Warning! Contains Spoilers For Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #20!
Barry Allen might not be the fastest Flash in the DC Universe – with that distinction going to Wally West – but that doesn’t mean the earlier incarnation of the hero has been rendered obsolete; quite in the opposite in fact, as Barry has carved out a new niche for himself that brings something unique to the table: Multiverse traveler.
Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #20 – by Mark Waid, Dan Mora, Tamra Bonvillain, and Steve Wands – highlights Barry Allen’s surprising new hobby, as the issue starts out with Barry traveling through the Multiverse, which he explains has become one of his favorite things to do.
Barry enjoys seeing how his life or the lives of his friends could have been different; sometimes the changes are ridiculous, sometimes they’re incredibly subtle. Barry Allen traveling the Multiverse as a hobby gives the Scarlet Speedster a brand-new use for the Justice League, which is proven when he finds Superman’s lost sidekick Boy-Thunder.
Exploring The Multiverse Is A Pleasant Pastime For Barry Allen
With so many Flash Family members, there can only be one fastest Flash. It has been shown a few times that Wally West is faster than Barry Allen now, likely due to the fact Wally continued being the Flash for twenty years while Barry was gone. This has required Barry to try and find a new niche, where he can still be useful as a Speedster. While Barry has forensic skills that are nearly unparalleled, his newest hobby of being the Justice League’s Multiversal explorer truly puts him on a new level, making his potential use to the team legitimately limitless.
When Superman’s first sidekick Boy-Thunder was pulled into the Multiverse, he was thought permanently lost, but on one of Barry’s trips through the Multiverse he discovers where Boy-Thunder has been. Barry quickly reports this information back to an overjoyed Superman, and this isn’t the only time being a Multiverse explorer would come in handy. The Multiverse tends to echo itself, with certain events set in stone, like the deaths of Thomas and Martha Wayne. While Bruce Wayne isn’t Batman in every universe, he is in most of them. This means things like Joker attacking Metropolis, an event both seen in Injustice and in Kingdom Come, could happen in the main universe.
Barry Is The Justice League’s Official Multiverse Scout
Barry’s ability to scout out the Multiverse and see how things could unfold differently makes him one of the most important members of the Justice League. Being able to see things like the events of Injustice or DCeased shows Barry how tragedies could unfold if they were to happen on the main Earth. While it’s not exactly the same as seeing the future, considering how events are often repeated through the universe, it still gives Barry Allen a niche way to contribute as the Flash, providing him with a major way to be a hero besides his super speed, ensuring he will continue to thrive in his second life as a DC mainstay.
Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #20 is on sale now from DC Comics!
