Warning: Spoilers for The Flash #13!The Flashmay be the fastest man alive, but he hasn’t been able to outrun some of DC’s greatest tragedies. Whether it’s Barry Allen, Jay Garrick, or Wally West, the Flash is a family man, and being a superhero means the lives of loved ones are threatened by supervillains. But Wally West is done letting his family be hurt, and he will do anything to save them this time.
The Flashis more than just a super-powered hero. He channels the power of the Speed Force, but inThe Flash#13 by Simon Spurrier, Ramón Pérez, Pete Pantazis, Matt Herms, and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, the Speed Force has a poison within itself. Declaring that time itself must die, these nefarious Arc Angles make one fatal mistake by threatening Wally’s family.
Descending into the time stream, Wally comes out unscathed with his family intact as they stand in the very in-between space of time itself. He then declares to these seemingly unstoppable cosmic forces thathe will never let his family be hurt again,showing comic fans that Wally West isn’t backing down as the Flash any time soon.
The Flash’s History Is Framed by the Loss of His Loved Ones
A Flash’s legacy is more than justhis superpowered Flash Family.Especially in the case of Wally West,the history of the Flash is framed by tragedy.Not only doesthe death of Barry Allenalways linger, but Flash family members often meet gruesome ends, too. In pre-Crisis, Barry Allen’s arch-enemy Reverse-Flash killed his wife, Iris West-Allen, and in a later continuity, Zoom did the same with Wally West’s twins.
The Flash: 10 Best Barry Allen Costumes in DC Comic History
The Flash has been a DC staple for more than half a century, and with costumes galore - take a look at the many looks of the Fastest Man Alive!
Thanks to DC’s always-changing continuity, these deaths are often righted and rectified, though some other consequences take place - like when Barry Allen created Flashpoint and therebyerased Wally West and his entire history from the DC Universe. After this change,the New 52 came into beingwith no red-haired Wally West. It took Wally many years to get back to reality - and even then, it was even harder to bring his family back.
Wally West’s Famous Return to Comics as the Flash
A Man Out of Time With a Nonexistent Family
DC’s Rebirth eraushered in a return to well-known heroes and a beloved era of nostalgia for many comic fans. One of the most important moments to come out of this era was when it was revealed that Wally West had been lost in the Speed Force for the last several years inDC Universe: Rebirth#1by Geoff Johns, Ethan Van Sciver, Gary Frank, Ivan Reis, and Phil Jimenez. Wally appeared to several characters untilhis own uncle and mentor Barry Allen pulled him back into realitywith a panel that nearly healed all the years of hurt Flash fans had been through.
As a fan-favorite character with decades of history, Wally West’s erasure from the DC Universe was one of the most controversial elements of DC’s New 52 era. Wally’s return in the Rebirth era is considered the essential catalyst for the publisher’s more upbeat storytelling that followed.
The only problem was that after Wally West’s return to continuity, he had memories of his family before they were retconned, and it would be many years beforehis children returned to comics. Suddenly,Wally was stuck in a world with a woman who didn’t know him but was supposed to be his endgame love: Linda Park. This time, instead of saving his family from a speedster villain, he had to save his family from nonexistence.
Wally West Saves His Family from the Destruction of the Multiverse
The Flash Reunites With His Twin Children and Wife
During the events ofDark Knights: Death Metalby Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo, the Dark Multiverse was clashing with the Flash’s own, and Wally’s involvement changed everything about his Rebirth status quo. In the end, it tookWally West ascending to godhood, which is just one ofthe Flash’s many incredible looks, to bring together the shards of a broken multiverse, recrafting his story into its original shape: alove story that rivals Superman and Loisand a family-first life with their super-powered twins.
Wally West is not about to lose his family again.
Wally West is not about to lose his family again. As many times as he has reset the timeline, he still holds the grief of the years when his family was erased from the world.This pain has only made him faster, stronger, and a better hero- or, as his children say inThe Flash#13 about him being a Flash, a father, a friend, and a husband:
They’re all the same hat, Dad. They all say “hero.”
The Flash Is a Hero Because of His Love - Not His Speed
Wally West’s Life Flashes Before the Speed Force’s Eyes
As the Speed Force heals itself, Wally learns that his love for his family is the cure for what ails it. Speedsters are not just parasites feeding off an invisible source of creation; they literally nourish the Speed Force with their love and goodwill.Wally West’s love for his wife and his children is the engine for time.Long gone are the days of Wally’s mere existence breaking the timeline. Now, his legacy is its source of life and energy. The Flash does more than just save his family - he saves all of time.
The Flash Has DC’s Best Romance, And This 1 Sentence Just Made It Official
The Flash’s relationship with Linda Park-West is officially the strongest romance in the entire DC Universe, and this sentence proves it.
Wally West fans can rest easy knowing that there are no current plans to kill off his family again and no erasing their favorite Flash from the timeline. Wally and family are here to stay, and the Flash has a message for any villain, any god, and any Dark Multiverse out there: do not mess with theFlash’s family.
The Flash#13is available now from DC Comics!
The Flash
The Flash is the superhero name given to the DC Comics character who utilizes unparalleled speed tied to a dimensional power known as the “speed force” to overwhelm their opposition. Premiering in 1939, the original Flash arrived as Jay Garrick. Still, it would be superseded by Barry Allen in popularity and featured status, but the Flash is one character that has met many of their alternate selves. The character is typically seen as a part of the Justice League in nearly all incarnations.
