Wally West Jumps Ship to ‘Legends of Tomorrow’

Following a half season of disappearing to Blue Valley and then Cambodia to find himself, which actor Keiynan Lonsdale explained was partially a response to the anxiety he was suffering offscreen, TVInsider has confirmed that Wally West will be leaving The Flash permanently and joining Legends of Tomorrow starting with episode 13 of the current season. 

Considering that the Waverider just lost two of its original team members, it makes sense to introduce some new blood. And since some of the characters are already familiar with Wally – especially Nate Heywood (Nick Zano), who was shown teaming up with Kid Flash over the summer – this is an excellent chance to flesh out some newer dynamics. That being said, it leaves a lot of fans wondering why a legacy Flash character won’t be appearing again on The Flash this season, especially when Barry Allen is in a heap of trouble and could use the help of a fellow speedster.

Even before it was made known that Keiynan was taking a leave of absence, many viewers were noticing how sparingly the character of Wally was used on his home show. In fact, the discrepancy between his lack of onscreen development versus the episodes‘ worth of growth devoted to newcomer Ralph Dibny (Hartley Sawyer) have been pointed out several times. If Keiynan hadn’t asked for time off, would we have seen more Wally in season four? Or would he still have been benched in order to bring Elongated Man to the forefront? Not that the show traded one hero for another, but it does feel as if they squandered several opportunities to focus on Wally’s powers and bond with Iris and Barry before it was too late.

We will never know what went on behind the scenes, but one thing’s certain: Wally West is going to have a great time on Legends of Tomorrow. But hopefully he’s allowed to stop in and say hi to his family on The Flash, especially as they’re dealing with a life in prison sentence for Barry.