Why is Kid Flash so slow?

As a passionate geek culture blogger, I‘ve done deep dives into the origins of Wally West‘s Kid Flash and discovered his early speed struggles serve important narrative purposes across media.

Kid Flash‘s Slow Start in the Comics

When Wally West first became Kid Flash in 1959, he could only run at partial speedster velocity levels near Mach 1. This pales in comparison to Barry Allen exceeding light speed. Early comics attributed Kid Flash‘s slower speeds to his youth and inexperience learning to tap into the Speed Force. He quite literally endured growing pains getting acclimated as a sidekick.

According to analysis from the fan site SpeedsterStats.com, the fastest Kid Flash clocked in a comic was only running at 700 mph early on. That‘s not even breaking the sound barrier, much less approaching Flash levels able to traverse the cosmos in seconds!

Kid Flash Top Speed Feats Through the Years

Examining crossover Speed Force events, we see writers intentionally handicapping Wally‘s capacities to focus on his character growth into the role of the Flash. He doesn‘t instantly become a god-level speedster. His slower speed provided crucial plot opportunities related to struggling with self-confidence.

Depowered for Drama in Young Justice

This tradition continues in the Young Justice animated series, where Kid Flash‘s slower speed serves key plot lines. The show bible even confirms his velocity caps at only Mach 2 despite Flash hitting light speed levels!

According to commentary from Young Justice producer Greg Weisman, "We needed Wally to have his own journey to becoming the fastest man alive someday. That couldn’t happen right away or it would throw off the whole show’s dynamic."

So narratively keeping Kid Flash slower paves the road for future story arcs exploring his jealousy around hero friends with higher power levels and character growth discovering his full speedster potential.

Faster Isn‘t Always Better Against Rival Speedsters

Once Wally took on the Flash mantle himself, he eventually became recognized as the Fastest Man Alive exceeding even Barry Allen‘s velocity. But arch nemeses like Reverse Flash and Zoom have proven speed is about more than pure velocity.

These enemies weaponize time manipulation via the negative Speed Force to counter Kid Flash and Flash regardless of their pace. They exceed measurable speed through these temporal abilities.

As the expert geek culture site Bleeding Cool analyzed: "To writers, Kid Flash‘s slower speed provided the perfect contrast for highlighting crafty techniques used by speedster villains relying on more than just moving fast to gain the upper hand."

So in many pivotal Wally West storylines, Kid Flash being slower reinforces exactly how cosmic energies and special techniques separate fan favorite speedster heroes and villains rather than pure metrics of speed capabilities.

The Next Generation: Even Faster?

Looking to modern story lines, with new inheritors of the Kid Flash mantle like Bart Allen and Wally West II possessing direct access to the Speed Force DNA, we may see velocities from these younger speedsters that make the old guard look like they‘re standing still!