Who is Black Flash? The new rumored villain of 'The Flash'

A recent photo of crew merchandise from the set of The Flash is doing the rounds on the internet and stirred rumors of Black Flash appearing in the film.

Stunt performer Shane Steyn has shared a photo of a t-shirt that possibly gives fans a look at Michael Keaton's Batman and Supergirl. But that's not what people are talking about; the thing that has gotten everyone talking is the shadowy figure in front, which fans are speculating is the speedster Black Flash.

If the speculation is true, then we may have our first hint at the antagonist for The Flash coming out in November 2022. We know that multiple versions of Flash appear in the movie, as earlier revealed in the set photos and the teaser.

But as for the antagonist of the movie, most people assumed it was going to be Reverse-Flash. With this new photo, we have a new possibility.

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Black Flash - Death for speedsters

Black Flash in the comics (Image via DC Comics)

Black Flash is basically DC's version of Death for the speedsters. The character was created by writers Grant Morrison and Mark Millar, and artist Ron Wagner, and made his debut with cameos in The Flash vol. 2 #138 (June 1998), before appearing in full in The Flash #141 (September 1998).

The exact reason behind Black Flash's existence is unknown, but people over the years have theorized that Death isn't fast enough to catch speedsters, thus the need for a superfast Death figure. Many characters in the DC Universe have reportedly seen it during near-death experiences, including Barry Allen and Johnny Quick.

It came for Wally West and tried to take him back to the Speed Force, but took his girlfriend by mistake instead. It came to take away Wally again later. But this time, other speedsters like Jay Gerrick distracted it to give Wally West a chance. In the end, Wally West won by racing Black Flash to the point where Death lost all its meaning.

The character possesses many cool abilities like superhuman speed and dimensional travel akin to all other speedsters. But it also has few unique powers of its own. Apart from time travel, the character can also freeze time, an ability only those with extreme supersped possess. It is also immortal.

Death of the Endless from The Sandman Comics by Neil Gaiman (Image via DC Vertigo)

The character shouldn't be confused with other personifications of Death in the DC universe, like Black Racer or Death of the Endless.

We are yet to receive any solid information on whether it'll appear in The Flash, but if it does, it'll surely make for a very interesting villain.