Red Death debuts as Flash’s primary villain

Nicholas Alexander on February 27, 2023

Red Death – The CW has created some of the most popular superhero shows over the last two decades.

While Smallville is probably the more prominent creator, Arrow has spawned a slew of programs set in the same universe.

Despite the cancellation of Supergirl and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, The Flash is the final Arrowverse show to air.

In contrast, the Grant Gustin-led program is in its last season, and the show has opted to introduce a new nemesis established a few years ago: The Red Death.

Early reference

Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) and Iris West (Candice Patton) get access to Grace Gibbons’ consciousness in the 12th episode of Flash season 5, Memorabilia (Islie Hirvonen).

They wind up at the Flash Museum of the Future after going through the memories of a young Nora Allen-West (Avionne Dean).

A museum recording shows that the villain Cicada murdered more people than any of Flash’s opponents, including Zoom and Red Death.

Fans speculated that the Batman-like speedster might be the major nemesis of the season, but nothing came of it.

So far, the final season chose to move his appearance up.

Arrival

The show’s lackluster debut received a spike of excitement at the conclusion, after long being hyped for an appearance as the show’s villain.

The Red Death is the most recent threat to Central City.

The Flash family’s next foe is likely to be their most lethal yet since it is powered by the Negative Speedforce and bears a familiar insignia.

In the second episode, Red Death emerged, threatening to make Central City pay for the Flash’s misdeeds.

Ultimately, in the most recent episode, the identity of the Red Death was revealed, revealing that Barry’s major enemy in the final season will be Ryan Wilder/Batwoman (Javicia Leslie).

Debut

DC Comics created a crossover story focused on the miniseries Dark Nights Metal in 2017 and 2018.

The narrative, written by Scott Snyder and illustrated by Greg Capullo, Jonathan Glapion, and FCO Plascensia, established the notion for The Dark Multiverse.

Dark Nights Metal follows Batman as he finds the Dark Multiverse beneath the standard DC universe.

In an effort to prevent a prophecy that views him as the key to bringing a great evil to Earth, Batman accidentally allows seven distinct versions of himself to enter the Dark Multiverse.

The Red Death, a reborn Bruce Wayne united with Barry and the Speedforce, is one among them.

Origin

After losing Robins in his never-ending struggle against crime, Earth-52’s Batman became insane.

As the negative earth was about to be destroyed, Batman seized weapons from the Rogues and approached his universe’s Flash, who refused to grant him Speedforce abilities.

The Flash is knocked unconscious and strapped to the hood of the Batmobile, which is disguised as the Cosmic Treadmill.

Batman drives them both into the Speedforce, absorbing Flash into his body, shattering his Speedforce connection, and converting Batman into the Red Death.

Dark Knights: Metal

The Red Death is one of the seven evil incarnations of Batman in the core universe.

Once the Red Death seized control of Central City, he unleashed a Speed Force Storm, allowing him to accelerate the aging of others until they perished.

After defeating Red Death, Barry Allen was imprisoned in his Batcave, which was supposed to slow him down.

As a result of their exposure to positive energy, the Red Death later divided Batman and Flash.

Despite the fact that the two Flashes would collaborate, Batman Who Laughs cautioned that Red Death would betray them, meaning that the positive energy would also slay Flash.

CW

Red Death is revealed in the Flash series to be Ryan Wilder’s Batwoman, who took over after Ruby Rose left the show.

She previously appeared in the season eight plot “Armageddon” on The Flash.

After some contact with Gotham and Wayne Industries, the newest episode of The Flash notably referred to Batwoman as Red Death.

Given how vicious Red Death was in the comics, her participation on the show gives some light on the various heroes that will appear in DC’s speedster’s last episodes.

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Kevin Conroy: The most iconic Batman projects he worked on

Claire Peterson on November 21, 2022

Kevin Conroy is Batman to many who have seen his voice work over the years, especially millennials and Gen Zs.

His untimely death last week left a hole in the hearts of many who have closely identified him with DC’s Dark Knight.

While Christian Bale and Ben Affleck have portrayed the iconic superhero on the big screen, Kevin Conroy is still Batman.

Here, we pay tribute to the legendary actor by listing his best Batman performances over the decades.

Crisis on Infinite Earths (2019)

Kevin Conroy typically played Batman from within a recording studio.

He had his first and only live-action appearance as an older Bruce Wayne at The CW’s “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover event.

In the Batwoman episode, Conroy played the Earth-99 version of Bruce Wayne, inspired by the iconic graphic novel Kingdom Come.

Despite his brief appearance, it was a performance fans applauded.

Conroy’s Bruce Wayne was an older version, similar to Ben Affleck in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice.

However, in this version, he was able to kill Superman.

Kevin Conroy performed well despite being a dark and evil Batman.

Batman: The Killing Joke (2016)

The Killing Joke is one of the best Batman stories in comics, but the adaptation paled in comparison.

However, Kevin Conroy did what he does best: deliver.

His performance hit the right note and reflected the chemistry he and Mark Hamill (The Joker) have shared over the years.

However, the first half of the movie was underwhelming.

The dialogue is straight out of the graphic novel, and Kevin Conroy once again showed why he is Batman with his performance.

The Killing Joke would easily be one of the best Batman movies if there’s a version that removes the first half that focuses on Batgirl.

Injustice: Gods Among Us/Injustice 2 (2013/2017)

Kevin Conroy’s Batman CV includes video games, and the Injustice series is one of his best-known.

The games revolve around a vengeful Superman who puts on a diet to make sure no one ever suffers the same loss he suffered in any way.

Conroy’s Batman defied the Regime and did whatever it took to bring down his once close friend.

Although there is an animated Injustice movie, Kevin Conroy did not return as Batman.

Regardless, Conroy’s performance is one of the foundations that made the Injustice games iconic.

Batman Beyond (1999 – 2001)

The late 1990s and early 2000s animated series arrived after Batman: The Animated Series.

Batman Beyond was one of the seminal stories featuring a Batman that wasn’t Bruce Wayne.

Instead, the series focuses on a new character Terry McGinnis who takes Bruce Wayne to mentor him.

While he usually plays second fiddle, Kevin Conroy remains prominent in Batman Beyond.

The series produced a feature film, Return of the Joker, featuring the young Batman we’ve all come to expect.

“Batman Beyond” and “Return of the Joker” showcase Conroy’s overall vocal flexibility as a caped crusader.

The Arkham Trilogy (2009 – 2015)

While not the first Batman game starring Kevin Conroy, the Arkham Trilogy is easily one of the most memorable.

Throughout the video game series, Conroy plays a completely different Batman.

Reunited again with Mark Hamill, the games show a darker, grittier side to the characters they’ve portrayed so well for years.

Kevin Conroy has done a fantastic job of adapting to the age of his fans and moving beyond Batman, who held himself back in the cartoons, to a more brutal and iconic 3D version.

Justice League/Justice League Unlimited (2001 – 2006)

The animated series surpassed the Super Friends cartoon and brought iconic stories, characters and moments to the small screen.

Kevin Conroy continued his work as the Dark Knight with the Bruce Timm design, this time alongside the god-like roster of the Justice League.

While there are many memorable episodes, one of the most underrated moments came in the Justice League Unlimited episode “This Little Piggy.”

The episode features a brief introduction to Kevin Conroy’s vocal range.

The Justice League Unlimited episode “Epilogue” also features one of Batman’s best moments.

No one else could have played that scene better than Conroy.

Batman: The Animated Series (1992 – 1995, 1997 – 1999)

Kevin Conroy’s most iconic work and medium, Batman: The Animated Series, is the show that made him a staple in the Batman lore.

His delivery of the line “I am vengeance, I am the night. I am Batman!” cemented his connection with the Dark Knight.

Batman: The Animated Series is the most famous Batman work outside of comics.

The series is known for its stories and aesthetics that go beyond Batman and explore the personal life of Bruce Wayne and his rogue gallery.

Batman: The Animated Series perfectly shows that the characters of Gotham City are more than heroes and villains.

Reference:

The 9 best Kevin Conroy Batman performances