Warning! Spoilers ahead for Batman / Superman: World’s Finest 2024 Annual!It might have been beloved among fans, but DC is calling out the biggest problem with the Flash’s CW show. A crew of the DC Universe’s biggest and most powerful Justice League fans have assembled to determine which hero is best, leading to one devastating insult against the Scarlet Speedster’s popular television adaptation.
In Batman / Superman: World’s Finest 2024 Annual’s story “Imperiled” by Mark Waid, Cullen Bunn, and Edwin Galmon, a cache of powerful imps assembles as the Just-Us League. Led by Mr. Mxyzptlk, the godlike being tries to bring an important topic up, but the imps are more interested in arguing over their favorite heroes.
The debate quickly gets out of hand as a fight breaks out. Flash-Mite claims that the Scarlet Speedster is the best hero, but dual Green Arrow/Green Lantern fanboy Green-Mite rebuffs that idea, criticizing the Flash’s show for fighting the same villain for five seasons.
DC Calls Out The Flash’s Villain Problem
In 2014, the CW premiered The Flash, a spin-off of the Green Arrow-focused show Arrow and the second series set in the Arrowverse. The series followed Barry Allen and his adventures after developing super-speed. The show’s first several seasons were critically acclaimed and loved by fans for the show’s acting, creative use of villains, and its overall fun nature. Fans also loved the initial season’s use of the Reverse-Flash and his dynamic with Barry. However, love for the show slowly cooled over its nine-season lifespan, largely due to The Flash’s repeated use of evil speedsters as primary antagonists.
While the imps are just defending their heroes, Green-Mite’s remark isn’t wrong. The Flash’s struggles were largely driven by foes such as Reverse-Flash, Zoom, Savitar, and Godspeed, and that’s not even getting into the other minor evil speedsters Barry fought during the show. To be fair, the show did include other villains such as Gorilla Grodd and the Rogues. But while those villains had prominent arcs in the comics, they were never the focus in the way that Zoom or Godspeed were. As much as it may sting, DC is right to call out The Flash’s villain problem.
The Flash Deserved Better Than Just Evil Speedster Big Bads
While The Flash had a lot of great moments and is still well-loved among numerous fans, it’s hard to ignore this one glaring problem. Flash has plenty of villains that aren’t speedsters, but the show kept falling into the habit of making Barry square off against a dark reflection of himself. To the show’s credit, it did have other big bads that weren’t speedsters like the Thinker and Cicada. But to The Flash’s detriment, it kept falling into a pattern of using villainous speedsters. The Flash may be over, but fans may be echoing Green-Mite’s sentiments for years to come.
Batman / Superman: World’s Finest 2024 Annual is available now from DC Comics.
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