In a new look at DC's Absolute Flash series fresh from New York Comic Con, fans get a Closer look at Wally West's teenage superhero and his totally reinvented villains. DC's Absolute Universe is a new continuity set throughout a reality distorted by Darkseid's evil - a place where heroes are stripped of any advantage they possess in the DC mainstream and challenged by villains who have never been stronger.
Absolute Flash will be released on March 5, 2025, from DC Comics, written by Jeff Lemire and drawn by Nick Robles. In a new preview shared by DC, fans get their first look at the world's version of the Rogues - a team of technology-based thieves who have fought every version of the Fastest Man Alive. However, in the Absolute Universe, it appears that the Rogues will not be criminals, but rather enforcers of this world's dark new status quo.
Robles' art shows the Rogues exiting a large vehicle, with new versions of Captain Cold and Captain Boomerang, as well as what appear to be new versions of the Golden Glider and Trickster. The designs of these villains and the way they are presented make it seem like we are far from being on the wrong side of the law, the Rogues may be what passes for superheroes in Darkseid's world.
Absolute Flash is reinventing the bad guys
A teenage Flash battles a new version of Captain Cold
While the Reverse-Flash is the Flash's most famous foe, the Rogues are arguably much more interesting characters, with several runs treating the group as supporting characters in the Flash's adventures. Generally led by Captain Cold, there have been many versions of the Rogues, but the core members are the pyromaniac Heat Wave, Suicide Squad mainstay Captain Boomerang, the prank-themed psychopath the Trickster, the volatile atmosphere manipulator, the Weather Wizard. , and the brutal former assassin Mirror Master, with Cold's sister Golden Glider serving as an occasional member.
Rogues are often noted as one of the most unique elements of Flash lore, thanks to their strict rules of conduct. These rules dictate that Rogues only kill in extreme circumstances and have allowed Wally West's Flash to develop an understanding with the villains, where each side gives the other a degree of freedom, even working together against deadly threats. However, in a reality where evil is the fundamental force of nature and heroism is a diminished stranger, it appears that the Rogues and Wally West will have an entirely new dynamic.
Absolute Flash is telling the story DC never could before
Wally West is stripped of his mentor in a crucial shift in lore
The suggestion of the Rogues as authority figures against a rogue Flash is a clever new way to conceptualize their rivalry, and exactly the kind of renewal of the status quo that the Absolute Universe promised fans. This new reality is a world where DC's heroes are deprived of the resources and allies that helped them stay alive in the mainstream continuity, while villains are given new prestige and power - for example, this world's Joker is a billionaire trained by the Assassins. experts from the League of Shadows.
There is still a lot to discover Absolute FlashThe new version of Wally West, but everything fans have seen so far suggests his story will be rewritten in exciting ways. The original hero started out as Barry Allen's sidekick, meaning he lived his entire life around superheroes and with a mentor who could advise him on his powers. It suggests that Wally will be completely dominated by his new powers and pursued by villainous government agents. It's a great cause for Flash fans be excited as this new continuity sets the stage for stories that simply couldn't happen in the original DC canon.
Absolute Flash #1 will be released by DC Comics on March 5, 2025.