DC’s Newest Hero 'Circuit Breaker' Will Redefine Flash’s True Opposite

DC's Lazarus Planet: Dark Fate #1 will introduce fans to Circuit Breaker, a heroic opposite to the Flash that channels the powerful Still Force.

A new hero is coming to the DC Universe, and they're completely flipping one of The Flash's oldest villains powers on its head. And while it's not yet known how much the future will hold for Circuit Breaker, this new embodiment of the Flash's 'opposite' power makes his debut in the pages of the upcoming Lazarus Planet: Dark Fate #1.

The sneak peek comes courtesy of artist A.L. Kaplan, sharing the first artwork of Circuit Breaker before the new hero arrives in Lazarus Planet: Dark Fate #1 by Kaplan, along with Tim Seeley, Joshua Williamson, Dennis Culber, Alyssa Wong, Haining, Baldemar Rivas, and Chris Burnham. Kaplan's post introduces fans to Circuit Breaker aka Jules Jourdain, a hero fueled by the Still Force, the powerful rival to the Flash's Speed Force.

DC Comics editor Andrea Shea also took to Twitter, hinting that the hero's ability to work with the Still Force may become either a blessing or a curse over the course of his story. Shea also suggested that while the arrival of a transmasculine superhero like Jules Jourdain is something to get excited about, the character's Lazarus Planet premiere is just his "first adventure," as part a longer story. And fans are wasting no time in showing Circuit Breaker a warm welcome before his official debut.

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As one of the Seven Forces of the Universe, the Speed Force is one of the most powerful and perplexing phenomena's ever created. But despite its untamable nature, the energy that gives The Flash his many powers provides the DCU with motion. However, like most things in this world, there's a dark opposite to the Speed Force: A power based on entropy known as the Still Force. The Still Force is one of the few things that can properly counter the Flash and his powers. In fact, one of Barry's oldest enemies, a slow villain known as the Turtle, was reinvented as a conduit of the Still Force in the same way that the Flash is an avatar of the Speed Force.

So if the enigmatic Still Force that powers Turtle is a counter energy to the Flash's Speed Force, then why is a hero suddenly channeling it? It could have something to do with the events of Lazarus Planet. Thanks to a volcano erupting on Lazarus Island, the DC Universe is being thrown into chaos due to a magical storm that's covering the world. The event is throwing the rules of magic and science out of whack, potentially making an opening for a new avatar for the Still Force.

While Reverse-Flash has earned the top spot as Flash's number one ‘opposite’ villain, Turtle and the Still Force arguably make for a better Flash mirror than Eobard Thawne or Hunter Zolomon. After all, what's more opposite of being fast than being slow? And while the Still Force was initially presented as a villainous counter to the Speed Force, the arrival of Jules Jourdain could change that for good. A hero that channels the Still Force would be one of the first opposites of Flash to actually be on the same side as the speedster. Will Jules be up to the task? Flash fans will have to find out when Circuit Breaker arrives in Lazarus Planet: Dark Fate #1, on sale February 14th, 2023.

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Source: A.L. Kaplan, Andrea Shea (1,2)