(Image Source: DC / Nick Robles)
There is a mystery villain who has been part of the Absolute Universe since nearly the beginning. His powers are vast, allowing him to breech the boundaries between realities. He’s even been shown to have made contact with the main DC Universe. Now, his apparent origins have been revealed in Absolute Flash #14.
Written by Jeff Lemire, with art by Haining, Absolute Flash #14 picked up where the previous issue left off. Wally West and his new friend, Linda Park, had started exploring the abandoned Project Olympus base at Fort Fox. They had hoped to find some way of rescuing Wally’s dad from the other dimension he was trapped in. However, the two teenagers soon found themselves pulled into another world on the other side of a mirror.
(Image Source: DC / Haining)
The two ran around the strange mirror world, seeing other places through the mirrors hanging in open air. As they did this, they were perused by a horde of identical hooded men, who sought someone named Scudder. These figures resembled a mystery villain who had appeared in reflections in earlier Absolute Flash issues.
However, the teens were unexpectedly rescued by an apparent duplicate who introduced himself as Sam Scudder. This name will be familiar to fans of the classic Flash comics. Sam Scudder was the name of the first villain to call himself Mirror Master.
Absolute Flash’s Mirror Master explained
(Image Source: DC / Nick Robles)
Scudder introduces himself as a scientist and colleague of Barry Allen. He claims to be another victim of Project Olympus, who became tied to another dimension like Wally’s mentor. However, unlike Barry Allen, Sam Scudder can leave the Mirror Dimension, albeit no longer than one hour at a time. The longer he is away, the more sick he feels.
Additionally, every time Scudder reenters the Mirror Dimension, it creates a double that wants to kill him. To that end, Scudder bargains with Wally. In exchange for Wally locating the Project Olympus director, Mirror Master agrees to help rescue Wally’s father.
(Image Source: DC / Haining)
While this does offer an origin for the new Mirror Master, it doesn’t jibe with his earlier appearances. In Absolute Evil, Mirror Master was teaming with Brainiac to spy on the Justice League. In DC’s Free Comic Book Day 2025 Special, Mirror Master was seeking more information on the heroes of the Absolute Universe and met Evan McCulloch, the second Mirror Master of the main DC Universe. The two agreed to exchange information about their respective realities.
While it is possible Sam Scudder started out seeking more information about other people with powers to understand his own, his attitude in Absolute Flash #14 seems wildly different. This presumes that the Sam Scudder who partners with Wally West is the real one and not another mirror clone. In either case, it seems that Absolute Mirror Master still has some secrets.
(Image Source: DC)
Absolute Flash #14 is now available at comic shops everywhere.
