The Flash’s Powers Are Lowkey Terrifying, And DC Is Finally Ready to Explore That Ugly Truth

DGIX

February 21, 2025

Various Superman media have excelled at showcasing just how terrifying it would be for a young Kryptonian to come into their powers, and now, it seems DC is ready to give The Flash the same treatment, demonstrating that tapping into unimaginable speed would be just as terrifying. So, forget everything you know about The Flash—DC is wiping the slate clean and taking things back to the very beginning with its newest Flash narrative.

Wally West in an unfamiliar and isolating world—one without mentors, family, or even the Speed Force to explain his abilities.

DC’s newly launched ALL IN initiative has been making waves in the comic book industry, particularly with its introduction of the Absolute Universe—a Darkseid-created, energy-infused world that reimagines DC’s most iconic characters with darker, more intense origins.

Absolute Flash 2 Cover Wally West New Costume DC

So far, Absolute Batman, Absolute Wonder Woman, and Absolute Superman have each made their debuts, redefining their respective legacies. Now, on March 19, 2025, Flash Wally West will join the Absolute Universe in Jeff Lemire and Nick Robles’s Absolute Flash #1. The two creators recently sat down with AIPT Comics to discuss the upcoming release, with Lemire offering a particularly intriguing comment about Wally’s powers.

“There Are No Other Flashes”: DC Is Getting Ready to Wipe the Slate Clean for The Flash

DC is making a major shift in their Flash narratives by wiping the slate clean, with Wally debuting as the FIRST speedster in the Absolute Universe.

Absolute Flash Will Reveal Just How Terrifying Speedster Powers Would Be for a First-Timer

Cover F Nick Robles Foil Virgin Variant for Absolute Flash #1 (2025)

All of DC’s Absolute titles follow a similar approach: reimagining their characters by stripping away the advantages their Earth-Prime counterparts had. For instance, Absolute Batman isn’t a billionaire, removing one of Bruce Wayne’s greatest assets. In Absolute Flash, Lemire places Wally West in an unfamiliar and isolating world—one without mentors, family, or even the Speed Force to explain his abilities. This forces Wally to navigate his powers alone, heightening the uncertainty and fear of his transformation. In the interview, Lemire expanded on his vision, offering thought-provoking insights into Wally’s journey.

Lemire explained that he wanted to return Wally to his teenage years, using his powers as a metaphor for the struggles of adolescence—figuring out identity, purpose, and one’s place in the world. Making Wally the first Flash of this universe, without any predecessors or mentors, was a deliberate choice to emphasize the raw fear of discovering his abilities alone. If he had guidance, it would lessen the impact of experiencing these powers in real-time. By removing any reference point, Lemire underscores just how overwhelming and terrifying it would be to undergo such drastic changes with no one to turn to.

Jeff Lemire: For me, the one thing I really wanted to hook into was the sense of really having Wally as a teenager again, Using his powers as almost a metaphor for all the things we go through at that age—figuring out who we are, what the world is, and our place in it. If he had a mentor, if there had been other Flashes before him, it kind of undercuts that. Without a guiding figure, Wally is left to experience his powers in real-time, along with the reader. He doesn’t know what’s happening. It’s terrifying. We get to see him learning his powers for the first time, Even Barry Allen had Jay Garrick comic books as a frame of reference. But our Wally has zero reference, and it’s actually quite terrifying what’s happening to his body and mind.

Barry Allen WILL Be in Absolute Flash (Just Not as Wally’s Mentor)

Cover C Dan Panosian Variant for Absolute Flash #1 (2025)

Absolute Flash #1 Cover Variant by Dan Panosian-1

Even Barry Allen had Jay Garrick’s comic books as a guide when discovering his powers, making Wally’s complete lack of reference points a uniquely challenging take on his origin. This shift lets fans experience a version of Wally unlike any before—one who navigates his abilities in real time, grappling with the fear and confusion of having no idea what’s happening to his body. Despite Barry not being Wally’s mentor or even a Flash in this universe, Lemire confirmed on his Substack that Barry Allen will appear in Absolute Flash #1. This raises the question—if Barry isn’t guiding Wally as The Flash, what role will he play in the story?

Absolute Flash #1 is available March 19, 2025, from DC Comics!