Summary

• Flash's daughter Irey feels she's better off without him, as Wally West drifts away from family bonds in The Flash Annual 2024 Annual #1.
• Wally West's absence from family causes real effects on relationships, despite being known as the biggest family man in the DCU.
• While Flash faces threats and destabilization, he always comes back to his family, determined not to let their bonds break in DC Comics.

Warning! Spoilers ahead for The Flash Annual 2024 Annual #1!

In a scene sure to tug at fan's heartstrings, the Flash's daughter Irey West, aka Thunderheart has itted she's better off without her dad around. Wally West is drifting apart from his family and one solemn scene shows just how close the Fastest Man Alive is to losing everything that he holds dear.

In The Flash Annual 2024 Annual #1 by Simon Spurrier, Tom Derenick, Scott Koblish, George Kambadais, and Amancay Nahuelpan, Wally West is traveling between the SpectraVerse. The Flash has been gone for so long, he's beginning to lose the memories of his family until he hears the word 'daughter'.

Using the Gallery of Moments, Wally is able to check on Irey, hard at work on an effort to use technology to give Speed Force power to needy people. Irey discusses the prospect with her friend Maxine and when advised to tell Flash, Irey says she's "better off without him".

Flash's Daughter Doesn't Need Her Father Anymore

Ever since the Flash discovered his new power to side-step into other dimensions, Wally has been drifting away from his family. While his wife battles postpartum depression and son deals with the idea of not wanting to be a superhero, Irey has been fine, keeping up her enthusiasm as the teen superhero Thunderheart. However, she and Jesse Quick found the Mirror Master's base and discovered he's been secretly turning the Speed Force into a drug. While Irey survived her encounter with the Speed Force, she neglected to tell the Flash she'd kept a piece of Mirror Master's tech for herself.

It's no surprise that Irey feels this way about the Flash. Ever since Wally discovered he could phase into other planes of existence, he's been spending more of his time away from his family, often choosing the stillness in the Gallery of Moments. His family was used to his heroics taking him away, but at some point, Wally began actively choosing not to be with his family. This decision is having very real effects on the relationship he has with his children. Wally is generally the biggest family man in the DCU, but now Flash's family bonds are utterly deteriorating.

Can Flash Repair His Relationship with His Family?

The Flash has a lot on his mind right now between the threat posed by his upgraded foes and the current destabilization facing the DC Universe. However, if one things for certain about Wally, it's that he always comes back to his family. He fought like hell to bring them back into his life after he returned in the DC Rebirth era, and he's not going to let their bonds break, even if he is a bit distracted at the moment. Irey may feel like she doesn't need her dad, but the Flash is never going to abandon her.

The Flash Annual 2024 Annual #1 is available now from DC Comics.