The New Flash Has Finally Mastered a Forgotten Speed Force Power

Warning: spoilers ahead for The Flash #771!

In The Flash #771, Wally West, DC’s new Flash, has finally mastered the Speed Force ability to phase through solid matter! The earliest official mention of the Flash’s ability to phase was in The Flash #121 in 1961. Since then, Barry Allen has always been able to use this power, vibrating at a different frequency to certain obstacles in a way that allows him to pass right through them. But the same can’t be said for Wally, who has always struggled with phasing. Although he’s able to vibrate his molecules at an extremely fast pace, Wally could never reliably translate this to phasing, and sometimes things would go terribly wrong. Wally’s phasing attempts have actually caused objects to explode in the past, leading him to avoid this power in most of his adventures.

Although Wally has been limited from using phasing, he’s had a range of unique powers that even Barry couldn’t pull off. These new powers mainly come from his greater connection to the Speed Force, since he was stuck there for many years. Having built up a greater spiritual understanding of the force that powers him, Wally is now more powerful than Barry in a lot of ways. During his journey throughout space and time, Wally has proven time and again that he is ready to take on the Flash mantle, which is his if he wants it.

In The Flash #771 by Jeremy Adams and Kevin Maguire, Wally finds himself in a tricky situation which leads him to attempt phasing. In this issue, Wally finds himself stuck in the Reverse-Flash’s body. Not long after he arrives, he is exposed and makes a run for it. Wally realizes that the Legion of Doom’s headquarters is on the moon, just as Lex Luthor destroys the glass that protects them from the vacuum of space. Barry informs Wally that he will imminently die if he’s to be flung out into space, but with Superman’s life also on the line, Wally is forced to think fast and manages to grab onto the bottom of Lex’s ship, phasing through it!

Barry is thoroughly impressed by Wally’s quick thinking. He is successfully able to phase aboard Lex’s ship, despite the presence of electronics, which have been a particular barrier to Wally’s phasing in the past. It’s a genius move that saves Wally’s life but also puts him in the perfect position to save Superman. The moment is clearly meant to indicate that Wally has successfully added this power to his roster, although with the caveat that he doesn’t appear to be able to breathe while phasing, putting a sensible limit on how it can be utilized in future adventures.

Perhaps it’s the adrenaline of Wally’s life and death situation that pushes him past previous limitations, or just his enhanced connection to the Speed Force taking him to the next level, but the new Flash has finally mastered phasing. Although his Speed Force body-hopping journey isn’t over quite yet, it seems that every step of the way has been orchestrated to change Wally‘s mind about retiring as the Flash, and leave him in a place where he can truly embrace his new role as DC’s premier speedster.

About The Author

Ben Rolph
(344 Articles Published)

Ben Rolph is a Comics features writer for Screen Rant. Based out of London, United Kingdom, Ben owns and runs an Arrowverse YouTube channel called ‘TheDCTVshow’, as well as being a film critic at DiscussingFilm. He is also a Tomatometer-approved critic and studies film at the University of Westminster.

Ben has a passion for the Arrowverse shows, especially The Flash and Supergirl, which he has watched and analysed for years.

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