Warning: Spoilers for The Flash #16Many heroes in the DC Universe struggle to keep their identities secret, but the Flash has just revealed the innovative way in which he managed to preserve his own. Now that Wally West has a family to think about, he can't go around flaunting his double life and making his family the target of villains, so he's found a strategy to get around this problem and make sure no one can deduce who The Flash really is. and.
In a preview for The Flash #16 by Simon Spurrier, Vasco Georgiev, Matt Herms and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, Wally and his family continue their camping trip in the treacherous kingdom of Skartaris. Suddenly, Weather Wizard – one of Flash's strongest villains – appears before them. To prevent his enemy from seeing their faces, the Flash conjures masks for his wife and three children that match his own.
The Flash uses the power of the speedster that generates his suit to generate these masks, and in doing so allows his family to accompany him on adventures without potentially compromising their civilian identities.
The Flash uses the Speed ​​Force to hide his family's identity from villains
Thanks to his powers, Wally West can build masks for Linda and her children
The Flash's suit was originally a tangible suit like any other, but he later upgraded to a new one that can be summoned in an instant. In The Flash #131 by Grant Morrison, Mark Millar and Paul Ryan, Wally West harnessed the power of the Speed ​​​​Force to manifest a suit composed of the same energy that powers him. He explained that his mask cannot be removed when he wears a Speed ​​​​Force costume unless he wants it removedwhich demonstrates how reliable Wally's Flash costume is when it comes to preserving his identity – and the same goes for his family's masks.
By utilizing this power to create matching masks for his family members, Flash ensures that their identities are as protected as his. After all, even if Wally himself has his face obscured, he's still at risk of being exposed when he's with them. It wouldn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that the Flash is Wally West if he was on vacation with Linda Park-West and her kids. A villain like the Weather Wizard finding out who his loved ones are would only spell trouble in the long run for the Flash, as he learned the hard way.
Flash's costume trick lets him protect the people he loves
In the past, Wally West's public identity put his family in danger
Wally hasn't always hidden his superhero lifestyle, and Linda was once widely known as the Flash's wife. Unfortunately, she attracted the villains' attention because of this fact, as seen in The Flash #199 by Geoff Johns and Scott Kolins. To teach Wally a lesson about his lack of a secret identity, Zoom seriously injured Linda and killed her unborn children. Afterwards, Wally forced the world to forget who he is and adopted a secret identity. From then on, the Flash He has done everything in his power to keep his wife and children out of harm's way, and the masks he gives them prove his dedication to their safety.
The Flash #16 is available December 25, 2024 from DC Comics.