Ever since the reality-altering events of Flashpoint, Wally West has had a tumultuous time within the DC Universe. Lost within the reshaped DC Multiverse due to tampering caused by Doctor Manhattan, Wally emerged at the start of DC Rebirth only to learn that his wife Linda Park-West and their children, Iris and Jai, had been rewritten, with Linda no longer recognizing him in the new timeline and their children erased from existence completely. The grief of losing his family would kickstart a chain of events that led to dramatic shifts for Wally but the Flash is poised to come back to prominence in a major way in the upcoming comic book story Generation Zero.
Written by Scott Lobdell and illustrated by Brett Booth, the exact specifics of the story are unknown, but it will spin out of the events of the miniseries Flash Forward, with Wally teased to have a greater cosmic awareness of the DCU and potentially taking on Manhattan's omnipotent powers. This is supported by Francis Manapul's cover for the story, showing Wally taking on Manhattan's familiar blue hue and symbol on his forehead, with images of past iterations of the DCU, including the New 52 era and the Dark Multiverse's Batman Who Laughs around him.
Wally had gone to the superhero retreat Sanctuary to cope with the emotional fallout of losing his family. During an especially traumatic episode, Wally had unleashed destructive energies from the Speed Force, inadvertently killing other patients as seen in the crossover event Heroes in Crisis. Attempting to frame Booster Gold and Harley Quinn for the murders while he sought to make things right, Wally would eventually confess and turn himself in only to be recruited by the omnipotent being Tempus Fuginaut to cleanse the DC Multiverse of incursions from the Dark Multiverse.
Wally's new, reality-spanning mission had confirmed an ongoing debate regarding the DCU's speedsters: Who exactly is the Fastest Man Alive? For years, fans have speculated if the fastest Scarlet Speedster was Wally or his mentor Barry Allen, with the two Flashes running to a destructive standstill in the "Flash War" storyline. However, Tempus revealed to Wally that he had been recruited due to his unique status as being unmoored from the DCU due to Manhattan's tampering. As a result, Wally is truly the fastest speedster in the DC Multiverse, confirmed when Wally managed to outrun in the Speed Force itself in a desperate effort to save his long-lost children.
Now, having seemingly surpassed his mentor, Wally is poised to make good on DC Comics' earlier promise to become an integral character within the DCU. It's unknown how Wally will receive a Doctor Manhattan-level power boost but DC's brief description for Generation Zero hints that Wally will be upgraded through his connection to Metron's Mobius Chair that allows him to see into the past, present and future of the DCU simultaneously -- not unlike Manhattan -- as he continues to search for his missing children.
Wally truly has had a rough go of it as of late, nearly replaced by a new character during the New 52 era after being plucked from reality by Manhattan and having lost the most upon his eventual return at the start of DC Rebirth. Despite this, he has been charged with defending the entire DC Multiverse and proven himself, without question, the Fastest Man Alive. And with Wally poised to receive another power boost by the end of Flash Forward, the Scarlet Speedster's importance through the DCU is only going to get even bigger moving forward.
Written by Scott Lobdell and illustrated by Brett Booth, Generation Zero will be included as part of DC Comics Free Comic Book Day offerings on May 2.