Wally West, aka the Flash, is among the most kind-hearted yet powerful superheroes in comics. From his humble beginnings as the first Kid Flash, Wally has not only lived up to his successor Barry Allen’s legacy, but in many ways surpassed it. Across DC Comics‘ entire Flash Family, he’s by far the fastest thanks to his unrivaled mastery of the Speed Force. Yet, in recent Flash comics, Wally somehow found a way to become even more powerful when he developed the capability to see into the near future. However, while this Insight ability could save many people, the dark implications of it are causing Wally to head down a path that puts him at odds with the Justice League.
Wally first began having his Insight visions in Flash #31, and of course within a few issues he’s practically mastered it. With this power, Wally eradicates all crime and prevents all disasters across Central City within a day. Yet, as the Flash plans to expand his influence to other cities, he begins exhibiting beliefs and actions that, while well-meaning, could make him the biggest threat the Justice League has ever faced.
The Flash Is Running Down a Slippery Slope
Wally’s newfound Insight power has led him to believe that he can save everyone, not just in Central City. By looking several hours or even days into the future, Wally could theoretically use his incalculable speed to stop crime and prevent disasters across the globe. In Flash #36, Wally begins to pitch to other heroes that he should branch out his precognition efforts to their cities. Initially, Jon Kent seems on board with Wally helping out in Metropolis. However, it’s when Wally pitches the idea of expanding to Star City that Green Arrow puts his foot down and outlines the dark implications of what Wally’s doing.
Wally may be preemptively saving people, but Green Arrow calls out that the Scarlet Speedster is essentially surveilling thousands, if not millions, of civilians like a one-man police state. Furthermore, Wally is preemptively stopping crimes before people even have the chance to commit them, which raises many legal and ethical issues. Green Arrow recognizes that absolute power can corrupt even someone as kind and well-intentioned as Wally, which could lead him to create unintentionally a fascist system. In fact, Green Arrow has seen firsthand the dangers of surveillance states and preemptive strikes when he infiltrated Amanda Waller’s attempt to imprison every superhero during the Absolute Power event. What Green Arrow wants is for his friend Wally not to go down the same path as Waller.
Green Arrow’s fears are far from unwarranted because Wally is already beginning to display concerning behavior regarding his plan. Wally is shown to be freely spying on people, from Lex Luthor to everyday citizens. And when Green Arrow raised his concerns, Wally began bragging about how he knows what’s best for everyone. Additionally, he believes he has the power to save everyone and that heroes who disagree with him are putting people at risk. With the threat of one of the most powerful heroes in the DC Universe creating a fascist system driven by preemptive strikes, the Flash is now heading straight towards a confrontation with the Justice League.
The Justice League Now Stands Against the Flash
After his chat with Wally, Green Arrow called an emergency Justice League meeting in the one place the Flash would never think to look: Mount Everest. At the top of the world, Green Arrow, Jon Kent, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, and Red Tornado grapple with the idea that the Scarlet Speedster may need to be stopped before he goes too far. And with Wally’s infinite speed and premonitions, the Justice League has more than their work cut out for them if they have any hope of stopping him.
Wally’s increasing arrogance over his own abilities, obsession with saving everyone, and his Insight ability are a dangerous combination that could see him unknowingly becoming a villain. He could very easily lose himself to preventing future crimes while ignoring the struggles and concerns of his friends and family in the present. Even worse, if Wally looks even further into the future, he could start arresting people days, weeks, or even longer before they commit crimes. And whenever he fails to prevent a disaster, it could theoretically make his obsession and controlling nature even greater. As he becomes more unstable and controlling, the threat of direct conflict with the Justice League increases.
Wally’s story draws many connections not only to current issues regarding mass surveillance but also to previous heroes’ corruption arcs, like Injustice Superman and Civil War II Captain Marvel. In both cases, the heroes’ obsession with preemptively stopping crime led them to commit acts so dark that they irreparably damaged their characters. Hopefully, DC Comics won’t have Wally go too far with his conflict with the Justice League. With any luck, Wally’s friends and family will be able to help him understand that what he’s doing is wrong and that he can’t save everyone. For if not, the Justice League will be forced to battle one of the most powerful superheroes of all time to stop him from becoming a god-like tyrant.
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