Warning! Spoilers ahead for The Flash #769
In the latest issue of The Flash, it’s revealed that Wally West may not retire from being a speedster after all. In previous issues, Wally was ready to put a close on his time as The Flash and the Fastest Man Alive, leaving the heroics to Barry Allen and the rest of the Flash Family. But it seems as though the Speed Force has other plans, needing Wally’s help for one last mission. Being pulled to various periods in time, Wally has had no choice but to go with the flow and do what he can, but his time in the future reveals that Wally’s plans to retire may change.
After enduring some incredibly tumultuous years, Wally West has made the decision that he was going to retire from being a speedster, wanting to spend more time with his wife and kids. As a result, Wally asks Barry to help take his speed away, knowing that if he still has it he’ll been tempted to use it and be the hero he’s always been. While Barry agrees to honor Wally’s request, something happens when the two of them run into the Speed Force to sever Wally’s connection. Wally is instead whisked away by the power of the Speed Force, leaving only his suit behind. He then awakens with his consciousness being in the body of the first speedster, a Cro-Magnon during the prehistoric era. After a tense chase with a velociraptor he accidentally gives speed to, which subsequently explodes, Wally is then taken to the future, finding himself within the body of Impulse, Barry Allen’s grandson.
Now, The Flash #769 from Jeremy Adams, David Lafuente, and Brandon Peterson sees a new foe being affected by the Speed Force, an alien Dominator that’s now grown to massive size, threatening to explode and destroy a large chunk of the planet with the surge of unstable Speed Force energy. However, Wally (as Impulse) gets some help from Barry, Mr. Terrific, and Green Arrow in the present, though he also comes face-to-face with Gold Beetle, a time traveling hero from the future and friend of Bart’s who lets loose some details about Wally’s future working with her, indicating that Wally’s retirement might not end as soon as he wants it to.
Gold Beetle actually finds the idea of Wally retiring laughable, and she ambiguously speaks to all the adventures and crises Wally’s Flash has yet to have. While this certainly comes a surprise to Wally himself, the Dominator is about to blow and he doesn’t have much time to process, working with his friends in the present and Gold Beetle to come up with a solution. Once that’s done, the Speed Force then sends him to deal with another “speed leak” in need of repair.
While Wally seemed so certain that retirement was what he wanted, perhaps his time in the future and what he’s learned will motivate to keep operating as The Flash a while longer? That being said, the future is never set in stone in the DC Universe, so perhaps Wally will still retire once his mission for the Speed Force comes to a close. Regardless, he’s not done yet as the Speed Force has now sent him back into the body of the first Flash Jay Garrick, and it looks like Wally West will be fighting otherworldly Nazis in future issues of the series from DC Comics.
