The Lords of Order and Chaos are among the most powerful beings in DC Comics. Since time immemorial, they have fought to control the destiny of the universe. However, The Flash took inspiration from The Lord of the Rings to defeat the Chaos Lords’ champion, Doctor Hate.
This battle came in the climax of Titans: Beast World #6 by Tom Taylor, Ivan Reis, Lucas Meyer, and Eduardo Pansica. Earlier issues introduced Doctor Hate, an evil magician empowered by the Lords of Chaos. They were meant to act as a balance to Doctor Fate, the champion of the Lords of Order. However, Doctor Hate turned out to be more closely connected to the Titans and The Flash than Doctor Fate.
The unmasked Doctor Hate was revealed to be the demonic side of Raven freed from captivity by the Lords of Chaos. There was little Raven could do to control her evil twin so long as she had the Helm of Hate. Thankfully, Raven’s friends refused to let her fight alone. Starfire was able to pull the Helm of Hate away from Doctor Hate as The Flash removed the magic helmet from the field of battle.
The Flash Uses a Volcano to Destroy the Helm of Hate
The Helm of Hate tried to compel The Flash to wear it. While it would prefer a magician for a host, it could make use of any mortal. Thankfully, Wally West had ample experience fighting telepaths and magic, and his super-speed enabled him to think faster than most efforts to control his mind. He had also “learned from the classics” and threw any cursed magic artifacts he found into the nearest active volcano — a clear nod to how the One Ring was destroyed in The Lord of the Rings.
While The Flash is not regarded as one of the smarter superheroes, Wally West is surprisingly well read. This makes sense, given the limited entertainment options for someone with superspeed who is easily bored. Movies and theater are stuck at a steady pace and even video recordings can only be sped up so much. However, good books, like the Lord of the Rings trilogy, can move as quickly as the speed reader enjoying them.
Titans: Beast World #6 is now available in comic shops everywhere.
