Every good hero needs a villain who can match their greatness, s it’s no surprise that with so much love and respect for DC’sFlash, it’s hard to find a better villain thanReverse-Flash. And just like the legacy of Jay Garrick, Barry Allen, Wally West, and more, there have been multiple people to claim the title of The Flash’s one and only rival..
From Eobard Thawne to Hunter Zolomon, from the golden age past to the far-off future,each version of the Reverse-Flash has tortured their Flash in their own way, but which one of them is the most deadly and deranged?
6The Rival, AKA Edward Clariss
Jay Garrick’s Version of The Reverse-Flash
The firstReverse-Flash’s was a man known as Edward Clariss. A chemist obsessed with Jay Garrick, Edward believed that he had recreated the formula that gave Jay his speed. With no one believing him, and rejected by the science community at large, Edward used his formula to become a criminal. With his enhanced speed, Edward became known as “The Rival” and was the archenemy of Jay Garrick for several years.
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Thankfully, Edward Clariss' version of Jay Garrick’s speed formula wasn’t permanent. This didn’t stop Edward though, as he regularly returned as Garrick’s rival again and again over the years. As far as threats go, Edward was one of the least dangerous of the Reverse-Flashes, with the worst thing he ever did being trappingMax Mercury (the Zen Guru of Speed)in the Speed Force. This pales in comparison to the utter destruction and misery later Reverse-Flashes would visit upon their enemies.
5Professor Zoom, AKA Eobard Thawne
Barry Allen’s Reverse-Flash Became The Most Iconic
The one man arguably synonymous with “Reverse-Flash,” the most well-known and sadistic is without a doubt Eobard Thawne. The first man to actually use the Reverse-Flash mantle, Eobard Thawne was a man from the far future, a low-level criminal who got his hands on one of Barry Allen’s old suits. Using his advanced technology,Eobard was able to pull the speed force energy from Barry’s old suit, giving himself the same powers. Later versions of this story would make Eobard into an obsessed fan who wanted nothing more than to be Barry’s sidekick, before eventually deciding to be his worst enemy.
Due to Eobard being a living paradox, no alteration to reality or the timeline will ever prevent him from going after Barry Allen.
Eobard has shown up alotin comics, fromFlashpointtoThe Button, and is usually portrayed as theleader of the Reverse-Flash group. While Eobard isn’t the last Reverse-Flash, he’s by far the most well known. His obsession with Barry Allen and absurd sadism makes him one of the most dangerous speedsters to ever live, made all the more alarming by the fact he truly can not be killed or stopped.Due to Eobard being a living paradox, no alteration to reality or the timeline will ever prevent him from going after Barry Allen.
4Zoom, AKA Hunter Zolomon
Wally West’s Reverse-Flash Wanted To Make Him A Better Hero
A former police officer,Hunter Zolomon was originally a hero, or at least he tried to be. Hunter had a difficult childhood, eerily similar to a dark mirror of Barry Allen’s own: he was the son of a serial killer who eventually murdered his mother, so to protect people from the same monsters as his father, Hunter became an FBI agent and did his best to hunt down violent criminals. Unfortunately, after a botched case, Hunter lost his fiancé and his career with the FBI. He then moved to Keystone City as a criminal profiler and quickly became good friends with Wally West. But their relationship would change forever after a brutal attack by Gorilla Grodd.
After being paralyzed from the waist down by Gorilla Grodd, Hunter begged Wally to use his superspeed to prevent the attack, even if it meant risking the time stream. When Wally refused, Hunter went to the Flash Museum and attempted to useThe Flash’s Cosmic Treadmill to do it himself.This resulted in the treadmill exploding and shifting Zolomon’s relationship with time. Instead of just being able to run super-fast, Zolomon was able to speed up his own personal timeline, giving the illusion of superspeed.
It was at this point that Zolomon decided to become the third Reverse-Flash, also known as Zoom. In his twisted mind, Zoom decided that Wally had refused to help him because he had never suffered a personal tragedy. Because of this, Zoom decided for Wally to evolve as a hero, he had to suffer. This resulted in Zoom attempting to murder Wally’s wife Linda, but he was defeated. This wouldn’t stop Zoom as he would continually show up again and again, each time trying to make Wally suffer so that he could evolve as a hero.
3Inertia, AKA Thaddeus Thawne
Bart Allen’s Reverse-Flash Clone From The Future
One of the stranger Reverse-Flashes in DC history is the antagonist to Bart Allen. Inertia was a clone of Bart who, like Bart, came back to the present day from far in the future. Thaddeus was given the exact opposite upbringing to Bart. While Bart grew up in a hyper-fast simulation of the world,Thaddeus had grown in a super-slow one, leading to him becoming far more methodical, cold, and detached. Thaddeus was raised to have a hatred of the Allen family andespeciallyof Bart Allen. This would lead to the two fighting several times over the years.
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2The New 52 Reverse-Flash, AKA Daniel West
Barry Allen’s Reimagined Rival, And Wally’s Father
The New 52changed a lot of things for the Flash and one of the biggest was introducing abrand-new version of the Reverse-Flash. This version was a man named Daniel West, the brother of Iris West. After Daniel pushed their abusive father down the stairs, he ended up paralyzing him. Ashamed of what he did and how it changed Iris' view of him, Daniel ran away from the West family and ended up becoming a small-time thug. After an event where he encountered the Rogues, Daniel ended up in an accident with a speed force battery, transforming him into a speedster, but only if he had the power to fuel himself.
While Daniel was an incredibly dangerous adversary, he wasn’t a popular one, and he hasn’t appeared much outside ofThe New 52.
Obsessed with going back in time andkillinghis father this time, Daniel began hunting down every source of the speed force he could find. He didn’t care if it was batteries or people, he’d drain them of their speed all the same. This led him into conflict with Barry Allen numerous times, especially after Daniel managed to drain every one of their speed, leaving only Iris and Barry as the last two people touched by the speed force.While Daniel was an incredibly dangerous adversary, he wasn’t a popular one, and he hasn’t appeared much outside ofThe New 52.
1The Best Reverse-Flash is Impossible To Argue
They’re All Great, But Only One Of Them Is Iconic
Reverse-Flash is an incredible mantle, but Eobard Thawne has always been the most dangerous and most iconic person under the mask. While characters like Zoom, Inertia, Daniel West, and Edward Clariss all have fantastic moments, they simply pale in comparison to the things Eobeard Thawne has achieved. Eobard orchistrated Wally’s massacre at Sanctuary duringHeroes in Crisis. It was Eobard Thawne who created Inertia by cloning him from Bart Allen’s DNA, and it was Eobard Thawne who set up the crime that resulted in Hunter Zolomon being fired from the FBI.
Without Eobard Thawne, Inertia and Zolomon wouldn’t be Reverse-Flash variants themselves. While Zolomon tried to kill Wally’s wife, Eobarddidkill Barry’s wife and has tortured Barry throughout his entire life. Eobard erased Barry’s childhood friend from existence, made him lose his baseball game, and pushed him down the stairs as a kid,as well as orchestrating the death of Barry’s mother.There’s simply no comparing the acts of cruelty between the Reverse-Flashes. While Hunter and Inertia may have worn the mantle for a time, it was Eobard Thawne who created theReverse-Flashidentity.
