Absolute Flash Almost Made This Classic Flash a Villain, But Should It?

The Absolute Universe made itself known for reimagining even the most deeply beloved and understood characters. It broke every hero, villain, and supporting character down to their barest essentials and asked how they could change them. For the heroes, this was meant to hone in on what makes them tick and force them to revel in it, becoming explosive, louder versions of who they are at their cores. The villains, in turn, were all but completely reimagined to bring out exactly what makes all of these heroes so great. The side characters, however, are some of the most interesting, as they were changed the most. 

Among all three types of characters, only one so far fits into all three categories. Absolute Flash introduced the Absolute Barry Allen, and then immediately killed him as Wally’s inciting incident. However, combining his attitude before his death, the way characters discussed him after, flashbacks involving him, and the way he seems to be haunting Wally, the story all but told the audience that Barry was going to be a major villain. However, as of Absolute Flash #9, it seems like the narrative is shifting away from making him a true villain. 

Barry Allen, Creepy Scientist Extraordinaire

Right from the beginning of Absolute Flash, it was clear that Barry Allen was not like his Prime Earth counterpart. In issue #1, Barry was kind to Wally, offering to cover for him when he returned to base and showing him around his lab. However, while Wally admired the man, it was clear that there was a darker undertone to Barry’s actions, with even Wally’s dad telling Barry to stay away from his son. This feeling of dread was only exacerbated by Barry’s very morally dubious experiments in Project Olympus. The Rogues’ origin in issue #6 portrayed him as an uncaring man who risked their lives with a smile on his face and was obsessed with making them into gods.

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This interpretation of his character was given even more credence as more details about Project Olympus came into light. It was clear that everything going on was not only extremely shady, but at the active cost of people’s lives, which Barry was all too willing to pay if it meant his work could continue. Combine this with his literal haunting of Wally, which resembles the way Black Flash would appear before speedsters, and it becomes very easy to see Barry as a snake in the grass, waiting for his chance to strike. However, that might not be the case after all.

Not a Hero, But Not a Villain

Absolute Flash took a hard swerve on Barry’s characterization in issue #8. It expanded on his recruitment to Project Olympus, and detailed that while he was still incredibly obsessed with the science and definitely making some morally grey decisions to continue to get funding, he wasn’t nearly as creepy as originally thought. He even protested the human tests done with the alien energy, which he was so eager to do in issue #6. Instead of a smiling monster lurking beside Wally, he seemed to take a genuine interest in the boy, seeing himself in him and wanting to help him. Barry certainly wasn’t the hero his Prime self was, but he was no longer anywhere near being a villain. 

In fact, in issue #9, Elenore directly stated that she manipulated Barry into befriending Wally by using his altruistic nature. It was all a part of her evil plan, which exonerates Barry of a lot of the guilt of his actions. He is by no means blameless, but definitely isn’t evil anymore. He’s as much a victim as he is a cause of his problems. Still, this characterization seems counter to how he was portrayed in the first few issues, for which there is an explanation. Series writer Jeff Lemire hosted an Ask Me Anything on League of Comic Geeks, where he directly stated that he originally planned to make Barry a true villain, but decided to go for a morally grey character in the end.

The strange mix of monster and better man seems conflicting, and is likely the remnants of changing Barry’s character after the fact. Obviously, Barry not being evil is a great turn for Barry Allen fans, but this does mean we’ve lost out on the potential for a new take on the classic “Return of Barry Allen” storyline, with the actual Barry being the villain this time. An evil Barry manipulating and going up against Wally would have been something we’ve never truly seen before, and definitely something worth exploring.

Which do you prefer: Barry being a complex man willing to make bad choices to continue his work, or a monster that will become a villain to achieve his goals? Personally, I like both interpretations and will be excited to read no matter which direction he goes. 

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