The evil Reverse-Flash is so dedicated to being his enemy's perfect opposite, he managed to corrupt the New 52 costume. The updated version of the classic villain got his own redesign that twisted Barry Allen's new look.
The DC Universe was rocked considerably after the events of Flashpoint ushered in a complete reset. Heroes had their histories, relationships, and even their classic outfits changed. The slick new appearance of the DCU gave unfamiliar readers a chance to get on board with a more easily accessible line of DC Comics. The line-wide reboot that would be known as the New 52 was most infamously known for its many controversial costume changes. While DC's heroes largely retained their familiar looks, details like raised collars and superfluous lines were ubiquitous among many characters, including the Flash.
But in the New 52, some villains received major updates, and none had such a radical change as Flash's morally-opposite foe, the Reverse-Flash. In The Flash's "In Reverse" story arc by Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato, the New 52 version of the Reverse-Flash makes his debut. Instead of wearing a costume with an inverted color scheme, this new and deadlier version of Flash’s nemesis glows a dark crimson and has a metallic shell-like armor protecting him. After he leaves the Flash a trail of dead speedster bodies, the Reverse-Flash is finally confronted by his enemy in The Flash #22. Just before the villain can kill Dr. Darwin Elias in his lab, Barry bursts in and stops Reverse-Flash. Flash fights back but quickly realizes this new enemy of his is equally matched with him in speed. Even worse, the Reverse-Flash can peel off parts of his costume off his body and use them as a shrapnel-like weapon.
The Flash’s New 52 costume isn’t that much different from that of his opposite-themed foe. In this particular era for DC, Barry realized that spandex wouldn't cut it for his costume and realized that metal interacted with the Speed Force in a much more beneficial way. With Flash fashioning his costume out of metal plating, it's understandable that the Reverse-Flash would have a similar design. But turning his outfit into a living weapon takes the villain's 'reverse' shtick to the next level.
Whether Eobard Thawne, Hunter Zolomon or Daniel West, no matter who bears the evil moniker, they all make it a point to be Flash’s complete opposite. While every villain has made it clear they're far less moral than Barry, a Reverse-Flash turning their costume into a living weapon firmly cements their stance as his opposite. After all, there are few ways Barry could use twisted shards of metal non-lethally, so it's the exact sort of weapon Flash would never use. This twist on Barry's updated costume reinforces that the Reverse-Flash stands for everything that the Flash doesn't. The point of the New 52 was to streamline things for a new audience, and giving Reverse-Flash a corrupted version of the Flash's costume executed that idea brilliantly.
