TheReverse-Flash is a name used by severalsupervillains appearing inAmericancomic books published byDC Comics. Each iteration of the character serves as a foil and an enemy ofthe Flash.
| Edward Clariss | |
|---|---|
 The Rival, the proto-Reverse-Flash, by Stephen Sadowski (penciller), Michael Bair (inker), and John Kalisz (colorist) | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Flash Comics #104 (February 1949) |
| Created by | John Broome Joe Kubert |
| In-story information | |
| Team affiliations | Injustice Society |
| Notable aliases | Rival |
| Abilities | Flash |
Edward Clariss (also known asthe Rival[1] andthe Rival Flash) first appeared inFlash Comics #104 (February 1949), and was created byJohn Broome andJoe Kubert.[2]
Edward Clariss first appeared inJay Garrick's final appearance inFlash Comics #104 (February 1949), and was created byJohn Broome andJoe Kubert as anevil counterpart of Garrick during theGolden Age of Comic Books. He would be revived byGeoff Johns andDavid Goyer in a story called "Injustice Be Done" from theJustice Society of America comic books through theModern Age of Comic Books.[3]
Although not called the Reverse-Flash, Dr. Edward Clariss was a professor at theuniversity attended by theGolden Age Flash, and had recreated the formula which was behind Jay Garrick's speed. He hearsJoan Williams (Garrick's girlfriend) talking about how the Flash's own speed was given to another student, which helped him develop the formula. Bitter at the scientific community's rejection of his claims, Clariss becomes a criminal. A darker version of the Flash with a mask over his head, he gives the formula to other criminals. The Rival's version of the formula is temporary, and he is captured and jailed. Later stories have indicated a possible link between the Clariss formula and the Velocity 9 created byVandal Savage, but no such link has been conclusively proven.[3]
JSA #16 (November 2000) contains a flashback to a battle between the Rival and the Flash several months after the former's first appearance. Now that he has inexplicably regained super-speed, Clariss reaches light speed during the fight and vanishes into theSpeed Force. After theJustice Society of America's reformation 50 years later,Johnny Sorrow retrieves Clariss from the Speed Force and invites him to join theInjustice Society. Driven insane in the Speed Force, the Rival races across the country on a killing spree. The Flash realizes that the Rival's path across the country spells out Clariss's name and the final murder victim will be Joan; Jay absorbs the Rival's speed before he can kill Joan.[3]
The Rival returns inImpulse #88 (September 2002), posing as Joan's doctor. Now pure speed energy, he possesses fellow Golden Age speedsterMax Mercury. After battling Jay andImpulse, Max time-travels to an unknown destination. InThe Flash: Rebirth #4, Max escapes from the Speed Force and is rejuvenated byWally West's energy; this allows him to return to Earth in a new body. Another Golden Age Reverse-Flash is a robot whose only appearance was in one panel ofThe Flash #134 (February 1998), where he is defeated by Garrick.[4]
After the events ofDoomsday Clock, Clariss returns to continuity, having faced Garrick in the 1940s.[5]
Professor Eobard Thawne (commonly known as Professor Zoom) first appeared inThe Flash #139 (September 1963). Thearchenemy ofBarry Allen, he is the first supervillain to be called the Reverse-Flash.[6] While other speedsters cannot change the past without dramatic consequences, his ability to travel and manipulate time is able to drastically alter history and completely erase people from existence is due to having corrupted the Speed Force which created a negative version.
Wally West briefly impersonated Professor Zoom aka the Reverse-Flash.[7]
Hunter Zolomon (also known as Zoom) first appeared inThe Flash: Secret Files & Origins #3 (November 2001). The archenemy ofWally West, he is the second supervillain to be called the Reverse-Flash. Unlike all other speedsters, he did not gain his superspeed from the Speed Force but due to an accident with the Cosmic Treadmill where he was essentially "derailed" from the time line which allowed him to control the rate at which he moves in time and make him faster than any speedster.
Thaddeus Thawne (a.k.a.Inertia and laterKid Zoom) first appeared inImpulse #51 (August 1999), and was created byTodd Dezago andMike Wieringo. Another character called the Reverse-Flash, he is aclone ofBart Allen. When Bart aged five years afterInfinite Crisis and became the Flash, Inertia fought his genetic template again, ultimately killing him alongside theRogues.[8] Wally West takes revenge by paralyzing Inertia and imprisoning him in theFlash Museum. InFinal Crisis: Rogues' Revenge,Libra and Zoom use Inertia in an attempt to get the Rogues to join theSecret Society. Inertia steals Zoom's powers and calls himself Kid Zoom, only to be killed by the Rogues, who blame him for making them kill Bart.[9]
When asked who created Inertia,Ethan Van Sciver wrote that he could only accept five percent of the credit; the remaining credit belonged to Mike Wieringo (20 percent),Grant Morrison (25 percent), and Todd Dezago (50 percent). According to Van Sciver, Inertia's appearance is an inverted depiction of Impulse.[10]
Inertia is later resurrected, but is trapped in the Speed Force. Inertia tries to stop Barry Allen, Max Mercury, andJesse Quick from escaping the Speed Force, revealing that Eobard Thawne promised to release him and let him take over Bart Allen's body once the former succeeded in his plans. After Barry tries to appeal and talk sense into him, Inertia stops his attacks and runs off.[11]
Daniel "Danny" West first appeared inThe Flash #0 (November 2012). The most recent individual to be called the Reverse-Flash, he is the younger brother ofIris West, father ofAce West, and an enemy of Barry Allen.
An original incarnation of the Reverse-Flash appears inTangent Comics: The Flash #1 (December 1997). This version is an evil, negative ionic energy-based duplicate of her Earth's Flash,Lia Nelson, who was created by an evil government agency to disperse Nelson'sphoton-based form. However, Nelson destroys the Reverse-Flash.
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