Flash's New Superpower Is Pure Body Horror, DC Confirms

Published Oct 30, 2026, 8:29 PM EDT

Mark has been a comic book journalist for over 15 years and has interviewed comic book creators like Gail Simone and Caspar Wijngaard. And when he's not writing, he's working on beating his record of 1,200 comics read in a year.

Newton's Third Law of Motion states that for every action, there’s an equal and opposite reaction. In most lore, magic comes with a cause. In DC Comics, it’s wise to look at both of these lessons. Sadly, as smart as Wally West's Flash is, he didn’t think before he acted.

At the beginning of Ryan North’s run of The Flash, he introduced an amazing new addition to Wally West’s Speed Force. Wally called it Flashes of Insight, and it gave him the ability to see into the future. At first, it was a few seconds. As time went on, the visions got more powerful. Wally's most recent use of the Flashes of Insight is where things start to go bad.

Wally used the most recent vision to stop three people from destroying bridges in Metropolis, Star City, and Central City. The problem with that is he threw the people into jail before they had committed the crime. What's worse is that the bombs still blew up, and the people who were supposed to blow them up were in jail. That means something is off with Flash's powers and also proves Green Arrow right.

Flash's Powers Have Become A Danger TO Himself And Others

Oliver Queen (Green Arrow) warned Wally that what he was doing was dangerously close to fascism. The Flash didn’t listen, and it caused unnecessary deaths and injuries. This was enough for Ollie to call another Justice League meeting to “fix” the Flash problem. Before any decisions can be made, Wally shows up. As the conversation goes on, Red Tornado reveals something horrific about what the Speed Force is doing to the Flash.

Red Tornado asked Flash how often he’s been using the Speed Force. Wally admits that he's been using it 24/7. Red Tornado adds that overuse can cause wormholes. Wally says he would have noticed them. Normally, he’s right. Except they aren’t growing where he can see them.

Red Tornado says that the wormholes are growing in the non-nociceptive part of Wally's human tissue. In easier terms, his pain receptors. That’s when Flash realizes how severe this all is and decides that it’s time to stop. He would have, if Green Arrow didn’t open his mouth and say that the Justice League would have mopped the floor with him.

Wally hears what Ollie said and his voice changes. It goes cold. He decides that someone who can see the future can find a solution to the problem. Oliver continues to make things worse by taking out the arrow he made to remove Flash’s powers and ordering the Justice League to take Flash down. The frightening part about this is that Wally wasn’t afraid when Oliver said that. In fact, there was a very evil smile on his face.

The Flash Is A Danger To Himself And Others

The concerning thing about all of this was how Wally reacted. He would normally shrug Ollie’s comments off or make a joke about him. Instead, he was offended and seemed excited about getting into a fight with his friends. These are the actions of someone with a problem with substance abuse.

It may seem like a bit much to say this about Wally West. While he's one of the most heroic comic book characters ever, he's still human. Plus, let's look at some of the facts.

First, Wally is in denial and says that he can handle it himself. Second, he’s ready to attack his friends who only want to help him. Third, the use of his powers is affecting his brain, just like drugs can. Lastly, he doesn’t feel like he has a problem. These are things commonly seen in people who have issues abusing substances.

Ryan North’s The Flash has already proven to be an elite series because he understands who Wally West is. Changing how he acts may seem like the opposite, but that’s not the case. In order to make someone do something out of character, a writer has to know who they are. In this case, Ryan North is breaking Wally down to later build him back up better than ever.