WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for The Flash #757, by Joshua Williamson, Rafa Sandoval, Jordi Tarragona, Hi-Fi and Steve Wands, available now.

Barry Allen's longstanding feud with the Reverse-Flash is reaching murderous new levels, with the Scarlet Speedster contemplating crossing the line once again and killing his most hated nemesis once and for all. And as this vendetta between the two speedsters continues, Barry acquires a new tool in The Flash #757, which may prove to be the key in ending Eobard Thawne. However, with the Reverse-Flash assembling the Legion of Zoom and the evil ensemble launching a coordinated, simultaneous attack, Barry's latest trick may have come far too late to save him.

After Iris West realizes that Barry intends to kill Eobard to stop his seemingly endless reign of terror and to avenge his fallen friend Godspeed, Barry begins investigating crime scenes throughout Central City. Visiting a murder scene that evokes the scene where the Reverse-Flash killed Barry's mother Nora decades ago, Barry reveals a futuristic scanning device. After scanning the premises, the device is able to holographically project Eobard's movements using residual energy left by the Reverse-Flash's Negative Speed Force. As Barry scans for Eobard's whereabouts, he reveals that the device wasn't developed by the Central City Police Department or S.T.A.R. Labs, but instead by Batman himself.

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Flash Traces Negative Speed Force

In the first year of Joshua William's run on The Flash, the Reverse-Flash attacked Batman after he was restored to his classic incarnation by Doctor Manhattan following his death at the end of Flashpoint. With his memories intact, Eobard recalled that Thomas Wayne killed him in the alternate DC Universe and decided to seek revenge on his son. The speedster villain beat Batman within an inch of his life in the Batcave before being whisked away to parts unknown after coming into contact with the Comedian's smiley face button before Barry finally arrived on the scene.

Following Manhattan's subsequent killing of the Reverse-Flash, the villain returned to life on two separate occasions: Eobard's connection to the Negative Speed Force would bring him back to life, not unlike how the main Speed Force had resurrected Barry during Final Crisis.

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Later, Iris killed the resurrected Eobard with a futuristic ray gun when he resurfaced to terrorize her, only for Barry himself to bring the villain out of a previous point in the timeline to help him defeat the cosmic villain Paradox. Barry killing Eobard was foreshadowed when he first examined his body after his encounter with Manhattan and discovered trace elements of his own energy signature on Eobard's corpse, which suggests that Barry was successful in killing his enemy. He may have even used the scanner that Batman has since developed to track down his nemesis down.

The Reverse-Flash has constantly managed to stay one step ahead of Barry Allen, and that's part of why he's been responsible for so much tragedy in the Flash's life over the years. Batman's Negative Speed Force scanner may finally give the Scarlet Speedster the edge to track down his foe and get the jump on him for once. But as usual, the Reverse-Flash has struck first as the Legion of Zoom launches a systematic assault on every aspect of Barry's life, bringing the superhero to his knees before he can determine Eobard's location. In the ensuing chaos, Eobard remains elusive, which means that Batman's scanner may come in handy yet, even if the Scarlet Speedster currently has his hands full with all of his greatest villains united, provided he can survive their gauntlet.

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