Kid Flash to quit 'Legends of Tomorrow' to explore other prospects
Keiynan Lonsdale has confirmed that the 'Legends of Tomorrow' star will not be returning to play his character, Wally West, for the fourth season. The actor has revealed in an Instagram post that he will actually be moving on in life, to explore different avenues.
Wally West was an absolute waste in 'The Flash' series where the character was only a sidekick with a cute speedster girlfriend. Probably that was the reason because Flash, as a superhero character, is difficult to remain consistent with. While almost anything can be fixed if a character has superhuman power, and can actually run against Time, then inculcating season-long villains to help the character undergo any trial of crisis and development is almost an impossible affair. Providing such developmental sub-plot for the sidekick becomes difficult too. That's probably one of the best reasons why Wally West was a perfect fit with magical creatures in 'Legends of Tomorrow'.
Being among them meant that, Wally had ample scope to develop as each character is given an equal amount of importance, with a backstory and a future to look out for. They aren't sidekicks anymore. They are each a superhero with a certain purpose to fulfill. Lonsdale's exit from the Arrowverse almost echoes out his own brief exit from 'The Flash' where he seems to be returning only under the pretext of Barry being behind bars.
As he has mentioned in his Instagram post, Lonsdale won't be returning as a series regular for neither of the two series. "It’s definitely not a total goodbye or “see ya never” situation, cause Wally West will still be around when you need him the most! It’s just that it won’t be full time anymore."
The Kid Flash has been ignored in the series several times, reasons an article in The Collider. In fact, even when, in the alternate timeline he is the main Flash his character is immediately brought down, crowning Barry once again as the real Flash. Wally didn't have much role to play around within the series, his character remained rather damp throughout the series.
Probably it is the lack of development in the scheme of things that has led Lonsdale to decide upon leaving the set of 'The Flash' and the 'Legends of Tomorrow', as he has mentioned that he has himself evolved as a person over the years. "I’ve changed a lot in the past year (as you’ve probably noticed lol), and for infinite reasons, my perspective on life & what I want from it now is just completely different. Because of that, my heart told me it was the right time to continue my journey on an unknown path, and I’m so damn grateful to both shows for honoring & respecting that with me."
However, we hope that we will be seeing the Kid Flash on and off, with his character speeding it up beyond the limit.
