Summary

Warning : Spoilers for Jay Garrick : The Flash ( 2023 ) # 4 ahead !

Jay Garrick - the originalFlash- has just watch his origin tarradiddle undergo a major retcon that has fearsome implications for the greater DC Universe . Not only is his original wise man , Professor Hughes , revealed to be the villainous Dr. Elemental , but it turn out that S.T.A.R Labs has been corrupt from the very beginning .

Jay Garrick : The Flash ( 2023)#4 by Jeremy Adams , Diego Olortegui , and Luis Guerrero explores the journal of Professor Hughes , the man whose experimentation first transformed Jay into the Flash . Not only does it turn out that the " accidental " chemical substance spillthat give Jay his powerswas in fact measured sabotage on Hughes ' part , but Hughes ' role as the villainous Doctor Elemental is substantiate .

Jay Garrick Flash Cover DC

spoilt yet , Hughes is shown to be a silent spouse who funded S.T.A.R Labs , softly leeching off their metahuman enquiry to conduct his own perverted experiments .

Jay Garrick : The Flash # 1 by Jeremy Adams and Diego Olortegui brings a long - lost dyad of heroes together for a heartwarming narration about family .

DC’s Biggest Metahuman Research Center Is A Lie

First appearing in Len Wein , Curt Swan , and Murphy Anderson’sSuperman ( 1939)#246 , S.T.A.R Labs has been the shopping mall of metahuman research in the DC Universe for more than half a century . Not only is it a technical school company that rivals LexCorp , Kord Industries , and Terrifitech , it is often the first resource Earth ’s heroes turn to for solving superscience and metahuman - based problems . While it has long appeared in the scope doings of DC Comics , S.T.A.R Labs rose to even greater famedue to its prominence in The CW’sArrowverseshows ( The Flashin specific ) .

This retcon imply that each clip S.T.A.R Labs has helped DC ’s heroes , whether with convalescence after a tenacious conflict or knead on tech to enhance their abilities , all of that enquiry has gone straight to Doctor Elemental . weigh that S.T.A.R Labs most often work with such fireball as the Flash Family and Superman , it survive a long way to explicate the incredible breadth of Doctor Elemental ’s power : he ’s had decades of enquiry into DC ’s most powerful heroes to perfect his abilities . Every fourth dimension there ’s a crosswalk or Crisis that requires S.T.A.R Labs ' assistance , he produce more powerful .

S.T.A.R Labs Is No Longer The Crown Jewel of DC Science

While the loss of S.T.A.R Labs is a terrible reversal to DC ’s superhero community , it is not one that has kick the bucket unannounced or unreciprocated : instead , Supercorp and Steelworks come out poise to take its place as DC ’s main metahuman enquiry middle . disregarding of what fills the vacuity , this rupture of trust has absolutely shatter everything readers have know about not only the firstFlash’sorigin , but a beloved DC institution as well .

Jay Garrick : The Flash # 4is useable now from DC Comics .

Jay Garrick : The Flash#4 ( 2023 )

Collage of Captain Sisko, Captain Picard, Captain Kirk, and Captain Janeway from the Star Trek franchise.

gary larson far side cow and cavemen

Dr Elemental’s hideous metal mask looms large on the left; on the right, Jay Garrick stands heroically, his face masked in shadow from his domed helmet.

Jay Garrick reads from Hughes' journal in Garrison Slate’s office - a well-appointed, modern building in a high-rise skyscraper. The journal talks about establishing a ‘shining star’ center that will attract metahumans for Hughes' experiments.

A spiral intercuts scenes of the Flash’s heroics with Dr. Hughes' increasingly brutal and barbaric experiments. Dr. Hughes' manic countenance sits in the center as he rants in frustration at his inability to replicate the Flash’s powers.

The receptionist at S.T.A.R Labs interrupts the meeting between Mr. Slate, the Flash, and the Boom, revealing herself to be a robotic assassin who opens fire on the three with a gatling-gun arm.

Jay Garrick and Judy run toward the viewer, wreathed in lighting; behind them, Dr Elemental (A mechanical figure in a cloak) stands in a menacing pose, water and fire swirling around his gauntleted fists.