Darkseid & Reverse-Flash Share a Dark Power DC Wants You to Forget
Two of the most sinister villains in the DC Comics universe are Darkseid and Reverse-Flash. Darkseid is a threat to everyone in the multiverse during his search for the Anti-Life equation, often combating New Genesis, Superman, and the rest of the Justice League. Meanwhile, Reverse-Flash, aka Eobard Thawne, is on a constant mission to humiliate and destroy Barry Allen and all of his allies. While these villains don’t often cross paths, they share a remarkably similar trait.
Whether it was Infinite Crisis, Blackest Night, Final Crisis, or Flashpoint, the early 2000s marked some of DC Comics’ gravest events ever. While they may not exchange much dialogue, Darkseid and Reverse-Flash each share roles as monumental antagonists during this period. In Grant Morrison, J.G. Jones, Carlos Pacheco, Marco Rudy, and Doug Mahnke’s Final Crisis, Darkseid attempts to control reality and destroy DC’s most famous heroes. In Geoff Johns and Andy Kubert’s Flashpoint, the final event before the New 52 comics, Reverse-Flash and Flash fight their most epic battle in a different universe with the fan-favorite Thomas Wayne Batman.
During the final pages of Final Crisis, Grant Morrison details some notes regarding his thoughts on Darkseid. He comments that everything Apokolips’ tyrannical leader touches “rots in his hand.” While the methods of doing so are different than Darkseid’s, Reverse-Flash can also disintegrate matter. During Flashpoint, Barry reveals Eobard can “deteriorate objects with a touch,” an ability granted by the “Negative Speed Force.” Interestingly, Darkseid and Reverse-Flash have these over-powered abilities but rarely use them.
In Flashpoint, Reverse-Flash uses his matter deterioration powers on Barry’s costume towards the end. Essentially, his red lightning reduces matter to ash. However, before readers can see this in its full effect, Thomas Wayne stabs Reverse-Flash through the heart. Aside from this moment, Reverse-Flash never really does this throughout comic book history. It’s most likely because it would kill any opponents in seconds, so writers choose to leave it out of stories. However, there could be more to it than this. Barry Allen says it himself, “for every positive, there is a negative.” Like Barry, Eobard must gain speed to use his Negative Speed Force energy. If Flash needs to have peak momentum to access his most damaging attacks, it’s likely Eobard’s powers work the same way, and Barry only overestimates his villain to play it safe.
When it comes to Darkseid, his ability to disintegrate objects is more straightforward. He draws power from the cosmic energy field known as the “Omega Effect,” which grants him access to his incredibly destructive omega beams and blasts. These discharges are so powerful even Wonder Woman’s invulnerable bracelets have no defensive power against Darkseid’s omega beams. The only characters who have persisted after Darkseid’s beams hit them are Superman, Doomsday, and Yuga Khan (Darkseid’s father). Interestingly enough, Batman also gets hit by Darkseid’s beams at the end of Final Crisis. However, because DC would never kill off the Batman, Darkseid’s Omega energy mysteriously sends Bruce to the Stone Age.
If a writer were to put them through the ultimate test, it seems Reverse-Flash and Darkseid could literally destroy anything, including heroes. Both characters are some of the most threatening characters in all comic books for a reason. Time will only tell if DC Comics shows Reverse-Flash disintegrating someone the same way Darkseid does.
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