DC’s forthcomingAbsoluteFlashis resurrecting one of the Scarlet Speedster’s most personal foes—and yes, they are family. The publisher’s new Absolute line is giving fans bold and dark new visions of its biggest heroes, putting them in a world without their trademark advantages.Absolute Flashis taking this premisea step further,by bringing back one of Wally West’s first, and most personal villains: his father.
DC released solicitations for its April 2025 titles, includingAbsolute Flash#2. The book will be written by Jeff Lemire and drawn by Nick Robles. The solicitation reads as follows:
Variant Covers:
Jorge Corona, Christian Ward, Clayton Crain & Andrew McLean
Wally West is on the run from his dad and the rest of Fort Fox, and while his new-found abilities are terrifying him, he needs to find a way to use them to make his escape. But how will he handle the elite group his father sent to bring him back?
Absolute Flashcontinues Jeff Lemire’s amazing streak at DC, having just helped the publisher launch a newJSAtitle. Rising star Nick Robles provides art forAbsolute Flash. Robles has been behind some of DC’s most striking covers, andAbsolute Flashlooks to be his best work yet, particularly in Wally West’s costume design.
For the debut ofAbsolute Flash, Wally’s own family will be among his first villains.
Like the Hulk, Wally West’s Father Has Been a Terrible Influence On His Son
Rudolph West Was An Abusive, Emotionally Distant Father
While Wally West’s father might seem like an odd choice for his first villain, there is precedent for this in DC history. Rudolph West was introduced early in Wally’s history, in 1960’sThe Flash#116. In the story “The Race to Thunder Hill,” Wally and his father (here called “Bob”) are taken hostage during an automobile race. He received very little development in these pre-Crisis on Infinite Earthsstories. However, after theCrisis, which positioned his son as the DC Universe’s dominant Flash, all of that changed, as the character took on darker tones.
Sorry, But It’s True: The Flash’s New Power Is Making Him a Way Worse Hero
The Flash’s new duplication ability is a good idea in theory, but in practice, it’s only caused problems for himself and the DC Universe as a whole.
In the post-CrisisDC Universe, Rudolph West was a domineering presence in Wally’s life,and a product of toxic masculinity. Rudolph did not believe in showing emotions around his son, and even took to bullying the kid. Wally’s home life was terrible, so when he received speed powers like his uncle Barry, he found a way out, and a conduit for the emotions he was feeling. Even then, Wally still bore the psychic scars of his father’s abuse late into his heroic career. Yet there was even more going on with Rudolph West.
DC Made the Flash’s Father Into a Serious Villain–But Then Forgot About Him
The Flash’s Father Was His First Villain
In 1988, DC published the Green Lantern-centric crossover event,Millennium, and the revelations that came to light during it would rock Wally West’s life forever. One ofMillennium’splot points involved loved ones of DC’s biggest heroes being corrupted by the Manhunters, an army of androids built by the Guardians of the Universe.Rudolph West was an agent of the Manhunters, recruited before Wally was even born. Although he seemingly perished during that event, he would resurface a year later, during theInvasioncrossover, eventually sacrificing his life to help stop it.
TheFlash’s rogues gallery is regardedas one of the best in comics, and rightfully so. The “Rogues” regularly menace the Flash, as do the likes of Gorilla Grodd and the Reverse-Flash. Rudolph West occupies a special position in the Flash’s list of villains, as he could be regarded as the first foe Wally had to fight. While Wally and his father never exchanged blows, the damage Rudolph dealt his son hurt worse than anything Captain Cold or Mirror Master could throw at him.Rudolph West was the one villain Wally never could touch, and never could beat.
What Will Absolute Flash’s Father Be Like?
Without Jay Garrick or Barry Allen, Wally May Not Stand a Chance
Now, in DC’s new Absolute Universe, Rudolph West is returning to menace the Flash once again. While DC has not revealed any details about this new version of Rudolph, it has mentioned “Fort Fox.” It is possible this is some sort of military operation, giving Rudolph and Wally ties to the military-industrial complex. Robles’ cover shows a man who can be assumed to be Wally’s father leading a team of military-style commandos into battle. If the Flash has ties to the government, then it will be even more of a radical departure for the character.
“Fort Fox,” mentioned in the solicitation forAbsolute Flash#2, might be a reference to Flash co-creator Gardner Fox.
Using Absolute Flash’s father as his first villain subverts the formula even further.When Wally’s predecessor, Barry Allen, debuted, he immediately fought costumed super-villains such as the Turtle. There were no villains in theFlashfamily, until Rudolph West came along, and now the publisher’s Absolute Universe has made him a genuine threat to Wally. Without Barry or Jay to guide him in the use of his new powers, Wally will be in for the fight of his life.
DC’s New Dark and Visionary Absolute Line is A Rolling Success
DC’s Absolute Line Flips the Script on the Heroes Backstories and Villains
DC’s new Absolute line has been a massive sales and critical hit, with nearly every title going back for multiple printings. DC’s icons are at a severe disadvantage in the new Absolute line: Batman does not have his wealth and Wonder Woman was raised and trained by Circe in Hell, as opposed to growing up on Paradise Island.ForAbsolute Flash, Lemire and Robles are dispensing with the character’s legacy–no Barry Allen, no Jay Garrick and no Johnny Quick.The concept of legacy has been important to the Flash for decades, and now it is gone.
The Absolute line has also flipped the script on the dynamics between the heroes and villains,starting with Circe being so formative in Wonder Woman’s development. InAbsolute Batman, the focus has shifted to lesser-known, but no less cool,villains such as Mister Freezeand Black Mask. While the Joker’s arrival in the Absolute Universe is guaranteed, it is refreshing to see these new takes that monthly break the mold of everything that has come before.
