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After Barry Allen’s death during the Crisis on Infinite Earths, Wally had some big shoes to fill. Luckily, Wally exceeded all expectations and became one of the most beloved heroes in DC Comics, thanks in part to his creative use of his super speed. Most of DC’s top speedsters draw their abilities from the Speed Force, which is an infinite cosmic energy field that acts as the source of all motion in existence. Over time, Wally has become a master of utilizing the Speed Force, enabling him to perform feats comparable to and sometimes beyond Superman’s.
10) Evacuated a City in an Instant
With his incalculable speed, Wally is the most valuable hero to have whenever civilians need to be evacuated from a disaster zone. Wally performed his most impressive evacuation feat in JLA #89, when Martian Manhunter was possessed by a malevolent entity called the Burning Martian. This terrifying Martian villain detonated a nuclear bomb in Chongjin, North Korea, which is home to over half a million people. Within the span of 0.00001 microseconds, Wally managed to run, grab everyone in the city, and place them 35 miles away so they were safe from the blast and radiation. For context, one microsecond is one-millionth of a second. Thanks to Wally’s efforts, not a single person died from the nuclear explosion or fallout.
9) Invented the Infinite Mass Punch
It’s a well-known that the faster something is moving, the more damage it will do when it crashes into something. In JLA #2, Wally was fighting a villainous speedster called ZüM and decided to unleash a new technique that he had been developing called the Infinite Mass Punch. By approaching the speed of light, Wally’s fist’s mass grows to an infinite degree. Later comics would further explore this technique by explaining that the strike has the force of a white dwarf star. Naturally, when Wally hit ZüM in the face with the Infinite Mass Punch, the villain was sent flying across the planet. Wally would perform this technique several times on villains like the Reverse-Flash and the Anti-Monitor.
8) Escaped a Black Hole
Wally is pushed to his limits during the “Human Race” storyline, where two ultra-dimensional beings force him to partake in a cosmic race to determine the fate of Earth. When racing against an alien speedster, Krakkl, the first obstacle they must face is running through a black hole. The incalculable gravity stretched Wally out like spaghetti; but getting into the black hole was the easy part; getting out was the hard part. Black holes possess gravity so immense that not even light can escape. However, by running faster than the speed of light, Wally manages to flee the black hole while also saving Krakkl from it. Even when breaking the laws of physics, Wally is always a good sport.
7) Chased Mordru Across Time and Space
In a moment that exemplifies Wally’s character, The Flash #800 has him chase a villain across all of time and space. When the wizard Mordru arrives on Earth, he snatches a little girl’s lollipop. Wally arrives on the scene and tries to catch him, but Mordru teleports away to an alien world. However, to Mordru’s horror, Wally had already found him. What follows is a chase that takes them to the age of dinosaurs, the far future, and even a demonic dimension. Yet no matter when or where Mordru teleports, Wally’s always right on his tail. Finally, Mordru teleports to the end of time itself, only to find Wally already there waiting for him. Wally requests the girl’s lollipop back, and the terrified wizard obliges.
6) Outran the Black Racer
In DC Comics, the New God Black Racer is one of many personifications of death. During the events of Final Crisis, Barry comes back to life after being dead for over 20 years, something the Black Racer wasn’t happy about. However, with the Black Racer chasing Barry, the Flash Family decides to use it to their advantage and stop Darkseid’s plans to conquer the multiverse. Together as they desperately try to avoid the Black Racer’s lethal touch, Wally and Barry surpass superluminal speeds, which is when matter moves so fast that it converts into pure information. Wally and Barry’s plan pays off when they phase through Darkseid, so he is touched by the Black Racer and his soul is taken instead of Barry’s.
