DC's Newest Superhero Is A Strength Force Ally of The Flash

SPOILER WARNING: The following article contains major spoilers for The Flash #60 by Joshua Williamson, Rafa Sandoval, Jordi Tarragona, Tomeu Morey, Hi-Fi and Steve Wands, on sale now.

The introduction of the three new Forces to the mythos of the Flash has absolutely upended everything Barry Allen thought he knew about his own powers and how they relate to the Speed Force. The discovery of the Strength, Sage and Still Forces have added a new dimension both to Barry’s abilities, and his role in a larger cosmic tapestry. Barry always thought the powers came to him by accident, but he’s quickly discovering that it was always his destiny to wield the Speed Force, just as people around the world are discovering their destinies are linked to the other three Forces.

Barry’s current Force Quest is leading him around the world to search out these new Force users and a recent trip to Gorilla City has enlightened his worldview on the history of the Forces and how they interact with each other. If Barry is to learn more about himself, he needs to find these Force users and convince them all to work together, but that’s not going to be so easy. Barry’s next stop has taken him to the island nation of Corto Maltese, where a young woman named Alexa Antigone has tapped into the Strength Force in order to stand up for her community against the corrupt police department.

Give Me Strength

The Flash first encountered the Strength Force in the wake of Dark Nights: Metal, as it was one of the main energies unlocked when the Source Wall was broken at the climax of the event. The mysterious new power claimed Axel Walker, the second Trickster, and gave him the power to get revenge on the corrupt Warden Wolfe at Iron Heights, but the power proved too much for him to bear. Barry was able to tap into the Strength Force as well and learned that it’s less about physical strength and more about the manipulation of gravity. The Trickster sacrificed himself, holding up the collapsing rubble, but survived and was taken in by his predecessor James Jesse, as we see in a Commander Cold interlude in this very issue.

Meanwhile, Barry has tracked the Strength Force to Corto Maltese, the fictional South American country first introduced to the DC Universe by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley in The Dark Knight Returns as an analogue for Cuba. Last issue ended with Barry and Iris arriving in Corto Maltese in the middle of a battle between the local police and the mysterious new Strength Force user Fuerza (which translates to “Force”). However, Flash quickly learns that these cops will do anything to get what the want when their captain puts a gun to Iris’ head. Flash and Fuerza join forces to free Iris and escape the police, but the new hero isn’t immediately amenable to teaming up with The Flash, nor is she as interested as he is to learn about the origins of their mysterious powers.

NEXT PAGE: The Flash: Fuerza's Strength Force Powers, Explained

Feats of Strength

Fuerza explains to The Flash and Iris that the Corto Maltese police have been taken over by this corrupt chief, named Cauldron, who has been smuggling illegal weapons shipments into the country and she was in the middle of destroying one when The Flash interfered. Against the advice of Iris, Barry reveals his identity to Fuerza in an effort to get her to trust him and convince her that they need to work together, but she shows him that she has her own problems to deal with. She has a community under her care that she protects from Cauldron and his thugs, but she tells The Flash that she’s willing to work with him so long as her people are safe and they do things her way.

A quick display of Fuerza’s powers shows that she can easily lift a tank way above her head just be distributing the Strength Force throughout her body to wherever needs it at that point, and she says that despite not caring much for the gravity powers aspect of her powers she’s eager to get in touch with wherever her fantastic powers came from. In return, The Flash helps Fuerza make some deliveries, and they quickly realize that they have more in common than not, with protecting the people of their city as their number one priority. When Cauldron attacks the community under Fuerza’s protection, the two heroes rush back but discover that the corrupt cop has a new weapon up his sleeve; a gun powered by the Sage Force!

Sage Wisdom

The Sage Force, first wielded by Heat Wave, is all about mind over matter and gives its users telepathy and telekinesis, while also allowing the wielder to create psychic paradises or hells for their intended targets. It also allowed Heat Wave to create psychic apparitions of flaming skeletons, which probably explains the little goblin demons swarming over The Flash and Fuerza by the end of this issue; the wielder of the Sage Force can create whatever kind of homunculus they want; in Cauldron’s case, they take this specific form and overwhelm our heroes.

However, it’s likely that Cauldron isn’t going to be the permanent host for the Sage Force that Barry is looking for in his Force Quest. Earlier in this issue, he spoke with someone on the phone and asked for new tech capable of stopping the two heroes and he can only wield the Sage Force through the weapon his arm, he’s not actually tapped into it.

On the flip side, the solicitation for next month’s The Flash #62 suggests that we will be meeting the Sage Force hero in just two issues time, and references a spy named Bashir aka Psych. The Flash is building up his own army of allies outside of the Flash Family in a way he never has before -- just so long as he can convince them that their mission is one worth undertaking and doesn’t clash with their own personal goals too much. Barry’s going to need to become the leader he’s always had the potential to be in order to solve the biggest mystery he’s ever had to face.