DC: 5 Times The Flash Was An Overrated Member Of The Justice League (& 5 He Was Underrated) - CBR

In the long history of DC Comics, the Flash has remained among the top superheroes of all-time. While the super speed ability has been shared among most characters, it’s the Flash whose name goes synonyms with this power. However, this has also meant several things about him have become overrated while underrated in others.

In this context, the “times” refer to everything from feats he achieved to the aspects of his powers. It also covers events from the comics, TV and film history, and gaming. Also, fan perception has been taken into account, meaning over or underrated arguments made in favor of Flash have been taken into consideration.

10 Underrated: His Interrogating Skills

When the topic comes up of who the best detective in DC comics is, the Flash’s name is never spoken. This is too bad, as he displayed the right skills in the episode “Secret Society,” where Flash got a lead on the villain Shade’s whereabouts and had to interrogate a thug.

When the man showed no fear of him and said Batman was better, Flash let him go from the top of a building and interrogated the man while he fell. Suffice to say, Flash got his answer. It’s too bad none of the league members found out about this as they kept treating him like a jokester.

9 Overrated: His Role In The Future

In what remains the biggest unresolved question from the Justice League film, Flash was supposedly sent back in time to warn Bruce about Superman turning evil in Batman v Superman. This scene was hyped to oblivion, as it was meant to set up Superman destroying the Earth.

In the end, all it took was Bruce admitting he was wrong and Superman was resurrected with no problem. Flash’s role was basically just a nightmare or an alternate reality that was erased, making his whole time travel lame and overrated.

8 Underrated: Role In Resurrecting Superman

It’s generally agreed that the DCAU version of Flash is better than the DCEU one. And yet, the latter did make a big contribution in resurrecting his universe’s Superman. The only way to bring him back was by charging up the Mother box, which was possible due to Flash’s speed.

He achieved the required velocity and was able to revive the Man of Steel. Unfortunately, the team was then clobbered around by the confused Superman, which took the focus away from Flash’s achievement. In actuality, Steppenwolf’s defeat was all due to Flash, but the film itself didn’t stress this point.

7 Overrated: Every Time He's Called The Fastest In Live-Action

Sure, the Flash is always going to top the list of fastest DC characters ever. However, that’s due to the achievements of the comic book flash, not the live-action ones. These versions are repeatedly touted as being extremely fast, yet that’s not exactly deserved.

These guys are routinely beaten by characters who should logically have no chance against them. If the Flash is supposed to be the fastest being in the universe, he can’t be seen losing against someone like Green Arrow. Despite these defeats, the characters continue to further his reputation.

6 Underrated: Fight Against Lex Luthor/Brainiac

In what was one of the greatest episodes in Justice League Unlimited, the Flash went ahead and destroyed the Lex Luthor/Brainiac hybrid by himself. The underrated aspect comes from the supervillains themselves, who took the time to beat each of the Justice League members but didn’t give a thought towards the Flash.

Instead, Luthor/Brainiac laughed right in Flash’s face at the very idea that this “boy” could ever hope to match them. In the end, Flash did do just that, although there’s no escaping the fact that he was able to do so because the Luthor/Brainiac didn’t see it coming.

5 Overrated: Beating Superman In A Race

For a guy who likes to constantly talk about how fast he is, Flash certainly didn’t do it convincingly. He’s had several races with Superman across all media, with almost every time being interrupted due to the workings of certain villains.

Flash eventually did beat Superman, but it wasn’t as decisive as one might have thought. His own claim was that he let Superman beat him, although this still makes his victory very overrated since he was clearly having a tough time. Mainly, it’s because it was also acknowledged that Superman could be faster if he were flying, opening up the possibility that Flash might have lost if they raced this way.

4 Underrated: His Claim Of Processing Things In Less Than An Attosecond

His frequent losses have made it seem as if Flash might not exactly be that fast, yet his admission of the perception of speed is something to behold. However, this piece from the comics isn’t well known, meaning it’s become an underrated bit of trivia.

According to the Flash, he can perceive things at less than an attosecond, which amounts to one quintillionth of a second! This means he can pretty much control everything about time and the universe. Looking at things this way, Flash really doesn’t get the respect he deserves since he could tear everything apart if he wanted to. Maybe this is a possible storyline his solo film might adapt.

3 Overrated: The Infinite Mass Punch

Like the tired old Batman’s “prep time” argument, this is overrated purely because it falls into the category of lazy excuses from fanboys for Flash’s potentially easy victory. The Infinite Mass Punch is considered as his greatest power but it has become overused to the point where fanboys argue that Flash can beat anyone with it.

And yet, when he used it against Zum, the most he could send the White Martian was in orbit and crashing down back to Earth. This contradicts the argument that the Infinite Mass Punch has the force of a white star, seeing as the punch didn’t exactly shatter anything around it.

2 Underrated: Being Left Out By The Other League Members

When the team became absolutely enormous by the events of Justice League Unlimited, the Flash became relegated to the background even though he was a founding member. After being absent entirely from the third season, he was back in a later episode where he himself complained about the lack of appreciation he got and how he didn’t even go on missions anymore.

Flash was left hanging out with the small fries of the Justice League, with Martian Manhunter -- the only he could find to talk to -- ignoring him at every turn and telling him to stop bothering him. At this time, Flash wasn’t seen in the league’s discussions either. Basically, the other members stopped taking him seriously altogether.

1 Overrated: His Dilly-Dallying With Superman's Regime

The Injustice storyline was one where Superman became corrupted and unleashed a series of savage assaults against the world to make it a totalitarian regime in his name. Flash went along with this ideology, although he constantly kept hinting at changing sides over to Batman’s faction.

The overrated aspect here comes from Flash repeatedly hinting at switching his allegiance as if he was the most critical piece who would change the tide. While he was instrumental in the end, his influence wasn’t as enormous as the story kept on trying to make it. Instead, Batman was the main hero, making Flash’s entire arc an overrated part of the story.

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Saim Cheeda (189 Articles Published)

Saim Cheeda is an entertainment writer covering all of Film, TV, Gaming and Books. He's been a writer for The Gamer, Screen Rant and CBR since 2017, contributing 100+ articles for a variety of topics. Saim also covers entertainment articles for Fansided. Apart from freelance writing, Saim is a lifestyle blogger, co-owning the blog 3 States Apart.