Warning: Spoilers for The Flash #11

Summary

• Wally West was chosen as the Flash for his ability to love, which fuels the Speed Force.
• The Speed Force breathes life through Wally's love, making him essential to maintain its existence.
• Wally's love for his family, especially his wife Linda, strengthens his bond with the Speed Force, making him the ideal speedster.

Every Flash has a powerful connection to the Speed Force, but only Wally West is regarded as the Speed Force's "Chosen One." In The Flash #11, it's finally revealed why the Speed Force gave Wally his powers in the first place — and why it favors him above every other speedster in the DC Universe.

In The Flash #11 by Si Spurrier and Ramón Pérez, the Flash's mind has been corrupted by horrifying cosmic entities known as the Arc Angles, who have thrust the Crown of Thawnes upon him and forced him to destroy time at its source, as seen in this issue's shocking ending. As Wally races across the fabric of reality to carry out their will, the Arc Angles share the secrets of the Speed Force with him at long last.

Among these revelations is the truth about why Wally West was chosen to be the Flash: the Speed Force quite literally breathes the love that he fosters through the connections he's made with other people, including his family.

Flash's True Origin Is Revealed by the Arc Angles

Wally West Was Chosen for His Power to Love

As Flash is controlled by the Arc Angles, they reveal that the Speed Force comes from a living being called the Deep Change. This entity is the source of not only the Forces — like the Flash Family with speed is so it could experience life as they do. The Deep Change "breathes" Flash's love, and Flash channels its energy into speed as part of their symbiotic relationship. The power of Wally's love grants him the strongest connection to the Speed Force, which makes him the ideal speedster for the Arc Angles to exploit.

The Flash may need the boundless energy of the Speed Force to use his metahuman abilities, but the Speed Force needs Wally just as much for his boundless love.

This strong connection is why the Arc Angles have used Wally to poison the Flash Family's energy well. By stripping Wally of his love and severing his ties to his family, the Arc Angles are starving the Deep Change so that Wally can kill it with the Crown of Thawnes. The Flash may need the boundless energy of the Speed Force to use his metahuman abilities, but the Speed Force needs Wally just as much for his boundless love.

The Speed Force Strengthens Flash's Love

No Wonder the Flash Family Continues to Expand

While the Flash's love fuels the Deep Change, the Deep Change channels the Speed Force to fuel his love in return. Wally West was chosen to be the Flash because of his heart, and Wally's heart belongs first and foremost to his wife, Linda Park-West. Wally's love for Linda makes him a plentiful resource for the Deep Change. In return, the Speed Force strengthens their bond by enabling them to always find their way back to each other. Wherever Wally goes, Linda tethers him to reality, the Speed Force keeping them connected no matter how far apart they are.

When Flash first entered the Speed Force in The Flash #100 by Mark Waid, Carlos Pacheco, Salvador Larroca, and Oscar Jimenez, his love for Linda allowed him to be the first speedster to ever return from the Speed Force.

Even now, Linda is still Flash's lightning rod, as he finds himself unmoored from everything he knows and loves. Wally may have lost his memories of her due to the Arc Angles' manipulation, but in The Flash #11, he recalls being loved by someone. Through Wally's connection to the Speed Force, his connection to his family persists. The Flash's love for Linda is his secret weapon that transcends the will of the Arc Angles, and the sheer magnitude of that love reinforces why the Deep Change favors him — even as he's forced to kill it.

Wally West's Greatest Superpower Isn't His Speed

It's His Heart

Wally West is the fastest speedster in the DC Universe, but his speed doesn't make him a true hero. His heart does. Wally's wife and kids keep him grounded amidst the chaos he faces, and he's proven time and time again that he would do anything for them. His ability to love is why the Deep Change chose him to be the Flash — and why he may be the only one who can breathe life back into it.

The Flash #11 is available now from DC Comics.