In the latest issue of The Flash, Barry Allen and Wally West easily defeated three major villains, illustrating how powerful they really are.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for The Flash #768 by Jeremy Adams, Brandon Peterson, Marco Santucci, David Lafuente, Mike Atiyeh, Arif Prianto, Luis Guerrero, and Steve Wands, on sale now.
Ever since Barry Allen returned, Flash fans have debated whether he or his successor Wally West is the better hero and the true fastest man alive. This divide has intensified since Wally became embroiled in controversial stories that have tainted his legacy over the last few years, starting with Heroes in Crisis. But while there might always be a sense of competition between them now, one of their recent adventures showed how powerful the two Flashes can be when they work together as they defeated two dangerous enemies of Superman’s with ease, and even threw in one of Aquaman’s deadliest foes as a bonus.
In The Flash #768 Wally and Barry run at their top speeds so the latter can cut off the former’s connection to the Speed Force so he can safely retire. While they do so, they quickly defeat and apprehend three supervillains before the evildoers even realize what is happening. The three villains are Bloodsport, Metallo, and Orm, the Ocean Master. These villains have posed difficult threats to Superman and Aquaman, so the ease with which the Flashes defeated them highlights their immense power and skill.
The most famous character to use the name Bloodsport is Robert DuBois, known for shooting Superman with a Kryptonite needle that caused the Man of Steel severe harm. Driven to madness by an obsession with the Vietnam War, DuBois was recruited by Lex Luthor for a plan to assassinate Superman. Luthor provided him with an extensive arsenal that he also used to slaughtered dozens of civilians in Metropolis. The Bloodsport that Wally and Barry defeated appears to be DuBois.
The Metallo identity has been used by many different characters, but the most well-known is John Corben, traditionally portrayed as some kind of criminal before an accident nearly kills him. Corben is transformed into a cyborg with technology powered by Kryptonite that makes him an especially dangerous threat to Superman and other Kryptonian heroes.
Orm is the half-brother of Arthur Curry/Aquaman, though his origins have been altered several times throughout his history to better match the current portrayal of Arthur. As Ocean Master, Orm schemes to take the throne of Atlantis from his brother and he is arguably Aquaman’s most significant and iconic foe, rivaled only by Black Manta.
Barry and Wally are nowhere near as strong as Superman or Aquaman, so the fact that they were able to defeat foes that have proven so dangerous to them is a testament to how significant the power of superspeed really is.
However, it should be noted that their peers are vulnerable to these characters in ways that the Flashes aren’t which might explain why the latter heroes handled them so efficiently. Bloodsport and Metallo’s Kryptonite specifically tailors them to battle Kryptonians more so than any other heroes and while fighting Orm Aquaman may be distracted by the complex emotions that come from battling family, which Wally and Barry don’t have to deal with.
About The Author