Not only does the Bane, but Barry's is downright horrifying. The Flash #33 reveals one rogue that took the Venom-enhanced villain to a terrifying new level.
When it comes to villains, the Flash has some pretty innovative ones. For example, the Rogues are able to keep Barry Allen on his toes with nothing but a few pieces of specialized weaponry like cold guns or weather wands. The Reverse-Flash has matched Barry's speed and his psychopathic behavior makes him a force to be reckoned with. Even the Flash villain Gorilla Grodd has challenged Barry with deadly mind games and intense savagery. One would think that someone as fast as the Flash could easily dispatch his enemies, but every villain brings something unique with them that allows them to challenge the Fastest Man Alive.
Speaking of unique, one minor villain faced by the Flash brought a grotesque spin on a classic menace often faced by Batman. In The Flash #33 by Robert Venditti, Van Jensen, and Brett Booth, Central City is being plagued by a new murderer on the scene who appears to be using the weaponry of lesser-known villains of the Flash. Dubbed the "Mashup Killer" by Iris West, the new villain appears to be a member of a criminal crew who is going after his old teammates. Barry chases a lead and finds a man named Nate Jones at a dilapidated warehouse. Unfortunately, Jones has taken a drug known as 'Snake Bite' a derivative of Venom, the same drug that gives Bane his overwhelming strength. However, while Jones does receive enhanced strength, his flesh peels back and exposes his musculoskeletal system, giving him quite the disturbing appearance.
Is Flash's Bane Worse Than The Original?
To the original Bane’s credit, Venom was already a frightening substance. The Batman villain could increase several times in mass and become a hulking monstrosity capable of wide-ranging destruction (and that’s on top of an extremely tactical mind). The true terror from this knockoff version comes from the idea that Bane’s signature Venom has derivatives. Venom is already dangerous on its own, and it appears that altered versions are even worse.
The reality is a number of Batman’s rogues use drugs in their criminal endeavors. Whether it’s Fear Toxin or Joker Venom, the drugs themselves are much more dangerous than the villains that create them. Too often, they fall in the hands of lesser DC villains who try to make a name for themselves by ‘improving’ the formula. Whatever Mashup did to Snake Bite in order to create a leviathan like the one Flash fought was certainly effective, but the end result is something that just isn’t natural or safe for anyone. Flash's own version of Bane is a dark reminder that there are plenty of chemical concoctions in the DCU that can create even worse variants of already nightmarish villains.
