McFarlane DC Multiverse Wally West Flash & Dark Flash review

It's that time of the year where we take a look at a DC superhero known to not only run fast as hell, but to also affect continuity wherever he goes. Ignoring the Golden Age, everyone immediately thinks of Barry Allen as THE main Flash, but there is always a second best when it comes to Wally West. Whereas the former was more serious and intelligent, no doubt thanks to his scientific experience, while the latter tends to be witty and often times seen as "relatable" before millennial writers ruined that kind of character trait. Despite Wally being a successor to Barry, he is somehow better tapped into the Speed Force, no doubt likely a trait we see whenever the new guy surpasses the original in feats (such as Gohan surpassing his dad, Goku). As for Dark Flash, he represents the Lightning Knights and one of the many minions under the Darkest Knight, aka The Batman Who Laughs. Without further ado, let's see if these speedsters are worth picking up or leaving behind in the dust.

Here we have Dark Flash in-hand, who represents a twisted version of Flash as he appeared in the Rebirth era. As far as I can tell, this is either a new mold inspired by the costume that was modded for this character specifically, or it is a retool of an existing Rebirth Flash. That being said, it is unique for having the sleeves torn off while the shoulders and wrists remain covered up. I really want to like the entire look of the figure, but I'm not entirely sold on the use of yellow when mixed with the charcoal black and the very pale and chalky lavender skin. A wash or some dry-brushing would help blend in with the darker color scheme, especially with the yellow given how that fits a traditionally vibrant Flash costume. We'll get into a prior version of the character in a moment, but as far as aesthetics go, the lavender and yellow hold the rest of the otherwise solid, corrupted design back.

His head sculpt is appropriately zombified, all stemming from the Lightning Knights being evil and twisted from the traditional heroism found in most Speedsters. I bet he looks like MCU Thanos under that mask, albeit with a double chin.

Since we already know the standards of McFarlane DC Multiverse articulation, his sole accessories are two alternate heads that feature slightly different snarling expressions, which makes perfect sense if you want to army build duplicates of them into a fairly frightening (speed) force. However, the original Dark Flash, originally a Gold Label release, had lightning effect parts that went on his limbs while the costume had black boots, gold on the logo, waist, thighs, ear pieces, and wrist guards, and black within the chest logo. I wish those paint apps that were removed on the Red Platinum version were kept so as to make the costume more complete, though I guess that can be justified with the yellow now being relocated to the boots. It's a weird trade off, especially with how much I get reminded of when Hasbro does this with slightly altered versions of their figures whenever they come with a new accessory or two. If you really want a version of him to go with the rogues gallery of everyone's favorite scarlet speedster, who am I to judge you?

As for Wally West, he is a reuse of the Flashpoint version of Barry Allen, which is the Blue Beetle body to my recollection. New to this figure is a diaper piece with the symmetrical lightning bolt and more generic boot tops. What I like best about the figure is the use of gold to distinguish him further from Barry. Unlike Barry, his eyes are whited out, and the chest logo has a black outline on the circle and lightning bolt. This isn't the first time we had a Wally Flash; the Task Force wave featuring Darkseid as the BAF had this as sort of a pretool with pixelated paint apps to simulate the video game artstyle. I skipped the entire wave but own the Darkseid BAF as someone who prefers my New God villain in titular, darker colors. Instead of an alternate head or BAF parts, this new Wally West Flash has alternate hands in the form of a pair of fists and splayed open hands, as well as a right pointing hand and a left flat open hand.

Let's bring em together and see how well either of them fit well with Dark Flash. Neither have the sculpted details that DF had, but the yellow on the figure matches Barry fine enough. If I had the regular Gold Label version, it would probably fit with Wally a tiny bit more. Just remember neither matches the more modern design of the Lightning Knight.

Overall, I would have to give Wally West the advantage because not only are the alternate hands more versatile than two barely different snarling heads, but you're more likely going to want to complete the 90s JLA group than you are the more recent run of DC. Hell, between this, and both Page Punchers for Barry Allen with the same hands and Jay Garrick means we have more options to complete a more classic (or at least pre-2000s/pre-New 52 Justice League). Wally wins, and Lightning loses.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Dark Flash)

⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Wally West)