Warning: SPOILERS for The Flash #800DC's Scarlet Speedster is entering a new era with a brand-new and terrifying power, that allows the Flash to step through alternate dimensions, making this ability one of his creepiest yet, and it probably doesn't bode well for his future.

The Flash experiences a terrifying "blip" in his powers in the Dawn of DC prelude from The Flash #800, "Between Love and You" by Si Spurrier, Mike Deodato Jr., Trish Mulvihill, and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou. Wally West experiences a "hiccup" in the Speed Force, only to later (in relative Flash time) discover Mirror Master using strange new technology that's far outside his usual fare. The Flash seems to be affected by this tech, and starts to experience strange side effects — that may just be Wally manifesting brand-new powers. As the Flash says, Mirror Master's mirror "started up a new power—stepping sideways through overlapping layers of existence." The accompanying art shows just how strange this experience is: between "realms of fungal geometry" and a "realm" that's filled with eyeballs and tentacles, this might just be the Flash's creepiest power yet.

The Flash Enters the Dawn of DC Era With A Disturbing New Power

The Flash's new power comes on the cusp of a number of other changes for the Scarlet Speedster. After revitalizing Wally West and his family, the previous Flash run, led by writer Jeremy Adams, has concluded, and this new creative team is officially taking the realms with this prelude and a new Flash #1 dropping this fall. But the Flash and DC's other speedsters are no strangers to suddenly shifting powers; the Speed Force, which is a quasi-mystical realm that powers the speedsters' abilities, is known to act up, generating new and strange power for the Flash and others.

This "seeing through layers of existence" power is another in a long line of strange speedster abilities. In fact, the Flash and his fellow speedsters have been known to travel through both time and different universes. This new power, though, seems to be distinctly different, and rather more terrifying. It's not so much that the Flash is traveling through the barrier to different universes, visiting another Earth, but rather that he is seeing through the different layers of his own reality. He's running through the barriers of reality itself, revealing strange mysteries, almost like peeling through layers of paint only to discover moldy wallpaper underneath.

These new powers will surely play a major role in the coming Flash revamp, launching this Fall. Wally West will also certainly get a hang of these new powers in no time; the bigger question is just what the Flash will do with these abilities, or - as this story seems to imply - if these new powers will unleash threats and dangers as Wally has never seen before.

Check out The Flash #800, available now from DC Comics!