Warning: Contains SPOILERS for The Flash #3
As one of the publisher’s marquee legacies, the mantle of the Flash has always held massive importance within the DC Universe. From the first multiversal crossover to recent events like Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths, the Fastest Man Alive is always the forerunner of progress across the multiverse. But Wally West’s newest nickname hints that the Flash has become more important to the DCU than ever before.
The Flash #3 by Si Spurrier and Mike Deodato Jr. finds the titular Titan shifting through layers of reality alongside fellow Flash Family speedster, Max Mercury. Arriving at a plane that freezes their unique Speed Force vibrations, the pair are greeted by speedsters from across time and space, all of whom they’ve met before at the speedster sanctuary known as Timepoint.
Wally West is immediately recognized, as a futuristic android says “It’s him. It’s the Cynosure!” While this new moniker doesn’t exactly have the same ring as the Fastest Man Alive or the Scarlet Speedster, it does in fact represent just how vital the Flash is to the fabric of the DC Universe at large.
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The Flash Has Become DC’s “Cynosure”
Being that a “cynosure” is someone at the center of attention, it’s no wonder that this is a nickname heaped upon Wally West’s Flash. As the Flash, Wally has consistently proven himself to be the fastest being in existence, an idol for speedsters and heroes everywhere and a key player within the fabric of the DC Multiverse. This new status quo is simply shining a spotlight on the Flash’s impact on the reality around him in a very literal way, so it’s natural that the others fueled by the same power source would consider him the be-all-end-all of the Speed Force’s legacy.
As part of the Dawn of DC storytelling initiative, the Flash’s powers have been operating far differently than they have in the past. Now given the ability to shift his aura into practically every level of reality, there are few places that Wally West cannot race towards. And with the unique effect that this new skillset has been having on reality itself, the Flash has risen to a level of power rivaling that of Superman himself – giving his newfound “cynosure” label that much more legitimacy while also impressing upon Wally just how much he needs to learn about these new powers.
Wally West’s New Status Could Change Everything
The Flash is considered “the fastest man alive” for a reason, and his powers have always had a dramatic effect on the world around him. But with Wally West’s overall importance shifted to levels never before seen as a potential linchpin of the multiverse as a whole, the Scarlet Speedster has to reckon with just what this “cynosure” nickname means. Either way, it’s clear that the Flash is still far and away the Fastest Man Alive, but now it’s up to the rest of the DC multiverse to keep up with their Crimson Comet.
THE FLASH #3 (2023) | |
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