WARNING: Contains Spoilers for ABSOLUTE FLASH #4!
DC’s Absolute Universe, a Darkseid-created world, has just introduced its latest villain reboot inAbsoluteFlash, completely overhauling the design of one iconic rogue. This once-human villain has now gone full monster mode, marking the most drastic change to their character in the 62 years since their debut.
Jeff Lemire, A. L. Kaplan, Chris Sotomayor, and Tom Napolitano’sAbsolute Flashseries has delivered some absolutely wild redesigns of Flash’s rogues gallery. The series has transformedCaptain Cold into a total DILFand reimagined the once-intimidating Gorilla Grodd as a lovable, alien-esque monkey.
Now, with issue #4, comes another major rogue overhaul.The iconic Flash villain Heat“Mick Rory”Wave gets perhaps the most drastic redesign yet,taking on a monstrous form that truly lets him live up to his fiery moniker.
Absolute FlashGives HEAT WAVE a Monstrous New Character Design
Absolute Heat Wave Is More of a Giant Lava Blob Than Man
As a quick recap,Wally is currently on the run with Groddas his partner in crime, trying to evade Captain Cold and company, who are hunting him down after the now-late Barry Allen’s experiment gave Wally super-speed powers. Issue #4 reveals that the night of the incident didn’t just kill Barry and grant Wally his abilities, but also released several other confidential experiments housed at the Army base. One of those escapees is none other than“Heat Wave.”In this issue,Grodd leads Wally through the sewers, where they encounter the escaped Heat Wave. The comic ends here, but not before readers get a good look at this reimagined rogue.
Heat Wave first debuted inThe Flash#140 (1963) by John Broome and Carmine Infantino, and for the past 62 years, he has typically been depicted as a very human pyrotechnics and explosives expert, known for wielding handheld flamethrowers and other flame-based technology; hence his moniker,“Heat Wave.”However,Absolute Flashtakes that name far more literally,presenting the rogue as what appears to be a living mass of lava, more blob than human.He still has a vaguely human form, appearing bipedal with what seem to be arms and a head, but overall, he is now far more monster than man.
Is Heat Wave a Friend or Foe to The Flash in the Absolute Universe?
Could Wally West Be Building His Own Family of Misfits?
Lemire has completely rewritten therelationship between Wally and Grodd, creating an unshakable bond between the two after they mentally connect through their shared trauma. Hence, it isn’t a stretch to consider the possibility that Heat Wave may also become a friend rather than a foe to Wally, especially since it’s clear that he too is a victim of the experiments that were conducted on him. However, Grodd does warn that he and Wally need to“stop hot,”referring to Heat Wave. As a result, it truly could go either way when it comes to Heat Wave being a friend or foe to theFlashin the Absolute Universe.
