Warning: Spoilers for The Flash #13The Speed Force, the source of the flash s Super-speed has long been an enigma in the DC Universe. Fans have spent years wondering what exactly it is that fuels the fastest man alive, with many writers struggling to define the mysterious cosmic entity. After decades of speculation, The Flash just discovered the truth about the Speed Force, and it changes everything readers thought they knew about his powers.
In a preview for The bottle #13 by Simon Spurrier and Ramón Pérez, Wally West and Barry Allen attempt to save the Speed Force from the Crown of Thawnes that the Arc Angles forced Wally to deploy in it. Wally feels that the Speed Force is still in pain, and he believes he can save it. Trying as Barry can stop him, Wally approaches the source of his power and prepares to surrender to him. here, The Flash’s connection to the Speed Force allows him to sense that it is alive.
This reveal changes the nature of the Flash’s abilities, which proves that There is much more to the Speed Force than meets the eye. The Speed Force has been dormant for billions of years, but it chose the Flash for a reason, and his destiny may be at hand now that he’s finally learned about the origins of his powers.
The Speed Force has been DC’s biggest mystery for 30 years
Speed Force First Appearance: 1994s The bottle #91 by Mark Waid, Mike Wieringo, José Marzan Jr., Gina Going-Raney and Gaspar Saladino
The concept of the Speed Force was introduced thirty years ago in The bottle #91 by Mark Waid and Mike Wieringo, when Wally West uses Johnny Quick’s speed formula to freeze time so he can save people in a falling helicopter. Max Mercury, a fellow speedster who is attuned to the spiritual side of his powers, informs Wally of “An energy force that will change [his] Live.“this”Energy-force,” of course, will become known as the Speed Force, a name Wally unintentionally foreshadows here. The Speed Force is the source of every speedster’s powersBinding the Flash family in both life and death.
Since its creation, the Speed Force has been expanded in various ways, from attempts to start stories to the unveiling of more forces than it. in The bottle #49 by Joshua Williamson and Howard Porter Zoom harnesses the Speed Force and unleashes the other forces, including the Sage Force, the Strength Force, and the Silent Force. Along with the Speed Force, these powers are said to rule the universe. Despite additions like the forces, though, The true nature of the Speed Force is never fully explained in a way that stuck. Thankfully, The Flash’s latest adventure has recently provided answers.
The Flash’s Speed Force Is Alive (Yes, Really)
The powers of the Flash family have been redefined in a shocking way
Spurrier’s current run as the writer of The bottle has built on the foundation of the Speed Force with a game-changing reveal. in The bottle #11 By Spurrier and Pérez, the Arc Angles inform Wally West that The Speed Force is a sentient being called the Deep Change. The entity from beyond the Source Wall uses the Flash family as a nervous system to experience life through them. In exchange for this, the Deep Change gifts the powers of the forces to be channeled. The bottle has now confirmed that the Speed Force is indeed alive, even though it has been asleep for millennia, and that it is not as dark as he feared.
Related
Throughout the Flash’s current storyline, he doubts whether the Speed Force is truly a force for good. After the Ark Angles—with help from The Flash’s villains—manipulate him into thinking his powers are tampering with reality, Wally secludes himself from the world so he can’t hurt people with his speed anymore. With the truth revealed, The Flash now knows that the Speed Force is not evil. Instead, it emanates from a living being who, in his sleep, chose the Flash family for their love. It doesn’t get more quintessentially good than that. However, if the Speed Force really is alive, that also means it can die.
Only the Flash can save the Speed Force before it’s too late
But Wally West will have to pay the ultimate price
The revelation that the Speed Force is alive coincides with his near-death by the Flash’s own hand. The Arc Angles manipulated the Flash into killing time by firing their weapon at the deep change, and slicing the poison out wasn’t enough to undo what he caused. The deep change is the source of time itself, so if it dies, there is no telling what damage it would do to reality as a whole. luckily, Wally realizes he can heal the Speed Force – But it could cost him his life.
The Flash’s faith in the Speed Force is so strong that he is willing to lay down his life for it.
The Flash’s faith in the Speed Force is so strong that he is willing to put his life on the line for it. Wally West’s Flash is able to sense the Deep Change’s life force in ways that even Barry Allen can’t, which means he may be the only one who can save it before it’s too late. It remains to be seen whether the Flash will follow his victim, or if Barry Allen will offer to die in his place. Regardless, time is running out, and it’s up to you Flash To find a way to keep the Speed Force alive.
The bottle #13 Available September 25, 2024 from DC Comics.