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 Flash #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 into it. Wally feels that the Speed Force is still in pain, and he believes that he can save it. Try as Barry might to stop him, Wally approaches the source of his power and prepares to succumb himself to it. Here, the Flash's connection to the Speed Force allows him to sense that it is alive.

This reveal alters the nature of the Flash's abilities, proving that there's much more to the Speed Force than meets the eye. The Speed Force has been asleep for billions of years, yet it chose the Flash for a reason, and his destiny may be at hand now that he's finally learned about the origin of his powers.

The Speed Force Has Been DC's Biggest Mystery for 30 Years

Speed Force First Appearance: 1994's The Flash #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 Flash #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's going to change [his] life." 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 powers, binding the Flash Family in both life and death.

The Speed Force made its first proper appearance in The Flash #0 by Mark Waid and Mike Wieringo, available now digitally and in collected formats from DC Comics.

Since its creation, the Speed Force has been expanded in various ways, from attempts at origin stories to the unveiling of more forces like it. In The Flash #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 Still Force. Together with the Speed Force, these powers are said to govern the universe. Despite additions like these Forces, though, the Speed Force's true nature has never been fully explained in a way that's stuck. Thankfully, the Flash's latest adventure has provided answers at long last.

The Flash's Speed Force Is Alive (Yes, Really)

The Flash Family's Powers Have Been Redefined in a Shocking Way

Spurrier's current run as the writer of The Flash has built upon the foundation of the Speed Force with a game-changing reveal. In The Flash #11 by Spurrier and Pérez, the Arc Angles inform Wally West that the Speed Force is a sentient being called the Deep Change. This 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 its conduits. The Flash has now confirmed that the Speed Force is indeed alive, although it's been asleep for millennia, and that it isn't as dark as he'd feared.

Throughout the Flash's present storyline, he's doubted whether the Speed Force truly is a force for good. After the Arc Angles - 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 that 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 its near-death by the Flash's own hand. The Arc Angles manipulated the Flash into killing time by firing their weapon into the Deep Change, and slicing the poison out isn't enough to undo what he inflicted. The Deep Change is the source of time itself, so if it dies, there's no telling what damage it would do to reality as a whole. Luckily, Wally realizes he can heal the Speed Force - but it may cost him his life.

The Flash's faith in the Speed Force is so strong that he's willing to lay down his life for it.

The Flash's faith in the Speed Force is so strong that he's willing to lay down his life for it. Wally West's Flash is able to feel the Deep Change's life force in ways even Barry Allen can't, which means he might be the only one who can save it before it's too late. It remains to be seen whether the Flash will follow through with his sacrifice, or if Barry Allen will offer to die in his place. Regardless, time is running out, and it's up to the Flash to find a way to keep the Speed Force alive.

The Flash #13 is available September 25th, 2024 from DC Comics.