As the Flash unlocks a range of disturbing new powers, the Scarlet Speedster has also discovered his own twisted version of Kryptonite. Many of DC’s greatest heroes have substances that act as their Achilles Heel – Superman has Kryptonite, Martian Manhunter has fire, and Green Lantern has wood (or at least, he used to.) Unfortunately for Flash, his powers’ off-switch isn’t a rare space mineral, but an entire realm where time stands still.
In a preview of Flash #7, Max Mercury and Impulse fight to survive in this mysterious realm, which Max reveals is named “Ickto.” The name is a reference to the fact that Ickto exists in a state of frozen time, suspended between the “tick” and “tock” of a clock. As a side effect, speedsters in Ickto find themselves unable to access the Speed Force, stripped of their powers and pursued by eldritch horrors known as the Uncoiled.
Flash has visited Ickto before, discovering that the realm acts as a kind of trap for the multiverse’s Speed Force conduits – the one place they can get to but never escape. Max helped Wally West escape when the two visited and has been struggling to survive ever since.
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Flash uses his powers to help rather than hurt, but when up against highly powered enemies, Wally has one terrifying offensive ability.
Flash’s Ickto Is a Realm Where Speedster Powers Don’t Work
Max Mercury Is Trapped in the One Place Where Flash Can’t Save Him
In recent Flash comics, Wally West’s Flash has discovered a wild new power that goes beyond speed. With a new ability called “Sidestepping,” Wally can step outside time and even enter different layers of reality. These aren’t alternate dimensions in the usual sense, but rather overlapping vibrational planes of the natural world. Each realm is profoundly different, with Flash discovering that by interacting with different layers of reality, he can even change the laws of nature. Unfortunately, Ickto appears to act as a natural trap for Speedsters who discover sidestepping – those connected to the Speed Force can get in, but they can’t get out.
Thankfully, Max manages to survive Ickto and its terrifying predators thanks to the intercession of the Linear Men. The latest addition to this vast new ecosystem, little is known of the Linear Men, however they appear to at least be aligned against the Uncoiled, ensuring that the Flash Family don’t lose two beloved members. But while this rescue was vital, it’s not necessarily the end of Max Mercury and Impulse’s fight for survival – sidestepping has plenty of other, more subtle threats, for instance the realm of endless peace known as the Gallery, which is slowly becoming an obsession for Wally West.
As Flash continues to explore and make discoveries about the different layers of reality, the Scarlet Speedster has discovered his personal Kryptonite – an entire world where Speed Force powers are negated and Lovecraftian predators stalk those who are unlucky enough to cross their path. Hopefully, Flash can avoid Ickto in future, however in the vast new universe in which Wally West finds himself, this timeless realm is just one of several threats that even the Fastest Man Alive can’t outrun.
Flash #7 is available from DC Comics March 26.
