Flash War's Finale Features The Return Of [SPOILER]

SPOILER WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for The Flash #50 by Joshua Williamson, Howard Porter, Hi-Fi and Steve Wands, on sale now.

Since the current volume of The Flash began with DC Rebirth, Joshua Williamson and his collaborators have focused on building a new Flash Family for Barry Allen. As a result, characters like Kid Flash, Godspeed, The Flash of China and Negative Flash have found a place as allies (and occasionally enemies) of the Scarlet Speedster.

However, the return of Wally West in DC Universe Rebirth #1 suggested the existence of the rest of the Flash Family somewhere out there in the Multiverse, and the current blockbuster “Flash War” storyline has been focused on Wally’s search for his missing children, Irey and Jai. With the villain once known as Zoom having manipulated Wally into ripping open the Speed Force, you never quite know what’s going to come out the other side, and The Flash #50 ends with a huge shocker, as a fan-favorite speedster returns after nearly seven years of being absent from DC Comics.

Born To Run

Together, Wally West and Barry Allen chase Hunter Zolomon beyond the Speed Force and into Hypertime, where all possible futures exist simultaneously and any of them can merge with the prime timeline at any time. As the heroes plan how to stop Hunter, a mysterious voice calls out to Wally, and he sees a vision of his children as adults. The voice returns again as Wally digs deep into his memories and remembers his forgotten friends and family, urging him to “keep going…” Wally’s memories of the Flash Family from before the Flashpoint allows him to tap into the temporal energy and knock Hunter out of Hypertime, saving the day, if losing the villain along the way.

In the aftermath of the Flashes’ victory, it doesn’t feel much like a win. Wally still remembers and wants to find his children; Kid Flash resents Barry for stranding him and Iris in the twenty-fifth century; and Hunter Zolomon is still on the loose with the powers of the Strength, Speed and Sage Forces. Barry Allen sees the ordeal as a teachable moment to learn from and speeds off towards his next adventure, unaware that he, Wally and Hunter weren’t the only speedsters to return from the Speed Force. The owner of the mysterious voice which reached out to Wally materializes moments after The Flash races off… and Impulse returns to the DC Universe.

Hitting the pavement running (next to a shop sign that reads “Ringo-Design” a nod to the late Mike Wieringo, Bart’s co-creator who sadly passed away at the age of 44), Bart acknowledges that he was the voice in the Speed Force calling out to Wally. Apparently, the collapse of the Force Wall is what allowed him to make his way back to the world. Returning to the DC Universe with his trademark enthusiasm, Bart Allen’s arrival in The Flash suggests a brighter and more optimistic tone going forward, and the promise that the continuity of the pre-Flashpoint DC Universe has not been forgotten.

Page 2: [valnet-url-page page=2 paginated=0 text='Who%20is%20Bart%20Allen%3F']

Reckless Youth

Bart Allen debuted in 1993’s The Flash #92 by Mark Waid and Mike Wieringo, which also saw the return of Iris West who had remained in the 30th century since Barry Allen’s death in Crisis on Infinite Earths. Iris explained to her nephew Wally that Bart Allen was her grandson, the son of Don Allen of the Tornado Twins and a woman later revealed to be Meloni Thawne, descendent of the Reverse Flash. Bart was born with a connection to the Speed Force that accelerated his ageing and in order to have his mind keep up with his body’s growth, he was placed in a virtual reality environment but they were unable to find a cure. Iris brought Bart back to the present to get Wally’s help, and The Flash was able to force Bart to race faster enough to shock his metabolism into a more normal state.

However, because of Bart’s unconventional upbringing — chronologically he was two years old, although he had the body and mind of a twelve year old — Bart had no concept of danger. He was raised in a virtual environment where nothing could hurt him, and now found himself in the 20th century with superpowers and a penchant for adventure. Named “Impulse” by Batman as a warning, Bart relocated to Manchester, Alabama with the Zen Master of Speed, Max Mercury, who served as his mentor and father figure. He found friends in the members of Young Justice, who eventually graduated to become Teen Titans.

In his first mission as a Teen Titan, he was shot in the kneecap by Deathstroke at point blank range, which forced him to grow-up and slow-down somewhat. He took on the mantle of Kid Flash to represent this new stage in his superheroic career, but only a couple of years later he’d be forced to step into the shoes of his grandfather and cousin when he returned from the Speed Force artificially aged as the new Flash. Bart’s tenure as the Flash only lasted a short while as he was robbed of his speed by his evil clone Inertia and beaten to death by The Rogues, but he was later resurrected as a teenager again by The Legion of Super-Heroes. He was last seen during the Flashpoint when he merged with the Speed Force and became The White Flash, lending his speed energy to Barry Allen to allow him to return to the true timeline.

Page 3: [valnet-url-page page=3 paginated=0 text='When%20will%20the%20rest%20of%20the%20Flash%20Family%20return%3F']

Runs In The Family

Impulse’s return is a huge step towards recovering the lost characters from before the Flashpoint, and Wally’s trip through Hypertime suggested that they are still out there. One scene shows the Flash Family gathered around the table and while we can see Barry, Iris, Wally, Linda, Irey and Jai, there are four figures in shadow in the background. This is more than likely supposed to be Jesse Quick, Jay Garrick, Bart Allen and Max Mercury, all members of the Flash Family in the short period of time between the Flash Rebirth miniseries and Flashpoint. Jay Garrick’s return has already been hinted at, with a brief appearance in the final issue of “The Button” that ended with the Golden Age hero unsuccessful in his attempt to escape the Speed Force.

Bart’s Rebirth arrival is huge for Flash fans who have been waiting to see more classic members of the Flash Family return, but it also represents a huge shift in the ongoing mystery regarding what’s happened with the DC Multiverse and opens up a tonne of possibilities for storytelling. Firstly, when will he reunite with his grandfather and how will that go? Bart and Barry only barely interacted following the latter’s return, but now Bart is in the position Barry was in Flash Rebirth and will likely be looking forward to seeing his grandfather.

Furthermore, what does this mean for Bart’s friends? If Bart remembers before the Flashpoint, he’ll want to reunite with Robin, Wonder Girl and Superboy but Superboy doesn’t exist, Wonder Girl has been MIA since DC Rebirth and Red Robin has no memory of his pre-Flashpoint days. How will the younger Wally West react to there being a new teenage speedster on the scene with a familial relation to his idol? All these questions only hint at the future of the Flash books following the milestone fiftieth issue as Joshua Williamson and his collaborators show no signs of slowing down, if you'll pardon the pun.