How can The Flash lose?

[Cikomyr]

Does he has anything that negates his power in any way? How does his enemies stop him?

[gooddragon1]

Does he has anything that negates his power in any way? How does his enemies stop him?

I've seen enemies use ice to deprive him of balance.

[The New Bruceski]

Like Kryptonite, exposure to Narrative Causality causes him to be dumb as a brick.

[Devonix]

Does he has anything that negates his power in any way? How does his enemies stop him?

While there may be no limit to how fast he can go. He's still human and can be outthought. Yes he can boost his reaction times to be as fast as his movement but not all the time. And if he's focusing on one thing in a fight, you can outsmart him.

[ThePhantom]

Psychic abilities work decently well. The flash only goes faster than the speed of thought extremely rarely.

[Kyberwulf]

Meh, you have to get the drop on him. That's about the only way you can get him. Even then....it's iffy. I think almost everything that has been thrown at him.. he just made up a new ability through the speed force to counter.

[BWR]

...or he falls for it because there is little consistency in his powers, abilities and mentality.
If one writer wants him to run faster than instantaneous, he does. If another wants him to run around his foes really fast but not do anything to them thus giving them time to throw marbles on the floor so he loses his balance and crashes into a wall, he does.

[Giggling Ghast]

Don't target the Flash. Target the civilians. That's how he loses about 90 per cent of the time.

[khadgar567]

be a leonard snarl (aka captain cold) or batman they both know how to effectively shut his speed batman via gadgets snarl via kidnapping iris then shooting him with sniper during the hostage situation

[random11]

There are many options we've already seen in the show, armor that makes speed useless, attacks with area of effect that cannot be dodged, as well as the other options already mentioned in the thread.

Unfortunately the most common is just to face him against a different speedster with slightly better speed or skill.

[Pronounceable]

Speedforce giveth, Speedforce taketh away...

...Some might say it's the plot.

[Gandariel]

There are many options we've already seen in the show, armor that makes speed useless

Like what?
Something really really resistant so that even if punched he feels nothing?
Couldn't Flash grab him by the leg and put him under the sea or in a jail cell or whatever in .000001 second?
Or something he can't touch?
Couldn't he go grab some sort of oven mitt (or whatever) and do the same thing?


attacks with area of effect that cannot be dodged

Again, how? can't he phase through buildings and move faster than light? What attack has an area that he can't escape from?

[GloatingSwine]

It's worth noting that Flash's rogues are the most organised group of villains in DC. They basically have a code of conduct which amounts to "don't piss the Flash off too much" because when your principal foe can punch you in the back of the head with the mass of a neutron star one planck second after he hears about your acting up, you keep it on the downlow....

[random11]

Like what?
Something really really resistant so that even if punched he feels nothing?
Couldn't Flash grab him by the leg and put him under the sea or in a jail cell or whatever in .000001 second?
Or something he can't touch?
Couldn't he go grab some sort of oven mitt (or whatever) and do the same thing?

Again, how? can't he phase through buildings and move faster than light? What attack has an area that he can't escape from?

These are ideas that already appeared in the show.
Usually it's supposed to be a challenge, and then he overcomes it by inventing a new style or some new tech to protect him from something.
Specifically, he had one armored foe (forgot the name and exact power), and as a result Barry charged speed for several miles to do a super-punch, so something like that.

[Gandariel]

... It still feels very much impossible for someone with lightspeed capabilities to actually be threatened by something with similar powers (or cosmic-level powers)

Can i please get one "fair" example where someone with no (or little) powers actually threatened the Flash?

(Noting that my "standard" response would be "Within 0.000001 seconds, disable the enemy by carrying him underwater/in jail/ disabling whatever item he's using. Phase through any restraint or matter if need be.")

The only thing i read in the thread that i can agree on is that he is not *always* thinking at lightspeed, so before he actually notices you he's just a random guy. But still.

[khadgar567]

... It still feels very much impossible for someone with lightspeed capabilities to actually be threatened by something with similar powers (or cosmic-level powers)

Can i please get one "fair" example where someone with no (or little) powers actually threatened the Flash?

(Noting that my "standard" response would be "Within 0.000001 seconds, disable the enemy by carrying him underwater/in jail/ disabling whatever item he's using. Phase through any restraint or matter if need be.")

The only thing i read in the thread that i can agree on is that he is not *always* thinking at lightspeed, so before he actually notices you he's just a random guy. But still.
you know what lieutenant joe west aka iris's dad from tv series. he threat him any episode he needs.

[Cikomyr]

Does the Flash actually.. lives in high speed when he wants to? Or he simply can run very fast?

Basically, could he use his superspeed to pick a lock in 0.01 seconds?

[Yuki Akuma]

Does the Flash actually.. lives in high speed when he wants to? Or he simply can run very fast?

Basically, could he use his superspeed to pick a lock in 0.01 seconds?

He can do anything super fast, even think, if he consciously wills it. If he knows how to pick a lock he can do it in seconds, assuming he doesn't break the picks.

[Gandariel]

you know what lieutenant joe west aka iris's dad from tv series. he threat him any episode he needs.

Can I get one example, please?

[Traab]

The thing is, The Flash is absurdly overpowered when he is written to his fullest extent. He was once shot in the back of the neck. Totally caught by surprise. He felt the bullet impact his skin THEN DODGED IT. His reaction time is utterly mad. So I dunno, maybe if you caught him sound asleep, shot him with bullets that travels through hyperspace, and have pumped the room full of hallucinogenic drugs mixed with anesthesia, you might be able to kill him. Also, secretly replace his bed with a bomb made out of anti speed force (Thats a thing that exists, right? If not I totally call dibs on it)

[Giggling Ghast]

Does the Flash actually.. lives in high speed when he wants to? Or he simply can run very fast?

Basically, could he use his superspeed to pick a lock in 0.01 seconds?

He can vibrate through walls. Picking a lock is nothing.

[Legato Endless]

Vacuum decay?

[Traab]

Harness the cosmic power of entropy and use it on him in secret until his top speed is only slightly faster than that of a 3rd grader on a bike. Then shoot him in the face.

[Ranxerox]

Fill a building with carbon monoxide and give him a reason to run into it. Since carbon monoxide is colorless, odorless and and tasteless he is unlikely to notice it before he has breathed way too much of it. Make sure that there is a tape recorded message in the building to give him a reason to dawdle just to make sure he doesn't rush out before he get a fatal dose.

[Kyberwulf]

Basically, if the flash's powers where given to a lesser moral person. He would be unstoppable.

[ben-zayb]

Basically, if the flash's powers where given to a lesser moral person. He would be unstoppable.

Even Timmverse Flash is like this, in one episode where Lex Luthor, of all people, did a body switch with the Flash. Wally did pretty good as Luthor too, though.

[Rogar Demonblud]

Logically, the best weapon to use against a speedster is one that uses their own speed to screw them up. Like a web of monomolecular filaments. Hit that at high speed and you're julienned.

Flash won't suffer from any of those tactics, because he's the hero and has Narrative Invincibility, which is the same power that makes all those guys with guns miss Ollie every week.

[weet555]

I remember there was an episode (not the flash tv show) were the villain's power to make omnidirectional energy waves with one starting before the last one ended. And the flash couldn't touch the villain, but he was in no danger.

[GloatingSwine]

Logically, the best weapon to use against a speedster is one that uses their own speed to screw them up. Like a web of monomolecular filaments. Hit that at high speed and you're julienned.

Nah, one of Flash's most common tricks is vibrating his molecules so they pass through other objects. Having something pass between his molecules and attempt to seperate them won't work, because he does it all the time.

[random11]

Nah, one of Flash's most common tricks is vibrating his molecules so they pass through other objects. Having something pass between his molecules and attempt to seperate them won't work, because he does it all the time.

But he has to concentrate to vibrate, he can't just run at full speed through a building.
So technically, if he runs and there is a nearly invisible wire that he doesn't notice, it can cut him in half.

Heck, at this speed even if he runs and smashes into a fly it can cause damage, or at least make him look like this (http://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/2010-05-06), but I can see why this thing is usually ignored in comic logic terms.

[Keltest]

But he has to concentrate to vibrate, he can't just run at full speed through a building.
So technically, if he runs and there is a nearly invisible wire that he doesn't notice, it can cut him in half.

Heck, at this speed even if he runs and smashes into a fly it can cause damage, or at least make him look like this (http://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/2010-05-06), but I can see why this thing is usually ignored in comic logic terms.

Doesn't the Speed Force protect him from being maimed by accidental bug impacts or random unnoticed trip wires at neck level? He might stop and go OW! but he wont get maimed.

[random11]

Doesn't the Speed Force protect him from being maimed by accidental bug impacts or random unnoticed trip wires at neck level? He might stop and go OW! but he wont get maimed.

I would say he is protected by plot convenience armor.

There are also many other things that are ignored when handling super-speed, usually with mundane actions.
For example, you can often see heroes shower and get ready in super speed. But while they move fast, the tap still pours water at normal speed, meaning that speedsters shower with an amount of water you can put in a thimble...

Don't get me wrong, I don't mind the plot armor in the case of speedster wire traps or ignoring physics in this case to make the story better.
Still, it's nice to remember that Flash can face certain challenges only because the rules of physics are ignored.

[Keltest]

I would say he is protected by plot convenience armor.

And that's... different? From the Speed Force?

[Traab]

SUPERMAN ignores physics, The Flash actually has an "explanation" for why he can break all the natural laws. When superman runs around the world at mach 100 somehow everything within a 1 block radius doesnt explode from the pressure wave or ignite into flames from the compression of the atmosphere. There is no explanation, its just what happens. The Flash explicitly uses this mysterious speed force to ignore the laws of physics that would otherwise cause him to die instantly the first time he ran really fast as friction tears his flesh from his body. It might as well be called the handwave force but at least they bother to recognize the sheer impossibility of what he does. Superman just does it and shrugs.

[Balyano]

How can the flash lose? Don't face him in anyway that his speed might be an asset. Give him a nasty STD. Have an attractive woman pick him up for a one night stand. Take him back to her apartment. After they do the deed, and he lays there hands behind his head, proud of himself. Out you walk from the closet, flip a switch, and up goes the walls revealing a studio audience of minor super villains and henchmen, and ass they give applause you unfurl a banner reading ''Mission Accomplished''. Walk to the podium and start giving your acceptance speech and thanking all the people who helped you achieve such a momentous task. Your peers in the industry can then take their turns and you can turn the event into a full on comedic roast. Add in a little ''This is your life'' with several of Flashes former foes, companions, and colleges showing up to tell interesting stories of their times with flash. Make sure this includes his grandmother, his preacher, and his third grade teacher. All the while flash is setting there in bed naked, dying of an incurable illness.

[Flickerdart]

All the while flash is setting there in bed naked, dying of an incurable illness.

"I'll speed up my white blood cells a million times, so the disease stands no chance!" -the Flash, probably.

[Kyberwulf]

Except the Speedforce gives The flash a healing factor.

[Traab]

"I'll speed up my white blood cells a million times, so the disease stands no chance!" -the Flash, probably.

BAH! Only an AMATEUR would rely on such a method. A TRUE Flash would simply vibrate his body so fast that only his natural, healthy cells can withstand it, thus killing the virus which has infected him.

[ben-zayb]

BAH! Only an AMATEUR would rely on such a method. A TRUE Flash would simply vibrate his body so fast that only his natural, healthy cells can withstand it, thus killing the virus which has infected him.

Aside from his healing factor and killing the virulent cells, he can also just phase through his unhealthy cells and leave them behind. Heck, speedsteal those so that they can't meaningfully interact with other cells.

Flash: the hero with multiple ways to beat STD.

[Clertar]

Getting dangerously close to discussing a convergence of vibrating speed and intercourse, you guys!

[Cikomyr]

If Barry Allen speeds up time so he experiences 24 hours in merely 5s, is he actually 24 hours older?

Therefore, if he lived 20 years in 2 days, will he have lost 20 years of his life? Wont Barry Allen die of old age before everyone he knows?

Could someone force-activate The Flash's ability and prevent his capacity to turn it down, and therefore have him die of old age in 5 minutes?

[khadgar567]

If Barry Allen speeds up time so he experiences 24 hours in merely 5s, is he actually 24 hours older?

Therefore, if he lived 20 years in 2 days, will he have lost 20 years of his life? Wont Barry Allen die of old age before everyone he knows?

Could someone force-activate The Flash's ability and prevent his capacity to turn it down, and therefore have him die of old age in 5 minutes?
depends on author of comic flash can spontaneously combust for one while other can make him rip space time continuum to join guardians of edenia( mortal kombat verse justice league.

[Flickerdart]

If Barry Allen speeds up time so he experiences 24 hours in merely 5s, is he actually 24 hours older?

Therefore, if he lived 20 years in 2 days, will he have lost 20 years of his life? Wont Barry Allen die of old age before everyone he knows?
The healing factor and/or the Speedforce help in this regard.



Could someone force-activate The Flash's ability and prevent his capacity to turn it down, and therefore have him die of old age in 5 minutes?

The Flash in Justice League was trapped in a nightmare like this once - he accelerated so fast that the entire world stood still, and could not slow down. But it never happened in reality.

[Cikomyr]

Thats what I thought. I mean, i can accept that the Flash can quickly heal injuries..

But poison? Sicknesses? Speeding factors would probably make it worse.

[Balyano]

Thats what I thought. I mean, i can accept that the Flash can quickly heal injuries..

But poison? Sicknesses? Speeding factors would probably make it worse.

HIV to full blown AIDS in half a day.

And how do you accelerate your virus carrying cells away? How can you tell which is which, and since when does flash have the ability to sense the health of his individual cells? And accelerating his white blood cells? What so they explode into a swarm of viruses sooner?

[Traab]

If Barry Allen speeds up time so he experiences 24 hours in merely 5s, is he actually 24 hours older?

Therefore, if he lived 20 years in 2 days, will he have lost 20 years of his life? Wont Barry Allen die of old age before everyone he knows?

Could someone force-activate The Flash's ability and prevent his capacity to turn it down, and therefore have him die of old age in 5 minutes?

Its not experiencing extra time, he is experiencing more of the current time. He is actually processing every fraction of an attosecond that takes place between blinks of an eye. MENTALLY he might have aged 20 years, but physically its been the same half second that we have aged. He can just do a lot more than us in that time frame. If anything it might push him to retire sooner because he has spent years, mentally speaking, longer than it has been for anyone else, so mental weariness might be a factor even if physically he is still in his prime.

[Flickerdart]

HIV to full blown AIDS in half a day.

And how do you accelerate your virus carrying cells away? How can you tell which is which, and since when does flash have the ability to sense the health of his individual cells? And accelerating his white blood cells? What so they explode into a swarm of viruses sooner?
The Flash's secret secondary power is making his enemies go "whuh?" and while they are confused, he kicks them in the teeth.