- Absolute Flash #18 introduces a new villain, Hunter Zolomon, who poses a significant threat to Wally West, challenging the hero in a way previous villains have not.
- Hunter Zolomon’s ability to project his mind and body one minute into the past or future gives him a strategic advantage over Wally West, making him a formidable opponent.
- The introduction of Hunter Zolomon as a villain in Absolute Flash addresses the series’ previous lack of a truly threatening antagonist for Wally West, adding depth and complexity to the storyline.
A new villain appearing in Absolute Flash #18 tackles the biggest problem with the series to date. The comic book by Jeff Lemire and Nick Robles is undoubtedly one of the <a href="https://comicvibe.com/15-best-western-tv-pilots-of-all-time-ranked/” title=”15 Best Western TV Pilots Of All Time, Ranked”>best books it has still suffered in one respect when it comes to its lead, Wally West
The action of Absolute Flash #18 finds Wally West weighing his options. The impatient young speedster is desperate to find his father, who became stranded in another dimension. However, despite the offer of a new home, Wally is reluctant to stay still and think of a plan. This is due to his fear that the government agents hunting him will hurt his friends to get to him.
This fear turns out to be well-founded, as the town of Iron Heights is attacked by something that distorts the citizen’s bodies. In the midst of investigating this, Wally is attacked by DEO Agent Hunter Zolomon, who has superpowers of his own. And for the first time in Absolute Flash, Wally finds himself completely outclassed and overpowered.
Absolute Flash finally has a villain who raises the stakes
While Absolute Flash is one of DC Comics’ strongest series, it has failed to adequately challenge its hero. Even allowing that Wally West was rarely in control of his powers and prone to panic, most of his villains to date didn’t seem threatening. By contrast, Hunter Zolomon goes beyond matching Wally West; he is a perfect foil thanks to both his powers and methodology.
The name Hunter Zolomon will be familiar with most fans of The Flash. In the main DC Universe, he was an FBI profiler, who befriended Wally West. However, when he was paralyzed, Zolomon asked Wally to go back in time to save him. When Wally refused, Zolomon attempted to use The Flash’s Cosmic Treadmill to go back in time on his own.
This resulted in Zolomon acquiring the power to control the flow of time around him. He also acquired the insane belief that all heroes need a tragedy to be great. Taking the name Zoom, Zolomon became a new Reverse-Flash, dedicating himself to killing Wally West’s loved ones to make him a better hero.
The Absolute Flash version of Hunter Zolomon is changed beyond being a DEO agent rather than an FBI profiler. Rather than manipulating time directly, his power allows him to project his mind and body one minute into the past or future. This allows him to see what is going to happen and then go back a step to regroup.
Beyond allowing him to outpace the Fastest Teen alive, this change also makes Hunter Zolomon a true Reverse-Flash. The calculating Hunter Zolomon is also a perfect intellectual and emotional opposite to the impulsive Wally West. All this directly addresses the problem of Absolute Flash not challenging its main character.
