Flash’s New Cosmic Costume Redefines His Purpose in the DC Universe

As the Flash-Family’s world falls down around them, Wally West’s Flash has abandoned his family to become a new, cosmic-style hero, complete with a drastic makeover. As part of her plan to destroy Earth’s heroes, Amanda Waller just revealed to the world that speedster powers have been slowly eroding the laws of physics. As a result, the Speed Force has gone haywire, forcing the Flash-Family to spread themselves thin while putting out fires, now taking orders from a rapidly deteriorating Barry Allen.

With the authorities closing in and the world crumbling around them, Flash’s family need him, and yet The Flash 2024 Annual begins with Wally West hunting down an Uncoiled, now sporting a wild new look and carrying the mysterious Resident along for the ride. While Barry is certain that Wally has a good reason for ditching his friends and allies, readers know that isn’t quite true.

Wally now seems to be fully under the influence of the Resident, constructing a new suit so that he can travel even deeper into the new layers of reality he recently discovered. Even worse, Barry Allen’s Flash is being influenced by the Reverse-Flash, leading him to lash out when the new Speed Force team ask him for guidance.

Flash Has Been Seduced by the Resident

Wally West Has Abandoned His Family for an Illusion of Peace

Recently, Wally West unlocked a new power known as ‘Sidestepping’ – the ability to step outside of time and space, accessing different dimensions which define the natural laws of Earth. These dimensions proved to hold many new dangers for Wally, but the most insidious was the Gallery – a realm of ‘statues’ where the Flash quickly lost all connection to his family and his life as a hero, gradually consumed by blissful stillness.

Flash has since become addicted to the Gallery, seeking out this feeling of peace rather than dealing with his rapidly fragmenting life. Wally was alone in the Gallery save for the Resident, who recently helped him recover from a dangerous injury. While in the Resident’s care, Flash learned more about the godlike Arc Angles that have been messing with reality, and has seemingly set off on a quest to confront them.

While Wally’s new mission will hopefully help the Flash-Family find out if their powers really are eroding the laws of physics, Flash’s new look seems to be a dangerous change. The Gallery has been tempting Flash to escape the stress and pressure of his heroic life by essentially embracing oblivion, and no mission that comes from its influence can be trusted. As Flash‘s new cosmic look and mission take him further into the eldritch workings of the DC Universe, his family grow more and more desperate, close to accepting an unavoidable conclusion: Wally West can no longer be trusted.

The Flash 2024 Annual #1 is available April 30 from DC Comics.