Warning: contains spoilers for Tales from the Dark Multiverse: Flashpoint #1
The latest story set in DC Comics' the Flash in an alternate timeline that ultimately kicked off DC's New 52 publishing reboot. While the New 52 reboot was announced to controversy and met with a mixed reception, Bryan Hitch's Tales from the Dark Multiverse: Flashpoint #1 proves that it could have been a whole lot worse, especially if the Reverse-Flash was given free reign with no Barry Allen to get in his way.
In this Dark Multiverse take on Flashpoint, Barry Allen dies trying to get his powers back in a bid to restore the timeline. While Barry's death was a complete surprise to the Reverse-Flash, it wasn't an unwelcome one: Eobard Thawne could now do whatever he wanted with this new world and timeline, virtually unopposed. The first thing he did was take over the White House, using the president as his puppet, giving him complete control and leadership over America. Then, he killed Aquaman, effectively ending the Atlanteans' World War with the Amazons.
This prompts Cyborg to seek out the help of Batman so they can free and enlist the help of Project Superman. Now a formidable trio, they try to take out Reverse-Flash, but Thomas Wayne's Batman secretly intends to force Thawne to bring his son Bruce back. Batman shoots Superman so he can't try and stop him, ending any and all chances of hope for the future. Then, Wonder Woman arrives with the newly formed Atlantean/Amazon alliance, who have come together to defeat Reverse-Flash, also bringing with them new allies in the form of the New Gods from Apokolips. While things look pretty bleak for Thawne, he still has his connection to the Negative Speed Force. This means that without Flash to stop him, he can never truly be defeated. No matter what happens, Reverse-Flash can always run through time for do-overs and make alterations until the rebooted DC Universe becomes exactly what he intends it to be.
On the final page of this Dark Multiverse tale, Thawne has taken over the world and remade it into his own perception of perfection, positioned front and center among a legion of heroes who've all been slightly altered. Many of them bear his own reversed lightning symbol, indicating that this new DC Universe well and truly belongs to the Reverse-Flash. However, even Tempus Fuginaut (the traditional narrator of these Dark Multiverse tales) has a hard time making sense of the ending of this particular story, due to Reverse-Flash's machinations via the Negative Speed Force. According to Tempus, this dark Flashpoint world is in a constant state of eternal rebirths thanks to Thawne, and its reality is not just being re-formed, but "reversed" as well. Thawne gets everything he wants, and his world eventually revolves around his every desire and whim, making for a truly dark reboot for the DC Universe.
