Question: who was the first speedster in the flash
Answer: Thus far , at least four different characters -- each of whom somehow gained the power of `` the speed force '' -- have assumed the mantle of the Flash in DC 's history : college athlete Jay Garrick ( 1940 -- 1951 , 1961 -- 2011 , 2017 -- present ) , forensic scientist Barry Allen ( 1956 -- 1985 , 2008 -- present ) , Barry 's nephew Wally West ( 1986 -- 2011 , 2016 -- present ) , and Barry 's grandson Bart Allen ( 2006 -- 2007 ) .