Retirement is the dream for many superheroes, including The Flash. With a family of his own, he’s gotten pretty close to normal life and for a while, it seemed like he could actually achieve it. It’s often deemed hard for superheroes to achieve normality, but Wally West once had a kid who proved that normality would never be in the books for the hero. With an ever-growing family of speedsters, Wally has debated settling down for many years. He even hung up the cowl once but soon found himself being dragged back into the fray when his friends needed him. That’s not the only reason Wally can’t escape superhero life.
Wally was once shown to have an entire family and a life outside his speed. A potential future had an entire world planned out for him where Wally changed his name and settled down in the suburbs. He had a child named David and a wonderful wife. This life was relatively normal until it was revealed that David inherited his father’s speed. In a spur-of-the-moment decision, David raced forward to save a young girl from a speeding car. It seemed that he didn’t just inherit The Flash’s speed, he also inherited his good nature and determination. Despite the good deed, Wally quickly found out that David had been hurt by his own powers — his body unable to handle the force.
In The Flash Annual #4 by Mark Waid and Craig Brasfield, Wally West’s son suffered wounds from their powers, something the former Flash realized would have to become a fact of their life. He couldn’t escape the speed, not fully, no matter how hard he tried. It was soon proven that he also couldn’t escape danger. While his son was in the hospital, an ex-villain of Wally’s had managed to track down their family. To fulfill a diabolical plan, David was kidnapped by the villain, and Wally was sent on a wild goose chase against all his former foes. Despite changing his name and moving to the suburbs, the Flash’s past would always prove to catch up to him.
After a long and grueling battle, The Flash came out on top, proving victorious once again. But now he was faced with a choice: to continue being The Flash or try going back to a normal life. After David used his powers and was kidnaped, it was proven to Wally that normal life would never quite be within reach for the speedster. There would always be something that came up that would require his abilities and expertise, and Wally's family needed protecting by the Flash. So in the end, Wally knew he’d have to go back to his hero life and protect the city, but he also knew he had to start training his own child. With the threat that caused the family to move away and change their names gone, Wally could now protect his family in the way he wanted to. At the cost of losing a normal life.
This future never came to pass in the end, but it showed that Wally West would never be able to pursue a calm, quiet life. Even with a family and a nice house, there would always be something to stir up chaos and excitement. The Speed Force was part of the Flash's family and would continue to be for years to come. Yet, The Flash remained optimistic and would eventually get used to this crazy life.