Will Flash War End With Wally West Admitted To Sanctuary?

Since the return of Wally West in DC Universe Rebirth #1, the old history of the DC Universe has been slowly coming back into continuity. Everything that happened before Flashpoint still happened, but thanks to the machinations of Doctor Manhattan, people forgot about loved ones, shared histories were demolished and the bonds between the heroes of the DC Universe were eroded.

In recent issues of The Flash, as part of the “Flash War” story, Wally West has remembered that he was a father to twins in the DCU's previous timeline, and though those kids no longer exist, he’ll do anything to get them back. However, if he’s unable to save his children, you have to wonder what happens to a man that remembers a life he can’t get back, and how does he go on from there?

Family Ties

It was a bit strange that when Wally returned, he remembered his marriage to Linda Park and almost every aspect of his history, but made no mention of their children Jai and Irey. Now, two years later, we know that it was all building to this, and thanks to his friend-turned-enemy-turned possible friend again Hunter Zolomon, Wally has a chance to get his kids back but he needs to destroy the Speed Force to do it. Just like when Barry Allen raced back in time to save his mother and accidentally created the Flashpoint timeline, Wally risks everything to save his children -- but can you really blame him considering the flood of information and memories he’s only just received?

While the story of “Flash War” is centered around the missing children -- and possibly other missing speedsters such as Max Mercury, Jesse Quick and Bart Allen -- it’s also a story about Barry Allen vs Wally West, and whoever is faster will come out on top. So what happens if Barry is faster, and what happens if Wally West can’t save his family? That’s the sort of traumatising event that would likely lead to a superhero winding up in the super-crisis center known as Sanctuary.

Seeking Sanctuary

The concept of Sanctuary has been teased a number of times in DC Comics, and it was recently announced that Tom King and Clay Mann will be exploring the concept fully in the upcoming seven-issue miniseries Heroes In Crisis. After discovering that she wasn’t responsible for the deaths of a number of mobsters during her youth, Batman had Poison Ivy sent to Sanctuary to seek help and following a traumatic trip back in time in which he witnessed his own death, Booster Gold seems to be heading there too.

Based on real facilities which help veterans with PTSD and other mental health issues which come from time served in military and intelligence positions, Sanctuary and Heroes In Crisis pulls from Tom King’s past as an intelligence officer for the CIA. The solicits for Heroes In Crisis tease a murder-mystery that leads to the deaths of many of Sanctuary’s patients, with Booster Gold and Harley Quinn the main suspects, but will Wally West play a role too? Tom King recently stated on Twitter that “Flash War” will have major consequences in titles he’s currently writing, does that include Heroes In Crisis? Wally West is on the cover, but then again so is mostly everyone prominent in the DC Universe.

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The Nearness of You

The idea of a massive continuity shake-up having very personal effects isn’t exactly new, but it’s always effective. Most famously, the Astro City story “The Nearness of You” features a man who suffers from an aching and a loss that he can’t explain, only for him to discover that his wife was erased from the timeline by a big superhero dust-up that resulted in massive sweeping changes to their worlds’ history. Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Gaydos played around a little bit with a similar concept in the Jessica Jones revival in the wake of Secret Wars, but never fully followed the thought through to completion.

It’s a scary thing to consider, and if the general public found out it could be a massive scandal. Look at how The Supermen Theory is being received in the pages of Doomsday Clock, and that isn’t even real. Imagine finding out that your life and you memories exist at the whim of cosmic forces like The Monitor, Extant and Doctor Manhattan. It’s enough to drive anyone mad, so if Wally West isn’t able to rescue his children from continuity limbo, he may just need the treatment a facility like Sanctuary has to offer.

Missing Children

Wally West isn’t the only superhero to have loved ones erased by the omnipotent hand of Doctor Manhattan. His close friend and Titans teammate Roy Harper had a child with Cheshire named Lian who died in the fall of Star City, but now never existed at all. And speaking of Titans, Donna Troy lost an ex-husband and a son to the whims of continuity. Green Arrow’s son Connor Hawke may be out there somewhere, but he never took up the mantle after his father’s death, and if he does exist, Oliver Queen doesn’t know about it. Aquaman has had a few kids in a few different continuities, Barry Allen himself lost his grandkids Bart Allen and Jenni Ognats, and there are plenty more characters out there who have entire families and histories that just don’t exist anymore... and they’re none the wiser.

As the mystery behind the missing continuity deepens in Doomsday Clock and series like Heroes In Crisis explores the effects of these revelations on the hero community, the characters of the DC Universe may be heading towards one giant, existential breakdown. What’s the point of anything if everything you do could be rewritten tomorrow? The heroes of the DC Universe have fought off the most dangerous monsters in the multiverse, but can they survive their own crippling sense of overwhelming ennui? Only time will tell, but don’t be surprised to see a somewhat broken Wally West show up through Sanctuary’s doors in the near future.