10 Most Powerful Weapons In The Flash, Ranked

DC Comics recently announced the new Absolute Universe, allowing creators to explore iconic characters like Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman in exciting new ways. Free from continuity, these new takes will offer something different to fans while staying true to the characters’ core. DC’s Trinity is leading the charge, though fans saw a brief tease of plans for the Absolute Flash, Wally West. It’s unclear which villains he’ll face off against when he debuts, though it’s likely that The Flash will have to deal with or even use some high-tech weaponry.

The Flash is mostly known for his speed, and his villains usually reflect that. However, there are a number of his Rogues who use deadly weapons to take on the Scarlet Speedster. From Captain Cold’s devastating Cold Gun to Weather Wizard’s potentially destructive Weather Wand, The Flash has had to use his speed and brains to compete with these weapons in the comics. Of course, Flashes like Jay Garrick and Barry Allen also have their own weapons to use against threats to themselves and the universe at large.

10 Jay Garrick’s Helmet Can Become A Deadly Weapon

Flash Can Throw It Like A Discus Or Use It To Create Devastating Sound Waves

First Appearance: Flash Comics #1 (January 1940) by Gardner Fox and Harry Lampert

Jay Garrick is well known to DC fans as the original Flash. He fought during World War II alongside the JSA and helped train younger speedsters like Bart Allen/Impulse. While Jay Garrick isn’t the fastest speedster to use the name of The Flash, he is certainly one of the most resourceful. Garrick spent some time away from the DC universe, though he’s recently returned with other Golden Age JSA stars to rejoin the good fight against evil. And as he’s said in battle:

The god of speed, Hermes, inspired Jay Garrick’s metal helmet. It helps Jay maintain an aerodynamic profile when he runs and can double as a weapon in battle when needed. He’s thrown his helmet and taken the heads off of enemy soldiers or repeatedly punched it at superspeed to create loud sonic booms that took out his opponents. While it may not seem like it could be a deadly weapon, Jay Garrick knows exactly how best to use his iconic helmet.

9 Cicada’s Lightning Daggers Could Steal Life Energy

David Hersch Could Resurrect His Followers And Give Them Stolen Superspeed

First Appearance: The Flash #171 (April 2001) by Geoff Johns, Scott Kolins, Doug Hazlewood, James Sinclair, Digital Chameleon and Gaspar Saladino

Wally West was the first Flash to encounter Cicada, a deadly villain with a superspeed cult behind him. In the 1800s, David Hersch was struck by a bolt of lightning, which drove him into a murderous rage but also gave him the ability to steal life force. Each life he stole increased his own lifespan by a century, and he killed numerous people over the years. This made Cicada effectively immortal, though he became lost in his delusions. He channeled this ability into his Lightning Daggers and started drawing followers to his dark new mission.

When Hersch initially went mad, he killed his wife, though he saw a vision of their long life together. He then set out to use his Lightning Daggers to kill everyone Flash had saved over the years. As Cicada, he planned to steal all of their life energy to resurrect his murdered wife. Flash was ultimately able to stop him after he succeeded in his mission but then Cicada killed his wife yet again. While Cicada’s abilities are needed to operate the Lightning Daggers efficiently, they are still some of the deadliest weapons the Flash has ever encountered.

8 Heatwave’s “Hot Rod” Is In Very Dangerous Hands

Mick Rory’s New 52 Version Gained Powers As A Fiery Human Furnace

First Appearance: The Flash #140 (November 1963) by John Broome, Carmine Infantino and Joe Giella

Since childhood, Mick Rory has dealt with a dark fascination for fire. He quickly became a pyromania and burned down a couple of family homes before he ran away to the circus, which he also burnt down. After he saw the Rogues in action, Rory was finally inspired to use his pyromania to benefit himself. He designed a powerful flamethrower he named the “Hot Rod” along with a fire-retardant suit to protect himself from its effects as Heatwave.

Of course, over the years, Heatwave has suffered from his obsession with fire almost as much as his victims. Ironically, he developed an intense fear of the cold that made him a rival to Captain Cold, though the pair soon started working together in the comics and on TV. Heatwave briefly abandoned his Hot Rod in the New 52 when a dark criminal experiment bonded his weapon to him. He could create devastating flames with his body, though he eventually lost the ability and returned to the Heat Gun.

7 Captain Cold’s Cold Gun Stops Speedsters In Their Tracks

Leonard Snart Later Upgraded His Powerful Weapon With Advanced Speed Force Tech

First Appearance: Showcase #8 (June 1957) by John Broome, Carmine Infantino and Frank Giacoia

When Leonard Snart was a child, he experienced extreme abuse at the hands of his father. However, he still found peace at his father’s job at the ice factory. Despite his brilliant mind, Snart embraced a life of petty crime to support himself and his sister. He eventually stole his Cold Gun during its development at STAR Labs, though he was able to modify it to suit his needs further. He created a special pair of glasses to help shield his eyes from his Cold Gun, which produced blinding flashes when it activated.

Captain Cold is always quick to educate his enemies on the intricacies of his weapon. When facing his sister’s murderer and cheap knockoff Chillblaine or the Crime Syndicate during Forever Evil, he described the differences between his weapon and other ice-themed villains. Captain Cold’s Cold Gun was about slowing things down using extreme temperatures. His gun could reach Absolute Zero, which froze atoms in their place instead of freezing them into ice. It was a crucial difference that made his weapon so effective against speedsters like The Flash.

6 Mirror Master’s Mirror Gun Is A Universal Doorway

He Can Also Create Duplicates And Traps Using His Specially-Designed Mirrors

First Appearance: The Flash #136 (May 1963) by John Broome, Carmine Infantino and Joe Giella

Fans have seen several characters take on the Mirror Master name over the years. Evan McCullough was the first to use the supervillain alter ego after accidentally creating special mirrors in prison. He could use the specially treated glass to escape his prison cells and create powerful duplicates of himself or his enemies. He used this special mirror glass in various ways during his first appearances, though things turned deadly when he finally created his devastating Mirror Gun.

Mirror Master’s mirror gun weaponized his unique mirrors in several ways, providing him with an instant portal to the mysterious Mirror Dimension. He could use this dimension to escape Flash’s clutches or even hide if he needed to escape Earth for a while. The Mirror Dimension has its inhabitants and rules of physics, which can make it a disorienting and deadly place for Flash whenever Mirror Master actually manages to trap him in there.

5 Weather Wizard’s Weather Wand Can Destabilize Earth

Mark Mardon Briefly Learned To Manipulate The Weather Without His Wand

First Appearance: The Flash #110 (January 1960) by John Broome, Carmine Infantino and Murphy Anderson

It was actually Mark Mardon’s brother Clyde who designed the powerful weapon that would become known as the Weather Wand. Mark initially claimed that he had found the wand alongside his brother’s dead body, though it was more recently revealed that he might have killed his brother and stolen his invention. The Weather Wand was capable of manipulating weather systems and even creating them for his purposes, which led him to become the costumed member of the Rogues known as the Weather Wizard.

While Weather Wizard often uses his wand to create more localized weather events, fans have also seen him lose control of his abilities. The incredible power of the Weather Wand could create one tornado to distract Flash or a hundred to destroy a city and destabilize the planet’s weather systems. It’s an awesome responsibility that has weighed heavily on Mark Mardon at times, though he often has the Rogues at his back to help him maintain control.

4 Cobalt Blue’s Talisman Created Blue Flame Constructs

Malcolm Thawne Could Steal Speed, Though He Never Mastered Its Healing Abilities

First Appearance: Speed Force #1 (November 1997) by Mark Waid, Jim Aparo, Bill Sienkiewicz, Tom McCraw and Gaspar Saladino

Wally West was shocked when he first encountered one of The Flash’s most underrated villains, Cobalt Blue. Unmasked, he looked exactly like Wally West’s mentor, Barry Allen. Malcolm Thawne was actually Barry Allen’s twin brother who was unknowingly given up at birth to the Thawne family. The Thawne family would eventually result in the birth of one of Flash’s greatest villains, Eobard Thawne/Reverse Flash, though Cobalt Blue threatened Flash’s legacy in the modern day.

Malcolm Thawne was given access to the Blue Flame Talisman through his new family. They held on to the powerful gem for years, passing it down through the generations. Malcolm Thawne wore the Talisman on the chest of his Cobalt Blue armor, which gave him a few different powers. He could access the Blue Flame, which allowed him to create powerful constructs like his flaming sword. He could then fire powerful energy blasts and even use the Blue Flame to steal the power from speedsters, making him a deadly threat to the Flash Family.

3 Alchemy’s Philosopher’s Stone Transmutes Elements

Different Villains In The Rebooted DC Universes Have Used the Philosopher Stone

First Appearance: All-Star Comics #42 (August 1948) by John Broome, Arthur F. Peddy and Bernie Sachs

Albert Desmond was a brilliant chemist and criminal who eventually discovered the powerful Philosopher’s Stone. He created his Doctor Alchemy altered ego and embarked on a life of crime with the Philosopher’s Stone’s power to back him up. The Philosopher’s Stone was a magical item, one of the “Four Wonders of Alchemy,” which also included the Secret of Perpetual Motion, the Universal Solvent, and the Elixir of Youth. The Alchemist, Zobar Zodiak, was one of the first villains to use the power, though he wouldn’t be the last.

Desmond became a master of alchemy and the elements with the Philosopher’s Stone under his command. With its power, he could transmute elements, though he could also use its magic to take control of others. He could steal their powers, sap them around, or remove them completely, which made him a threat to almost any superhuman in the DC Universe. The stone also allowed him to access visions of the future, though they rarely helped him move forward in his criminal career. He’s also fairly useless once disarmed, as he can’t access the Philospoher’s Stone magic without it.

2 Anti-Monitor’s Anti-Matter Cannon Could Destroy Worlds

The Anti-Monitor Used Energy From Destroyed Universes To Power It

First Appearance: Crisis on Infinite Earths #8 (November 1985) by Marv Wolfman, George Pérez, Jerry Ordway, Anthony Tollin and John Costanza

While the events didn’t occur in The Flash comic series, they still heavily impacted Flash’s legacy. After spending some time in the 30th Century with his wife, Iris West-Allen, Barry Allen returned to his original time to combat the menace of the Anti-Monitor, whose destructive machinations threatened Flash’s future timeline and current world. He was captured by the Anti-Monitor, who feared the powerful speed of The Flash, and for good reason.

After The Flash escaped his bonds, he discovered the existence of the Anti-Montior’s destructive Anti-Matter Cannon. It was aimed directly at his Earth, and his fellow heroes were entirely unaware. Flash sped inside the massive Anti-Matter Cannon and saw that it was collecting the energy from destroyed universes to power itself. The Flash ran faster than he ever had before to destroy the Anti-Montior’s Anti-Matter Cannon, though it came with a high cost. Barry Allen sacrificed his life to stop the Anti-Matter Cannon, proving it was one of the deadliest weapons he ever encountered.

1 Flash’s Cosmic Treadmill Travels Across Time and Space

Superman, Batman, and the Justice League Have All Relied On The Cosmic Treadmill

First Appearance: The Flash #125 (December 1961) by John Broome, Carmine Infantino and Joe Giella

The Flash is obviously known for his incredible speed, though Barry Allen is also a brilliant chemist, engineer, and forensics investigator. Speedster villains like Reverse-Flash could travel the timeline independently, though Flash needed a little help. He designed the Cosmic Treadmill to use his incredible speed to break the time barrier and take him to the past or the future. Of course, getting to the past or the future was only half of the battle, as he also had to maintain his own internal vibrations at that era to remain stuck there, or he’d shoot back to his own time.

The Flash didn’t use the Cosmic Treadmill much, and he didn’t design it to be a weapon. However, traveling through time could create serious problems, as fans saw with events like Flashpoint. Barry Allen used the Cosmic Treadmill to stop the murder of his mother. However, that changed everything in the DC Universe and threatened his new world. Flash has even used larger versions of the Cosmic treadmill to help carry the Justice League to other eras, though he does so with the knowledge that any move they make could have dire consequences for the DC Universe.