Warning: SPOILERS for recent issues of The Flash

Summary

• Linda Park-West lands an epic right hook on Abra Kadabra in a recent Flash issue, earning her revenge.
• The Flash Family faces a conspiracy as Linda struggles through emotional challenges, displaying her complexity.
• Linda's emotional journey culminates in a triumphant moment, reaffirming her role as an anchor for the Flash Family.

I'm officially calling it: the best punch in Flash Family history has just been thrown by none other than Linda Park-West. Though Wally West's wife doesn't traditionally have powers, she more than earned the knock-out punch she threw against Abra Kadabra in a recent issue — especially after he quite literally broke her mind. Not even the Flash could beat this very one-sided fight.

Linda Park-West throws her mean right hook in The Flash #9 by Simon Spurrier, Ramón Pérez, and Vasco Georgiev. A pivotal turning point in this run's ongoing conspiracy, Barry Allen discovers that a secret cabal of Flash rogues had been working against the Flash Family from the shadows — including Abra Kadabra, who had been breaking Linda's mind, forcing her to feel a kind of emotional emptiness and distance from her family that's very unlike her character.

Pied Piper manages to break Abra's spell, and Linda gets her extremely earned revenge against the villain who warped her mind and emotions. As much as I've been fascinated by the big, weird scope of this Flash run, I'll it I had my doubts about Linda's emotional arc — but this punch more than made up for any concerns I had, giving Linda a moment of triumph that's been a long time coming.

Linda Park-West Is More Than Just the Flash's Wife

s from The Flash #1 by Simon Spurrier, Mike Deodato Jr., Trish Mulvihill, and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou

On paper, I love the idea of an emotionally struggling mother getting the spotlight in a major superhero comic. But in practice, I was a bit worried, from the first issue, that the story had so much going on that the creative team wouldn't be able to do Linda's arc justice. She had recently given birth to Wade and, from beats established in The Flash #1, seemed to be struggling with postpartum depression.

For a more upbeat story focusing on Linda — to complement this fascinating turn in her character arc — check out The Flash 2022 Annual #1 by Jeremy Adams, Serg Acuña, Matt Herms, and Justin Birch!

This emotional shift in Linda, while a very real problem for new mothers, was a huge departure for the normally harmonious Flash Family, and that shift didn't always sit well with me as a fan, even if I trusted the natural ups and downs of superhero narratives. Her depression appeared to worsen as the story went on, creating a cool, unfeeling distance between Linda and Wally — one of the most beloved couples in DC history, and one of the few couples who managed to make a marriage work both narratively and as characters.

Linda Park-West Continues to Be an Essential Leader in the Flash Family

Linda Gets Her Moment of Triumph

Even as I was having them, I knew I couldn't trust my doubts, and Spurrier and Pérez pulled through with one of the most cathartic punches I've ever seen in a superhero comic. I know, intellectually, that stories have to go low before they earn their moments of triumph, but somehow I forget how sweet those lows make the highs. Linda has long been one of the most complex female characters in the DC Universe, even among those who have powers and sit on teams like the Justice League. Just because she's a "normal" wife and mother doesn't mean she can't punch a supervillain's light out, especially one who hurt her and her family.

Linda will do what she does best: be an anchor — a lightning rod, a heart — for her husband and their entire Flash Family.

The Flash Family's story has continued on in the months since Linda threw her punch, and she has more than gotten her mojo back. Now it's Wally's turn, as he's still stuck in the middle of a major, cosmic problem that may cost him his mind and emotional health. But I'm more certain than ever that Linda will do what she does best: be an anchor — a lightning rod, a heart — for her husband and their entire Flash Family. All the supervillains out there had better watch out — and never turn their backs to Linda Park-West.

The Flash #9 is available now from DC Comics.