Every good hero needs a fantastic villain to face, and it’s hard to find a better villain than Reverse flash. The Reverse-Flash is such an incredible villain that several people have come under the mantle over the decades.
From Eobard Thawne to Hunter Zolomon, each version of Reverse-Flash tortured their Flash in their own way, but which of them is the most deadly and disturbed?
The rival, aka Edward Clariss
Jay Garrick’s version of Reverse-Flash
The first Reverse-Flash was a man known as Edward Clariss. A chemist obsessed with Jay Garrick, Edward believed he had recreated the formula that gave Jay his speed. With no one believing him and with him being rejected by the scientific community at large, Edward used his formula to become a criminal. With his enhanced speed, Edward became known as The Rival and was Jay Garrick’s archenemy for several years.
Fortunately, Edward Clariss’s version of Jay Garrick’s speed formula was not permanent. This didn’t stop Edward, 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 was imprison Max Mecury in the Speed ​​Force. This is nothing compared to the utter destruction and misery that the Reverse Flashes would later visit upon their enemies.
Professor Zoom aka Eobard Thawne
Barry Allen’s Reverse Flash Became His Most Iconic
When it comes to Reverse-Flash, the most well-known and sadistic is undoubtedly Eobard Thawne. The first man to actually use the Reverse-Flash mantle. Eobard Thawne was a man from the distant future, a low-level criminal who got his hands on one of Barry Allen’s old suits. Using its advanced technology, Eobard was able to extract speed force energy from Barry’s old suit, giving Eobard the same powers.. Later versions of this story would turn Eobard into an obsessed fan who wanted nothing more than to be Barry’s sidekick before ultimately deciding to be his own worst enemy.
Because Eobard is a living paradox, no change in reality or the timeline will stop him from going after Barry Allen.
Eobard showed a very in the comics and is usually portrayed as the leader of the Reverse Flash group. While Eobard isn’t the last Reverse-Flash, he is by far the most well-known. His obsession with Barry Allen and his absurd sadism make him one of the most dangerous speedsters to ever exist, which is made all the more alarming by the fact that he really can’t be killed or stopped. Because Eobard is a living paradox, no change in reality or the timeline will stop him from going after Barry Allen.
Zoom 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 tried to be. Hunter had a difficult childhood, as he was the son of a serial killer who ended up murdering his mother. Wanting 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 failed affair, Hunter lost his fiancé and his FBI career. 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 Zolomon begged Wally to use his super speed to go back in time and prevent the attack from happening. Not wanting to risk ruining the time stream, Wally refused. Enraged by this, Hunter went to the Flash Museum and attempted to use Flash’s Cosmic Treadmill to do it himself. This resulted in the treadmill exploding and Zolomon’s relationship with time changing. Instead of just being able to run super-fast, Zolomon was able to accelerate his personal timeline, giving the illusion of super-speed.
It was here that Zolomon decided to become the third Reverse-Flash, also known as Zoom. In his twisted mind, Zoom decided that Wally refused to help him because he had never suffered a personal tragedy. Because of this, Zoom decided that 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 continually appeared again and again, each time trying to make Wally suffer so he could evolve as a hero.
Inertia aka Thaddeus Thawne
Future Bart Allen Reverse Flash Clone
One of the strange Revese Flashes was the antagonist of Bart Allen. Inertia was a clone of Bart from the distant future. Thaddeus received the exact opposite upbringing from Bart. While Bart grew up in a hyper-fast world simulation, Thaddeus grew up super slow, causing him to become much more methodical and cold.. Thaddeus was raised to hate the Allen family and especially by Bart Allen. This would lead to the two fighting several times over the years.
The New Reverse Flash 52 aka Daniel West
Barry Allen’s reinvented rival and Wally’s father
The New 52 It changed a lot of things for Flash and one of the biggest was the introduction of an entirely new version of Reverse-Flash. This version was a man named Daniel West, brother of Iris West. After Daniel pushed his abusive father down the stairs, he ended up paralyzing him. Ashamed of what he did and how it changed Iris’s view of him, Daniel fled the West family and ended up becoming a petty bandit. After an event where he encountered the Rogues, Daniel ended up having an accident with a speed force battery, turning him into a speedster, but only if he had the energy to fuel himself.
Although Daniel was an incredibly dangerous opponent, he was not popular and did not appear much outside the country. The New 52.
Obsessed with going back in time and killing this time, Daniel began hunting down every source of speed force he could find. He didn’t care if they were batteries or people, he was going to drain their speed either way. This led him to come into conflict with Barry Allen numerous times, especially after Daniel managed to drain all of his speed, leaving only Iris and Barry as the last two people touched by the speed force. Although Daniel was an incredibly dangerous opponent, he was not popular and did not appear much outside the country. The New 52.
The best reverse flash is impossible to argue with
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 iconic person under the mask. While characters like Zoom, Inertia, Daniel West, and Edward Clariss have fantastic moments, they simply pale in comparison to the things Eobeard Thawne achieved. Eobard orchestrated Wally’s massacre at the Sanctuary during Heroes 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’s dismissal from the FBI.
Without Eobard Thawne, Inertia and Zolomon wouldn’t be Reverse-Flash variants. While Zolomon tried to kill Wally’s wife, Eobard he did killed Barry’s wife and tortured Barry throughout his life. Eobard erased Barry’s childhood friend from existence, made him miss the baseball game and pushed him down the stairs as a child, as well as orchestrating the death of Barry’s mother. There is simply no comparison between 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 the mantle. Reverse flash identity.