DC’s Future State stories have brought some significant new takes on characters that fans know and love — even as some stories have put fans through the proverbial wringer in the process. That has especially been the case for the Flash family, with a few of DC’s speedster characters dealing with significant turmoil. After the shocking events of Future State: The Flash‘s first issue, Barry Allen was forced to get creative with his next step — and it looks like he utilized a surprising new costume to do so. Spoilers for Future State: The Flash #2 by Brandon Vietti, Brandon Peterson, Will Conrad, Mike Atiyeh, and Steve Wands below! Only look if you want to know!
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The issue sees Barry dealing with the consequences of his years-long fight against Wally West, which fans saw ended in the deaths of Jay Garrick, Max Mercury, and Bart Allen. Even after such a tragic situation — and losing his speed — Barry remained convinced that he could adequately fight Wally. Luckily, the Flash family had spent several years accumulating The Rogues’ various weapons — which Barry retrofitted into a costume of sorts.
As the issue went along, the tools in Barry’s new costume made themselves more obvious — including a cold gun from Captain Cold, flying shoes from The Trickster, tips from Weather Wizard, prisma-goggles from Rainbow Raider, boomerangs from Captain Boomerang, hypno-sonics from Pied Piper, Mirror-tech from Mirror Master, and a force field shell from The Turtle. The combination of all of the elements together is definitely chaotic — but it’s arguably effective, giving Barry the upper hand in at least some of the fight against Wally.
Ultimately, Wally — or really, Famine, who had essentially taken over the younger speedster’s body — outsmarted Barry, shifting him slightly outside of time and space to function as an “immortal ghost.” The issue then ended with Barry firmly within that new status quo, with his only form of solace potentially coming from the Teen Titans, as Cybeast recovered his Flash ring at the scene.
Even as Future State: The Flash ends so tragically, getting to see Barry use the Flash rogues’ gear against Wally is definitely a unique twist on things. In a roundabout way, the issue also proves just how strong the Flash family’s rogues are in the DC universe, and how many inventive ways they can outsmart a speedster.
What do you think of Barry Allen’s new gear in the pages of Future State: The Flash? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
