The Flash: Who Is Jay Garrick?

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The New 52 Jay Garrick

While the New 52 eliminated the World War II-era DC heroes, it also introduced their spiritual successors. The current Jay Garrick is also the Flash of his world, though his origin owes more to mythology than science. His speed was granted to him by Mercury himself (or at least a bring making that claim), and his connection to the Speed Force, if any, has yet to be explored.

Though apparently younger than Barry Allen, the new Garrick has already been through a lot, what with his planet getting invaded by Darkseid multiple times and eventually completely destroyed. Jay is one of the heroes currently helping to protect a brand new version of Earth 2 that grew from the 2015 Convergence event, and it’s possible he could eventually wind up in a fresh incarnation of the Justice Society.

Jay Garrick’s Influence on The Flash

It would make complete sense for Jay to show up in Season 2 of The Flash, particularly since the idea of alternate timelines has already been breached. An older hero with more experience using super-speed could step right into the teacher role vacated by the Reverse-Flash, who was only educating Barry to suit his own purposes.

Even if that turns out not the be the case, the original Flash has had quite a bit of influence on the TV series already. From the way that Barry was unconscious for a while after the accident that gave him his speed to the way he vibrated his face so that people couldn’t tell who he was (though that didn’t help much in the end), the writers and producers of The Flash have borrowed elements from Jay’s history and applied them where appropriate. There was even a Keystone City mention or two during Season 1.

And while fans of my age claim Barry as their Flash and the younger generation has Wally West, there will always be a place for Jay. It might be difficult to figure out how the winged helmet stayed on his head, but it’s a classic that never goes out of style — much like the heroic legacy of the Flash itself.

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