Flash’s Most Underrated Villain Just Got an A-List Power Upgrade – TheFantasyTimes

Warning: Spoilers for The Flash (2016) #800 ahead!While Captain Cold is the leader of the Flash’s eclectic Rogues, the light-bending Mirror Master seems to be vying for the top spot among the Flash’s nemeses. Mirror Master has demonstrated powers that would make him one of the most formidable villains in the DC Universe. Powered by a mysterious benefactor, he can now affect mirroring on a quantum level. These newfound abilities allow him to manipulate reality on a terrifying scale.

The Flash (2016) #800 concludes with Si Spurrier, Mike Deodato Jr., and Trish Mulvihill’s story “Between Love and You.” The story sees Wally West attempting to use his super-speed to fight crime on the sly while simultaneously on a date with Linda. During the date, he responds to a “wobble” in the Speed Force, only to find himself trapped “in the in-between,” out of sync with reality, fighting an unknown assailant who seems to sap his powers in order to grow stronger. Wracking his brains, Wally realizes he’s been manipulated into acting as an energy particle in an atomic mirroring setup that is siphoning away his energy. This is a trap that has Mirror Master’s fingerprints all over it.

Mirror Master Now Transcends Reality

Mirror Master has a peculiar history among the Rogues. Despite having access to some of the most powerful weapons, he’s often overshadowed by Captain Cold as the Flash’s nemesis. Snart’s mastery of absolute zero technology allows him to negate the Flash’s speed. However, despite having access to dimensional travel, Mirror Master most often acts as the Rogues’ getaway driver, using mirror portals for efficient entry and exits for their heists.

Warning: Spoilers for The Flash (2016) #800 ahead!Captain Cold may be the leader of the Flash‘s eclectic Rogues, but another Rogue – the light-bending Mirror Master – seems to be vying for the top spot among the Flash’s nemeses, demonstrating powers that would make him one of the most powerful villains in the DC Universe. Powered by a mysterious benefactor, Mirror Master is now able to affect mirroring on a quantum level, and these newfound powers allow him to manipulate reality on a terrifying scale.

The Flash (2016) #800 concludes with Si Spurrier, Mike Deodato Jr., and Trish Mulvihill’s story “Between Love and You,” which sees Wally West attempting to use his super-speed to fight crime on the sly while simultaneously on a date with Linda. During the date, he responds to a “wobble” in the Speed Force, only find himself trapped “in the in-between,” out of sync with reality, fighting an unknown assailant who seems to sap his powers in order to grow stronger. Wracking his brains, Wally realizes he’s been manipulated into acting as an energy particle in an atomic mirroring setup that is siphoning away his energy – a trap that has Mirror Master’s fingerprints all over it.

Mirror Master Now Transcends Reality

Mirror Master has a strange history among the Rogues; despite having access to some of the most powerful weaponry of any of them, he’s often overshadowed by Captain Cold as the Flash’s nemesis. This makes a certain degree of sense, given that Snart’s mastery of absolute zero technology allows him to negate the Flash’s speed. However, despite having access to dimensional travel at his fingertips, Mirror Master most often acts as the Rogues’ getaway driver, using mirror portals for efficient entry and exits for their heists.

Mirror Master’s New Power Nearly Destroys the Flash

This new display of power, on the other hand, instantly catapults Mirror Master to the top of the Rogues. He is able to cause a disturbance to the fabric of reality in order to lure the Flash in, and then use his powers to lock the Flash out of sync with existence itself. Furthermore, the suit he uses to do so seems to imply that he himself is the assassin who nearly kills the Flash, using as-of-yet unknown technology to interface between worlds. This is the kind of setup that would challenge Superman, let alone the Flash, and is leagues beyond the Rogues’ usual M.O. of larceny and dirty deeds done on the sly.

The end of the issue reveals the source of Mirror Master’s newfound abilities: an unidentified eldritch entity, whose eyeball-laden tentacles can be seen observing the Flash throughout the issue before whisking Mirror Master out of prison. This newfound power to not only manipulate the fabric of reality but also carry and transmit dimensional energies is a terrifying upgrade for Mirror Master, who was already one of the least predictable Rogues. Mirror Master has gone from a strange figure with a carnival-mirror gimmick to casually wielding some of the most powerful energies in the Multiverse, and the Flash cannot treat him as the same villain he was before.

Flash (2016) #800 is now available from DC Comics.