The Flash: [SPOILER]'s Dark Suit, Explained

Contains spoilers for "The Flash"

One of the biggest secrets kept about "The Flash" is finally out, with a Dark Flash actually being the main villain of the Andy Muschietti-directed film. The dark speedster wasn't the Reverse-Flash, Zoom, or Savitar, or one of the many speedsters who had tried to ruin Barry Allen's life in the comics or The CW series or any of his live-action series but ended up being Allen's doppelganger who endured years in the Speed Force trying to undo the death of his universe.

The alternate Barry Allen's failed attempts to reverse the deaths of Batman, Kara Zor-El, and his world resulted in him transforming into a full-blown monster, with Dark Flash being a creation of decades of pain, death, and trying to fix a moment in time simply couldn't be changed. Dark Flash ends up playing a vital role in the events of "The Flash," but who is the character, how did he gain his powers and costume, and what is his fate by the end of the movie?

The Dark Flash is initially introduced after pushing the main Barry Allen out of the Speed Force after he saves his mother from being killed. He is the reason Barry ends up in the 2013 alternate timeline and how he exists in the first place. The Dark Flash is a looming presence throughout "The Flash" and fully introduces himself after the main battle between General Zod, the army, and the heroes of the film ends with the impending death of the universe. Dark Flash reveals he's actually Barry's doppelganger who had been working alongside Barry, Batman, and Supergirl, created by a paradox after trying to save his own world countless times. 

The Flash's continued attempts to stop General Zod and his army resulted in him being impaled with spikes from the wreckage of a Kryptonian ship. Viewers see his earliest form when the doppelganger Barry attempts to fix the timeline after the initial loss of watching his world die, leading to him getting impaled by similar spikes seen on Dark Flash's suit. While doppelganger Barry only has a few spikes protruding through his body, Dark Flash has been completely covered by them, serving as a visual identification of how his attempts to fix the past corrupted him. 

The timeline crashes around the three Flashes, but after Dark Flash tries to kill the main Barry, his 2013 lookalike gets in the way and is impaled by his future self. As a result, Dark Flash fades from existence since he killed a younger version of himself, and the timeline begins to heal. Dark Flash's death is the event that allows Barry to return to his own timeline, which isn't exactly the same as it was when he first left.

While the Dark Flash from "The Flash" isn't directly based on a single character from the comics, he does draw inspiration from some speedsters. 

In "The Flash" #150 by Mark Waid, Brian Augustyn, and Paul Pelletier, Wally West arrives in a timeline where Barry Allen was killed by Cobalt Blue, changing history in a major way. The universe around Wally shifts thanks to the paradox of Barry's death. Wally found himself fighting against the Anti-Monitor, who initially killed Barry in "Crisis on Infinite Earths." Wally tries to take Barry's place in history but accidentally causes an explosion that would have destroyed the universe. Instead, Wally goes back in time to save Barry and saves him from Blue Cobalt. He runs so fast that he ends up in the Speed Force. The events would lead to the arrival of Walter West, who tried to replace the hero after his disappearance. "The Flash" film swaps out Wally for Barry, who deals with his own paradox created by the death of a close ally. 

Dark Flash's look appears to be inspired by the Black Flash who debuted in "The Flash" #138 by Grant Morrison, Mark Millar, Ron Wagner, and Joe Nyberg. Black Flash is Death for those connected to the Speed Force, possessing a monstrous, undead appearance in a black suit. His deathly features are similar to Dark Flash, although the film villain has a different suit.

While neither Walter West nor Black Flash appeared in "The Flash," the characters and their looks and stories seemed to influence the creation of the Dark Flash. It will be fascinating to see if Dark Flash is made canon in the comics. But for now, he's a villain unique to the DC film universe, despite drawing inspiration from other speedsters.