With the recent release of the new movie The Flash, I've found myself pondering the iconic character, his bio, as well as his powers and abilities -- in particular, how fast he's portrayed to be. When it comes to comic book heroes and their superpowers, this sort of speculation is common and makes for great geek debate. But it's worth noting that the Flash character has undergone a good deal of retconning over the years. In addition, the recently concluded WB “Arrowverse” TV series The Flash has greatly added to and confused Flash's mythology, sometimes even venturing into storytelling that deviates from canon. So for this article, I chose to go back and look at the DC Comics Flash and bring to light references to the speed of this earlier version of the character. To help with this I dug into the Pop Culture Fiend Archives and my stash of DC comics from my youth.
To begin, it's important to remember that 1956-1970 was the "Silver Age of Comics" and 1970-1985 (a timeframe that encompasses my aforementioned collection) the so-called “Bronze Age". The Flash from these two eras is none other than Barry Allen, a Central City police scientist who gained his super speed via an accident in which he's accidentally doused with a mix of chemicals after a lightning strike in his lab (more on this later.) This iteration of the Flash is widely considered to be the definitive version of the character – moreso than Jay Garrick, the original Flash created by Gardner Fox in the 1940's, and also more than Wally West, who began as Kid Flash before later succeeding Barry. The Barry Allen version is also the Flash appearing and/or referenced in the new Flash movie, the aforementioned Arrowverse series, 2017's Justice League and other “Snyderverse” DC pics, as well as several recent video games based on the DC Universe like Justice League Heroes and the Injustice series. So there's no question that when looking to determine how fast "The Flash" is, it's best to begin with Barry Allen, as this is the version who appears the most across all of pop culture.
So with Barry as the focus, when you examine his history and look for references in the comics about his speed, you discover a lot of inconsistency. Early Silver Age issues make a big deal about Barry running on water (something by the way, that would be scientifically possible for a human running even as "slow" as 50 mph) as well as overcoming gravity by running up the sides of buildings. On the higher end of the scale, we see Silver Age Flash breaking the sound barrier. Comic book writers magnifying each of these specific exploits made a lot of sense at the time. In the 50's and 60's, rocket technology, jet engines, Chuck Yeager going Mach 1, etc., represented the outer reaches of what humans could achieve -- so an “ordinary man" gaining powers to match these types of things was superhuman enough for the comics. (It's very similar to the way Superman, around the same time, was heralded for being "more powerful than a locomotive.") But as we moved into the 1970's and travel faster than sound became so routine that even commercial airlines offered it, the limits of Flash's speed predictably creeped up and his exploits (as we'll see) became more fantastical.
As Barry carried on through the Silver and Bronze Ages, his extraordinary speed resulted in cool new powers, like the ability to generate mini tornadoes and even time travel. (In the comics, this sometimes -- but not always -- occurs through a combination of Flash's otherworldly speed and a device known as the "cosmic treadmill", which was first introduced in 1961's The Flash #125.) Now follow me here: the speed of light has been calculated since at least the 17th century and in 1905 Albert Einstein theorized time dilation -- the idea that time passes more slowly for objects moving at high speeds and that this effect becomes more pronounced as the object approaches the speed of light. Further theorizing maintains that if a person could actually reach the speed of light, time would in fact stop relative to that individual. So if Silver Age Flash writers like Fox and John Broome knew all this, than by having Barry run so fast that he travels back in time, were they implying that Barry could move faster than the speed of light?... It's entirely feasible, likely even, that the creative talents at DC were keenly aware of Einstein and his theories. He was, in fact, quite well known and heralded at the time of his death, which was only a year before the Barry Allen character was created. Is it crazy to think that the creators of a fictional character possessing super speed would use Einstein's thoughts on light speed as background and inspirational material for stories about the "fastest man alive?" It's worth noting that the concept of time dilation (i.e., time slowing down and potentially stopping as you approach the speed of light) has been incorporated into Flash comicsand TV portrayals over the years, so it seems that at least some Flash writers familiarized themselves with the scientific implications of superspeed and used them to make the Flash and his flirtations with light speed more credible and "realistic." Silver Age Flash comics were also the first to recount incidents of Barry vibrating his molecules so quickly he's able to pass through walls and solid objects. Mastery of his body down to this molecular level is what enables what is arguably Barry’s most notable superpower --- traveling to other universes. This occurs in numerous Flash tales beginning with #123Flash of Two Worlds.
Flash's speed has even been defined via comparisons to Superman and in the pages of various DC titles the two have actually raced several times. Many of these head-to-heads were interrupted by emergencies of some sort but the record shows that Barry has bested Kal-El in the vast majority of their matchups. I bring this up because as I painstakingly poured through the history of Barry Allen’s Flash for references to precisely how fast he can run, I happened across a discussion of Superman vs. Flash that actually quantified the latter’s speed quite conclusively. Specifically, within myJustice League of America issues, I recalled an item in the "JLA Mailbag" (a monthly Q&A with DC's editorial staff that appeared at the back of many issues during the late 70's) where a reader asks how fast the Flash can run around the earth. The rather definitive answer given is that while fellow JLA member Superman can fly around the entire earth in about one second, the Flash can run around the earth in 1/10 (.10) of a second. With the circumference of the earth being approximately 25,000 miles, this means the Flash can travel 250,000 miles per second – about 33% FASTER than the speed of light. Extrapolating further, we get a measurement of Flash's speed of 15,000,000 miles per minute and a whopping 90,000,000 miles per hour! This 90,000,000 mph figure represents the highest quantification of Barry's speed during the Silver or Bronze Ages. It is not, however, faster than Modern Age Barry Allen. I'll explain...
For DC, the Bronze Age ended with 1985's Crisis on Infinite Earths in which DC's "multiverse" was eliminated in favor of a single Earth and the entire DC universe was neatly consolidated. The fallout from this was particularly impactful for the Flash because in Crisis on Infinite Earths #8 Barry Allen dies as a result of running so fast and with such intensity that he literally disintegrates. At the same time, to maintain consistency, The Flash comic was canceled. When it was brought back shorty after, Wally West became the new Flash until Barry's return in 2009's Flash: Rebirth. When Barry returns, he is notably faster than he was during his original run through DC's Silver and Bronze Age comics. This is significant because the explanation provided in Rebirth for Barry's absence for more than 20 years is that he wasn't actually dead but rather that he became one with (and/or was trapped in) the Speed Force.
So now we have to take another step back...
The Speed Force is an energized plane of existence from which DC's "speedsters" draw power. Modern issues of The Flash, the WB series, the new movie, and every other modern take on the Flash include the Speed Force as part of the character's lore. It was introduced, in part, to address and/or resolve questions regarding the anatomical damage a human body would most certainly suffer by running at such incomprehensible speeds. The Speed Force puts a powerful aura around whoever is tapping into it, thereby protecting them from speed-related friction, G-forces, etc. In other words, the Speed Force explains why Flash's costume (and skin) don't tear off... how he's able to see and hear while he runs... and why he doesn't constantly cause sonic booms.
But the Speed Force is much more than just a protective barrier. It’s also a cosmic realm speedsters can use to travel anywhere in space and time. Those deft or experienced with the Speed Force can enter it and exit anywhere they like. Those not so skilled can get trapped and lost in the Speed Force indefinitely.
But here's the thing... The Speed Force was never a part of the Flash's original lore... Not even close. The first reference to it occurs in 1994 in The Flash #91 written by Mark Waid. He and other Flash writers, including Grant Morrison and Geoff Johns, through their stories, established the Speed Force as an integral part of the Flash's mythology moving forward and also retroactively applied it to Barry Allen's history, along with Jay Garrick's, and well, all other speedsters (good and evil) who ever existed in the DC universe.
This means that Barry's speed and all of his speed-related past deeds, including time travel, are now explained as being made possible by the existence of the Speed Force. Johns, in Flash: Rebirth even took things a step further by explaining that Barry actually created the Speed Force himself when the lightning bolt struck him in his lab. Once that happened, the Speed Force began expanding in time and space to empower all speedsters before and after Barry. (This origin, however, has been contradicted multiple times and it's now generally accepted that the Speed Force has always existed.) Still, as confusing as its origin may be, the main thing to know about the Speed Force is that it essentially removed all limits to how fast the Flash can travel, up to and including light speed and even beyond.
Modern Age DC comics back this up.JLA Vol 1. #89begins with Wally West outrunning a nuclear explosion to save a city of 532,000 people by carrying each inhabitant (1-2 at a time the comic tells us) 35 miles away to safety until every single person is evacuated. Wally does this in .00001 microseconds. I was told there'd be no math but I'm told this equates to a speed of roughly 13 trillion times the speed of light. (But again, that was Wally West and this article is about how fast the definitive Flash, Barry Allen, is.)
Upon Barry's "rebirth" he too demonstrates enhanced speed and performs feats infinitely more impressive than he ever had previously, including running in the sky. It seems the "new" Barry is more dialed into and able to draw more power from the Speed Force than most other speedsters apart from Wally West. This results in a vast increase in Barry's top speed during the Modern Age. And it's precisely because the existence of the Speed Force has been retconned into Barry's history, there are presumably no limits to how fast he potentially could have been during the Silver and Bronze Ages either. Looking at it this way neatly reconciles and gives more credibility to the 90,000,000 mph attestation by the DC editorial staff I identified earlier.
In the end, we know this is the world of comics, which is rife with inconsistencies, contradictions and countermanding in matters relating to both character bios and storylines. Arguably, it's Wally who has proved most adept at marshalling the Speed Force and usurping its power to reach new limits but Barry too has used the Speed Force to reach incomprehensible speeds. Depending on how much he's able to tap into it, he has unlimited speed -- faster than light, faster than thought, faster than death, faster than time... He's even fast enough to live an all-encompassing, entirely instantaneous existence...
Throughout his close to ninety year run
in the comics, Batman has managed to best nearly every adversary he's
ever faced. When he has suffered defeat (at the hands of Bane, Lady
Shiva and a handful of others) it's often because he went it
alone without the help of his faithful companion Robin. With Robin by
his side, Batman is a far more formidable and exponentially greater
crime fighting force -- but this begs the question, which Robin
is the best partner for the Dark Knight? Some might choose the
ingenious Tim Drake; others might say Damian Wayne with his superior
fighting prowess, or even the ruthless, whatever-it-takes-to-win
Jason Todd. Arguments can be made for all but the most well-rounded
and suitable sidekick for Batman has proven to be the one and only
Boy Wonder, Dick Grayson.
Dick is the epitome of everything Robin
is supposed to be and from the very beginning, Bruce Wayne connects
with Dick in ways he never did with any other Robin. This began with
Bruce taking Dick in and making him his ward after his parents were
murdered. Bruce's parents were similarly killed by criminals,
resulting in a tragic but unique bond the two share over the course
of their lives. More significantly, as Dick's guardian and mentor,
what is it that Bruce wants most for his young charge?... The same
thing any father (or in this case, surrogate father) would want –
for him to grow, thrive, succeed, and eventually stand on his own two
feet. Through his long term evolution as Robin, his leadership role
in the Teen Titans and his subsequent new identity as Nightwing. Dick
accomplishes this quite profoundly, all the while mirroring Batman's
greatest virtues – shrewd crime solving, unquestioned bravery,
mastery of martial arts, and an unrelenting need to bring criminals
to justice. In contrast, during his run as Robin, the rebellious
Jason is the proverbial “problem child” who demonstrates Bruce's
worst qualities – violence, anger, and a sometimes disturbing
brutality when dealing with his foes. Eventually, Jason becomes Red
Hood, an antihero who acts with a type of callousness and vigilantism
that Bruce struggles his whole career to keep suppressed.
Damian Wayne's Robin has similar character flaws.
Cocky, spoiled, entitled, and (like Jason) violent to the point of
murder, he was genetically engineered, grown in an artificial womb
and trained to be a killing machine by the League of Assassins. Bruce
had no influence on him during his crucial formative years and in
fact, doesn't even learn of Damian's existence (his birth was kept
hidden by his mother) until he's ten years old. By then it's too late, as Damian's self-importance, hostility, and borderline sociopathy
preclude him from bonding with Bruce in ways similar to Dick.
Dick is also the one who keeps Bruce
connected to his humanity. Apart from Alfred, Dick represents the
closest thing to family that Bruce has. Yes, technically Damian is
Bruce's biological son, but he was bio-engineered and raised and
trained by others. Tim Drake also came to Bruce nearly fully-formed,
having rigorously trained himself in physical combat, detective work,
scholastics, etc. Dick, on the other hand, came to Bruce as a piece
of clay – ready and willing to be molded into the ideal protege and
crime-fighting partner. Along the way, he becomes a stabilizing force
in Bruce's life, drawing him back from the brooding, darkest sides of
himself and preventing him from becoming a heartless,
criminal-bashing brute.
Finally, it's worth noting that Tim
Drake himself, in Batman: A Lonely Place of Dying, astutely
and succinctly declares, “Batman needs a Robin.” What makes
this even more profound is that Tim says this to none other than Dick
Grayson, as he's beseeching him to rejoin a Bruce who is wrestling
with demons after Jason Todd's death. This shows that even Tim
himself understands that Dick is fundamentally the truest Robin... and the best partner
Batman ever had.
Barely a month after I predicted that the success of The Avengers would revive and kick plans into high gear for a Justice League of America movie, Warner Brothers announced Will Beall (of the upcoming Monster Squad and Logan's Run remake) as screenwriter of the JLA script.
Great news for fans of the DC universe, who have been wondering for years why the likes of great, beloved DC heroes (i.e., Wonder Woman, Flash, Aquaman, and Martian Manhunter), all of whom have rich histories to draw from, have never really even come close to making it to the big screen. But while the JLA movie now seems to be on track and in pre-production (Beall was reportedly brought in some time in 2011) there are still three major hurdles that need to be cleared to ensure the Justice League of America movie is a success. In the order that they need to be addressed, those three things are 1) reconciling the franchises 2) introducing the characters, and 3) building anticipation.
One of the main reasons The Avengers has been so immensely successful is because Marvel stuck to the formula of a carefully planned production with a slow build. Beginning with the first Hulk movie (and well before The Avengers was ever seriously considered) the Marvel films effectively introduced the characters who would later join forces as the Avengers, established backstories, teased audiences, and got us all emotionally invested in the individual heroes and franchises (The Hulk, Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America.) Onscreen, storylines in the individual films foreshadowed the coming together of these characters via the "Avengers Initiative", while behind the scenes in the real world, all the lead actors were being signed on. Thor's Christopher Hemsworth and Jeremy Renner, and Captain America's Chris Evans, were locked in to The Avengers early, as was Robert Downey Jr., whose Iron Man deal reportedly earns him up to 7 percent of the revenue in any film in which he plays that character. Additionally, the creative teams for each of the individual Marvel films were put in place early on. There was collaboration among these teams; storylines were carefully weaved together; resulting in The Avengers coming off as a logical next step that movie audiences knew years ahead of time was coming down the pipe.
The JLA movie, unfortunately, has none of this going for it. Despite the fact that the film has been gestating in Hollywood for nearly a decade -- George (Mad Max) Miller was set to direct at one point -- Warner Brothers' announcement this week comes off as nothing short of... well I'll just say it... reactionary.
If the JLA movie becomes the mega-picture it should be, it won't be because it followed The Avengers' blueprint. For one, half of the core JLA lineup (Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Flash and Martian Manhunter) hasn't even been featured in their own individual movies, or otherwise introduced to contemporary audiences. It's troubling that instead of focusing on the JLA members (the most popular and interesting heroes in the DC universe) over the past 30 years, we've inexplicably seen lesser (and in some cases, downright obscure) DC characters like Jonah Hex, Catwoman, Steel, Supergirl, and even Swamp Thing make it to the big screen.
Making matters worse is the fact that the JLA members that have been featured in movies (Superman, Green Lantern, and Batman) have done so in very self-contained franchises that have no connection to each other. Dark Knight trilogy director Christopher Nolan has gone on record stating that this summer's The Dark Knight Rises will be the last in the series and (in spite of the fact that Warner Brothers has extended an offer) he has no interest in directing a JLA feature. Pre-Avengers, there were plans for a Batman reboot (with Nolan reportedly producing) but things have likely changed now. Nolan has been clear in stating that he actually prefers to keep any and all of his Batman films independent of the rest of the DC universe, but at this point, any Batman reboot absolutely must support the JLA movie and the rest of the DC cinematic universe.
Warner Brothers also missed a golden opportunity with last summer's Green Lantern to tease both a JLA movie and the upcoming Man of Steel (Superman) feature. When studio execs should have been thinking long-term and doing what they could to at least hint at the formation or existence of the JLA, the GL movie was produced in a vacuum; no one was thinking big picture (no pun intended) and a chance to create audience anticipation was lost.
What this all means is that the JLA movie is pretty much starting from ground zero. So the only logical move at this point is for Warner Brothers to make the best of what it's got -- the Green Lantern franchise and Man of Steel -- and simply proceed from there. The extended game plan could proceed thusly:
With a creative team that includes producer Nolan, screenwriter David S. Goyer (Blade, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight) and director Zack Snyder (Watchmen), all signs point to Man of Steel being a can't miss hit. But there's still more than a year before the film is scheduled to hit theaters. Warner Brothers could use that time to shoot a short epilogue to be placed after the closing credits of Man of Steel (similar to the "recruitment" scenes we saw at the end of Captain America, The Incredible Hulk, and the other Marvel films.) A scene like this placed at the conclusion of Man of Steel could see Superman perhaps "checking in" at the JLA satellite, or alternatively, seeking out Green Lantern or one of the other heroes to discuss forming the JLA. Not only could this serve as the launching pad for the JLA film, but it would also make a lot of sense when you consider that Superman is certainly one of the cornerstones of the Justice League.
The next logical move would be to get a Green Lantern sequel into production. Admittedly, the original underperformed, but the pluses of a second GL film outweigh the negatives. For one, Green Lantern is best buds with Barry Allen, making the introduction and spin-off of the Flash character a possibility. As a bonus, should they prefer someone other than Ryan Reynolds to play the title character in the GL sequel (and the subsequent JLA movie) or if in fact they decided to go with a GL reboot instead of a sequel, Warner Brothers already has a means to smoothly accomplish this already built into DC Comics canon. Reynolds' Hal Jordan character could be replaced (as he was in the comics) by the Kyle Rayner Green Lantern, thus providing a seamless way to recast GL with a newer and/or more popular actor. This would then create the opportunity to bring Hal Jordan back (perhaps in the JLA movie) reincarnated as the Spectre. (And once again, this would all be 100% DC canon.)
But of course none of this solves the fundamental problem of getting the remaining JLA characters introduced. Not that some haven't tried. Goyer completed a script for the Flash years ago and fought hard to get it into into production. Now, however, any Flash movie seems more likely to come from Green Lantern writer Greg Berlanti. A Wonder Woman film, despite tons of rumors about Megan Fox starring in the title role, also seems a long ways off (even the updated TV series got shelved) and by all estimations is somewhere in the vague "in development" stage. Aquaman, meanwhile, is also still MIA on the big screen. A movie, reportedly attached to Leonardo DiCaprio's production company, has been rumored -- but for 2015 at the earliest.
The upshot, unfortunately, is that in the wake of the record-breaking box office receipts The Avengers has netted, Warner Brothers will likely forgo a logical, intelligent and anticipation-building film-by-film progression and instead dive headfirst into their JLA movie. Blowing their wad all at once like this seems not only risky, but short-sighted. Even if the JLA movie is a full-on blockbuster, where do you go from there? Could you start to spin off the individual characters into their own films one at a time?... I suppose, but how well would movie fans receive that?
Sadly, DC and Warner Brothers seem to be drooling at the billions The Avengers is raking in and in their mad chase after those kinds of dollars, they're rushing a JLA movie into production far too early.
Do we really need to look past the success of The Avengers, which is well on its way to becoming the highest grossing film of all time, for a reason to get a Justice League of America movie into the production pipeline? Give Marvel Studios, parent company Disney, and everyone else involved credit -- they played it perfectly. Beginning with the first Hulk movie, they introduced the characters, gave us the backstories, teased audiences, and most importantly, got us all emotionally invested in the individual heroes and franchises (The Hulk, Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America.)
Part of the reason The Avengers is doing so well is because it was the result of a slow and well planned and executed build -- one character at a time; one movie at a time. And even as they were making gobs of money with the individual films, everything was being set up for a big team-up. We knew years ahead of time that a mega-movie featuring ALL of these characters was growing ever closer.
So can someone tell me why Hollywood isn't more aggressive in their partnering with DC Comics to achieve the same thing? Dating back to 1960, the Justice League of America is older and has FAR more backstory than The Avengers ever did. In large part, this is because the JLA has a deeper roster of characters with rich histories that predate (by decades) all of the Avengers -- with the exception of Captain America. And few would argue that the JLA counts among its members, two of the three single most recognizable comic book heroes in history -- Superman and Batman (the third would be Spiderman.)
So why no JLA movie? Maybe because apart from the Superman movies and the two separate Batman franchises, the top DC characters have never really been given a chance on the big screen. Instead, we've inexplicably seen lesser characters like Catwoman, Jonah Hex, and Swamp Thing. Sure, we got Green Lantern last year -- but why no Flash movie? Why no Aquaman movie? How about Green Arrow and Black Canary? (They're at least as movie-worthy as their Marvel equivalents, Hawkeye and Black Widow.) And why no Wonder Woman? All are great characters, fully capable of carrying one (or more) films on their own. If Hollywood would do these movies right, and then put these characters together with Superman and Batman in a Justice League of America movie, you'd have a film property that could rival, perhaps even surpass The Avengers. Yet a quick search of the web for DC Comic movies gives us very little to hang our hopes on. Green Lantern 2 appears to be on track, but Aquaman can't seem to make it off the small screen. The Aquaman TV series that spun-off of Smallville a few years ago never got picked up by a network and was released on iTunes. A movie version (reportedly attached to Leonardo DiCaprio's production company) remains little more than a rumor -- one slated for 2015 at the earliest.
Screenwriter David S. Goyer, to his credit, has completed scripts for both The Flash and Green Arrow and has fought to get them into production. Both are (or at least were) close to being official, but The Flash (if and when it is ever confirmed) now seems more likely to come from Green Lantern writer Greg Berlanti. And a Wonder Woman movie, despite tons of rumors about Megan Fox starring in the title role, also seems a long ways off. (Even the updated TV series got shelved.)Serious web searching finds the film in the always-vague "in development" stage. Maybe the new Superman movie, Man of Steel, starring Henry Cavill and set for release next June, will do well and serve as the first step towards a JLA movie. All signs point to Man of Steel being a can't miss hit. Let's face it, if you can't get a hit superhero movie by teaming director Zack Snyder (Watchmen) with screenwriter Goyer and producer Christopher Nolan (the duo behind Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises) then there's just no hope. Odds are, with such a stellar creative team, and an all-star cast that includes Amy Adams, Russell Crowe, Laurence Fishburne, Diane Lane, Kevin Costner and Michael Shannon, Man of Steel WILL do well and hopefully jump start the aforementioned Flash, Wonder Woman and Aquaman productions. From there, it would make sense for Martian Manhunter to make an appearance in Green Lantern 2 and/or a Man of Steel sequel. Then, with the core members of the JLA having all been introduced, best case scenario, we could finally get a JLA movie sometime around 2017... One can only hope...
Anne Hathaway plays Catwoman in next summer's The Dark Knight Rises. Hathaway's a fine choice for this role. Dressed down, she has the pasty, plain Jane look of a bookwormish Selina Kyle (Catwoman's alter ego) but Hathaway is also statuesque, and has the long lean figure you picture when you think of the classic feline villainess. Last week, the first photos of Miss Hathaway on set in her Catwoman costume were released and apparently fanboys and other hardcore "Batman-o-philes" (should we call them "Batties") are up in arms. Judging from their comments, it seems the consensus is that this iteration of the Catwoman costume is too basic and boring and not "gadgety" enough. These very vocal fans (all guys I presume) want something a little more sexed up. Maybe something low-cut, like this version of Catwoman from the Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe video game?
Or maybe they were thinking a kinky two-piece, strappy number with matching whip like Halle Berry wore in the 2004 Catwomanmovie?
Maybe leather's not the way to go at all. Maybe they prefer the vinyl outfit worn by Michelle Pfeiffer in Batman Returns?
Or maybe go retro and put Hathaway in the original Catwoman costume worn by Julie Newmar opposite Adam West in the Batman TV series? (This shot comes from the Pop Culture Fiend Archives; I took it last month at the Smithsonian Museum of American History in Washington D.C.)
A bit of perspective people. What the heck are you complaining about? Anne Hathaway is hot and her outfit is tight. But if you're looking for something sexier to fantasize to, might I suggest trolling the internet for racy Catwoman fan art?
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