Katmos’ Cylinder Equivalent to a Can of Shaken Soda – The Flash #150 (Facsimile Edition)

by Null -- August 30th, 2024

We all are well aware of the drastic steps some comic book writers take when exploring a superhero’s ability, but what about those rare moments where we stop and ask ourselves: “Is this really possible?"

Well, when I was reading over The Flash #150 (Facsimile Edition) I had one of those moments. “How will The Flash get out of this?” I wondered. “How will he save the day?” At the time, I was reading as the villain Katmos described his ultimate goal to The Flash, as well as his demise.

His highly advanced society of beings composed of iron, Katmos knew he was born to rule them. So, now, eight million years after the extinction of his race, he claims he was always meant to “take over rule of Earth once more!” The Flash, determined to defeat this new villain, was knocked out during their initial battle, awaking in “Katmos’ Cylinder.”

With this ancient technology, Katmos will not just eradicate The Flash’s superspeed, but also his life! Making The Flash one hundred tons heavier, this will not only take away his quick-footed abilities, but cause his bones and muscles to crumble under the new weight of his being.

But that is not the science I wanted to focus on, rather, it is how The Flash escapes this doom mere moments after. While trapped in the Cylinder, The Flash finds himself afloat in a mysterious green liquid. Thinking fast, he begins to stomp his feet up and down as quickly as possible, building up oxygen within the liquid, increasing the pressure enough to blast him off to freedom. This was the part that enacted that big question from me, the question that brings this back into reality: “Is this really possible?” 

--...And make it take off like a rocket on a launching pad!” Could he really take off like a rocket? Let’s debate this together! According to the article How Fast Can The Flash Run? By Raag Trivedi, The Flash in the #150th comic, also known as Barry Allen, can run up to speeds of three-hundred million meters per second (a little over six-hundred and seventy million miles per hour), which is… honestly quite insane, but not my main focus. Some things have to be left to imagination in superhero comics! So, what I’m really interested in is if The Flash can move his feet fast enough to make the Cylinder explode with pressure. Let’s think about this in terms of a soda can. Whenever you happen to shake up a can or bottle of soda, the carbonation within the liquid starts to bubble and expand as it mixes more oxygen particles into the soda, increasing the pressure of the can. All that excess fizz makes the outside layer of material, may that be aluminum or plastic, expand to its maximum flexing point. Once that maximum is exceeded, that liquid, gas, and air will shoot out of the weakest point of the container, in this case either a pop tab or a bottle cap. 

Of course, trying to do actual measurements and calculations to compare the Cylinder The Flash is trapped in to an average can of soda is kind of difficult. For simplicity’s sake (and the outrageous speed Barry Allen can move his legs as The Flash) we are going to assume the same concept with the soda can applies to the cylinder. Since The Flash wasn’t yet weighed down as if he was one hundred tuns, he was able to stomp his feet fast enough to create enough disturbance in the liquid to make it bubble up with oxygen atoms. These new gas bubbles do the same thing as the fizz in a soda can, building pressure in the Cylinder until it bursts. In this case, the weakest point of the Cylinder that flexed too much with the pressure, therefore exploding, was at the base of the Cylinder that was crafted of a green metal-like material. So, The Flash flew into the sky like a rocket taking off!

Despite not having any actual mathematical calculations being involved, just comparing something from our day-to-day lives or childhood experiences allowed us to see the possibility of The Flash’s escape plan. And, considering how mind bogglingly fast Barry Allen’s The Flash can run, this feat is entirely possible. Considering how little speed it actually takes to shake up a soda can to make it burst, I do quite think the speedster is capable of pulling it off. But, when I was caught in the moment of reading the comic, The Flash’s outlandish idea did seem crazy enough to take further thought and consideration. And now, here I am, without a doubt trusting that it’s possible.

Besides, it’s always fun to see the good guys prevail, even if it was with them flying through the air in an eight million year old Cylinder.

-Null