Cosmic treadmill
Encyclopedia
The cosmic treadmill is a fiction
al time travel
device in the DC Comics
universe
. The treadmill first appears in The Flash
#125 written by John Broome
.
. It was initially developed as a means of allowing Barry Allen to travel through time precisely to battle aliens who had taken over the Earth in 2287 by projecting a hive into the past that stopped technology, so Kid Flash
traveled to the past to stop it while the Flash battled the aliens in the Future. Kid Flash succeeded, enabling the aliens to be defeated. The Flash had already travelled through time to return a Future criminal to his own time using superspeed vibrations in his second story, and passing through a 'roadblock' in the mists of time called the Time barrier.
(Eobard Thawne).
In its last appearance before the Crisis on Infinite Earths
, Barry used it to relocate to the 30th Century to be reunited with his wife, Iris West
.
The treadmill appeared during the Crisis as well, in issue 11. Jay Garrick (the Earth-Two
Flash), Wally West
(Earth-One's Kid Flash), Kal-L (the Earth-Two Superman) and Kal-El
(the Earth-One Superman) attempted to travel to Earth-Two to allow Kal-L to return home. Instead of finding Earth-Two, there was simply a void, a consequence of the multiverse collapsing into a single universe.
The first significant appearance of the treadmill was in Flash #79, when it was revealed that a man previously thought to be Barry Allen was in fact Professor Zoom, who had traveled back in time from the 25th century using the treadmill and lost his memory. This was Professor Zoom's first trip through time, Wally subsequently tricking him into using the treadmill again to return home. The battle also released Wally's previous block on his speed, Wally having previously placed a mental block on his powers because he was afraid of replacing Barry by surpassing him.
The treadmill was a key element during the Chain Lightning storyarc featured in Flash# 145–150, which involved heavy use of time-travel in order to defeat the legacy of Cobalt Blue
.
In Impulse
#21, several time-lost Legionnaires
attempt to use the Treadmill to make it back to their own time. The unwanted assistance of the hero Impulse seemingly destroys the Treadmill and the time-lost heroes leave, dejected. It is soon revealed that Impulse had accidentally sent the treadmill itself a few minutes into the future.
Hunter Zolomon attempted to use the treadmill in Flash #196 in order to travel back through time and prevent the events that had left him a paraplegic. The attempt proved disastrous as the treadmill exploded, destroying itself and the Flash Museum
while also shifting Zolomon slightly out of time. Zolomon subsequently became Zoom
, the third Reverse-Flash
, the treadmill's explosion having essentially 'derailed' him from the timeline and granted him the ability to control the rate at which he perceives time.
The treadmill last appeared— rebuilt by Zoom and unwillingly powered by Jay Garrick— during the Rogue War storyarc featured in Flash #220–225. Zoom (Zolomon) used it in order to bring Professor Zoom (Thawne) back from the future. Wally was assisted by Barry Allen, who took Professor Zoom back to his rightful place in the timeline. The treadmill was seemingly destroyed during the fight between Zoom and Wally.
In a possible future
where members of the current incarnation of the Teen Titans mature into a corrupt and tyrannical Justice League, the Cosmic Treadmill is absent from the Flash Museum; it is instead kept in a more secure location inside the Batcave
, presumably to ensure that their "enemies"—in truth, a group of right-minded Titans—cannot alter the past and change their timeline.
it allowed travel between the multiple Earths
. The treadmill works by generating vibrations that will shift the user into a specific time. The vibrations require a high amount of speed to generate, and attempts to use the treadmill without it have proved dangerous. Initially, the vibrations had to be kept up internally, or one would fade back into the time from whence they came. This was fixed by John Fox in Flash #112.
Since the treadmill needs a speedster in order to function, in many stories a working one can be found inside the Flash Museum
. Since few people have the speed to have it work, it is usually seen as an exhibit, though at times it has been stored in the archives. It is shown that over time the Treadmill can become unstable and unreliable, and cause extreme stress to the mind of the user.
The device is featured in Batman: The Brave and the Bold
, where it is used to rescue Barry Allen
in the 25th century.
Modern Age
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
al time travel
Time travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
device in the DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
universe
DC Universe
The DC Universe is the shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place. The fictional characters Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are well-known superheroes from this universe. Note that in context, "DC Universe" is usually used to refer to the main DC continuity...
. The treadmill first appears in The Flash
Flash (comics)
The Flash is a name shared by several fictional comic book superheroes from the DC Comics universe. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in Flash Comics #1 ....
#125 written by John Broome
John Broome (writer)
John Broome , who additionally used the pseudonyms John Osgood and Edgar Ray Meritt, was an American comic book writer for DC Comics.-Early life and career:...
.
Origins
The treadmill was first seen in The Flash #125 written by John BroomeJohn Broome (writer)
John Broome , who additionally used the pseudonyms John Osgood and Edgar Ray Meritt, was an American comic book writer for DC Comics.-Early life and career:...
. It was initially developed as a means of allowing Barry Allen to travel through time precisely to battle aliens who had taken over the Earth in 2287 by projecting a hive into the past that stopped technology, so Kid Flash
Wally West
The Flash is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. He is the first Kid Flash and the third Flash....
traveled to the past to stop it while the Flash battled the aliens in the Future. Kid Flash succeeded, enabling the aliens to be defeated. The Flash had already travelled through time to return a Future criminal to his own time using superspeed vibrations in his second story, and passing through a 'roadblock' in the mists of time called the Time barrier.
Pre-Crisis
The treadmill appeared in a handful of stories, notably allowing Barry Allen to travel to the 25th century and meet Professor ZoomProfessor Zoom
Eobard Thawne, who has gone by the codenames "Professor Zoom" and "Reverse-Flash", is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain in the DC Universe. Thawne is the Arch enemy of the superhero Barry Allen, the second hero to be called the Flash...
(Eobard Thawne).
In its last appearance before the Crisis on Infinite Earths
Crisis on Infinite Earths
Crisis on Infinite Earths is a 12-issue American comic book limited series and crossover event, produced by DC Comics in 1985 to simplify its then 50-year-old continuity...
, Barry used it to relocate to the 30th Century to be reunited with his wife, Iris West
Iris West Allen
Iris West Allen is a fictional character who appears in various DC Comics publications. She is a one-time wife of the second Flash , Barry Allen, the aunt of the third Flash, Wally West, and the grandmother of the fourth Flash, Bart Allen...
.
The treadmill appeared during the Crisis as well, in issue 11. Jay Garrick (the Earth-Two
Earth-Two
Earth-Two is a fictional universe appearing in American comic book stories published by DC Comics. First appearing in The Flash #123 , Earth-Two was created to explain how Silver-Age versions of characters such as the Flash could appear in stories with their Golden Age counterparts...
Flash), Wally West
Wally West
The Flash is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. He is the first Kid Flash and the third Flash....
(Earth-One's Kid Flash), Kal-L (the Earth-Two Superman) and Kal-El
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
(the Earth-One Superman) attempted to travel to Earth-Two to allow Kal-L to return home. Instead of finding Earth-Two, there was simply a void, a consequence of the multiverse collapsing into a single universe.
Post-Crisis
The treadmill has appeared several times since the Crisis, during Wally West's time as the Flash.The first significant appearance of the treadmill was in Flash #79, when it was revealed that a man previously thought to be Barry Allen was in fact Professor Zoom, who had traveled back in time from the 25th century using the treadmill and lost his memory. This was Professor Zoom's first trip through time, Wally subsequently tricking him into using the treadmill again to return home. The battle also released Wally's previous block on his speed, Wally having previously placed a mental block on his powers because he was afraid of replacing Barry by surpassing him.
The treadmill was a key element during the Chain Lightning storyarc featured in Flash# 145–150, which involved heavy use of time-travel in order to defeat the legacy of Cobalt Blue
Cobalt blue
Cobalt blue is a cool, slightly desaturated blue color, historically made using cobalt salts of alumina. It is used in certain ceramics and painting; the different cobalt pigment smalt, based on silica, is more often used directly in tinted transparent glasses...
.
In Impulse
Bart Allen
Bartholomew "Bart" Allen is a superhero in the . Allen first appeared as the superhero Impulse. He would later go on to become the second Kid Flash and the fourth Flash. Allen's first cameo appearance was in The Flash #91, while his first full appearance was in issue #92...
#21, several time-lost Legionnaires
Legion of Super-Heroes
The Legion of Super-Heroes is a fictional superhero team in the 30th and 31st centuries of the . The team first appears in Adventure Comics #247 , and was created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino....
attempt to use the Treadmill to make it back to their own time. The unwanted assistance of the hero Impulse seemingly destroys the Treadmill and the time-lost heroes leave, dejected. It is soon revealed that Impulse had accidentally sent the treadmill itself a few minutes into the future.
Hunter Zolomon attempted to use the treadmill in Flash #196 in order to travel back through time and prevent the events that had left him a paraplegic. The attempt proved disastrous as the treadmill exploded, destroying itself and the Flash Museum
Flash Museum
The Flash Museum is a fictional museum that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The museum is dedicated to the superheroes sharing the alias of the Flash, with its primary focus on Barry Allen...
while also shifting Zolomon slightly out of time. Zolomon subsequently became Zoom
Zoom (comics)
Zoom is a fictional comic book supervillain from the DC Comics universe. He is primarily associated with the superhero Wally West, the third Flash and is the third of the Reverse-Flashes...
, the third Reverse-Flash
Reverse-Flash
Reverse-Flash is a title that has been taken by three supervillains in DC Comics. All of them have super-speed and are enemies of the Flash dynasty.-Golden Age:...
, the treadmill's explosion having essentially 'derailed' him from the timeline and granted him the ability to control the rate at which he perceives time.
The treadmill last appeared— rebuilt by Zoom and unwillingly powered by Jay Garrick— during the Rogue War storyarc featured in Flash #220–225. Zoom (Zolomon) used it in order to bring Professor Zoom (Thawne) back from the future. Wally was assisted by Barry Allen, who took Professor Zoom back to his rightful place in the timeline. The treadmill was seemingly destroyed during the fight between Zoom and Wally.
In a possible future
Titans Tomorrow
"Titans Tomorrow" is a storyline of a possible alternate future in the DC Comics Universe, from Teen Titans #17-19 , by Geoff Johns and Mike McKone...
where members of the current incarnation of the Teen Titans mature into a corrupt and tyrannical Justice League, the Cosmic Treadmill is absent from the Flash Museum; it is instead kept in a more secure location inside the Batcave
Batcave
The Batcave is the secret headquarters of fictional DC Comics superhero Batman, the alternate identity of playboy Bruce Wayne, consisting of a series of subterranean caves beneath his residence, Wayne Manor.-Publication history:...
, presumably to ensure that their "enemies"—in truth, a group of right-minded Titans—cannot alter the past and change their timeline.
Abilities
The cosmic treadmill allows any being with super-speed to precisely travel time, and pre-CrisisCrisis on Infinite Earths
Crisis on Infinite Earths is a 12-issue American comic book limited series and crossover event, produced by DC Comics in 1985 to simplify its then 50-year-old continuity...
it allowed travel between the multiple Earths
Multiverse (DC Comics)
The DC Multiverse is a fictional continuity construct that exists in stories published by comic book company DC Comics. The DC Multiverse consists of numerous worlds, most of them outside DC's main continuity, allowing writers the creative freedom to explore alternative versions of characters and...
. The treadmill works by generating vibrations that will shift the user into a specific time. The vibrations require a high amount of speed to generate, and attempts to use the treadmill without it have proved dangerous. Initially, the vibrations had to be kept up internally, or one would fade back into the time from whence they came. This was fixed by John Fox in Flash #112.
Since the treadmill needs a speedster in order to function, in many stories a working one can be found inside the Flash Museum
Flash Museum
The Flash Museum is a fictional museum that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The museum is dedicated to the superheroes sharing the alias of the Flash, with its primary focus on Barry Allen...
. Since few people have the speed to have it work, it is usually seen as an exhibit, though at times it has been stored in the archives. It is shown that over time the Treadmill can become unstable and unreliable, and cause extreme stress to the mind of the user.
In other media
- In the Justice LeagueJustice League (TV series)Justice League is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes which ran from 2001 to 2004 on Cartoon Network. The show was produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It is based on the Justice League of America and associated comic book characters published by DC Comics...
episode "Eclipsed", Wally uses the term in a different way, referring to a ramp created by Green LanternJohn Stewart (comics)John Stewart is a fictional character, a comic book superhero published by DC Comics. He first appeared in Green Lantern vol. 2, #87 , and was created by Dennis O'Neil and Neal Adams.-Publication history:...
's ring to run through space towards the sun, in order to plant a device to stop the sun from going out. - Though only seen briefly, the cosmic treadmill did make an appearance in Wally West's room during the Justice League UnlimitedJustice League UnlimitedJustice League Unlimited is an American animated television series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Comics universe, and specifically based on the Justice League superhero team, it is a direct sequel to the...
episode "Flash and Substance."
The device is featured in Batman: The Brave and the Bold
Batman: The Brave and the Bold
Batman: The Brave and the Bold is an American animated television series based in part on the DC Comics series The Brave and the Bold which features two or more super heroes coming together to solve a crime or foil a super villain...
, where it is used to rescue Barry Allen
Barry Allen
The Flash is a fictional character, a superhero in the DC Comics universe. He is the second character known as the Flash. The character first appeared in Showcase #4 , created by writers Robert Kanigher and John Broome and penciler Carmine Infantino. His name combines talk show hosts Barry Gray...
in the 25th century.
Selected bibliography
Silver Age/Bronze Age- The Flash #125 (December 1961): "The Conquerors of Time" written by John BroomeJohn Broome (writer)John Broome , who additionally used the pseudonyms John Osgood and Edgar Ray Meritt, was an American comic book writer for DC Comics.-Early life and career:...
, art by Carmine InfantinoCarmine InfantinoCarmine Infantino Carmine Infantino Carmine Infantino (born May 24, 1925, in Brooklyn, New York is an American comic book artist and editor who was a major force in the Silver Age of Comic Books...
and Joe GiellaJoe GiellaJoe Giella is an American comic book artist best known as a DC Comics inker during the late 1950s and 1960s period historians and fans call the Silver Age of comic books.-Early life and career:...
. - The Flash #139 (September 1963): "Menace of the Reverse-Flash!" written by John Broome. Art by Carmine Infantino and Joe Giella.
- The Flash #179 (May 1968): "The Flash--Fact or Fiction?" written by Cary BatesCary BatesCary Bates is an American comic book, animation television and film writer.-Biography:Bates began submitting ideas for comic book covers to DC Comics at the age of 13, and a number of them were bought and published, the first as the cover to Superman #167...
. Art by Ross AndruRoss AndruRoss Andru was an American comic book artist and editor. He is best known for his work on Amazing Spider-Man, Wonder Woman, Flash and Metal Men....
and Mike EspositoMike Esposito (comics)Mike Esposito , who sometimes used the pseudonyms Mickey Demeo, Mickey Dee, Michael Dee, and Joe Gaudioso, was an American comic book artist whose work for DC Comics, Marvel Comics and others spanned the 1950s to the 2000s...
. - The Flash #350 (October 1985): "Flash Flees," written by Cary Bates, art by Carmine Infantino and Frank McLaughlin.
- Crisis on Infinite Earths #10 (Januari 1986)
Modern Age
- Flash #79 (August 1993): "The Once and Future Flash", written by Mark WaidMark WaidMark Waid is an American comic book writer. He is well known for his eight-year run as writer of the DC Comics' title The Flash, as well as his scripting of the limited series Kingdom Come and Superman: Birthright, and his work on Marvel Comics' Captain America...
, art by Greg LaRocqueGreg LaRocqueGreg LaRocque is an American comic book illustrator.Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, LaRocque worked as an assistant teacher at the Professional Institute of Art while still a teenager. He started his art career in the advertising field...
and Roy Richardson. - Flash #112 (April 1996): "Future Perfect," written by Mark Waid, art by Anthony Castrillo and Hanibal Rodriguez.
- Flash #145–150 (February–July 1999): "Chain Lightning", written by Mark WaidMark WaidMark Waid is an American comic book writer. He is well known for his eight-year run as writer of the DC Comics' title The Flash, as well as his scripting of the limited series Kingdom Come and Superman: Birthright, and his work on Marvel Comics' Captain America...
and Brian AugustynBrian AugustynBrian Augustyn is an award-winning comic book editor and writer. He has often worked, as both an editor and writer, with writer Mark Waid.-Biography:...
, art by Paul PelletierPaul PelletierPaul Pelletier is an American comic book penciller.-Career:Pelletier began working as a professional comic artist in the late 1980s. His first work appeared in Zen: Intergalactic Ninja. He has worked for renowned comics publishers DC Comics and Marvel Comics as well as for the now out of business...
and Vince Russell. - Flash #196 (May 2003): "Helpless", written by Geoff JohnsGeoff JohnsGeoff Johns is an American comic book writer, best known for his work for DC Comics, where he has been Chief Creative Officer since February 2010, in particular for characters such as Green Lantern, The Flash and Superman...
, art by Paul Winslade. - Flash #220–225 (May–October 2005) "Rogue War", written by Geoff Johns, art by Howard PorterHoward PorterHoward Porter is an American comic book artist from southern Connecticut.-Biography:Porter graduated from Paier College of Art in Connecticut where he majored in illustration. One of his teachers there was Frank McLaughlin...
and Livesay.
External links
- Hyperborea's article on the cosmic treadmill
- Crimson Lightning - An online index to the comic book adventures of the Flash.