Lazarus Planet's Circuit Breaker is Connected to the Flash

One of the newest heroes to debut in Lazarus Planet has a disturbing connection to The Flash's first rogue that could spell trouble.

The following article contains spoilers from "8 Seconds of Still Force" from Lazarus Planet: Dark Fate #1, on sale now from DC Comics.

Amidst the changes caused by the Lazarus storms, one of DC's newest heroes, codenamed Circuit Breaker, made his debut in "8 Seconds of Still Force" from Lazarus Planet: Dark Fate #1 (by Al Kaplan, Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou). In doing so, Jules Jourdain has established an unshakable connection to one of the DCU's greatest powers, and one of the Flash's oldest villains. Interestingly enough, both are fairly obscure in comparison to the hero they revolve around, but Jules' presence gives them the chance to become more prominent.

Circuit Breaker's powers come from the Still Force, a counter-energy to the Speed Force. The Still Force itself was discovered by the Turtle, one of the first villains Barry Allen faced when he became the Flash. Jules has a rudimentary understanding of what the Still Force is, but it's doubtful that he knows the full scope of the power that has been bestowed upon him. Nor how it might ensure that he and the Turtle will cross paths.

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The Still Force is a fairly recent development within the DCU. Introduced to fans in Justice League #2 (by Scott Snyder, Jorge Jimenez, Alejandro Sanchez, and Tom Napolitano), the Still Force was revealed to be equal and opposite to the Speed Force. One of the seven fundamental powers that govern the multiverse, the Still Force is the power of entropy and inertia, essentially allowing its user to stop all motion. The last time the power was used, it demonstrated the capability to cease the universe's expansion entirely, and could even stop someone like Mr. Mxyzptlk. Its potential in the wrong hands was catastrophic. Unfortunately, the person who discovered it was a villain.

The Turtle first debuted All Flash #21 (by Gardner Fox and Martin Naydel) and has gone through numerous iterations, usually depicting him as a Rogue gimmicked to counter to the Flash. However, his most recent origin gives him a darker story with greater consequences for the universe. A brilliant scientist, his leave of absence from work to focus on his family filled him with jealousy as his colleagues surpassed him. To outshine them all, he rushed through his experiments on an energy that he believed governed the universe. This was the Still Force. The resulting experiment aged him into an old man, but gave him immortality. He then began experimenting further on the Still Force, becoming disillusioned with humanity because he realized he would outlive them all. So, he murdered his own family to prevent any distractions from his work as he tried to harness the Still Force to greater effect.

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Needless to say, the Still Force has a troubling history, but that is a result of the man who discovered it, not because it is inherently malevolent. As Jules demonstrated, the Still Force can be used to save lives, and he is determined to be more than what the Turtle was. However, Jules' sudden control over one of the greatest powers of the DCU could have unforeseen consequences. The Turtle spent most of his life trying to gain greater control over the Still Force. Every time he did so though, he would age even more, making attuning to it a time-consuming and dangerous process.

What Jules demonstrates is practically everything the Turtle wanted with none of the drawbacks. Assuming he is still out there, he will likely find Jules to be an ideal test subject who can help unlock the secrets of the Still Force. As awful as this sounds, it does provide Jules the opportunity to confront what came before him. He has referred to the Turtle as an "evil man" and even calls the Still Force "savage", so he knows the villainous history both bring to the table. However, Jules also used the Still Force to save the life of his best friend. If he could do that, then he can find a better purpose for the Still Force than satiating one man's ego.

Amer Sawan is a reader, writer, and gamer and lover of all things nerdy from Florida. He is a graduate from the University of Florida with a B.A. in English. He has spent the past year writing for CBR. In his free time Amer enjoys playing Dungeons and Dragons with his friends, both as a Dungeon Master and as a player. Follow him on twitter @AmerSawan3 and feel free to comment on article suggestions.