Joe West (Earth-Prime)

"If I learned one thing being a cop, it's that you can't just protect the people you think are good. You have to protect everyone. That's what heroes do. I know that. Do you? A hero is not just in the name, Barry, or in a red suit. It's the choices we make that decide who and what we become."

- Joe West to Barry Allen

Joseph "Joe" West is a former police captain of CCPD. West is also the ex-husband of the late Francine West and the father of Iris, Wally and Jenna West.

After the death of Nora Allen and the arrest of Henry Allen, West adopted the orphaned Barry Allen and raised him as his own. They then developed a strong bond and worked together for the CCPD. Barry later gained powers and became the vigilante known as The Flash, with West being one of the very few people knowing his secret.

When Kristen Kramer arrived in Central City, West realized her grudge against Metahumans and quit the police department following Frost's trial.

Meeting His Son
In 2015, West met his son whom he never knew existed. However, Wally kept on getting caught in trouble and West attempted to build a relationship with him. Wally disliked the idea and West switched to giving him some space, which he disliked as he felt abandoned. Eventually, they became close and had a strong father-son relationship.

Fighting Joseph Carver
In 2020, West discovered a mole in the department and started to investigate with David Singh not knowing he is the mole. Later, they fought against Sunshine sent to acquire the prismatic refractor which is about to be transferred to ARGUS. As West and David got overwhelmed by Sunshine, Barry arrives and West tosses the refractor to him. Eventually, Barry locked Sunshine in his lab with no curtains which took away her powers and West arrested her.

A week later, West was nearly assassinate by Rag Doll on his own car but was able to escape from it seconds before its explosion. David and the rest of Team Flash arrives and talked to him. They suggested witness protection but West refused and returned to the precinct. As West offers Sunshine an early parole, Rag Doll jumped out of a box and attacked them. West fired at him but Rag Doll deflected the bullets back to him. Barry arrives and tries to stop but the Speed Force's death caused him to temporary lose his speed which resulted in West getting shot. They later returned to STAR Labs and argued about West's safety. West stayed at the lab but was frustrated and went to Joseph Carver. Eventually, West tried to threaten Joseph and the plan backfired as Joseph deleted the audio and sent Rag Doll to attack Cecile Horton.

As West went to rescue Cecile, he activated a pressure bomb and tried to deactivate it through Nash's instructions. Since the instructions does not apply on the altered bomb, West pushed Cecile away and replaced her place. Barry sped Cecile away and returned to West who escaped. West later admitted he should go into witness protection.

Return
After Eva succeeded her plan, West was sent back to Central City and rejoined the team.

Four weeks after his return from witness protection, West and Cecile worked together on gathering information regarding Rosa Dillon's connection to Black Hole. He was then informed by Team Flash that Barry does not have enough speed to prevent a plane crash.

Later, West attended the opening of the Hall of Fallen Allies in STAR Labs and talked to Barry about grief.

Trial of "Killer Frost"
"I admit, under oath, that Frost hasn't always been on the right side of the law. But I can also say that she has put her life on the line countless times to save others. Frost has fought alongside Earth's greatest heroes to save the world, which means that she's saved every person in this room including those who want to lock her up for being who she was. Not for who she is today. And, Your Honor...I don't understand how this court can force Frost to take that cure without sacrificing what it stands for: Justice."

- Captain West's statement

Abilities

 * Marksmanship: Trained in the police academy, West has proven to be an expert in firearms.
 * Leadership: West was proven to have strong leadership and was promoted to captain.
 * Investigation: As long-time police officer, West became a skilled detective and often use his experiencing to speed up the completion of his cases.

Former Equipment

 * Guns: West had a SIG-Sauer P228 issued by the CCPD. However, he returned it to the department after quitting the force.

Trivia

 * West's favorite singers are Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, Johnny Hartman and Ella Fitzgerald.