While heroes like Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman get all the plaudits, the Flash is one of the hardest working heroes in the DC Universe. Defending Central City from the Rogues and helping out the Justice League, the Flash has proven just how great of a hero he can be. Using the power of the Speed Force, the Flash has ran his race against some of the most fiendish villains in the DC Universe, always evolving with the times.
The Flash has proven himself to be clutch for the Justice League, but that doesn't mean they always need him around. In fact, there are plenty of arguments one can make for and against the Flash as a crucial member of the League.
10 Is Integral To The Team: His Powers Are More Than Just Running
The Flash is easily one of the most powerful members of the Justice League. The Speed Force allows him to move faster than the speed of light which means that he can be anywhere the League needs him to be in seconds. However, that's not all he can do.
The Speed Force gives the Flash a wide range of offensive and defensive abilities, ones that make him an asset on the battlefield. The Flash has practiced for years, mastering every nuance of his speed powers, making him one of the League's most skilled members.
9 Is Not Integral To The Team: All Of The Time Travel Shenanigans He Causes
The Flash has the ability to travel through time but he should not be allowed to use it because he is one of the DC Universe's worst time travelers. Honestly, most of the time the Flash has traveled through time, he's messed something up, with the biggest example of that being Flashpoint. The funny thing is, he should be smart enough to know better.
Flash's powers are heavily science based— he understands the physics of speed and uses it against his foes. He should understand cause and effect but his time traveling rarely works out for the best. It's not good for the League to have to clean up his time traveling messes.
8 Is Integral To The Team: He's Their Best Multiverse Traveler
The DC Multiverse has become a huge part of things again. While there are many ways to get around in it, the best remains the first: The Flash. Using his Cosmic Treadmill, the Flash has always been able to move through the membrane separating universes and he can modify it to allow others to come with him as well.
With how important the Multiverse has become in recent years, having a member who can move through it and get the team where they need to be is very important. No other member has a connection to it like he does.
7 Is Not Integral To The Team: He Doesn't Bring A Lot To The Table The Team Doesn't Already Have
The Flash has a lot of skills but when it comes right down to it, nothing he does is that unique. Take the multiversal travel thing- there are lots of other options for that now a days. The Flash has some great detective skills but on a team with Batman, they aren't really needed.
Super speed is great but none of his skills are so unique that no one else can do them. Sure, he can hit somebody a million times in a second but Wonder Woman can knock an enemy onto the next continent and Superman is pretty fast himself. Flash is great, but when he's not around they aren't exactly missing him.
6 Is Integral To The Team: His Scientific Knowledge Has Been Invaluable
The Justice League has access to a lot of smart heroes but sometimes, they need someone on the spot who can deal with that sort of thing. This is where the Flash is invaluable. The one thing that he bring to the table that's pretty unique is his scientific knowledge and having him around to solve problems can make a huge difference.
The Flash is knowledgeable in a wide array of scientific disciplines and while he isn't as smart as the Atom or Mister Terrific, for example, he can figure things out or at least get it started so that others can come in and have a place to start from. Having someone on the ground with his base of knowledge can make all the difference.
5 Is Not Integral To The Team: Having Him Around Means The Reverse Flash Might Show Up
The Flash has a lot of enemies but his worst foe is the Reverse Flash. Super speed is a pretty amazing power and for it to be in the hands of someone as insane as the Reverse Flash is very, very dangerous. The Flash can deal with him because he can match him, however, the other Leaguers can't and that's bad news.
If the Reverse Flash decides to strike at the League, they're pretty screwed. He's smart enough to hit them when they're vulnerable and it's definitely something he would do, just so he could hurt the Flash's friends.
4 Is Integral To The Team: He's Easy To Work With
One of the great things about the Flash on the Justice League is just how easy he is to work with. There are few members of the League more amiable than the Flash; he gets along with everyone and has no problem taking orders when he needs to. The Flash is all about helping out his friends and fighting evil, making him a near perfect Leaguer.
It doesn't matter who it is- the Flash can work with them. That is extremely important for someone on a team that fights the kind of threats that the League does- one loose cannon can mean the deaths of thousands.
3 Is Not Integral To The Team: There Are Plenty Of Speedsters That Can Replace Him
The Flash is one of the most traded mantles in the DC Universe, with no fewer than four different heroes holding it and that's not counting alternate universe or future versions. On top of that, the DC Universe also has just a lot of speedsters in general, all of whom could step up and take his place if the League needed a speedster.
While all of them aren't as skilled or powerful as the Flash, they bring just about everything he does to the table anyway, so replacing him wouldn't be nearly as hard as it would be for other members.
2 Is Integral To The Team: He Has Loads Of Experience
The League is made of the most powerful and experienced heroes on the planet and while the Flash is certainly powerful, his experience is what really wins battles for him. The Flash has tackled all kinds of terrible villains and gotten himself through some of the most drastic situations imaginable. This makes him uniquely suited to being a member of the Justice League.
The Justice League not only goes up against some of the most dangerous foes imaginable but finds themselves dealing with all kinds of other situations as well. Someone like the Flash, who has proven adept at handling both villains and all manner of strange phenomena on his own, is perfect for the team.
1 Is Not Integral To The Team: His Screw Ups Can Be Catastrophic
The Flash is known for both saving the universe many times over as well as almost dooming it. He's a guy who not only battles street level menaces of all kinds but also gets swept up into big cosmic crises because of the nature of his powers. He does his best but he messes up a lot and that is not good in these types of situations.
The League can't afford to have screw ups on the scale that the Flash often makes. The team deals with the most dangerous threats, with existence itself on the line, and can't afford missteps. The Flash making one of his characteristic mistakes could doom everything.