The Flash (Volume 4) #40 is an issue of the series The Flash (Volume 4) with a cover date of May, 2015. It was published on March 25, 2015.
Synopsis for "The End of the Road"
Iris West and Patty Spivot have just realized that The Flash is a murderer, as he just threatened to kill a man before their eyes. The Flash, meanwhile, has just been blasted by that man, Overload, with a powerful jolt of energy. He recovers quickly, though, warning Overload that he knows all about him. He had never caught him in his past, but he studied the victims enough to build a theory that Overload hypercharged electronic devices, causing them to explode. He had therefore, designed his new suit to withstand that attack, just in case he ever found the killer. Now that he's back in his past, he has that opportunity. Unfortunately, the watch that Patty gave him is not protected, and it blows up. Finally, Barry admits to Patty that he's not her Barry. He's from the future, and he thought he could fix all of his past mistakes, but he'd only made things worse. Despite all of her questions, Patty is most curious to know where the real Barry is.
Within the Speed Force, the present day Barry has been captured by William Selkirk, who hopes to use him as a conduit for Speed Force energy so that he can be empowered with super-speed and escape. He explains that the others in the settlement below the temple mountain had pretended to help him, because they wanted his power too. He calls down the lightning again, and it fills Barry's body with energy.
Back in Central City, Barry explains that he had been so happy to be with Patty again when he returned, but he'd lied to her, and he knows he can't undo that. In the meantime, though, she warns him that he should act like a hero, and stop Overload without killing him. Concocting a plan to disrupt the wireless signal empowering Overload, Barry borrows a civilian's phone and uses it to activate every phone and device in the network so that it crashed the towers, removing the power source. As Overload is carted away by the police, Flash declares that he is not a killer anymore.
One of the lightning bolts ricochets off of Barry's body and sears through Selkirk's body, killing him. Barry scrambles to his feet, admitting that he would have helped Selkirk and the others escape, if they'd told him. At the very least, he has his powers back. As he tries to speed back home, he doesn't notice the crackle of Speed Force energy awakening in Selkirk's body.
Patty is not ready to accept that this other Barry has really changed, and mourns for the loss of the Barry she loved. To her surprise, though, the fabric of reality tears open, and the present-day Barry returns, coming face to face with his future self, who explains that he doesn't want this life anymore. Confused, Barry looks to Patty for explanation, but they are all distracted by Selkirk's leaping through the rift, empowered by the Speed Force.
Unfortunately, Selkirk's speed of thought is so fast that he can out-think both of them, and seeing the potential for collateral damage, Barry decides to take the fight away from the people. Together, the two Flashes speed into a forest with Selkirk close behind, though they both know that being in the same place at the same time could cause an explosion. Unwilling to go on, the future Flash triggers that explosion and it consumes Selkirk with it.
Barry finds his future self dying in the crater, and hopes to help him. Instead, the dying speedster explains that not everything can be fixed. He had been arrogant to think so, and allowed his quest to become one of vengeance. Before dying, he has one last piece of information to pass on, though. It is a clue to the murder of their mother Nora: "Thawne".
Afterwards, Barry and Patty are reunited at last, but she responds that she intends to leave him. No matter who he really is, when she looks at him, all she sees is the man who deceived her.
Elsewhere, Selkirk wakes in a crater with a broken spine, and is collected by Professor Zoom, who promises to teach him the value of the power he claimed.
Appearing in "The End of the Road"
Featured Characters:
- The Flash
- The Flash (Future) (Dies)
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Overload
- Professor Zoom (First appearance)
- William Selkirk
Other Characters:
Locations:
- Central City
- Speed Force
- Speed Force Temple
Items:
Vehicles:
Notes
- This issue is reprinted in The Flash: Savage World.