Flash’s Powers Originally Had an Incredibly Deadly Side-Effect

The incredible and nearly god-like powers of the Flash have made those who bear the mantle some of DC Comics’ greatest heroes, though the speedster powers are not without their dangers as they have one deadly side-effect. Through the energy of the Speed Force, the Flash can reach unbelievable speeds and can accomplish incredible feats including running up buildings or over water and even phase through objects. While these abilities seem effortless to speedsters, it is revealed that it takes immense concentration while wielding these powers or else there are deadly consequences. 

In The Flash #229 by Cary Bates, Irv Novick and Frank McLaughlin, classic Flash villain the Thinker pulls a dastardly trick on the original Flash, Jay Garrick. In an effort to make Garrick feel old and ineffective as the Flash, the Thinker influences Garrick’s mind to force him to make mistakes while in pursuit of criminals. 

During Jay Garrick’s pursuit of the villain Rag Doll, the Flash rushes by a water sprinkler at supersonic speeds and actually pulls the water behind him after he runs past. When he slows down to catch Rag Doll, all the water that is trailing behind him crashes into the Flash from behind, knocking him to the ground and allowing Rag Doll to escape. Garrick’s powers leave him virtually unharmed after the water trailing behind him crashes into him, but if a regular person were to be standing next to Jay when he stopped, the force of that water moving at the speed of the Flash would tear them apart. While it’s the Thinker who forces the Flash to make this mistake, the mistake itself is one that any Flash could make at any time.

This issue shows what happens when a Flash is incautious, meaning that if a Flash loses concentration, they could potentially put themselves and others around them in danger. Plus, as the Flash only grows faster and faster with each passing incarnation and story arc, this concern becomes a greater one as these speedsters are in danger of pulling things along with them as they run and slamming them into themselves as well as those standing nearby whenever they slow down. 

In an era where the Flash can upset the timestream by moving so quickly he is transported to the past, the latest versions of the Scarlet Speedster have to be extra cautious when it comes to this secret potential ramification of his powers. If he isn’t careful, the Flash could pull any number of objects behind him in the wake of his manipulated Speed Force, creating potentially deadly scenarios for himself and those around him.

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