The Flash’s speed is killing him and all of DC’s speedsters

❘ Published: 2023-09-25T20:56:02

DC Comics

The Flash is running into a new era, but the Speed Force is trying to kill him.

Wally West’s return in The Flash #1 may be diminished by the Speed Force, which appears to be trying to kill anyone who uses it.

The last few years have been rough for Wally West. His return from being trapped in nothingness has been heralded with rejection, a massacre, and nearly becoming one with an evil god.

Things started to finally turn around when he settled into his role as The Flash, stepping up after Barry Allan left Earth. With the arrival of a new son, though, Wally is all set to race into a new era.

The problem is he might not survive it. It looks like the Speed Force has fractured, and the result is very, very painful.

The Speed Force is killing The Flash and every DC speedster

Preview pages shared by DC Comics and reported by AIPT show the Speed Force is reacting against speedsters. We see Max Mercury and Impulse equate it to slamming into a brick wall. Meanwhile, Wally is running and losing focus as tapping into the Speed Force physically hurts him.

The comic using Max and Impulse does a great job of showing just how serious the matter is. The two were last seen reunited at the end of The One Minute War storyline, racing off to cast themselves into the Speed Force – something Max has been seen doing many times.

The Flash #1 wally west hurt by speed force

Speedsters aren’t able to safely use the Speed Force in The Flash #1.

As the “zen guru of speed,” Max Mercury should be able to make sense of anything the Speed Force throws at him. To see him confused indicates something is seriously wrong.

It’s not the first time Wally’s had troubles with the Speed Force, though. The Flash #800 ended with Wally seemingly reaching a new level of speed that caused him to see horrific alternate dimensions. And, of course, he famously retired as a superhero before Crisis on Infinite Earths, as his speed was causing his body to fail.

What exactly is going on with the Speed Force is due to be addressed in this latest relaunch of The Flash, as well as the upcoming spin-off series Speed Force. For more The Flash and comic book news, be sure to follow all our coverage.