In the DC Universe, the people who are exceptionally fast are called Speedsters and gain their powers from a mysterious extra-dimensional sentient energy source called the Speed Force. The flash is the greatest champion of the Speed Force. He uses his powers to save innocent lives. But not every speedster out there is as malevolent as him. The Flash has gone up against quite a number of evil speedsters, some of which have proved too much of a hassle for him to handle alone. Supervillains are a dime a dozen in the DC Comics Universe but only a few manage to become as great as these guys. Presenting – 10 Deadliest Speedster Supervillains in the DC Universe – Ranked from slowest to fastest!!
10. Baroness Blitzkrieg
Baroness Blitzkrieg is a descendant of the World War Two Super villain Baron Blitzkrieg. She has exceptional speed force manipulation powers that allow her to run at extremely high velocities. She was so skilled that Vandal Savage recruited her into his deadly Fourth Reich. She committed numerous crimes under his name. The Baroness is not only fast but also very cunning. During her battle with Jesse Quick, she creatively used rubber balls to defeat the latter. Jesse Quick would herself go on to admit later that Baroness Blitzkrieg was faster than her. She also has a very sadistic habit of killing her enemies by running right through them. To do that, she runs so fast and vibrates her body to the extent that she becomes an ultrasonic human knife.
9. Cobalt Blue
Cobalt Blue’s real name is Malcolm Thawne and he also happens to be Barry Allen’s twin brother. Right after being born, the Hospital staff replaced the Thawne Family’s dead child with Malcolm. While Barry lived up under the Allen Family to become a successful forensic expert, Malcolm lived under the Thawne Family, who were career criminals. Malcolm hated Barry for the things he himself could never have. He used the Thawne Family’s mysterious heirloom – the Blue Flame, to become Cobalt Blue. After stealing Barry’s powers and still being defeated by him, Cobalt Blue decided to destroy Barry Allen’s legacy after Barry died in the Final Crisis event. Wally West stopped him by using the Speed Force to overload his powers.
8. Reverse Flash – Daniel West
Iris West’s estranged brother Daniel West gained the power of superhuman speed after a monorail train charged by a speed force battery exploded on his face. The accident ended up giving him access to the Speed Force but it came at a price – he had to keep the battery charged all the time to keep his powers. To do that, every now and then he had to kill a Speedster and use the energy to charge up the battery. Sooner than later, Daniel came at odds with the Flash, who defeated him and put him behind bars. Daniel later reveals that he was doing this to kill their abusive father by time travelling to the past and thus reconcile with her beloved sister, as they never had a chance to know each other because of their troubled childhood. Iris still refused to see him ever again.
7. Black Flash
The Black Flash first made an appearance when Wally West seemingly cheated death by using his speedster powers to escape the inevitable. When the Black Flash realized he needed a human host to function, he chose Linda Park as his host. After Flash: Rebirth brought back Barry Allen from the dead he also noticed that the Speed Force is changing him. It is later revealed that the Reverse Flash’s actions have mutilated the Speed Force and is now turning Barry Allen, its avatar, into the Black Flash, an entity that could turn any speedster to dust just by touching him. The current host of the Black Flash mantle is Eobard Thawne aka the Reverse Flash.
6. The Rival
The Rival’s real name is Edward Clariss and he is the oldest speedster villain on this list. He was actually a villain that debuted in 1949 in one of the issues of the Golden Age Flash – Jay Garrick. Just like Hay Garrick gained his powers through the use of a speed formula, Edward Clariss used a drug based derivative of the same formula called Velocity 9 to become the Rival. The rival would soon vanish in the Speed Force and resurface more than 50 years later as a member of the Injustice Society. Jay Garrick would finally stop his murderous rampage throughout the nation by draining the Rival of his speedster powers.
5. Johnny Quick
Johnny Quick belongs to the Crime Syndicate of America. He is actually a super-villain. He hails from an alternate reality where the superheroes are actually supervillains, with the Crime Syndicate of America being the evil version of the Justice League. Johnny Quick is a very skilled Speedster and has shown tremendous command over the Speed Force, defeating countless superheroes in a matter of microseconds in the Forever Evil storyline. It was only after Alexander Luthor aka Mazahs stole his powers that he met his doom.
4. Savitar
Savitar was originally a Soviet Fighter Jet Pilot whose plane was struck by lightning. The accident gave the guy super speed and the former Soviet pilot would then name himself after the Hindu God of Motion. Now Savitar, he would start a cult where his followers would worship him as the new God of Speed. He also set up a plan in motion to kill the rest of the speedsters and increase his own powers. The plan would fail after the Flash would force him into the Speed Force, where he remained trapped until the Flash: Rebirth event saw him make a return. This time too he was unsuccessful in defeating Barry Allen and he was turned to dust by the latter’s newly developed Black Flash powers.
3. Godspeed
After a huge Speed Force Storm engulfs Central City, one guy gains super speed and names himself Godspeed. He starts his crusade against evil with the noblest of intentions in mind but uses the wrong methods to do it. Godspeed is what the Flash would have been if Barry Allen had his ‘One Bad Day’. The Flash refrains from using lethal force but Godspeed doesn’t. Godspeed’s argument is that Central City would have been a much safer place had the Flash shown some bloodlust. He proves his point when he kills Eobard Thawne aka the Reverse Flash (who did not have any speedster powers at the time). Godspeed is one of the most deadly and dangerous enemies the Flash had to ever race against.
2. Zoom
Hunter Zolomon was actually a good guy. He was a cop that lost his legs in an accident. He kept prodding Barry into using the Cosmic Treadmill to go back to the past and save his legs. Barry refused so Hunter used the Treadmill himself. The energies emanating from the Cosmic Treadmill gave Hunter Zolomon the ability to manipulate time. As Zoom, Hunter Zolomon can control the flow of time around him and thus replicate the effects of Super Speed with deadly accuracy. Zoom is such a deadly villain to the Flash because he believes that he is actually helping the flash become a better man by being the bad guy. For example, he knowingly made Wally West relive the tormenting memories of his wife’s miscarriage to make him understand what it means to lose somebody.
1. Reverse Flash – Eobard Thawne
He just used to be a janitor in a lonely museum in the far future. But he was a fan of the Flash. So he used a time machine that was in one of the exhibits to travel to the past and realize that he is somehow going to become his idol’s greatest arch-nemesis. This revelation drove him insane and Eobard Thawne soon gained superpowers to become the Reverse Flash. The Reverse Flash is pretty much responsible for almost everything that is bad in Barry Allen’s life. He is also responsible for helping initiate the dreaded Flashpoint event. His sheer craziness, sadism and sheer obsession when it comes to screwing up the Flash’s life make him his deadliest, strongest and fastest foe ever.
