The Flash has a disturbing power, one that makes him DC’s deadliest man alive. The Flash speed-based powers allow him to do far more than just run fast. His brain works faster than a normal person, and he can also vibrate his molecules fast enough to phase through solid walls. This ability is one of the Flash’s best tricks, and it was used to gruesome effect in Countdown: Arena #3.
Countdown: Arena #3 was first published in 2007 and was written by Keith Champagne and drawn by Scott McDaniel. Monarch has brought together various heroes from across the multiverse, including several speedsters, and forces them to fight to the death. A rogue version of Johnny Quick from Earth-3 phases his hand through the Flash of Earth-9’s heart, killing her.
Johnny is knocked down and as Jay Garrick goes to help him up, Johnny does the phasing trick on him as well, cutting off the circulation to his brain, killing Jay instantly.
The Flash’s Powers Work in Mysterious Ways
Yet The Flash Never Uses Them to Kill Someone
Although best known for super speed, Flash’s powers are many, thanks to his mastery of the Speed Force. In addition to the aforementioned ability to vibrate through solid material, the Flash can travel through space and time, and his speed-based powers also give him a healing factor. Generations of creators have found novel and creative ways for Flash to use his powers. Recent issues of Si Spurrier and Mike Deodato’s The Flash have heavily implied there is even more to the Flash’s powers than he first thought, meaning new abilities could be hiding under the surface.
The Flash, regardless of who is wearing the mask, is a morally upright hero who abhors killing, but he is not above using brute force to overwhelm his opponent. For instance, in 1993’s Flash Annual #6, the Scarlet Speedster used his powers to move his hands extremely fast, building up friction until they heated up, which he then used to blind an opponent. In this case, the situation was extreme: Linda, the Flash’s lover, was threatened, leading Wally to “fight dirty.” The Flash’s mean streak is small, but it is there.
The Flash Should Be Wary of Others Using This Ability
Professor Zoom Could Use It To Disturbing Effect
The Earth-3 Johnny Quick took the Flash’s ability to phase through solid objects to its disturbing extreme, using it for cold-blooded murder. While Flash would never use it in such a way, Johnny Quick has shown that less scrupulous speedsters can effectively weaponize it. It would not be a stretch to see deadlier speedsters, such as Professor Zoom, using such a trick against the Flash. Johnny Quick showed just how dark the Flash’s powers can get, as they make him the deadliest man alive in the DC Universe.
