WARNING: The following contains spoilers for The Flash #777, on sale now from DC Comics.
Wally West is on one of his weirdest adventures yet. After all of Central City was flung into hatred and anger, it was revealed that the cause of all this chaos was Eclipso. The former spirit of vengeance is back and Dr. Fate has recruited the Flash to join Justice League Dark in defeating the demon. As to why the fastest man alive is such an essential choice in the anti-Eclipso squad? The truth is, not even Dr. Fate knows.
Wally and Dr. Fate joined the Justice League Dark on Gemworld, where Eclipso decided to enact the next stage of his plan, in The Flash #777 by Jeremy Adams, Fernando Pasarin, Matt Ryan, Jeromy Cox, and Rob Leigh. Once it looked like the mystic team knew Eclipso’s plan, Wally decided it was time he got back to his magic-free life in Central City once again. Dr. Fate couldn’t send him back because it would use up too much magic, which they needed in the upcoming fight against Eclipso, but there was another reason why the Lord of Order couldn’t send the speedster back.
The Flash was somehow immune to Eclipso’s powers. This new detail came up before when the two faced off in The Flash #775. Everyone in Central City was affected by Eclipso’s influence except for Wally. Even Superman was influenced by the dark powers of the demon. That’s why Fate brought the Flash along on this mission and why he can’t go home until Eclipso’s plan has been foiled for good.
But why isn’t Wally affected like everyone else? Dr. Fate doesn’t even know the real reason. Ragman suggested it may be because of the Speed Force but that has yet to be confirmed. It hasn’t stopped Eclipso from taking control of the Flash before, for both Wally and Barry. In The Flash Annual #5 by Mark Waid, Craig Boldman, and Travis Charest, a tie-in for the “Eclipso: The Darkness Within” event, Wally fell under the control of the demon when he gave in to his darker emotions. His mentor Barry and the entire Justice League were briefly under Eclipso’s control during the Justice League vs. Suicide Squad event.
The Speed Force doesn’t offer complete resistance to Eclipso’s powers then, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t the reason why Wally is immune now. He’s always had the deepest connection to the Speed Force out of everyone in the Flash Family. Eclipso has always had a weakness to light and the Speed Force creates bright lightning around those who wield it. Perhaps since their last encounter, Wally’s connection has grown deeper and the lightning running through his veins is somehow protecting him. He did have a life-changing Speed Force journey recently, so maybe that’s part of it.
One reason Wally, rather jokingly, gave Eclipso at the time in The Flash #775 as to why he wasn’t influenced like everyone else was that same Speed Force Journey. However, it wasn’t because of what it may or may not have done to his connection to the Speed Force, but because of the journey, he went on personally. After the body-hopping adventure, he told the demon that he no longer let negative emotions like anger affect him anymore. Has Wally West achieved such a state of inner peace that Eclipso can’t even get him down?
There’s always the possibility that both are true, or possibly even connected. Perhaps he has a deeper connection to the Speed Force and a more positive attitude, making it so that both of these combined give him immunity. Perhaps his new outlook on life has given him a deeper Speed Force connection that acts like the light Eclipso hates so much.
There are a number of reasons why Wally West is special and any one of them could be what’s giving him an advantage over Eclipso. For now, the exact reason behind his immunity remains a mystery, one that will likely be uncovered soon enough.
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