Wally West Just Became The Flash’s Arch-Nemesis, Literally

Warning: contains spoilers for The Flash #770

DC’s The Flash might be well known for his wide and varied Rogue’s Gallery, but none hate the Scarlet Speedster more than his literal opposite, the Reverse-Flash. Eobard Thawn’s loathing for Barry Allen is probably the character’s most defining trait. In a new comic, however, it’s Barry’s former sidekick, Wally West, who has inadvertently taken up the mantle of Reverse-Flash.

Coming from the creative team of Jeremy Adams, Jackson Herbert, Brandon Peterson, and Micheal Atiyeh, Wally’s latest adventures have been some of the Flash’s strangest of all time. After his traumatic journey returning to the DC Universe, Wally West was hesitant when Barry Allen asked him to take his place as Flash. This culminated in Wally announcing an early retirement. Unfortunately, though Wally was done with the Speed Force, the Speed Force wasn’t done with him. When he and Barry had one last race, the Speed Force zapped him away. As a result of this, Wally has been traveling through the history of DC’s speedsters to try and fix leaks in the Speed Force. First, he lands in a caveman’s body, then Impulse’s, and in his latest adventure, he inhabits the body of DC’s first Flash, Jay Garrick.

Finding himself in World War II, Wally and Jay’s partner the Ray are on a mission to defeat the Nazis. This adventure leads to Hitler obtaining a Speed Force empowered Spear of Destiny. Eventually, Wally is able to knock out Hitler, saving Jay and the Ray from Nazi torture. Though the issue is thrilling in its own right, the real twist comes at the issue’s very end. Having fixed the Speed Force leak, Wally’s mind is sent into the body of another speedster. To his shock, Wally West finds himself inhabiting the body of Eobard Thawn right as he is being inducted into the Legion of Doom.

While this situation will undoubtedly lead to hijinks reminiscent of Wally’s time swapping bodies with Lex Luthor in Justice League Unlimited, this won’t be Wally’s first brush with villainy. Heroes in Crisis infamously had him accidentally killing a great number of heroes and then framing innocent people for the crime. As if that wasn’t enough, Future State recently saw Wally become Famine itself. Ironically, this version of Wally accomplished what Thawn could only ever dream of, as Future State’s Flash was emotionally and physically destroyed by Famine.

Fortunately for fans of Wally West and the Flash, this latest series is all about bringing some fun and levity back to Flash. Wally was promised that he’s pivotal in forthcoming Crisis events meaning that his retirement isn’t coming anytime soon. Additionally, the Super Friends-esque art style of the last page promises a goofy time. Overall, Wally West’s journey into the Infinite Frontier has been a cathartic one both for the character and for his fans. Wally West’s time as the Reverse-Flash promises to be one of the Flash’s most hilarious misadventures of all time.

About The Author

Evan Mullicane
(362 Articles Published)

Evan D. Mullicane is an editor, critic, and author based out of California’s Bay Area. He received his bachelor’s degree in creative writing from San Francisco State University in 2016. In his free time, he enjoys reading graphic novels and writing fantasy.

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