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The Flash has one of the greatest rogues galleries in DC Comics, though many may not be aware of how powerful and versatile his opponents are. Some are speedsters of his caliber, some are humans with technological upgrades, and some are super-powered gorillas with the ability to control minds. Certain Flash villains are weirder than others, but among the oddballs are major powerhouses that the Flash doesn’t dare underestimate.
What makes the Flash’s villains so impressive is that not all of them are speedsters, and they therefore know they have no hope of outrunning a hero as fast as the Flash. As such, they channel their efforts towards slowing him down through any means necessary, no matter how extreme. These 10 villains – including the infamous Reverse-Flash – are the most powerful that the Scarlet Speedster has ever faced, and it takes everything the Flash has to triumph over them.
10 Abra Kadabra
First Appearance: The Flash #128 by John Broome and Carmine Infantino
The Flash knows better than to let Abra Kadabra’s lack of powers fool him, as this enemy has proven himself to be a dark threat without metahuman status. Abra Kadabra hails from the distant future, where he’s acquired advanced technology that he brings back to the modern-day DC Universe to pose as a magic user. From erasing Linda Park-West from existence to doing the same for Wally West during the New 52 era, Abra Kadabra is committed to ruining the Flash’s life with science-based sorcery.
The Flash 2024 Annual by Simon Spurrier, Tom Derenick, Scott Koblish, George Kambadais, and Amancay Nahuelpan features Abra Kadabra’s most astounding upgrade yet. He uses a high-tech flute to produce vibrations that brainwash the Flash’s wife and strip her of her love for him, serving as a haunting display of what he’s capable of.
9 Weather Wizard
First Appearance: The Flash #110 by John Broome and Carmine Infantino
Controlling the weather is an impressive power to have at one’s disposal, and Weather Wizard uses this proficiency to combat the Flash. Mark Mardon’s Weather Wand allows him to manipulate the weather, harnessing anything from hail to lightning at will. A simple thief turned supervillain, Weather Wizard’s power over the elements makes him a worthy adversary for the Fastest Man Alive.
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The Flash’s super-speed isn’t the only ability at his disposal, so here are some of the Fastest Man Alive’s greatest superpowers other than speed.
Weather Wizard isn’t merely limited by controlling ordinary weather patterns. In Action Comics #441 by Cary Bates and Curt Swan, he uses his Weather Wand to unleash Krypton’s Black Lightning, which can send Superman into a murderous rage with its electrical impact on his body if it strikes him. If Weather Wizard can generate weather from other planets based on research alone, he has the potential to produce weather patterns the likes of which Earth has never known.
8 Savitar
First Appearance: The Flash #108 by Mark Waid and Oscar Jimenez
The Flash’s speed is his defining attribute, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t other villains who can rival him on foot. Savitar gains his super-speed after getting struck by lightning, and from then on he develops an obsession with uncovering the secrets of the Speed Force. He and Max Mercury both travel through the Speed Force to the DC Universe’s present-day, where Max prepares the Flash family to defeat this deadly speedster.
Savitar, calling himself the “God of Motion” seeks to be honored as the true strongest speedster by eliminating the others who draw from the Speed Force, including the Flash. In The Flash #111 by Mark Waid and Oscar Jimenez, Wally West takes advantage of this by luring Savitar into the Speed Force for a race and letting its energy absorb him. Savitar’s attunement with the Speed Force proves he’s a worthy adversary for the Flash.
7 Mirror Master
First Appearance: The Flash #105 by John Broome and Carmine Infantino
Mirror Master is a mantle that’s been held by Sam Scudder and Evan McCulloch, both of whom are staples of the Flash’s rogues gallery. Wielding his Mirror Gun, Mirror Master can use control reflective surfaces to create illusions or trap others. Beneath the unassuming surface of this ability lies the vast potential of the alternate dimension contained within his mirrors, as seen when he imprisons the Flash in a twisted mirror world in The Flash #133 by Grant Morrison, Mark Millar, and Paul Ryan.
More recent stories have granted Mirror Master power-ups that elevate him to a truly otherworldly level. In “Between Love and You” from The Flash #800 by Simon Spurrier and Mike Deodato Jr., McCulloch’s Mirror Master is given an upgrade that lets him manipulate dimensional planes with an atomic mirror. Mirror Master’s already mind-bending abilities can now alter the very fabric of reality.
6 Godspeed
First Appearance: The Flash: Rebirth #1 by Joshua Williamson and Carmine Di Giandomenico
A trusted detective and close friend of Barry Allen’s Flash, August Heart acquires super-speed after a Speed Force storm ravages Central City. His frustration over the man he blames for his brother’s murder not being punished pushes him to enact his own justice using his newfound powers as a vigilante. Godspeedkills other speedsters in order to absorb their speed for himself and enhance his abilities, unlocking powers even the Flash doesn’t have.
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Not only can Godspeed move at superhuman speed and keep pace with the Flash, but he can also clone himself by dividing his energy in the Speed Force. These duplicates allow him to be in two places at once, yet he can’t sustain them for long. As of The Flash #14 by Simon Spurrier and Vasco Georgiev, he’s lost this ability and thus been bumped down the ranking of Flash’s opposing speedsters, and Wally West has now obtained a similar duplication power.
5 Black Flash
First Appearance: The Flash #138 by Grant Morrison, Mark Millar, and Ron Wagner
Of all the speedsters the Flash has faced off against over the years, Black Flash is the most unique – and the most chilling. Black Flash acts as a herald of death for speedsters, reaping their souls at inhuman speed as the Grim Reaper would. His all-black design and zombie-like appearance enforce this supernatural Flash’s status as a foe worth fearing.
When a speedster reaches the end of their set lifespan, Black Flash chases them down in order to return their essence to the Speed Force, the “afterlife” for speedsters. However, it’s possible to avoid an untimely fate at this deadly speedster’s hands, as proven when Wally West outruns death in The Flash #141. Overpowering the embodiment of Death itself is no small feat, and the immense effort it takes to do so shows how formidable Black Flash is.
4 Zoom
First Appearance: The Flash #197 by Geoff Johns and Scott Kolins
Hunter Zolomon may not have the mainstream recognition of Eobard Thawne’s Reverse-Flash, but Zoom is a worthy threat in his own right. Hunter Zolomon is a former friend of Wally West who, after getting severely injured by Gorilla Grodd, begs him to go back in time and prevent the incident. When the Flash refuses, Hunter uses the cosmic treadmill and unlocks super-speed, becoming the villain Zoom.
Unlike other speedsters in DC lore, Zoom runs at high speeds by time traveling, which allows him to outpace the Flash himself. With his temporally-charged powers, Zoom aims to teach Flash how to be a better hero by subjecting him to tragedy, going as far as slaughtering Wally’s unborn children in The Flash #199 by Geoff Johns and Scott Kolins. Zoom still remains at large, and there’s no telling when he’ll strike again for the Flash’s next “lesson”.
3 Gorilla Grodd
First Appearance: The Flash #106 by John Broome and Carmine Infantino
The Flash is quick on his feet, yet some foes can’t be outrun in the traditional sense. Gorilla Grodd’s telepathic powers allow him to control others’ minds, and the Flash is powerless against his control. Psychic abilities aren’t the only weapon in this powerful ape’s arsenal, either, as he also possesses remarkable brute strength. These two superpowers combined solidify Grodd as a dangerous foe.
Gorilla Grodd’s mind-control skills are put to the test in The Flash #243 by Tom Peyer and Freddie E. Williams II. After the Flash watches in horror as his daughter is killed by Grodd, he attacks the gorilla in a blind rage – only to discover that Grodd has warped his perception of reality. As it turns out, his daughter is unharmed, and the ape he’s been attacking is the innocent Nzame. No matter how fast the Flash runs, he remains vulnerable to Grodd.
2 Reverse-Flash
First Appearance: The Flash #139 by John Broome and Carmine Infantino
When it comes to the Flash’s villains, there isn’t anyone more dedicated to terrorizing the Scarlet Speedster than Reverse-Flash. Eobard Thawne is a Flash fanboy from the future who travels back in time to earn his hero’s respect, only to face rejection. From then on, Reverse-Flash’s obsession with the Flash takes a cruel turn as he destroys Barry Allen’s life in ways that range from petty to downright monstrous.
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Whether it’s causing him to strike out in a baseball game or killing his loved ones, Reverse-Flash will stop at nothing to torment the Flash via time travel. Unlike the Flash, he can exist outside the time stream, making his time travel abilities superior. His signature technique, too, updates the Flash’s vibrational intangibility in horrific fashion. Reverse-Flash can vibrate his hand at high speeds to phase through a victim’s skull and kill them, a brutal maneuver that cements Eobard Thawne as the Flash’s most vicious enemy.
1 Arc Angles
First Appearance: The Flash #800 by Simon Spurrier and Mike Deodato Jr.
The Arc Angles are by far the most powerful enemies the Flash has ever faced. These entities are godlike beings comprised of cosmic geometry, existing beyond the constraints of time and space. Their overwhelming might is demonstrated as they condense the essence of Reverse-Flash into the Crown of Thawnes, and he isn’t the only Flash foe whose power they trump.
In The Flash #12 by Simon Spurrier and Ramón Pérez, the Arc Angles seize control of the Flash in order to destroy time itself and restructure the universe in their divine image. When the Flash family teams up with the Rogues to stop them, they are able to easily erase Mirror Master from existence entirely. The Arc Angles’ power knows no limits, proven by their manipulation of Wally West to aid their world-ending cause, and they put the rest of the Flash‘s villains to shame with hardly any effort at all.
The Flash
The Flash is the superhero name given to the DC Comics character who utilizes unparalleled speed tied to a dimensional power known as the “speed force” to overwhelm their opposition. Premiering in 1939, the original Flash arrived as Jay Garrick. Still, it would be superseded by Barry Allen in popularity and featured status, but the Flash is one character that has met many of their alternate selves. The character is typically seen as a part of the Justice League in nearly all incarnations.
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