Wally West Redefines the Flash’s Mission for a New Era

Warning! Spoilers ahead for The Flash #771!

In The Flash #771, Wally West redefines what being the Flash means to him. Since the first issue of the Infinite Frontier era, Wally has been stuck on an endless journey through time and space. Jumping between different versions of the Flash from throughout history and his experiences have solidified how he sees his title in a larger, more expansive sense. Could this be the reason for the Speed Force sending him on this long and winding journey?

Over the last few years, Wally has suffered endless amounts of tragedy. DC Rebirth saw him wiped from reality, meaning that, upon his return, his wife, Linda Park, didn’t even recognize him. But the biggest tragedy to him was that his children never existed, thanks to Dr. Manhatten’s changes. More recently, in Future State, Wally was taken over by the Four Horseman’s riders. With them in control of his body, Wally went on a killing spree, murdering many innocent people. All of this pushed Wally to quit being the Flash until the Speed Force sent him on this mission.

In The Flash #771 by Jeremy Adams and Kevin Maguire, Wally finds new meaning in his journey as the Flash. This comes just before he meets his future daughter, Irey West, who is also a speedster. This surprises him as he’s been so set on distancing his family from anything Flash-related. As teased by Irey, it looks like Wally is soon to find a new purpose in his role as Central City’s protector. He knows that the Flash is about much more than just running fast and saving people.

From the outside, being the Flash looks to be all about speeding around and being a hero. But Wally admits that he realizes it’s about persevering, no matter the circumstances. This is a character aspect that Wally’s mentor Barry Allen has had for a long time, going so far as to sacrifice himself in Crisis on Infinite Earths. It’s great to see Wally looking at his duty from a fresh perspective, it’s been made clear that the Speed Force’s intention was to teach him a lesson. Wally’s journey has put his past experiences into perspective and he knows that he must take the next step forward, no matter what.

Ultimately, Wally will return to Central City and take his rightful place as the Flash. This was meant to happen after Infinite Frontier #0 where Barry officially passed on the Flash mantle, which Wally accepted. But after re-thinking Barry’s proposal, Wally realized that he wanted to spend more time with his family, doubting his abilities as a hero. Now, after his endless venture through time and space, Wally West will continue to be the Flash and live his life by newfound means. The Flash #771 is available in comic book stores and on digital platforms now.

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.

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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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