Titans Writer Dan Abnett On How the Superman/Wally West Reunion Came to Be

In today’s issue of Titans, Wally West (he of the pre-Flashpoint DC Universe) finally had the opportunity to meet somebody who knew him without having to through an elaborate introduction process, or being touched by the Speed Force.

That would be Superman, himself one of the last survivors of a dead world — the pre-Flashpoint Earth.

“I could see that great connection between him and Wally and I wanted to explore that,” Titans writer Dan Abnett told ComicBook.com.

The Man of Steel arrived in Titans #7, on sale today, and after offering the team some help with a bad guy, he simply said that it was “nice to see you again, Wally,” which took the speedster by surprise…but lacked the larger-than-life nature of Superman rushing to Wally’s side, screaming “Wait! I know you!”

“I think when you’ve got characters dressed in very bright spandex costumes flying around and running at superhuman speeds, downplaying anything else you can is probably a good idea because it makes them feel like people at the same time,” Abnett said. “To have that interaction almost as a throwaway, for Superman to be casual about it and say, ‘Well he must be smart enough to know that Wally would pick up on it immediately,’ and it gives them an opportunity not only to have fun with their race but also for Superman to essentially take him to one side, literally hundreds of miles one side but take him to one side so they can talk about it privately. Much better than having that big ‘I remember you’ moment. I think to do it on the basis of a half-forgotten friendship I thought was much more appealing.”

The pair agree to keep one another posted about the strange changes to the timeline, which Wally has his own ideas about and which Superman will soon likely be facing in a different way in the forthcoming “Superman Reborn” storyline.

Titans #7 is on sale now. You can pick it up at your local comic shop or buy a digital copy on ComiXology.