up with Flash, telling him that they were supposed to operate in pairs. They rush towards the ice cavern where the MFD was located. It was too late -- the MFD had already gone "chrysalis", and Luthor's virus was already useless. Flash and Impulse retreated from the cavern just as the resulting disturbance swallowed it up. A vortex soon formed, threatening to destroy the Earth. Lex Luthor proposed a last and desperate solution -- if the speedsters were to run in a direction opposite to the vortex's energy flow, they may be able to siphon off its energy using the kinetic energy from their energy trails.

The speedsters implement the plan, but it was not enough. Their efforts did result in the energy field weakening, but not stopping. Kid Flash's timely arrival turned the tide, providing enough kinetic energy to defuse the Reach weapon. Unfortunately, victory came at a price. Kid Flash's slower speed made him the target of the deflected energy -- having absorbed it, his body had started to dematerialize. By the time Flash noticed and told Impulse to slow down to relieve Wally, it was too late. Wally vanished completely before Impulse's horrified eyes.

After the vortex vanished, Impulse and Flash slumped down in fatigue. Tired, but alive.

In the ruins of Mount Justice, Impulse joined the Team in welcoming the Justice League back to Earth.

July 2016
Bart stood at the memorial grotto, looking at a newly-placed holographic image of the fallen Wally West. He was now garbed in Wally's costume, and has changed his codename to Kid Flash. Artemis told him he looked good, but he felt like a fraud. She reassured him that Wally would have wanted it that way. He commented on her costume as well -- she was now wearing her Tigress garb. She explained that Artemis, the hero, was Wally's partner, and she needed to distance herself from that part of her life.

Aqualad summoned everyone to the mission room, where Batman informed the Team that they would now operate side-by-side with the Justice League from the Watchtower. Not because Mount Justice was destroyed, but because they earned the right to do so. Aqualad informed the assembled that although the Team had accomplished much, a lot was still needed to be done. He assigned Impulse to Beta Squad to investigate LexCorp's reuse of the Reach soft drink under a new name, and instructed them to gather evidence.

Powers and abilities

 * Superhuman speed: Impulse is able to utilize incredible super speed akin to that possessed by his grandfather, the Flash. He can also create wind funnels and is capable of speaking incredibly fast and detecting things that move too fast for the normal human being to observe.
 * Molecular vibration: Impulse can vibrate his molecules at a high enough frequency that he can phase through objects and escape from restraints.
 * Superhuman reflexes: At high speed, he could dodge Robin's staff.

Equipment

 * Stealth-tech: Impulse's costume is fitted with stelth-tech, activated by a button hidden on his chest.

Blue Beetle


Since his arrival in the present Impulse has shown a personal interest in Blue Beetle. Blue Beetle was the first member of the Team Impulse almost immediately befriended and they have bonded further ("chill-hang"ed) during the course of the series. Later it is revealed that Impulse's main motive for keeping an eye on Blue Beetle is to prevent the Reach Apocalypse from occurring as it has in his timeline.

Background in other media

 * In the comics, Bart Allen was a founding member of Young Justice. He later became the second Kid Flash soon after he joined the Teen Titans. Following a crisis, and learning he was rapidly aging, he used his grandfather's costume to act as the Flash, but ultimately lost his life. Upon being resurrected in the 31st Century, he returned to the 21st Century where he returned to the Kid Flash identity.
 * Bart is the grandson of Barry and Iris Allen through their son Don, making him Wally's first cousin once removed. He also has relations to numerous other superheroes and villains. His mother Meloni Thawne is related to Professor Zoom and Colbat Blue and Bart has a half-brother who became the next Captain Boomerang.
 * This is his first official animated appearance. He was considered for inclusion in Justice League in the early stages of production, and promotional animation of him was created, but abandoned.