11 Justice League Fates Worse Than Death

3. Nobody Remembering You - DC Rebirth

DC Rebirth Wally West
DC Comics

If in need of a reset or recalibration of canon, DC Comics more often than not turns to the Flash.

Having brought Barry Allen and Hal Jordan back with their respective The Flash: Rebirth and Green Lantern: Rebirth tales several years prior, 2016 saw Geoff Johns oversee the larger DC Rebirth arc that brought an end to the New 52 and restored the DC Universe to one that resembled the pre-Flashpoint world.

Rather than Barry having to face a fate worse than death here, this time out it's Wally West who's in the spotlight.

In this Rebirth one-shot, we find a Wally who the world has forgotten about. As in, nobody knows he exists, nobody recognises him, nobody remembers his name, and readers got to see this incarnation of the Scarlet Speedster bounce from Batman, to fellow speedster Johnny Thunder, to his 'one true' Linda Park, to Captain Boomerang, to Cyborg, to Dick Grayson, and several others... all as poor Wally continues to fade away and merge with the Speed Force.

Rebirth is a heartbreaking read, as Wally West slowly fades out of existence, desperately hoping for somebody to say his name and bring him back to reality. Thankfully, in a beautifully delivered moment, Barry Allen finally remembers Wally, with the two sharing an emotional embrace as Wally is saved.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer and Presenter, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund and Eli Roth to Kevin Smith and the Russo Brothers, to Kevin Conroy and Frank Miller, to Bret Hart and Sting, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, and Brian Flynn, to many, many more. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is a long-standing season ticket holder and an FSA Award-winner for his time co-hosting the Fearless in Devotion podcast.