The Flash has more than its fair share of shocking surprises, Easter Eggs, and nods to the comics that inspired it. As was widely speculated from hints in the trailers, one of the film's plot points touches on something that has become a regular fixture in Flash lore: the concept of a sinister speedster.
Now, we won't spoil the exact details of what happens in the film here, but needless to say, the concept of an opposite version of the Flash has been part of the character's mythos since his earliest days in the Golden Age of comics back in the '40s. And in the decades since, the concept has grown and grown to include Reverse Flashes, Dark Flashes, and many more.
So strap on your running shoes and get ready to learn the history of opposite versions of the Flash.
The Rival (Flash Comics #104, 1949)
The original evil reverse speedster in the DC Universe is Rival, a Golden Age villain who fought the first Flash, Jay Garrick, in the '40s. Real name Edward Clariss, the Rival was a chemistry professor who created a temporary version of the same formula that gave Garrick his super speed. Rival was later revived in the late '90s as a member of a new Injustice Society, who took on the reformed JSA, Garrick included. Interestingly, though he's never been called 'Dark Flash,' the Rival is a literal dark Flash, wearing a mirror of Garrick's classic costume but in much darker hues.
Professor Zoom, the Reverse Flash (The Flash #139, 1963)
Barry Allen's original super speedster nemesis is Eobard Thawne, also known as both Professor Zoom and the Reverse Flash - the first villain to use both names, which would come to be inherited by two different villains later on (more on that soon). Thawne murdered Iris West in the original DC timeline, leading Barry to kill Thawne himself a few years later. This led to Barry going on trial for his murder just before Barry's death in the 1985 story Crisis on Infinite Earths, which also rewrote DC continuity. Thawne is also the villain of Flashpoint, the 2011 crossover that lends inspiration to the Flash movie - and which also rewrote aspects of DC continuity.
Savitar (The Flash #108, 1995)
Savitar is an evil speedster who has primarily been an enemy of Barry Allen's successor as the Flash, his former sidekick Wally West. Savitar was once a Cold War era test pilot whose experimental plane was struck by lightning, leading to similar conditions to the origins of Barry Allen and Wally West. A cult leader who amassed a following of devotees to the Speed Force, Savitar also has the added power of being able to "steal" the super speed of others. He's been trapped in the Speed Force on and off for some time, though he's occasionally reared his head over the years.
Black Flash (The Flash #141, 1998)
The Black Flash is a mysterious entity who manifests as a skeleton clad in a black and red version of Barry Allen's classic Flash costume. It was present at the death of Barry Allen, pulling his spirit into the Speed Force at the moment of his death. It also appeared at the death of the heroic Johnny Quick, and came for Wally West as well. That said, it's less of a traditional "villain" and more of a cosmic force of nature that coldly and ambivalently takes speedsters to their deaths.
Dark Flash (The Flash #150, 1999)
The character colloquially known as 'Dark Flash' is actually a hero, not a villain - though he definitely qualifies for a list of opposite Flashes. Dark Flash is Walter West, a version of the core DC Universe hero from another reality where his wife, Linda Park, was killed by the villain Kobra. Walter West moved into the core DC Universe reality while Wally West was trapped in the Speed Force. Unlike the generally happy-go-lucky Wally West (whose full first name is Wallace), Walter West is a brutal anti-hero who takes on villains with violent methods.
Zoom (The Flash: Secret Files & Origins #3, 2001)
The second villain known as Zoom (no 'Professor' in there this time), Hunter Zolomon is a former friend of Wally West who gained strange time-travel powers after an accident with the Cosmic Treadmill, a strange artifact with which Barry Allen and Wally West previously traveled in time. Zolomon's powers allow him to move throughout time, seeming to give him an incredible level of super speed though he's actually slowing down the world around him. Zoom's motivation is as odd as his powers. He believes he must be the ultimate nemesis to the Flash in order to make himself a better hero - a philosophy that usually only leads to Zoom becoming a worse villain.
Reverse Flash (The Flash #0, 2012)
The latest villain to take on the name Reverse Flash is Daniel West, the uncle of Wally West and father of Wallace West, the current Kid Flash. Daniel started out as a small-time criminal before going to prison after being caught by the Flash. Daniel West gained his powers after crashing a stolen car which was powered by a Speed Force battery. In addition to super speed, he can manipulate time - powers he used to travel through time murdering speedsters until he was finally stopped.
Godspeed (The Flash: Rebirth #1, 2016)
Godspeed is the most recent evil speedster to debut in the DC Universe. Real name August Heart, Godspeed was once a police officer who worked closely with Barry Allen. Gaining his powers from a Speed Force storm that also imbued numerous other citizens with varying levels of super speed, Heart secretly becomes the murderous vigilante Godspeed, swearing vengeance on the criminals of Central City and killing other speedsters to absorb their powers. However, Godspeed was eventually killed by Eobard Thawne, the original Reverse Flash.
Check out our guide to the best Flash stories of all time or the below spoiler-heavy deep dives for more on the new DC film...
- What happened to the Justice League in The Flash?
- Our deep dive on Iris West
- How different is The Flash to Flashpoint?
- How Superman Lives explains that wild cameo
- When does The Flash take place on the DCU timeline?
- Explaining the evil versions of The Flash
- What to watch before The Flash
- Everything you need to know about Supergirl
- The Flash Easter eggs and cameos
- Every character that appears in The Flash multiverse sequence
- Our interview with The Flash filmmakers
