Why The Flash Is The True Victim Of Bad Writing

I think we can all agree that the flash has some of the most amazing powers in all of DC. Super speed and everything The Flash can do with it, is awesome! But when you give someone extremely special powers and special abilities you do run into some issues when story telling. So that's Why The Flash Is The True Victim Of Bad Writing...or at least The Flash is truely only as strong as the writers need him to be. With that said if you enjoy this flash breakdown or flash rant make sure to leave a like, sub and comment below if you want to see more videos like this one!

[@deandredukes95]

If your superpower is speed, the plot is your biggest enemy

[@all9472]

Fire too because the ratings in naruto fire never worked because the rating of the show also any type of blades or mind control

[@whaleping]

If you’re Dr. Eggman Robotnik, whose purpose is to control the plot, the plot being the enemy isn’t so bad to the MC.

[@user-eg7gs7ro7w]

That is more true, than the sky is blue.

[@Kalossupremacy3356]

I still keep thinking about how someone pointed out him running around the planet to him is just walking around it, like imagine the agony.

[@markgaumee]

This is literally the perfect description of The Flash as a character lmao.

[@ThelastShepherd.]

Realistically, the Flash is so busted that there really is no contingency plan that would work on him.

[@TheYodelingViking]

Yeah. Superman could easily wipe out the human race, but so could Flash. And where Superman could do it in seconds Flash could do it in a literal instant or even yesterday. Like today never existed.

[@kurogotbeats]

yeah hes too unpredictable

[@mikefine619]

I used to think a flash vs the dc universe would be interesting but the comic book would be like the shortest in history

[@Gambler408]

there are quite a lot of things that would work on most versions of the character

[@teateline9659]

​@@mikefine619 wouldnt even be a short comic, its just a poster

[@IsaiahWayne2104]

Fun fact: In a comic, it is revealed that the Joker is afraid of the Flash. Due to Flash's super speed and that Flash can easily throw the Joker in jail.

[@ccelite3782]

Plus he's extremely smart, so he'd know what Joker was planning before Joker even knows it. With that being said, Joker solos CW Flash 🙏

[@trevorhoffler-xu5bq]

Just read that issue the other day..

[@all9472]

That's not canon

[@all9472]

​@@ccelite3782joker really smart roo but flash too fast so doesn't matter but joker a expert at chemistry with multiple types if laughing gas that would be a neat story a cat and mouse game joker hiding while attacking and flash trying to one shot him both using strategy

[@trevorhoffler-xu5bq]

@@all9472 it was in The Flash annual so yea...it is

[@Uprssdthwrgbttn]

Getting shot is by far the dumbest thing I ever saw, but then the injustice movie happened.

[@ZoxOladipo]

MY GOD SOMEONE SAID IT

[@raihan6908]

Also one of the biggest examples of blatantly ignoring the source material

[@jamesgraydon556]

If he can’t see the bullet then how would he know he is being shot at?

[@Uprssdthwrgbttn]

@@jamesgraydon556 it was established way back during Mark Waid's Born To Run Era that the speed force makes him so aware he couldn't even get blown up in his sleep without knowing.

[@jamesgraydon556]

@@Uprssdthwrgbttn damn I got need checked. Aight dude you got it

[@comicfan1324]

Flash getting shot with a bullet is kind of dumb at first glance, but for what it’s worth it’s well established that the flash is really rusty and out of shape when that happened so I suppose we can give them a slight pass there But overall, I agree that flash suffers a lot from plot convenience. One moment he will be an Unkillable opponent, and then the next minute they treated like he’s just a guy who’s kind of fast.

[@MTT563]

It’s well established that he’s been out of it, yeah, but not really that he’s rusty. It’s a fine assumption for the player to make, and to assume that Deadshot would have made the same assumption too, but you know what else would have worked to make it more clear? Deadshot: “Alright, this should get your attention.” Shoots, Flash gets hit Deadshot: “Really? You couldn’t dodge THAT?” Flash: “You’re not exactly topping my list of concerns right now”, or something similar Because without that, even with Flash being rusty, it reads as Deadshot successfully shooting him and knowing it would work. And like, good for him, but unless this version of Flash just cannot dodge bullets, Deadshot of all people should know better than to even try

[@wafflebroz]

Flash was successfully shot once in the comics that was very bad. “Tower of Babel” where it was a specially made bullet, designed by Batman, to hit him as he tried to vibrate. Plot for sure, but an example JLU Flash was stated by Green Lantern in “The Great Brain Robbery” that Flash doesn’t do certain things because he knows they are dangerous

[@baligong3592]

To know that that bullet would've been for nothing if he just took 1 step to any direction. Let alone to Wally, of all Flashes, the guy who is more used to dodging than phasing.

[@Lordmewtwo151]

I didn't watch the video yet, but going in, I don't think this is a Flash-specific problem, but a speedster problem in general. Flash just suffers the worst of it because he's one of the most powerful.

[@baligong3592]

It's not a Speedster specific problem, it's just a DC/MARVEL superhero related Problem. You can have Speedsters without having them being faster than Light, let alone Lightning. Dash, from the Incredibles, is a known and recognisable speedster that people loved... His top speed is 190MPH. Most of the Superheroes in the Justice League can LITERALLY stop anyone dead set on their track EASILY. Hell, this is the same with Superman and Green Lantern. - Superman can combine his powers, alongside have Light Speed+. Why can't Superman quickly blast out of the area with Kryptonite, combine his X-Ray and Heat Vision to destroy the Kryptonite, and come back to beat the criminals? - Why can't Green Lantern just Will Criminals of Coast City into Submission and Compliance? The only ones who seem to challenge this guy is other Lanterns.

[@Lordmewtwo151]

@@baligong3592 I guess all of that makes sense, but there are a few points I want to address: Re. Light vs Lightning: This one is admittedly pedantic, but light is the faster of the two. Re. Superman: He is already affected by the radiation. Although, if he sees a criminal begin drawing kryptonite, he should be able to fly away before the radiation (which I think is safe to assume is lightspeed unless canonically stated otherwise) reaches him. Also, why would he need the X-ray vision? Re. Speed of speedsters: Dash is a bit of an exception. To my knowledge, the rule for speedsters in fiction, even the slow ones, is at bare minimum if not hypersonic, then the high end of supersonic.

[@baligong3592]

@@Lordmewtwo151 1. Perhaps I misworded, if so, forgive me, but I know Lightning is slower than Light, but if the Flash is faster than lightning, you already made him broken beyond belief. 2. True, he is affected by the radiation kryptonite gives, shouldn't he sense Kryptonite before even arriving? "Why would he need X-Ray?" Because his X-Ray won't work with lead and Kryptonite doesn't radiate through it, so if he notices lead casing, he should know immediately. Also, Superman vs The Elite (which is based on a Comic) shows Superman combining X-Ray and Heat Vision to surgically fry a piece of Manchester Black's brain. - What's stopping him from staying a mile above the sky and heating the lead in their hand to drop it, and Transport them to prison like people say with The Flash? 3. There are no rules, except for: "if their main gimmick is Speed, they're a Speedster". Dash isn't any exception. Supersonic speed is just another way of saying Sonic speed, which is anything at or above 767MPH. Hypersonic is just Mach 5 or above. Speedsters main issue will forever be everyone wanting to make them faster than Light or even Time itself. Example: - imagine if Season 1 of The Flash just introduced him and his fastest feat is just 500MPH? He can still cross the city very quick, and can still do so much, but "Guys with Guns" are still dangerous.

[@Lordmewtwo151]

@@baligong3592 Apparently lead blocks all of Superman's super senses somehow. X-ray vision makes sense for obvious reasons, but he could apparently smell brownies from out of space or hear Jimmy's watch ring all the way from Krypton (and even granting sound could travel through the vacuum of space in the DC universe, it still should have taken millions of years to reach him based on the speed of sound and his distance) but he can't hear through lead which actually makes sound travel better? And yes, I'm fully aware that that second example was Pre-Crisis, but last I heard, DC did some convergence thing that allows him the capability of performing Pre-Crisis feats. Regarding your third point: "There are no rules, except for: "If their main gimmick is Speed, they're a Speedster." I understand that, but your sentence about the main issue with Speedsters is precisely why I listed Dash as an exception.

[@baligong3592]

@@Lordmewtwo151 I think it's stupid that they made it be that lead blocks all of Superman's Powers, I guess it's fine but at the same time, I have no idea why for the change. Also, yea, the rules of how Sound works in DC is weird, but sometimes I just chuck it to "I guess Superman has some powers to work like a Satellite". Same guy can hear someone shout from across the world, when sound would take 3 days to circle it once. Oh! I understand now, you mean how everyone wants to make a Speedster faster than light, but Dash is an Exception, because he actually is purposely slower than everyone else. Forgive me on that!

[@EdgyTheHedgy891]

There is actually a way to solve this And Sonic (game Sonic to be precise) is the perfect example of this Seriously Sonic games acknowledge just how op speedsters are So instead of fighting regular enemies Sonic fights entire armys, robots, realitywarpers, gods and ancient giant mechs designed to fight gods, as well as other speedsters with additional powers that Sonic does not have

[@DrewBoivie]

This is generally a good solution for anything animated, but it doesn't really work for live action. CW Flash and Smallville both utilize crappy plot elements (Flash being dumb, Kryptonite in every episode) because OP opponents are expensive and the fights they would have with the protagonist are really expensive.

[@EdgyTheHedgy891]

@@DrewBoivie yeah fair point

[@sliceninja4546]

Plus most of sonic's friends or enemies have superspeed. So characters like Silver, Shadow, Knuckles, and Blaze can actually stand their foot against sonic.

[@TakarieZan]

I think flash has had a stint recently where he kept fighting back to back speedsters. At a certain point it becomes redundant. Which is kinda the general issue with writing a story that:s been going on for nearly a century.

[@Velocity_YT]

This is actually true on so many levels it hurts.

[@s4mur4rtist21]

an issue with even injuring flash to nerf him doesnt even work cos the flash also has insane super healing

[@bandawin18]

A bad writer's first thought to try and work around a character that's too op is to nerf them. A good writer instead buffs everyone else to keep up with the op character

[@comicfan1324]

Not to burst your bubble about writing scripts at superspeed, but from your perspective, you would still be writing the script at a normal amount of time. The only difference is when you look at the clock far less time would’ve passed. (also for this to work you have to be writing with normal pen and paper as the computer probably wouldn’t be able to keep up with your typing) So super Speed would be great for time management, but it’s not like you would see your hand suddenly blurring and a script is written. From your perspective, you still have to write everything down.

[@ComicCasualVideos]

Dude I've heard this before...that is hella sad but at least I got more time In the day hahahaha

[@ajjtheamazing5615]

Not necessarily, since u could move ur hand at the same rate of ur thought

[@wanderingsystem9674]

Superspeed is not necessarily tied to your perception speed. I feel like most writers do that because it is an easy out from the question of “how is this character even able to do those things voluntarily if human reaction is so slow?” For a good example, godspeed Kilua from HxH is an ability that bypasses his reaction time by sending electrical pulses to his body before his own brain can react, giving him the power of speed blitzing his opponents even if his mind remains the same. You could theoretically use that to “pre-program” the english lexion in your hand so when you have a script in mind your body is already midway through writing it as fast as your body can handle.

[@stachpema452]

That is zoom power. Flash still is super fast

[@vullord666]

Well normal pen and paper wouldn't help either. You'd either tear through the paper or start a fire with the friction. You'd need very specialized material.

[@indrainspace2601]

So one thing about the superman pill that is explained in the comics. Yes it does give you a degree of superspeed, it is said to allow a person to keep up with superman himself who in the injustice comics is able to keep up with the flash. So if deadshot was using that pill he actually would be able to keep up with the flash, the pill doesn't just give a strength boost.

[@sandwichqueen]

It's basically an excuse to put everyone on the same playing ground. Except plastic man, because he's plastic man.

[@pasaikoujarju7396]

But the flash is way faster than superman, so that still wouldnt help deathstroke

[@indrainspace2601]

@@pasaikoujarju7396 normally yes but in the injustice continuity specifically they're around the same speed.

[@1x.thom_rider]

@@indrainspace2601 no way😂

[@Reseptics]

the biggest problem with super speed in most stories and how the majority of writers present their overpowered speedsters is that they can't commit to what they actually want to do with them. if you write your speedster to have god like power then they should be treated like they have god like power. if you write them to just be a guy who runs kind of fast and not much else then you can get away with them losing to lesser threats. but it's completely inexcusable to have what is arguably one of the most overpowered characters in your verse constantly look like a clown whenever a D list super villain that he should've stopped in a nano second manages to even land a hit on him. much less kill/cripple him in any capacity. dc writers actually cannot be real people because it genuinely is not that difficult to remain consistent with super speed if you possess a somewhat functional brain.

[@MaverickChristian]

That was the main reason I stopped watching the CW Flash. There were _way_ too many instances where the Flash could solve a problem by remembering his powers.

[@Reseptics]

@@MaverickChristian exactly my point. madvocate highlights that exact point in his videos about the flash and why the show is objectively poorly written when it comes to it's action/fight scenes.

[@MaverickChristian]

@@Reseptics Ha! I remember his videos. "The Dumbest Man Alive" for his season 1 commentary really captured my thoughts about it as well.

[@eduardopantoja9115]

​@MaverickChristian true like letting a guy who was riding on a motorcycle get away because in the Flash mind, it was too late. That was the dumbest and funniest thing I have ever heard. The flash could casually remove people out of moving viechles but a guy on a motorcycle is too much for the flash.

[@DaddySmaan]

Largely agree with your points. Just one thing though is that bullets travel faster than the speed of sound so he wouldn't hear them in time, and I actually think this would be a great point to use to nerf his character in stories. He would have to see them coming, but if he gets shot from behind, he would have to react in super speed when he feels the bullet hit his back, maybe the bullet pierces a few millimetres before he realises at which point he can try to grab it.

[@cherries7734]

CW’s Flash made me love the flash ngl (seasons 1-3) and then i kept watching 4 and beyond and i was like how tf u have super speed and ur losing to people WITHOUT it ????? thawne zoloman savitar all faster then barry makes sense he’d lose. captain cold? okay kinda a little his gun cancels out friction. killer frost? his friend makes sense… BUT HOW THE FUCK ARE U LOSING TO A GENERIC ASS ROBBER HOW U LOSING TO CAPTAIN BOOMERANG THAT SHOULD BE A CRIME LIKE DEADASS HOW ARE U LOSING ????? HE HAS A FUCKING BOOMERANG WTF HE DOESNT EVEN HAVE A GUN UR ASS CAN THROW LIGHTNING AND UR LOSING TO A DUDE WITHA BOOMERANG LIKE CMON BRO NOT EVEN BOOMERAANG SOMETIMES HE BE LOSING TO SOME GENERIC ASS ROBBER OR SOME PERSON WITHOUT SUPER SPEED GETS THE DROP ON HIM LIKE THERES ACTUALLY NO WAY OR IN S3 WHEN KILLER FROST ESCAPES AND OUTRUNS BARRY WITH A NOT EVEN 5 SECOND HEAD START AND SHE IS ALREADY GONE AND BARRY IS LIKE "shes gone" LIKE BRO WHERE DID U LOOK THE FLOOR??? okay rant over thank you

[@dagothurik1815]

The problem with this is that those issues existed in the first season. Snart runs offscreen and suddenly he got away as if Barry couldn’t case the area in under a minute.

[@obiomachukwuocha4918]

Ok I want to talk about the bullet problem.... First, he is facing away from the bullet, therefore he cannot see it coming. The bullet is moving faster than the speed of sound (as bullets usually do) so the flash could never hear it. If the flash was facing the gun then he would be able to see the muzzle-flash and dodge it. Second, feeling the pressure waves of the bullet also doesn't make sense for the same reasons. Pressure waves are amplified sound waves. So the flash would feel the bullet before the pressure waves since bullets are faster than the speed of sound.

[@eduardopantoja9115]

Doesn't the flash move at the speed of light or way beyond in some cases

[@obiomachukwuocha4918]

@@eduardopantoja9115 yes but moving at the speed of light wouldn't save you from a bullet that you can't see

[@bmdsch1320]

​​​@@obiomachukwuocha4918for comparison the speed of light can easily go around the earth 7 times in one second... So yeah it's not realistic, if someone shot him with a bullet at a speed of sound, and even if the flash doesn't noticed the bullet it would be impossible for the flash to be hit, flash literally is not visible running at the speed of light, his to fast for the eye could process

[@Amir522]

​@@obiomachukwuocha4918 but... it is. How would bullet that only faster speed of sound catch you from behind while you are speed of light?

[@baligong3592]

ABOUT THE DEADSHOT SITUATION: 5:11 **How does get shot by a Sniper that is Extremely far away?** - because... He's extremely far away. Have you ever looked up in the sky and saw how slow a Plane is moving? Or watched from a building how cars on a highway seem slow? Same happened to The Flash. **How does Flash, for one, not hear the bullet going off, or feel the wind from that bullet?** - because a Bullet from a DMR or a Bolt Action goes 1,000+ MPH, which is above the Speed of Sound. The Bullet will be sitting waiting for sound to catch up before you realised you've been shot. - You can NEVER feel a Bullet coming even if you have super speed, because a bullet rips through the air. A Sniper Rifle Bullet is DESIGNED to rip through the air. If Anything, it's Plot Armour that Flash's leg hasn't been blown off. This happened in a section of the game where Flash was running slow to save people from Brainiac's Invasion. Deadshot, an Opportunist, took advantage of Flash's kindness.

[@baligong3592]

This scene is used frequently as a "Flash has been nerfed" but if anything, Flash has been buffed. Flash, withstood from a Sniper Rifle blowing off his Leg, AND got back up next second, DESPITE COLD SLOWING HIS HEALING, to fight off getting jumped.

[@ismaelbauman2156]

While I agree with most of your points. Hitting a target that is far away is still harder than up close even if it appears to be moving slower at a distance. The fact that Deadshot was far away only explains why his aim could move faster than flash could run, not why he was able to hit flash.

[@baligong3592]

@@ismaelbauman2156 I already stated, because a Sniper Rifle Bullet is capable of surpassing 1,000+MPH. Flash can't dodge a bullet the moment he hears it get fired, because it travels faster than sound. Added with the fact that Flash was shot from behind, he did not see the bullet hit him. Flash also was not going very fast, as he was going rather slow to save people, which I mentioned. That's why Flash was shot. Also, had this been anyone else, I would believe there's a likelihood to miss, but because Deadshot is considered World's Greatest Marksman, this makes sense.

[@charlesreed7935]

Flash is faster than light with the ability to time travel

[@charlesreed7935]

The speed force also acts as a shield protecting him slightly and he has durability of his own that corresponds with his speed (because his speed makes his ap his ap equals durability)

[@IsaiahWayne2104]

If Flash was a better written character, then he'd be in the top 5 most famous Superheroes in DC.

[@Pluutowrldd]

He’s already in that top 5

[@BrokenSIMGlasses]

1/2. Superman or Batman 3. Wonder Woman 4. The Flash 5. Green Lantern or Aquaman I think this is the order

[@kadegetslaid634]

He is

[@joeda900]

He's already in their top famous superheroes

[@Faster_than_light_x]

Flash is defintely a better written character you just never read any Flash comics

[@apeman6059]

Imagine making a character so fast and powerful that he can't use his full power consistently The Flash is the definition of a busted character

[@camgotheat1375]

I think reverse flash is the best version of an accurate op flash we’re gonna get

[@RRai2000]

This video sound's very positive compared to other KZbinrs who rant 24/7

[@fefik-fx7sx]

bullet flyes faster than sound in most of the time - he couldnt hear it

[@jeremyjacob9509]

Ever heard of a sonic boom?

[@Velocity_YT]

That being said, why didn't he just outrun the bullet? You mean to tell me he's slower than a bullet here?

[@Reseptics]

still doesn't explain why he wasn't simply moving too fast for the bullet to even get close to him in the first place. holy shit even suicide squad got this right (in it's cutscene) before it directly contradicted itself with it's dog shit gameplay.

[@Velocity_YT]

@@Reseptics true. Deadshot tried shooting him only for Flash to outrun the bullet.

[@Dollarstorestuff]

​@@Velocity_YTHELLO IT ME I FOUND OUT HOW TO FLY

[@kenj0165]

Lantern dressed like Sunspot in the thumbnail

[@andreabosio6452]

For the justice league, Superman is the face, Bats is the mind, Wonderwoman is the heart but Flash is their conscience. I think i never saw an iteration of Barry or Wally where anybody, including bats, would try to debate him on any true moral argument. I always loved how bruce respects and tells Barry about his good deeds in JL war upon their first meeting, as if he saw in his actions a better way to deal with criminals than he is obligated to. I also loved that the non-speedsters enemies of him have the code of not killing people (legal reasons, not very moral) and never kill a speedster. Egoistic reasons but still they seem to have respect of The Flash even if he foils their plans. And how to not talk about the episode of jla where he talks to Spot in front of a drink and make him go back to prison with kindness and compassion? Yeah, the Flash is the true victim of bad writing power wise, but until they don't mess up his human characteristics nobody is really going to hate on them

[@user-sw3tb2km8p]

Authors shouldn't create him being SO powerfull to begin with. Same with Superman.

[@Xenobears]

The only way I could see Flash successfully getting shot with a bullet is if it was traveling at supersonic speed from behind the Flash. Like a rail gun round. At above Mach I, the bullet would be traveling faster than sound so Flash couldn’t hear it coming. Being from behind would mean that he wouldn’t see it coming, either. However, most versions of the Flash are so freaking fast that as soon as the round touches his suit, he’d be able to feel it and move out of the way before it penetrates more than the first layer of his epidermis. Really, the only thing that should be hitting him should be other speedsters or light speed projectiles (and even those he can dodge considering how he can go faster than light in some iterations). His need for calories should be played up more to nerf his power-maybe make a smart, tough opponent distract him while the area is sealed off and wait for him to run out of steam before letting non-speedsters try to tackle him. In the case of CW Flash, just have the villain stand out in the open and wait for Barry to stop in front of them. He will forget he even has super speed while he’s monologuing.

[@eduardopantoja9115]

I agree with you, they should have made his fast metabolism a good weakness because shockingly they don't use it as much as how villans use Kryptonite against superman. I know that they do mention that the flash needs to eat a ton of food everyday or so but it never actually lead to him losing a fight, getting caught off guard, or getting to exhused and passing out from the lack of consuming enough food. It's a very simple, logical and effective weakness they can use to build stakes and ground his powers.

[@flyte707]

@@eduardopantoja9115 i thought he has unlimited speed force energy

[@eduardopantoja9115]

@flyte707 He doesn't but the plot kinda never makes his fast metabolism a relevant weakness. More like a quick trait

[@austinchuilli3652]

My personal head cannon is the Speed Force is sentient to some degree, thus only granting speedsters a base boost to speed with an additional increase as needed. However, since the SF isn't fully sentient it doesn't always supply enough speed.

[@nickbiazzo7191]

The flash is the the opposite of batman, batman can only fight high tears due to plot and the flash only loses to low tears because of the plot

[@genesismultiverse4896]

We can agree cw's downfall was starting from season 4

[@jab9109]

More like season 1

[@genesismultiverse4896]

@@jab9109 nah the suit and storytelling got somewhat worse after season 4 it should have just been wally and the rest after barry

[@efficientfuture1336]

Flash wouldn't be able to Dodge bullets in real life unless he saw them. Most bullets travel faster than sound so they would reach him before the sound would reach his ears. You'd have to use subsonic ammunition but those would travel extremely slow in comparison.

[@Regibump37]

I've been waiting for a video to come like this, one that agrees with the faults in the Flash's power scaling while getting why people still love this character as a whole. I personally view it similar to Superman, he’s great when the writer clearly understand how this character should act and right villains that can have a justified reason to go against him (with potentially a slight nerf to limit the excuse of time travelling to before the villain existed). If I had to say an example of DC media which handled the Flash well, it'd be Justice League Doom. It presents a clear example at how the rouges are able to stand as viable villains to the Flash, in this case Mirror Master, all while maintaining consistently for how the Flash handles these threats. He doesn’t rush head into a potential trap, he uses his super speed effectively when he can, he’s forced into situations to play the enemy’s game to survive and has clear limitations to how long he can keep his speed up for.

[@eduardopantoja9115]

I feel like the time travel powers were a bad idea to give to the flash because it feels like the flash is an easy reboot button if dc fucks up the story too much and wants an easy reboot excuse.

[@Regibump37]

@@eduardopantoja9115 I will say that I don’t mind the Cosmic Treadmill working as a time travel device, as that forces Flash to be in a specific location and build a charge there in order to get to that location, not to mention an item that needs to be build/can be destroyed. It was Justice League Dark Apokalips War that killed him freely travelling, as that’s the only reason they kept him alive in that film to undo everything. And just remove that ability all together from Superman, that power literally was used to undo the plot of Superman 2.

[@TheHeavenlyBeast]

The problem is that no one knows how to write powerful characters. Everyone wants balance and relatability, when sometimes, that's a detriment. Characters like Superman and Flash don't need to be relatable. They need to symbols. On top of that, they have villains that can counter their powers to some extent, but because everyone thinks balance is key, they need a Kryptonite or limit in some way. As a result, the plot tends to break because people are tok scared to write a powerful character. That's my take anyway. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's always what I've believed.

[@Charlei_03]

Young Justices Kid Flash was well done, they said he was only about t he speed of sound, making him way less overpowered and made it a lot better

[@rogerbrownreacts8528]

Flash is the most broken character ever. DC has a habit of it.

[@lukeroberts6747]

The only thing I disagree with u on is JLU because that is some of the best writing in my personal opinion

[@lightdarksoul2097]

It has some of the best writing but not everything in it is the best

[@MrDj232]

I see the title and all I can hear is Madvocate chanting "don't stop to talk" over and over again.

[@san-joshuabarrett]

CW Flash is my favorite. Season 1&2 was very entertaining even when rewatching it now seeing some of the inconsistencies I didn't see the first time. But its really just the battle of trying to balance an overpowered character. I remember being in grade 10&11 watching seasons 1&2 thinking i could actually achieve some of those speed after seeing the Particle accelerator in one of my text books😂😂

[@DanielKariuki-er5gi]

13:08 this show came out when I was only five so I didn't watch it and I heard about it in 2020 during quarantine and I knew how popular it was but still I never really cared but now in 2024 after I watch The Flash movie I decided to try to binge The Flash I'm on season 1 episode 18 right now and I love the show so far I think it's pretty good I don't know how the rest of the series will be because I heard the other seasons are really bad but for some reason my friend loves every season but I hope it's good.

[@Masonicon]

When I make Takeru Takaishi from Digimon Time Manipulation for one of his Superpowers(that allows him to bootlegs Speedforce) I gave him at least 2 weaknesses for balancing him better than Bad writings: one of them was to touch upon both Beast Boy and Lisa Simpson's vegetarianisms in my mega crossover, and he can also temporarily depowered when he feels despair(cuz his powers are tied to the Crest of Hope)

[@indraneeldebnath9017]

I also think since flash mentioned that he can percieve events that last for less than an 'attosecond', means his senses are functioning at that high of a level, that means he would feel the instant the bullet touched him, and if he is a human with a reflex condition just like we have....would have just moved his leg out of the way, because by human logic, if we are fast, our reflex action is even faster without even needing to think about it...... It would be lyk a rat or a mouse coming to bite u while u r unaware, but u reflexively move ur leg the moment the rat touches you.

[@strpe9701]

Flash is easily a superman level threat if he actually carried through with the implications of his powers. Flash could BODY any kryptonian and I’m supposed to believe they’re equals?

[@thelukeofficial9626]

Couldn’t of said it better myself Also there’s a character similar to the flash on Amazon called red rush in a show called invisible I think they did a decent job with his powers

[@theyusufdotcom869]

if hes invisible why can i see him

[@thelukeofficial9626]

@@theyusufdotcom869 lol I spelt it wrong I clearly meant invincible, so you don’t have the best eyes after all lol

[@skeletonlover3214]

cool vid

[@25NGL]

Lists of superpowers I think can beat superspeed: Flying Superstrength and Invulnerability (if they’re strong enough) Telepathy Telekinesis Ice powers Magic Gravity Electricity (maybe) Elemental powers (Earth,Water,Wind) Reality Warping Technology(that can reduce or amplify speed) Time traveling powers

[@sonfrost955]

I saw a video or short, saying that reason why speedsters get hit or sneak attacked is because they have to focus , slow down/weaken their connection to the Speed force. Also with super speed every one else would take years just for 1sec to pass by

[@Tyr5555]

Wally west is my favourite character and hero’s in crisis is the perfect example of this

[@mandalorianhunter1]

Hey just found your channel. CW Flash I love, I'm 30 so I grew up with multiple Flashes. I do agree the writing becomes awful, but he is still one of the strongest versions of the character. He is much stronger then Justice league and the DCEU Flash by a far mile. Yeah i hate bad writing just like how it effects Superman and Spider-Man. Flash is in my top 5 superheroes so I can't get enough of him.

[@dannyphantom3090]

The flash came out when i was in 6th grade and honestly i enjoyed the entire show. S3 is the only season im not to fond of because of the darker tone. Also with zoom the reason he was faster is because he took a drug to enhanced his speed but he took so much that it posioned his speed force connection killing him so he needed Barry positive speed force connection to stabilize him.

[@vullord666]

It's actually pretty interesting how comic plots continue to take speed out of the equation to add tension. Like right now speed is worthless because they're dealing with different dimensions (like not multiverse but 2 dimensional vs 3 dimensional). Then way back in one minute war everyone was already moving super fast so for the most part their greatest asset didn't matter.

[@oldmanmichaelj]

You are 100% right on why the Flash is over/under-powered. Stan Lee once said in an interview about people ask him heroes that fight each other who would win or is the strongest (e.g. The Hulk vs Spider-Man, Bat-Man vs Captain America, etc.) he's response is "... At the end of the day, it's whoever the writers need to win for that story/issues. ... (then he gives examples why a hero might not win a fight in that issue/story)". But I do agree for some superhero shows there is lazy/horrible writing. (I apologize for not giving example's from DC. Majority of DC Animation shows/movies I think are good.) Another example is the newer Star Wars Films (Episode 7-9), those movies could have been good if they listen to the OG Actors, Mark Hamill, and what the fan's want. CW Flash is great but I do agree later seasons got they got lazy and started to reuse the same formula of having someone a fraction bit of faster than him face him. It's like come on guys Barry Allen/The Flash isn't a Super Saiyan/this isn't Dragon Ball.

[@benjaminbruno6812]

I feel like there are ways to nerf him and keep it consistent. For example, say that when he's not actively using the speed force his perceptions slow down allowing him to be caught off guard. You can also bring back the calorie issue, human stomach can only hold so much food so he keeps running out of energy if he goes full speed, so he goes much slower most of the time to prevent passing out. Just putting that into cannon could explain a lot of issues

[@millo7295]

The best villain for someone who can go fast is someone who can make other people slow down to a stop You can't just "go faster" because that just makes the other persons' power get better until you (the speedster) loses

[@Noahs_Chair]

Flash really needs harder limits on his speed so the plot doesn't have to bend backwards to explain how someone that basically cheats in combat at a fundamental level doesn't roll over everything.

[@jamesgraydon556]

Just want to pint out that the flash cannot react to bullets from a sniper if he cannot see them. Most sniper billets travel well beyond the speed of sound so unless he can see the gun being fired he would have no way to know he is being shot at. The first signal he would get would be the bullet hitting him

[@timepilotcluefinder94]

One problem with that...Flashes think and run at Lightspeed.

[@jamesgraydon556]

@@timepilotcluefinder94 yes but as explained in the video. He can essentially toggle this reaction speed on and off and when he’s not expecting to be shot at, he’s not going to be thinking at light speed. Also, even if he was, why’s would he get out of the way of something he doesn’t know is coming at him

[@johnprime1147]

A good story that will prove the point that bad writing I'd truly The Flash's enemy. Ever heard of; Justice League Flashpoint Paradox? It's a Flash movie. Shoot me to prove me wrong. And in it. Flash isn't actually THAT fast. The fast as in so fast he can rip someone's heart out. Also in it he doesn't quip as much. He does at the beginning but it can truly be ignored as he just takes out his villains. He is only defeated when. Oh my god! He couldn't react in time to Boomerang's glue filled Boomerang! He truly is slow in it. After that he stays quite consistent unlike: The Flash 2023 Movie. How I knew this movie was better than the 2023 movie isn't just because I watched them back to back. But also I watched Madvocate a KZbinr review the movie

[@lowfn]

I agree up until you said you can’t snipe the flash from far away because flash would hear the shot or feel the wind before the bullet reached him. Bullets go faster than sound, meaning the only way the Flash can dodge a bullet is if he knows where the gun is or can see the bullet. But if you’re out of sight and behind him, you could shoot him. Although thinking on it as I type this, the Flash would probably feel the bullet just as it would start to pierce his skin and then move out of the way, leaving only the equivalent of a nasty bug bite on his skin

[@libertyprime1614]

You can't hear bullet or feel the wind before it hits you, because bullet is faster than sound and wind comes after. That being said the forces on Flash's body when he moves are far greater than any bullet can transfer, so why would bullet even hurt him if his speed doesn't.

[@greathero723]

sooo is anyone ever thought of poisoned the flash will be more possible this way ?

[@MaverickChristian]

That particular Justice League Unlimited was probably the least bad writing of this bunch (and I've seen some terrible writing for the Flash). It was an extreme situation so Flash decided to go beyond what he normally does and there's an explanation why he can never go that fast again. What was much worse was the Justice League episode "The Brave and the Bold, Part I" where Flash had _way_ too much trouble catching up with a van!

[@dovehochman2302]

What you said about flash and his villains I feel like that's also true with spiderman

[@josephbugeja3208]

The only reason why Reverse Flash is always as fast as Flash is because his Negative Speed Force feeds off the Flash’s Positive Speed Force to give Thawne his Speed. His parasitical power source solely hinges on leaching off of the Flash power source so no matter how fast Barry gets because Thawne’s power leaches off of Barry’s he’ll always be as fast as him & or have the same amount of Speed Force Energy flowing through his body as Barry does.. Unless Barry finds a way to stop Thawne from leaching off of his Positive Speed Force Energy to power his own Negative Speed Force Energy (which he rarely ever does) then they will always be equally matched, neither one will ever be strong enough & or fast enough to defeat the other.

[@TheMiojox]

For the deadshot bullet, I'd assume Flash was at a constant speed that was slower than the bullet's travel speed. Sound travels slower than a sniper bullet, so he could only hear the shot after the bullet got to him. "Feeling the air around the bullet" would be nanoseconds reaction time, which the flash could, but then again he'd be dodging mosquitoes all over the streets. Just because he can move faster than anything, doesn't mean he is at 10 trillion times FTL all the time.

[@davinwilliams3130]

5:28 I think most rifle bullets travel faster than the speed of sound. Everything else you said still stands though.

[@bonoshii]

The writers in JLU always made it clear that Flash could solo the entire Justice League

[@backtrackmad8806]

I haven’t watched the flash yet but I’m gonna predict that the cw flash will be in this video

[@notzox]

Superspeed is so op that without bad writing Flash would just beat every enemy

[@kiarashtaheri7478]

But it can be done right and cyberpunk Edgerunners did an amazing job at it

[@remakestudios2020]

Comic Casual can you do video Could Avengers survive Arkham Origins. Avengers taken from series like 'Avengers Earth's Mightiest Heroes 2010 year', take heroes from season 1 and they fight against 8 assassins. fight be like that 'Iron Man vs Firefly', 'Thor vs Electrocutioner', 'Captain America vs Deathstroke, 'Hulk vs Bane TN-1', 'Ant-Man vs Killer-Croc', 'Black Panther vs Copperhead', 'Hawkeye vs Deadshot' and 'Wasp vs Shiva'. So i want see this video and figure found could 8 heroes defeat these 8 assassins.

[@RichardAchille-jc7bg]

15:26 Literaly describing spider man.

[@brantjustilian3791]

Zipping around Through the town Pass the clown Through the underground Into the air Watch out for the chair Going upstairs To the villains layer

[@GodsNut]

I think we have to reevaluate how strong these speedsters are, Barry vs Shazam’s death. I don’t think super speed thinking would help him in predicting Superman KILL SHAZAM. Superman is supposed to be that guy to flash, someone to look up to. Barry vs Bullet Speed-force when preparing to run is charged and then spread throughout the body, while speed thinking is when you put the speed force in your mind sort of. So when running, he has the aura and travel speed, not necessarily the reaction speed, but the turning instantly may be a time-frame where he uses his flash time to perceive where he is. But still, depending on how fast he’s going, that bullet should have either been disintegrated or gone straight through. Especially if it was made for him. It is very possible for that to happen imo. That also explains why speedsters are getting tagged by so many things you think they shouldn’t be getting tagged by, like when reverse flash got hit by cat woman while he was running(doesn’t say how fast he was going, just that he just got done time traveling, he could definitely reduce his speed in the interval between the jump through time and being in catwomans range. His fluctuation between being the most “powerful” and just another member of JL is because the faster the speedster goes, the more it actually hurts for them, we seen it with Flash vs Brainiac-Lex. We seen it with Kid Flash when he sacrificed himself in Young Justice. I think it’s one of the flash facts, if not the aura or time traveling/universe hopping being difficult bc he can get lost due to not mapping the speed force like Reverse Flash or not vibrating at the right frequency.

[@Yurikon3]

Flash suffers from being from the time when supes were the new things and their powers basically were anything kids would come up during their kindergarden fights. The priorities were bit different back then. One thing I could think of is that there is serious drawback to the speed or certain cost one must pay to have that speed per day or even week. Also that your speed cannot be as speedy as the comprehension of one's mind. When speeds start to go near light-fast, one's senses start to have hard time to decipher where to go and the composition of one's body starts to feel the issues. Perhaps when Flash is in his "speed" mode, he must be careful while contacting any object cause the force he directs to it, will be directed back at him, so his bones are on the constant danger to shatter. Of course these limitations would really make Flash totally different kind of series. Perhaps shorter show, more akin to Superhero+Rocky-like story where promising Super-athlete is in danger to destroy himself in early years due stress his speed causes on himself. So in the end writer's job might essentially to be just make reader to not give a shit about details and enjoy the ride.

[@aminegold3599]

0:38 Invisible

[@therepublicofdave1498]

the one and only part of this i kinda disagree with is the thawne part, canonically he kinda gets a pass to always come back as fast as barry because he generates negative speed force by siphoning the speed force which is generated by barry, meaning the faster and more powerful barry gets the more powerful the negative speedforce and thawne become.

[@backtrackmad8806]

14:28 No, it’s because zoom took v-9 which boosted his speed

[@dastealthbear6693]

If im not mistaken Reverse flash pulls his power off of flashs speed force like a Parasite.

[@trevorhoffler-xu5bq]

The problem with Injustice Flash, and probably the biggest plothole in the entire story is his finishing move in the game. Which clearly shows us that this Flash can travel through time like the main canon Flash...and he NEVER considers going back to stop the Joker from getting to Lois in the first place..Even after he witnessed WW and Superman cripple a dude for essentially protesting...Barrys response was to essentially quit the League when he could've just went back and changed it. So much of Injustice could only be possible due to the complete incompetence of the rest of the League minus Batman

[@jeffreyonemu1426]

DC Comics: *Make the Flash a bazillion times faster than light for no actual reason* Also DC Comics: *Try to pretend that a human with very human reflexes pulling the trigger on a cold gun is realistic opposition"

[@aaronschafer1962]

Deadshot definitely can shot the flash, if the flash isn’t paying attention and literally looking at the bullet he won’t know it’s coming. Bullets move faster than sound unless the flash knew deadshot is about to shoot him, he could get the flash as long as it’s the first shot

[@ZoneHeart-00]

I can think of an actual list of ways to stop Flash or weaken him to some degree or whatever the plot needs. But I'd like to talk about 1 of those ways specifically. Let's talk about a line from CW's version, where Iris sees him drinking an alcoholic beverage and she says, "Barry, you know you can't get drunk." I personally believe this applies to many other aspects of Flash's life. If he can't get drunk from 15 bottles of beer like any other human being can, then he also can't be poisoned like any human can be either. This being because of his fast metabolism filtering out the toxins in his body. But if this is the case, then how do you stop him if he can't get drunk or be poisoned? And the answer is so simple......... (NOTE: This is just my personal head cannon.) Put a BOATLOAD of poison into a bottle of beer that has enough alcohol to make ANYONE drunk just by looking at it. Put into that beer enough poison to take out 10 states worth of people from just 1 sip. Then repeat that process for another 14-19 beers. After that, serve them all to Flash. Now he has even more toxins to worry about from the alcohol AND he's drinking enough poison to take out then Entire U.S.A. and a few other countries. I'm sorry, but his metabolism simply can't handle all of those toxins that fast. He obviously won't be killed by the stunt, but he'll definitely be weaker and possibly drunk. You can easily get some lucky hits in from there.

[@FlareOfProminence]

injustice flash couldve been nerfed by being tired ( this isnt what happened,) but they couldve had him tired or hungry since he has to eat alot of calories to keep up his energy. then him faltering to get shot makes sense. another thing i feel like FLash being super fast and smart is whats making him OP. he should have the speed and all the powers but the knowledge of a normal non scientist

[@TylerBrinkworthPhotography]

CW Season 2, they made the tacheon enchanter thingy. Which was only used to get him to another earth and to steal his speed n give to zoom. 7 seasons later they never used it once after season 2. Savitar didnt need to be stopped by the speed force bazooka. Just put on the tach enhancer and the flash would be faster. Another example of poor writing is the full house villains. Flash takes them out easily, by actually running and thinking meanwhile other small time villains he’d sit and talk too much - probs learnt it from his villains talking too much - leading to him loosing the fight till the 2nd part of the episode lol

[@Bad_10]

This was actually pretty decent while the details were pointed out ngl

[@Derrick-hi7vk]

Notice how theres almost no invisible characters. And few that we see are usually gag characters

[@lightdarksoul2097]

Doesn't batman beyond turn invisible

[@ss1299]

The flash is my favorite superhero ever and they treated him so badly I’m actually pissed that they treated him this badly

[@HallowPool193]

Some good Flashs DCAMU Flash, CW Season 1 to 3 Flash, DCAU Flash, and Flash rebirth. There are others these are just ones i listed the writing is good

[@_feli_1085]

The kryptonite pill does I'm fact allow you to love at superspeed, that's why Batman defeated Superman in that alley in the Injustice year 5 comic. If the pill only granted strength, batman would've lost because Superman would've dodged every strike.

[@Ben-ey2rl]

Madvocate made a great series on the CW flash

[@kiarashtaheri7478]

Cyberpunk Edgerunners showed me that super speed can be done right because that show was incredible and super speed was the perfect amount of powerful

[@kiarashtaheri7478]

H

[@mrlender0716]

realisticly, flash could kill any villain before even them noticing hes there

[@dannyphantom3090]

Honestly superman pisses me off more than flash because superman has super speed and other powers but still gets beat by people far slower when he could easily overwhelm them with his strength and speed.

[@LeonardoTyrone-sr4qz]

9:03 flash

[@moracomole8090]

That lex Luthor is not just Lex Luthor+ Brainiac But Luthor+ Braniac+Dark Heart Dark Heart was an Omega level threat equal to a Gray goo catastrophe

[@BubblegumStudiosOfficial]

The thing that has always seemed so absurd to me is that flash is meant to be weak to ice lmao. This guy can walk on water but ice is a step too far?

[@TheGoldenFighter]

Well it's good people recognize it now, I'll say it's not bad writing in a way, but just the same for any of these characters, as on a laymans perspective, why does Superman lose to anyone if he's so strong, strong enemies or not so yh. It's just plot like another has said. This goes for all media, also, not sure, but I think Flash just struggles normally with his feelings, it doesn't matter that he can think superfast, he just chooses not to, and even if he did, like with Injustice, he can't do just anything.

[@Faster_than_light_x]

I dare ya all, if you guys ever read any of the Flash comics, and have some decent knowledge about him then you would know Every Speedster has a ADHD zoning out problem, Barry explained himself that if he sees everything at slow mo then he will get bored and might go insane, 1 min seems like an eternity to him that's why He zones out when he has to run long distances by doing that he makes it seem instant and sometimes he accidentally zones out while fighting his enemies only then he gets tagged, Flash has his fair share of weaknesses as well.

[@5lim.0]

Bullets travel faster than sound. So it would hit him before he heard it. If he saw the bullet or the gun, then sure. But he wouldn’t hear it

[@user-nv8ds8wf6g]

That's not the case for Flash and Superman. Both have caught bullets fired at them from behind.

[@atrain-wr9je]

This is a DC issue not just a flash issue.

[@caindain2179]

They shot themselves in the fucking foot the moment the writers wrote the speed force -_-

[@s.f.r.s.]

He would be Reklams:Anime Girl

[@g.i.f2695]

I agree with this video but I don't think it's limited to the flash, it's DC as a whole for example superman, he is soo inconsistent sometimes, even Batman can be stronger than a normal human sometimes but a normal person at other times DC comic heroes are all either written OP as hell or underpowered no in-between