WARNING: The following article contains major spoilers for Freedom Fighters #1 by Robert Venditti, Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira and Andriano Lucas, on sale now!
The dark alternate history within the pages of Freedom Fighters #1 is upsetting for a couple reasons. The first being the most obvious: Nazis (better known as history's go-to villain). Just seeing their fascist iconography can make a reader's skin crawl. Anyone who is vaguely aware of 20th century history understands the horrific impact they had on a global level, so the visceral reaction to their existence, even in fiction, is completely justified.
Because of this, they make the perfect fodder for creating nightmare scenarios and monstrous villains in fiction. Novels like The Man in the High Castle and video games in the Wolfenstein series have given audiences an alternate history where the events of World War II went very differently, and the results are never good.
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The other dire aspect of Freedom Fighters #1 (like you need anything more than just the existence of Nazis to be upset) is the use of certain superhero powers among the ranks of the fascist regime. Anything that gives a group of jackbooted thugs an upper hand in seeing their awful worldview come to fruition makes for some great drama, but is never a fun time (not that blowing up Nazis with crazy futuristic weaponry in Wolfenstein isn't fun, because it is; fun and cathartic).
The notion of a superhero (or in this instance, their powers) being applied to a nightmare scenario is undeniably captivating. When Superman plunged his fist deep into the Joker's abdomen in Injustice, we were not only shocked by the display of sheer brutality, we were creeped out by how clinical and callous the action was. Sure, we know Superman could do the same thing to just about anyone. His strength knows very few limits, but seeing how easily the Kryptonian hero could pulverize the human body made us queasy (maybe Batfleck was right). It was like watching those hydraulic press videos on YouTube.
The villains in Freedom Fighters #1 have taken the powers of Patrick O'Brian (better known as Plastic Man) and used them as a weapon against those who would fight their oppressors. Now, it's important to mention that Plastic Man was originally a morally ambiguous guy. He grew up on the streets and was a criminal when he obtained his stretching abilities.
Luckily, O'Brian is a man with a good heart and decided to use his powers for good (mostly) after some coaching. The fact that he was able to be nudged into heroism and not become the elongated monster some people with nastier dispositions might be inclined towards is a bonus for bystanders in the DC Universe. Much like Superman, the limits of Plastic Man's powers are kind of unknown.
The Nazi regime in this alternate history have replicated those abilities and given them to the worst people: Schutzstaffel officers, know as PlaSSticMen (we see what you did there), who round up superheroes who fight for... well, freedom. Plastic Man is often presented as a slapstick character, one who displays the more ridiculous applications for his elastic powers. However, in Freedom Fighters, what was once a goofy sight gag has turned into an unstoppable force of suppression. Furls of flesh rush down the throats of people trying to do the right thing. Impossibly dense barriers are erected to engulf nobility. The worst version of how these powers could be used is on full display, and it is nothing short of disheartening.
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These PlaSSticMen even use the American flag, a symbol of freedom for the titular hero combatants, as camouflage to infiltrate the meeting of the Freedom Fighters. We see stars and stripes morph info long, ghastly claws, reaching out at our heroes. Before the ambushed team can do anything about the insurgence, they face a siege of horrific grins plastered across the malicious visage of their intruders. We've seen the powers of superheroes applied to villainous acts in the past, but there is something especially terrifying about a character who is often the face of comedy becoming pure evil.