WARNING: Contains Spoilers for ABSOLUTE FLASH #5!An unexpected DC villain gets a terrifying makeover in theAbsolute Universeas Wally West adapts to his newfound powers asthe Flash. Almost immediately afterthe lab incident that seemingly killed Barry Allenand gave Wally West powers, Wally met several of the Flash’s iconic enemies. However, Captain Cold’s squad was no match for Wally.
Captain Cold’s team pales in comparison to Wally West’s first truly dangerous enemy.InAbsolute Flash #5, written by Jeff Lamire, Grodd leads Wally West to Heat Wave’s lair, where Wally dodges lava attacks while Grodd advises Wally to"help him". Wally doesn’t even try to land a blow on the villain, as it would be a certain death.
DC’sAbsolute Universehas introduced wild takes on famous comic book heroes and villains, but few of them are so drastically different to their main-universe counterpart asAbsolute Flash’s Heat Wave.
Absolute Flash Fully Unveils Heat Wave’s Horrifying Redesign
Absolute Flash #5; Written by Jeff Lemire; Art by Nick Robles and Adriano Lucas; Letters by Tom Napolitano
Traditionally, Mick Rory is a regular human who just so happened to develop an obsession with fire. Similarly to fellow Flash villain Captain Cold, Heat Wave wears special gear that allows him to survive the intense temperatures he weaponizes. Other than that, Heat Wave’s only other weapons against the Flashes are his cruelty, creativity, and determination.
In theAbsolute Universe,Heat Wave isn’t just a lava monster. Right after he attacks Wally, Heat Wave’s humanoid body can be seen reacting to his own heat, and he barely manages to utter the word,“hurt.“Given that Grodd pleads Wally to help Heat Wave, it’s clear thatAbsolute Flash’s Mick Rory isn’t a villain, but a victim of genetic experimentation gone wrong.
Heat Wave Got The Short End Of The Stick In The Absolute Universe
Most DC Villains Introduced So Far Have Received An Upgrade
Captain Cold, Captain Boomerang, the Trickster, and the Golden Glider appear to be physically stronger than their prime counterparts. Elsewhere, the Joker is a millionaire, Bane is even more muscular than usual, Mister Freeze is a monster ripped straight out of a horror movie, andKiller Croc is more than twice his usual size.Even Gorilla Grodd’s power downgrade came with the benefit of a more peaceful personality.
Wizard, Firestorm, and another mysterious characters are also test subjects in this universe, meaning they must have suffered a similar fate
Meanwhile, Heat Wave is left to suffer under a self-replenishing lava shower. In this continuity, Mick Rory is far from the pyromaniacFlashfoe he’s typically known as. What’s more, Wizard, Firestorm, and another mysterious character are also test subjects in this universe, meaning they must have suffered a similar fate. On the bright side, Wally West might decide to help Heat Wave and the other test subjects reverse their condition, and Grodd may possess key information to achieve it.
