DC Just Rewrote 32 Years of Flash Lore & Changed Everything

Decades after it was formally introduced, fans are getting some strange new revelations about the Flash Family’s least-understood energy, the Speed Force. Oh sure, everyone knows that this mystical/scientific wonder is what gives Wally West and every other speedster in the DC Universe their incredible swiftness. But no one has ever really figured out what it is or what its connection to the speedsters really means. West and other Flashes have tried to study it, but with the fluctuating nature of the Speed Force, many heroes have stopped questioning the true nature behind the powerful force.

Speaking of the Speed Force, the energy source has been targeted by Darkseid’s Legion in DC K.O. during the Flash’s tie-in books. Wanting to eliminate the Speed Force to prevent speedsters from being a threat to Darkseid, the Legion has targeted Barry Allen and is out to stop his origin from occurring, taking out every subsequent speedster. Now, Wally and Bart Allen are the last line of defense to protect the Speed Force, and they’re about to learn one hell of a secret that changes everything for the Speedsters.

The Flash Family is All Just Different Representations of the Speed Force

In The Flash #29 by Mark Waid, Christopher Cantwell, Vasco Georgiev, Matt Herms, and Buddy Beaudoin, Wally races to save Barry Allen and thankfully arrives in time. Unfortunately, the Darkseid Legion arrives not too long after. Flash puts up a good fight and is able to keep the younger version of his mentor safe. However, Lightning Lad absorbs the bolt intended for Barry, causing a ripple effect in the timeline. Wally, and later Bart, can feel the Speed Force leave them and turn them back into non-speedster humans.

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Bart Allen arrives on the scene to help and experiences a vision of Jay Garrick, who tells the young speedster that the Speed Force is still in Bart and he can re-ignite it. The boy is overwhelmed by glowing, yellow energy and begins speaking as the Speed Force. Impulse tells Wally that he, like Wally, is all just one avatar of the same force. Though they’re all independent heroes, each is an aspect of the Speed Force and is always connected to the others through the mystical force. With that, Bart zaps Wally and Barry, restoring their speed and the timeline.

The Speed Force isn’t Just a Power Source, It’s the True Face of the Flash

Impulse puts it best when he says the various names of the speedsters are irrelevant. At the core, each member of the Flash is the same, just a different face for the Speed Force. It’s not that the speedsters aren’ ttheir own people, they’re all just avatars who embody one of the most powerful forces of nature in the DC Universe. The Flash Family has always been close, but this kind of revelation brings them all just a tad bit closer.

What do you think about the Flash Family and its relationship to the Speed Force? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts on the ComicBook Forum!