DC Comics Finally Debuts Absolute Flash’s Ultimate Enemy (And He’s Terrifying)

The Flash’s life in the Absolute Universe has just gone from bad to worse. Ever since he gained his powers earlier this year, Wally West has been on the run, colliding with powerful villains and doing his best to stay out of the clutches of Project Olympus. Unfortunately, the shadowy operation’s leading figure, Elenore Thawne, won’t let Wally off that easily, since she believes Flash and his speed are the key to unlocking the secrets her grandfather, Eobard Thawne, worked on decades before. It seems no matter what universe they’re in, Thawnes are always bad news for Flashes.

But interestingly enough, we haven’t seen too much of Eobard in Absolute Flash. We have seen some flashbacks, mostly in Absolute Flash #8, that show what this world’s version of Thawne was like. Thawne was a brilliant scientist during World War II, and he actually managed to access a dimension of pure energy. However, Thawne’s unauthorized experiments ended up going haywire and resulted in Thawne and the Absolute Universe’s Jay Garrick disappearing from the world altogether. But as Flash fans know by now, just when he seems like he’s dead, that’s when the Reverse-Flash always strikes.

The Absolute Reverse-Flash Makes His Debut with Terrifying New Form

In Absolute Flash #10 by Jeff Lemire and Nick Robles, Elenore has gone off the deep end. She’s determined to access the dimension Eobard did so many years ago and is holding Absolute Flash’s father hostage. Before Wally and his new companions, the Rogues, can make a plan, they’re attacked by Heat Wave. Captain Cold distracts Heat Wave, allowing Wally to break into Fort Fox to find his father and get him to safety. However, Flash is pursued by Thawne’s lapdog, the Trickster. Wally looks around, but he’s overwhelmed by memories, allowing the Trickster to get the drop on him.

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Elenore, of course, is watching the entire thing, telling the Trickster to make sure Flash ends up in Barry Allen’s old lab, the area where Wally gained his powers in the first place. Flash retreats to Allen’s lab, where again, he keeps seeing visions of the past and the time he gained his powers. Once again, Trickster shows up, prepared to take Flash’s simian companion, Grodd, out. But Flash rescues Grodd, and as the young man’s emotions flare, the portal Barry built begins to activate and pulse with a powerful, red energy.

Suddenly, a hand reaches out from the portal to Wally, and a voice begins to call to him. Flash is convinced that the hand must be Barry, who passed away in the accident that gave Wally his powers. Wally reaches out to the hand, only for it to grab him violently. This isn’t Barry, but Eobard Thawne, now a giant, mutated figure of living red energy. He tells Wally that there can only be one and throws Wally into the portal that Thawne emerged from, trapping the young speedster in another dimension.

Reverse-Flash is a True Monster in Any Universe

Given how much the Thawne Family has been a part of Absolute Flash, it was just a matter of time before Eobard showed up. But I did not expect him to show up looking as monstrous as he did here. Though it does make sense, especially given the visions that Flash has been having throughout this series, where he saw a terrifying crimson skeletal figure. I had assumed they were doing a unique twist on the ‘Flash of Two Worlds’, but it seems like those visions were actually foreshadowing the arrival of the Flash’s greatest enemy.

Sadly, we don’t get to see Reverse-Flash do anything yet, but I’ve got no doubt that he’s just as menacing as any other version. He’s clearly willing to kill a child in the name of being the only one blessed with the power Thawne discovered so many decades ago. I’m most curious to see how his powers work, though. Thawne has been trapped in an extra-dimensional space for years, and his body has been drastically affected by it. He must have mastered its powers by now, and if that’s the case, Flash is going to be in serious trouble.

The Reverse-Flash is usually one of the greatest challenges for any Flash to face. Someone with all the speed, but none of the heart that guides someone like Wally. And in the Absolute Universe, where villains often have advantages compared to the heroes, it’s going to be interesting to see Wally take on such a powerful version of the Flash Family’s ultimate nemesis. While Absolute Flash has come a long way since getting his powers, I don’t think he’s prepared for the kind of monster that the Reverse-Flash, especially this one, is.

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