The Flash: Has DC Finally Redeemed Wally West? | CBR - CBR - Comic Book Resources

WARNING: The following contains spoilers for The Flash #761, by Joshua Williamson, Howard Porter, Hi-Fi and Steve Wands, on sale now.

Wally West hasn't exactly had it easy ever since he returned from years of absence at the start of 2016's DC Rebirth. The character was essentially erased from existence for the 2011 relaunch The New 52 and, after spending five years trapped in the Speed Force, he returned to a world that he didn't know anymore. Some of his friends and loved ones didn't recognize him at first and even though they eventually did, the life he had built with Linda Park and the two children they had was still gone.

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On top of that, his return brought pressure on him to act as the DC Universe's beacon of hope -- and he carried that torch for a while, until it all became too much. In order to recuperate, Wally checked into Sanctuary in 2019's Heroes in Crisis, which became the focal point of a terrible murder mystery.

Unfortunately for fans of Wally West, it turns out he was the one responsible for the death of multiple heroes. Since then, Wally has been trying to make up for what happened in Heroes in Crisis. And now, with the release of The Flash #761, DC has essentially fully redeemed the former Kid Flash.

At the heart of the Heroes in Crisis event, there was a murder mystery. Multiple C and D-list heroes who were checked into Sanctuary at the same time as Wally West were killed, and the crime scene left by the culprit was a literal bloodbath. Eventually, it was revealed that Wally West, one of the greatest and most hopeful heroes in the DC Universe, was the one behind this heinous crime. In truth, Wally accidentally killed the others in Sanctuary after he lost control of his abilities for a split second. The lightning flared out of him and killed everyone.

But the real crime came after: thinking that no one would believe what he did was an accident, he instead tried to cover it up by staging a terrible attack -- and he even killed a time-double of himself to try to avoid suspicion. This revelation didn't sit right with fans, seeing as how it didn't seem like something Wally West, the ever hopeful and idealistic superhero, would ever do.

After Heroes in Crisis, Wally went on a quest for redemption that started in Flash Forward. There, he traveled across the Multiverse to save all of reality. This adventure even led him to acquire the powers of Doctor Manhattan, which the speedster plans to use in the currently unfolding Dark Nights: Death Metal event to undo all of the damage done by the Batman Who Laughs and Perpetua.

In The Flash #761, Barry Allen goes up against his worst enemy, the Reverse-Flash. While the two fight, Eobard Thawne reveals that he has a secret superpower granted to him by the Negative Speed Force: by speaking at hyper-speed, he is able to plant ideas in the minds of others, Inception-style. With this power, he created a rift between Barry, Wally, and Wallace, and he even instigated the events of the "Flash War." But perhaps the most surprising of Thawne's heinous acts was convincing Wally West, moments after he accidentally killed his friends in Heroes in Crisis, to cover up his crime.

Therefore, the worst part of Wally's fall from grace didn't come from himself -- it was actually an idea implanted by the Reverse-Flash. The staging of the crime scene, and the entire mess that followed, was all because of the villain -- not Wally West.

This completely changes Heroes in Crisis, and it puts Wally's actions into perspective. Sure, he still killed multiple people, but that was clearly an accident. The real crime was when he tried to cover it up, and we now know that this was the result of the Reverse-Flash's manipulations. This, coupled with the events of Flash Forward and Death Metal, is surely more than enough for Wally to finally earn his redemption.

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About The Author

Ian Cardona (2822 Articles Published)

Ian Cardona has written for CBR since 2017. He is a Feature, Comic Breakouts and News writer. He's been in love with comics for a very long time, and believes there is some good to be found even in the industry's more difficult times. His favorite Avenger is Captain America, and that was long before the character starred in a very successful film franchise. He is an avid statue and Funko Pop! figures collector, and he's rapidly running out of shelf space. With CBR, he has been able to write about his favorite subjects, from the MCU to Doctor Who. You can follow him on Twitter at @ian_c1701 (yes, that is a Star Trek reference) for discussions, debates or pictures of really cool collectibles he probably doesn't have room for.

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The Flash: Has DC Finally Redeemed Wally West? | CBR - CBR - Comic Book Resources

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