Pitting Batman against the Flash appears to be a fairly one-sided match at first. Despite his gadgets and his brilliant mind, the Dark Knight is still merely human. Flash, on the other hand, can not only move at near-light speed but also think just as fast – which should mean he can outthink even the World’s Greatest Detective. At least… one would think so.

However, Batman is always prepared for virtually any contingency – including facing down the Fastest Man Alive. One of his plans, in fact, involved doing something so terrifying to someone like the Flash that one wonders how Bruce Wayne manages to sleep at night. With Ezra Miller’s Flash prepared to meet Michael Keaton’s Batman in the upcoming DCEU Flash movie, let’s take a look back at this epic Flash/Batman clash that may give even Barry Allen pause when he meets the Dark Knight.

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Batman’s secret plan for taking down the Flash was revealed in the “Tower of Babel” storyline that ran in JLA #43-46. During this time, the Flash was actually Wally West (Barry Allen’s former sidekick “Kid Flash”) who was potentially the fastest and most powerful Flash of his generation. Even so, this made little difference when he faced off against one of Batman’s brutal tactics.

The tactic was used not by Batman, however, but by the Dark Knight’s enemy Ra’s al Ghul who had stolen several files from Bruce Wayne’s computers detailing how Batman planned to neutralize the JLA if any of the members ever went rogue. Ra’s then modified these plans to fit his own ends and took out the JLA members one by one.

In Flash’s case, this meant constructing a special “vibratory projectile” that Ra’s al Ghul’s henchmen were able to shoot and lodge in Flash’s spinal column. This sent Flash into multiple convulsions that were basically epileptic seizures being experienced at light speed. Unable to run, talk, move, or even think straight, Flash was effectively out of commission.

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Fortunately, the League managed to regroup minutes later and devised a way to free Flash from the bullet. Using his heat vision, Superman was able to remove the “vibratory projectile” and end Flash’s seizures. What happened next, however, revealed how devastating Batman’s plan was to someone like Flash. Since Wally experienced time differently when he was moving so fast, he thought that he had been trapped in his epileptic state for several days, during which he prayed for death. While the Justice League told him he had only been trapped for twenty-two minutes, for a Flash, that time could literally translate into entire lifetimes.

Understandably, Flash was furious at Batman for coming up with such a sadistic way of defeating him. In a shocking twist, however, when the League voted whether or not Batman should be kicked off the team for coming up with such plans, Wally West voted to let Batman stay – reasoning that there should be strategies in place to deal with people of their power levels if they ever went rogue. It’s a surprisingly charitable decision from someone who had basically been unjustly put through a living hell because of such strategies, but one that spotlights the unique relationship between Batman and the Flash.

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About The Author


Michael Jung
(700 Articles Published)

Michael Jung is a mild-mannered freelance writer-for-hire, actor, and professional storyteller with a keen interest in pop culture, education, nonprofit organizations, and unusual side hustles. His work has been featured in Screen Rant, ASU Now, Sell Books Fast, Study.com, and Free Arts among others. A graduate of Arizona State University with a PhD in 20th Century American Literature, Michael has written novels, short stories, stage plays, screenplays, and how-to manuals.

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Michael’s background in storytelling draws him to find the most fascinating aspects of any topic and transform them into a narrative that informs and entertains the reader. Thanks to a life spent immersed in comic books and movies, Michael is always ready to infuse his articles with offbeat bits of trivia for an extra layer of fun. In his spare time, you can find him entertaining kids as Spider-Man or Darth Vader at birthday parties or scaring the heck out of them at haunted houses.

Visit Michael Jung’s website for information on how to hire him, follow him on Twitter Michael50834213, or contact him directly: michael(at)michaeljungwriter(dot)com.

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