This article is written from the Real World perspective |
Impulse appeared in "Justice League: The First Mission". He was one of several characters added to the team to appeal to a younger audience when the show was being shopped to Kids' WB!.
Impulse would have been the team's sole speedster, as the Flash was not part of this early lineup.
Background information[]
In the comics, Bart Allen is the son of Don Allen and Meloni Thawne, making him the grandson of Barry Allen (the second Flash) and a descendant of Professor Zoom (Eobard Thawne, the Reverse Flash and enemy of Allen). His birth in the 30th century ended a feud between the family that had started in the 20th century. When most of his family was killed in the Dominator invasion of Earth, his grandmother Iris West Allen took care of him, but Bart's super speed abilities caused him to age considerably faster than the other Flashes. Returning to the 20th century, Iris had Wally West (her nephew) teach Bart how to control his speed before it killed him. He adopted the name "Impulse" as he refused to take the name "Kid Flash" (which he eventually did, after forming a new group of Teen Titans with Robin, Superboy, and Wonder Girl II).