The Flash Unleashed: Barry Allen is Reimagined as DC's Deadliest Hero

If he wanted to, the Flash could easily tap into the Speed Force in order to unleash unimaginable destruction as one of DC's most dangerous villains.

Warning: SPOILERS for Batman #134The Flash is one of the DC Universe's greatest heroes, but now he's been reimagined as one of the most dangerous. It's not hard to imagine Barry Allen "breaking bad" and using the Speed Force to go on an unstoppable rampage—especially since he's done it on alternate worlds.

Batman meets an unhinged version of Barry Allen during his latest alternate universe adventure in Batman #134 by Chip Zdarsky, Mike Hawthorne, Adriano Di Benedetto, Tomeu Morey, and Clayton Cowles. While searching the universe's underground version of Arkham Asylym, Batman discovers a number of cells holding familiar faces, including villains like Lex Luthor—but also the Flash Barry Allen.

Barry appears as a red, vibrating haze, electricity shooting off of him. He seems more a monster than a superhero, and Batman agrees, noting that this version of Barry is "broken from reality." More than that, he's potentially the most dangerous threat Batman himself could face: "He could kill everyone in my city in the time it takes to draw a breath."

Related: The Flash Has Hilarious New Proof That He's Faster Than Superman

The Flash—whether Barry Allen or Wally West—is rarely thought of as a "deadly" character, but speedsters are certainly some of the most powerful beings in the DC Universe, and of course other speedsters have been known to use their powers for the wrong reasons. The Reverse-Flash, for example, takes his grudge against Barry and his family to the extreme, unafraid to use his speed to not just cause general mayhem, but to kill. Even the Flash himself has used his speed for selfish reasons; Barry caused lasting damage to the DCU timeline in the Flashpoint event when he traveled back in time to save his mother from death.

Despite Barry's ruthlessness and occasional selfishness, he's rarely thought of as dangerous enough to actually (and purposefully) cause mass, chaotic harm. But, as Batman notes in this moment from Batman #134, Barry has never been truly out of his right mind before, and a Flash who is disconnected from reality could go beyond misusing time travel. Without a connection to humanity or even reality itself, the Flash has the potential to be as deadly as a nuclear bomb, causing as much death in a single instant. There are few beings as powerful as those connected to the Speed Force—even Superman isn't as fast as the Flash and his family—and without their connection to both humanity and reason itself, they all have the potential to destroy an entire city—at the very least.

Thankfully, this alternate version of Barry Allen's Flash is tucked away in a protected space, but his appearance is a dark omen. If Barry isn't careful—even in the main DC Universe—he could turn the Flash into the darkest force on the planet.

Batman #134 is available now from DC Comics!