WARNING: The following contains spoilers for "The Flash" from Infinite Frontier #0 by Joshua Williamson, Howard Porter, Hi-Fi, and ALW's Troy Peteri, on sale now.
The road that Wally West has been running for the last few years has been rough, to say the least. Ever since he escaped from the Speed Force at the start of DC Rebirth, he’s faced more than his fair share of trauma.
With everything going on, Wally hasn’t had much time to shine on his own since his return. But with his mentor Barry Allen passing him the baton as the Flash of the DC Omniverse again, it’s time to take a look at just what Wally’s been through and how he finally came to be in the position to set out as a hero once more.
Setting the stage for the next phase of the DC Omniverse, Infinite Frontier #0 puts Wally in a new but familiar position. After the events of Dark Nights: Death Metal, by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo, there are more worlds than ever calling to be explored and charted. After receiving an offer from President Superman of Earth-23 to join the multiversal super-team known as Justice Incarnate, Barry calls Wally to the Justice League Watchtower for a very important conversation.
Knowing that he has to leave everything behind in safe hands, Barry officially passes the mantle of the Flash to his former protégé. Telling him just how proud he is of Wally for handling everything he’s been through, Barry has confidence in his successor to keep a handle on things as he explores the Omniverse, promising to be there in a flash if Wally ever needs backup.
This isn’t the first time that Barry’s faith in Wally has changed his life. After all, it was in DC Universe Rebirth #1 by Geoff Johns, Phil Jimenez, Ivan Reis, and others, that Barry’s love for his nephew served as Wally’s lightning rod out of the Speed Force. Ever since then, Wally hasn’t been given the opportunity to strike out as his own man.
Since he returned, almost everything Wally has been through has either been as a part of a team or under someone else's influence. Once reborn, he immediately sought out the original Titans. And when they eventually went their separate ways, Wally went back to Central City with Barry and the Flash Family, still in his mentor’s shadow.
The events of the “Flash War” storyline by Williamson and Porter took a toll on Wally. After Wally is manipulated by his old foe, Hunter Zolomon, he attempts to destroy the Speed Force, believing that to be the only way to free the Flash Family members trapped within.
While he comes to his senses and works with Barry to take on Zolomon, the experience shatters him and he checks into the Sanctuary trauma center for heroes. But in Heroes in Crisis by Tom King, Clay Mann, and Mitch Gerads, Wally suffers a psychological breakdown and loses control of his powers, killing the other heroes in Sanctuary and staging a crime scene under the influence of Eobard Thawne, the Reverse-Flash.
As Wally turns himself in to pay for his crimes, he’s swept away by the cosmic Tempus Fuginaut to protect the Multiverse in Flash Forward by Scott Lobdell, Brett Booth, and Norm Rapmund. Although this adventure returns both Wally’s children and Linda’s memories, Wally—with the power of Dr. Manhattan—is left under the sway of the Mobius Chair by the story's end.
This power makes Wally instrumental in Dark Nights: Death Metal when the Batman Who Laughs seeks to steal his power and prevent the remaining heroes from restoring the Multiverse to what it once was. But it’s not until the Dark Nights: Death Metal Speed Metal#1 tie-in issue by Williamson, Barrows, and Eber Ferreira that Wally truly steps up, outrunning the Batman Who Laughs and using the Mobius Chair to help the other heroes restore the damaged multiverse.
Now, with Death Metal bringing his family back together and returning his victims to life, this passing of the baton effectively gives the Fastest Man Alive the clean slate promised way back in DC Universe Rebirth. With any luck, this fan-favorite Flash will finally be able run his race on his own terms.