- For other uses of Reverse-Flash, see Reverse-Flash (Disambiguation).
- For other uses of The Flash, see The Flash (Disambiguation).
- For the Time Remnant that diverged from his main counterpart during the Flashpoint, see Eobard Thawne (Earth-1: Pre-Crisis)/Time Remnant.
| “ | My fate was to become your greatest enemy. I was never going to be The Flash. So, I became the reverse of everything that you were. The more people you saved, the more you were loved, the more I had to take from you. | ” |
— Eobard Thawne to Barry Allen[src]
| ||
Professor Eobard Thawne was a metahuman time criminal and the arch-enemy of The Flash, who operated under the alias of the Reverse-Flash. During his time trapped in the 21st century, Thawne also took over the identity of Dr. Harrison Wells and assumed his role as founder/director of S.T.A.R. Labs until his identity was exposed to Team Flash.
Biography[edit | hide | hide all]
Original Multiverse[edit | hide]
Early Life[edit | hide]
Eobard Thawne was born in 2151 into a well-respected family, with him eventually becoming one of the most distinguished members as the forename, Eobard, would apparently suggest.[20] When he was young, Eobard attended a grade school where he was taught astro-navigation.[24]
Thawne later began to investigate his family history where he eventually found out about Eddie Thawne, despite history having almost no record of his existence and he considered his ancestor to be a failure because of this.[20]
In his adulthood, Thawne became a scientist[13] and professor,[14] who began to study the Speed Force in an attempt to unlock its secrets. He also designed an Anti-Speedster Rifle at some point.[24]
War with The Flash[edit | hide]
First Encounter[edit | hide]
Researching the Scarlet Speedster[edit | hide]
Thawne spent years pursuing the secrets of the Speed Force before eventually learning of The Flash, who he began to idolize to the point where he was obsessed and wanted to be The Flash himself. After many more years of research, Thawne learned how The Flash gained his superpowers and built a machine to recreate the accident that gave him said powers, which resulted in him becoming a speedster just like his idol.[14]
Thawne then learned how to use his powers to travel through time, which he used to go back to an unknown point in the 21st Century, where he eventually learned that he was destined to become The Flash's arch-enemy under the alias of the "Reverse-Flash". He also either created or obtained the Reverse-Flash Suit which had the opposite colors to The Flash Suit. This made Thawne despise his former idol, and he decided to make it his life's work to prove that he is the superior speedster, which only succeeded in fulfilling his destiny while he descended further into insanity. He also vowed that he would kill more people than The Flash had saved and that he would take more people from The Flash than those who he was loved by.[14]
Thawne later created the Negative Speed Force in an attempt to be the exact opposite of The Flash in every way and also, so he could time travel undetected.[25] He also at some point obtained an artificial intelligence program called Gideon, which was created by The Flash. He then began searching the timeline for eras when The Flash was active, eventually travelling back to the year of The Flash's origin which started their war across time.[14]
Crisis of 2024[edit | hide]
After an epic street battle with The Flash, they both disappeared in an explosion of light. [23] Thawne had gone back in time to March in the year 2000, to kill Barry as a child and wipe him from the face of the Earth. However following him back, they fought their most intense fight ever. Then, Barry got his younger self out of there, and he decided to instead stab his mother in the heart. [10] Getting interrupted once again, another version of Barry showed up to stop him from killing his mother and took him to 2017 where he would be imprisoned for a few months in an alternate timeline he called Flashpoint. Eventually, Barry had to ask Eobard Thawne to kill his mother which he then did. [26] After killing Barry’s mother and fleeing the scene, Thawne was stranded in the past unable to find a way home as his connection to the speed force was destroyed and his only way back, was The Flash. So, he realized he had to be the one who creates The Flash in order to use him and go back to his time. [10]
Life as Harrison Wells[edit | hide]
Stolen Identity[edit | hide]
Eobard watched over Tess Morgan and Harrison Wells on the beach, pondering the solutions to living in this time period. He decided to manufacture a car crash, which then killed Tess Morgan. Harrison Wells was pulled out by Eobard, who would then take over his identity, killing Wells, and burying him before the police showed up.[4]
Particle Accelerator Explosion[edit | hide]
Working with Team Flash[edit | hide]
Identity Revealed[edit | hide]
Final Battle[edit | hide]
Return of the Reverse-Flash[edit | hide]
New Reich[edit | hide]
Imprisonment[edit | hide]
Liberation[edit | hide]
Crisis on Infinite Earths[edit | hide]
New Multiverse[edit | hide]
Early Life[edit | hide]
Eobard Thawne was born at some point in the twenty-second century, coming to idolize the twenty-first century hero, The Flash, to the point of searching for a way to gain superhuman powers similar to his.[15] By 2170,[27] Thawne had successfully built the Biometric Lightning Oscillation Chamber, which allowed the Negative Speed Force to grant him such powers, becoming a speedster and the fastest man alive.[11][28] As he was about to reveal his abilities to the world, The Flash showed up in pursuit of a case, dazzling the crowd by saving them from a danger which Thawne believed was his to deal with. This began a lifelong hatred of The Flash, with Thawne making it his life's work to become faster than him in order to ruin his life.[15] In this pursuit, he created a suit with the reverse colors of The Flash's, which he used to become the criminal known as the Reverse-Flash.[29][30]
Trapped in the 21st Century[edit | hide]
The Murder[edit | hide]
Thawne eventually learned of The Flash's true identity and so travelled back in time to the year 2000 to kill Barry Allen.[6] Arriving on March 18, 2000, Thawne discovered that a future version of Barry Allen was present, and attempted to push him towards a moving car in hopes of hurting him. However, Allen's parents, Henry and Nora, were able to stop the moving car and brought him to safety. Allen later confronted Thawne, believing that he was responsible for his time displacement from 2023. Thawne dispelled such accusations and had a drink with his greatest enemy, seemingly proving his ultimate victory between their war.[27]
Hours following their meet, Thawne prepared to murder Barry as a child only to be interrupted by the latter’s future self. He gave Thawne a chance to walk away, knowing that he wouldn’t be successful in his original mission and would instead be stranded in this time. However, Thawne filled with hatred towards Allen, laughed it off and sped to the Allen Residence. Barry Allen caught up to him, and they fought breaking through the glass window then around Nora Allen. Knowing that this is a fixed point, Barry Allen saved his younger self and sped out of there. Enraged, Thawne attempted to stab his mother through the heart only to be stopped by another version of Barry from the future, spending months in an alternate timeline called Flashpoint before he was then taken back to that night where he stabbed her through the heart. [27][31]
Speeding out of the Allen residence, Thawne rolled off on the road. Asking Gideon what’s going on, she revealed his speed has been depleted and that he has no way to go back home. Barry Allen of 2023 went up to him afterward, Thawne was shocked asking why Allen saved his younger self and let him kill his mother. Allen stated that he had no choice, leading Thawne to realize that killing his mother is a fixed point, and that he would always be stuck here watching him grow up and become the hero that he wanted to be. Allen thanked him for the closure he got thanks to him, and the events of that day. In a desperate attempt, Thawne tried reminding him it’s the worst night of his life while also swearing to dedicate every moment of his life from this moment forward to destroy Allen and everyone he loves, even if he has to tear the universe apart to do it. However, Allen was truly at peace with Thawne murdering his mother. Moments later, a blue explosion of light took place in which Allen went back to his time whereas Thawne is left marooned in the year 2000 with no way to get back. Infuriated, he let out a scream as he looked up on the sky while realizing his fate. [27]
Life as Harrison Wells[edit | hide]
_(Pre-Crisis)_003.png)
He then killed Dr. Harrison Wells, stealing his identity using the appearance-stealing cord, and burying Wells using his superhuman speed, though he was resurrected moments later to balance out the loss of the other versions of Wells from the multiverse.[32] Now operating as Harrison Wells, Thawne founded S.T.A.R. Labs,[7] forming a close relationship with Hartley Rathaway.[33] He, alongside Caitlin Snow, were also responsible for testing Grodd, with the pair becoming quite fond of him and often visiting him in his cage.[34]
Encounters with Team Flash[edit | hide]
_(Pre-Crisis)_002.png)
Eventually, Thawne began creating a particle accelerator,[7] which he set to explode in 2013 in an attempt to return to his own time.[31] This resulted in numerous people becoming metahumans, including leading to Barry Allen becoming The Flash. For months afterward, Thawne trained Allen to become a hero,[30][35] including teaching him to throw lightning.[33] Numerous events during this time period occurred differently than they did on Earth-1, as shown by both Girder and Everyman still being alive,[28][31] and Hartley Rathaway still being a villain.[33] Thawne was eventually defeated in 2015 after his ancestor, Eddie Thawne, committed suicide in order to erase him from the timeline,[15] resulting in the singularity occurring.[31] However, a version of Thawne did survive after he was pulled from the timeline by Allen during Flashpoint, ultimately surviving as a time remnant.[36]
At some point after this, Thawne was resurrected by the Negative Speed Force. He later met Nora West-Allen, who wrote information about the Negative Speed Force in her journal before being erased from the timeline.[28] Thawne also kept notes on how to create an artificial Speed Force.[7]
Possessing Nash Wells[edit | hide]
_005.png)
A few months after the creation of Earth-Prime, the consciousness of Thawne's Pre-Crisis counterpart was transferred into the body of Nash Wells, due to his DNA and appearance matching the other Wells doppelgängers, and he saw this as an opportunity to regain a physical body.[7] The other Wells doppelgängers restrained Thawne in Nash's subconscious, while Harry and Sherloque attempted to get Nash to seek the help of Team Flash.[34][37] However, Thawne managed to escape before they could be alerted, trapping Nash in his own memory of losing his adopted daughter, Maya.[7]
Once in control of Nash's body, Thawne attempted to murder Cisco Ramon, only to realize that he no longer had his powers. After a short fight with Ramon, Thawne was incapacitated by Cecile Horton and locked in the Pipeline. He was then interrogated by Barry Allen, revealing his goal was to kill him and his loved ones, before taunting him over the death of the Speed Force.[29]
Hours later, Thawne began to impersonate Nash, managing to trick Team Flash into activating his gauntlet, which generated a pulse of energy that allowed him to escape. He attempted to flee using a time sphere, but was prevented from doing so by The Flash, who he then attempted to trick into using his last remaining speed to kill him. However, he was prevented from doing so by Ramon, who used a tranquilizer to subdue him. After Horton transported Allen and Ramon's consciousness into his body, Nash managed to overcome the memory of Maya dying, resulting in Thawne being expelled from his body and being reduced to Negative Tachyons.[7]
Godspeed War[edit | hide]
_001.png)
During the Godspeed War, The Flash and Iris West-Allen realized that Godspeed's ability to siphon speed from Speed Force users meant that they couldn't defeat him on their own. For this reason, the Speed Force connected to the Negative Speed Force in order to reconstitute Thawne's body so that he could assist The Flash in battle. Once he regained his physical form, Thawne attacked Godspeed before greeting The Flash, and the pair then engaged Heart with swords made of lightning. They managed to distract Godspeed long enough for The Flash to surprise him with a sonic boom and for Thawne to impale him with his sword.[30]
Worried that Thawne may have killed Heart, The Flash rushed to check his vitals and was relieved to find that he was just knocked unconscious. Allen then scolded Thawne for this, though he merely responded that he should have been prepared for that possibility when they reached out to him for help. Thawne then attempted to punch Allen at superspeed, but was thrown forward after Allen entered into Flashtime. Frustrated that The Flash was now faster than him, he asked how this was possible, with Allen responding that he had gotten faster, mockingly asking Thawne if he had not done the same. Thawne responded that he had not before telling Allen that he will return once he had and running off.[30]
Armageddon[edit | hide]
Reverse Flashpoint[edit | hide]
After his humiliating defeat by The Flash, Thawne created the Negative Still Force to change the timeline without being detected. He used this to change numerous events, including planting evidence associating Allen with Black Hole, causing a radiation leak at S.T.A.R. Labs, and murdering Joe West, all of which eventually lead to Armageddon.[8] He was also responsible for the attack on Central City while wearing The Flash's face, travelling back in time to murder the 11-year-old Barry Allen, and making it, so he was struck by lightning and thus became the leader of Team Flash and the fiancé of Iris West, all of which created a Reverse Flashpoint.[6]
The involvement of the Negative Still Force in changing the timeline was eventually noticed by Iris West and Deon Owens, who used his powers to send Allen ten years into the future to discover who was altering the timeline. Once he arrived in 2031, Allen interrupted a speech by Thawne at Robern's in which he stated to some of Allen's friends that he was engaged to Iris West.[8] Allen and Thawne then suited up, revealing to Allen that they were in the opposite suits to what they would be in the erased timeline. The two fought briefly, with Allen throwing a lightning bolt at Thawne, only for him to be saved by Ryan Choi using Ray Palmer's shrink ray. Once the battle was over, Allen brought West outside to convince her that he is actually her husband, but Thawne followed him and confronted Allen. He then revealed all the changes he made to the timeline and that Allen would be completely erased from the timeline at midnight.[6]
_(Pre-Crisis)_012.png)
Some time later, Thawne confronted Allen again as he was trying to convince West of who he really was, only for Thawne to be temporarily paralyzed by Iris. The Flash then attempted to travel through time to undo the Reverse Flashpoint, only to be chased by Thawne. Running this fast resulted in the planet being destroyed, but this reversed by Allen after the timeline was reset. Thawne then arrived in 2021 wearing the version of the Reverse-Flash Suit that Allen had been previously, and stating that he would change the timeline again from inside the Time Vault.[6]
Avoiding Fate[edit | hide]
Not long afterward, Thawne began to notice that he was being erased from existence, due to the effects of the time stone, and so he decided to run to the Central City Police Precinct to get the attention of The Flash. Instead, he was met by the Green Arrow, who believed he had something to do with William Clayton's disappearance. As Thawne was being interrogated, he began to fade out of existence before attempting to kill Queen. However, he was prevented from doing so by The Flash, and he then admitted he was there to get his help.[15]
He was then taken to S.T.A.R. Labs and placed into a forcefield to monitor his condition and to ensure that he does not hurt anyone. As Team Flash and the Green Arrow were discussing how to deal with Thawne, he was visited by Snow and told that he had two hours before he was erased from the timeline. Thawne then gloated about Snow being with Team Flash rather than having lived a future with Ronnie Raymond, before stating that despite this taunting, she would not let him die due to being a doctor. Snow then replied, stating that she had hated him for eight years for being responsible for Raymond's death. After this conversation, Allen entered the room and asked Thawne why he created the Reverse Flashpoint timeline and why he hated him so much in the first place. Thawne then recounted how Allen had supposedly stolen his opportunity to become a hero at some point in the future, and how this led him to his hatred of The Flash. Allen responded that only a sociopath would react to something so small with that kind of rage, though Thawne replied that what he calls rage is what he calls commitment. He then stated that he would go right back to finding new ways to kill The Flash if he were saved.[15]
_(Pre-Crisis)_006.png)
After debating what to do about Thawne, Team Flash decided to save him despite everything that he has done, whereas Despero decided that he must be killed to prevent further damage to his time period. He then attempted to control Queen in order to kill Team Flash, though she was unsuccessful, and The Flash later defeated Despero. With thirty seconds remaining before Thawne was erased from existence, Allen used his lightning to sever Thawne's connection to the Negative Speed Force, saving his life but also removing his powers. He was then transported to the A.R.G.U.S. prison on Lian Yu.[15]
Negative[edit | hide]
New Speedster[edit | hide]
With no speed and company, Thawne suffered for his crimes and remained hateful. Allen ultimately visited Thawne, suspecting him of causing speedster-related fires. As Thawne's presence at the A.R.G.U.S. Supermax Site proved that his suspicions were wrong, he consulted him on whether he sensed a new speedster in 2022. Thawne initially refused to enlighten him, though chose to lead him into realizing that the new speedster was unable to control their speed, after being taunted by Allen.[19]
When Allen ran into another version of Thawne wearing his original face, he sped to Lian Yu once more and accused Thawne of gaining his speed. Not knowing his Time Remnant self's existence after the Flashpoint and encounters with the Legends of Tomorrow, Thawne rejected the accusation and blamed Allen for stealing his speed. Allen then showed Thawne of a machine the speedster and the other Thawne built to create a speedster. Thawne quickly claimed that the machine was his creation two centuries from 2022, and that no matter what memories a Thawne possess, they only care for them self. Before Allen left, he warned him that the other Thawne will sacrifice every pawn on his board to get what he wants.[38]
The Box[edit | hide]
Moments later, knowing John Diggle's presence, Thawne asked him to step out of the shadows. Diggle told Thawne of his attempts to open an extraterrestrial box, and how neither A.R.G.U.S. nor Luke Fox was able to open it. Thawne demanded a deal: he will assist Diggle if he was shown the contents of the box. Diggle agreed to the deal as Thawne explained the origins of the box.[38]
Guiding Diggle through words, telling him that the box chose him for a reason, Thawne was able to open the box and show Diggle the secrets of the universe, including the lives he could have lived. However, Diggle realized that it was not what he wanted, and he would rather be with his family, which he had been out of touch with since the box landed in front of him. Diggle threw the box as the box disappeared, much to Thawne's surprise and frustration.[38]
Fulfilling his Destiny[edit | hide]
Later that night, while reminiscing his memories in the past, Thawne was greeted by an ominous voice, the Negative Still Force, who claimed to have seen Thawne through the caps of the box and now had successfully located him. Thawne was told that he would fulfil his destiny and told the Negative Still Force could start by giving him his speed as well as freeing him. Unfortunately, the Negative Still Force misled him into thinking the destiny he was about to fulfil is an advantage to his vendetta, and his body was aged years into the future, killing him.[9][38]
_(Pre-Crisis)_Time_Remnant_010.png)
Mere hours later, Iris West-Allen was killed in a battle between The Flash, Fast Track, Reverse-Flash and the Negative Forces. West-Allen's body then transformed into particles, which then entered Reverse-Flash's body. Soon, he screamed in agony as the original Thawne was resurrected, peeling his own skin from his face and revealing his original counterpart hiding underneath his flesh. The original Thawne thanked Allen for his resurrection and taunted him about the deaths of his mother and wife being helpful to himself. Allen was furious and began electrocuting Thawne with his Speed Force lightning, before being halted by his children. Taking the opportunity, Thawne disappeared and escaped into the Negative Speed Force.[9][11]
A Legion[edit | hide]
| “ | Barry's life is mine! | ” |
— Thawne[src]
| ||
Thawne was taken out of his timeline to the Negative Speed Force, Thawne found Zoom and Godspeed arguing and threatening each other, and he explained where they were. Zolomon immediately thought he was Harry Wells, but August quickly recognized him as Eobard Thawne. Heart, still pissed about Thawne helping The Flash defeat him, threatened him but Eobard mocked August instead. He then went on to commend Hunter's actions in Central City before mocking his strategy of pretending to be The Flash's ally as it being originally his move. When Hunter spat that he was 'the fastest man alive', Thawne told him that he was nothing more than a Velocity-9 junkie and that the fastest man was actually him. Savitar then appeared before them and wondered who had brought him there and Eddie Thawne appeared to tell them that he was the one who had brought all of them there. Thawne briefly introduced him as his weak ancestor, but Eddie shrugged off his criticism as the empty boasting of a 'dead man'. Eddie explained to them that he brought taken the four speedsters out of time just before they all died failing to kill The Flash. He then suggested that together, they could accomplish what none of them could do alone, and help him kill The Flash. Thawne skeptically asked how he could do it and Eddie then revealed himself as the new Negative Speed Force avatar. He offered them all more speed and a second chance if they joined him and Thawne, along with the other speedsters.
When Eddie was outnumbered by Team Flash, he summoned breaches where Eobard and the other evil speedsters arrived to join him, all supercharged by the Negative Speed Force. Thawne looked at Barry and asked if he truly thought that he would miss all of this. A full on battle broke out and Thawne engaged Allegra as she teleported to random places throughout Central City with him in pursuit. He eventually broke away from the fighting and infiltrated S.T.A.R. Labs where Chester Runk was coordinating alone. Eobard surprised him from behind and commented that he loved what he had done with the place. Chester told him that they would stop him but Eobard responded by attacking him with lightning. As he was down, Thawne then spitefully told him that after he killed him, he was going to go and kill Barry as he didn't care about Eddie's new avatar status; claiming that the life of Barry Allen was his to take. He then unleashed a barrage of lightning to kill him right before Allegra showed up and hit him with a UV blast.
As Allegra mourned Chester, Eobard recovered and told Allegra that he was going to kill her as well, letting the last thing she sees being the face of her old mentor, Nash Wells, killing her. Allegra angrily told him to stop talking before she unleashed a wave of energy that knocked Thawne out. When Garrick had drained Eddie of his speed, he moved to absorb Thawne's speed, along with the other evil speedsters, to recharge himself. Thawne had his memory wiped and returned to where he left off.[17]
Tipping the Scales[edit | hide]
Upon entering the Negative Speed Force, he realized that the Negative Forces created a replica of the Reverse Flashpoint and revealed to him the fact that he was not the creator of the Negative Speed Force, but rather chosen by it as its avatar. Knowing the truth, Thawne was frightened, but was reassured by the Negative Strength Force that the process of transforming him into an avatar of the Negative Forces would not hurt.[11]
Hours later, Thawne, now in a black and golden suit, landed in Downtown Central City and began a series of murders. The Flash, Fast Track, XS and Impulse soon arrived and threw lightning bolts at him. However, using the power of the Negative Sage Force, he tricked the former three into the attacking Impulse. As they realized their mistake, Thawne sent Fast Track, XS and Impulse a million years in the past. Once again, he faced Allen in a duel.[11]
_(Pre-Crisis)_017.png)
The positive forces eventually arrived, giving Allen a boost in power and making both Allen and Thawne equals. Thawne and Allen then began to combat each other using dangerous abilities from the forces, damaging properties, buildings, and causing an earthquake in the process. Later, West-Allen was brought back from her "death" and reminded Allen that the city cannot take any more of their fight. Thawne took the opportunity to recharge his power, while Allen simply meditated on the ground. Thawne was confused by his actions, and claimed that he would still attack him even though he decided not to. As Thawne destroyed the city with a wave of Negative Speed Force energy, Allen's connection with the Still Force reversed the damage and forced Thawne to absorb all the energy. Knowing his demise, Thawne regretted his actions and claimed that it was not supposed to end in this way. The energy flooded back to him, overcharging his body and killing him once and for all.[11]
Erased Future[edit | hide]
In an erased future visited by Despero, Thawne had returned once again and had regained his connection to the Negative Speed Force.[15]
Magog's Campaign[edit | hide]
In the 2040s, Thawne had once again returned and was beaten by The Flash in battle, causing the city to hail The Flash as a hero. This event was witnessed by David Reid, and finally caused him to snap, vowing to end humanity's reliance on heroes once and for all.[39]
Powers and Abilities[edit | hide]
Powers[edit | hide]
- Speed Force/Negative Speed Force Connection: Thawne possessed a natural connection to the Negative Speed Force after he recreated the accident that gave his idol, Barry Allen, his powers. This connection was later severed by The Flash in order to save his life,[15] though was restored soon afterward when Thawne was forcibly brought back as the avatar of the Negative Speed Force.[11]
- Accelerated Healing Factor: Thawne's body healed much faster and more efficiently than regular people, meaning he could survive injuries that would prove fatal to most people.[40]
- Longevity: Thawne aged much slower than regular people, as shown by his appearance being the same after spending nearly thirty years in the twenty-first century. His hair also reverted to its natural color after going gray when he regained his powers when escaping from Iron Heights Penitentiary.[41]
- Bodily Vibration: Thawne was able to vibrate his body on command at different frequencies, which meant that his face was not clearly perceivable by normal people.[1]
- Electrokinesis: Thawne's body produced red lightning, which he could throw as a weapon or use to turn his eyes red.[3][17]
- Superhuman Agility: Thawne was able to maintain superhuman coordination and balance whilst running on unstable surfaces. This allowed him to change direction immediately whilst running at superhuman speeds.[1]
- Superhuman Durability: Thawne was able to endure attacks and impacts which would prove fatal to normal people.[40]
- Superhuman Momentum: Thawne was able to generate and withstand extreme kinetic energy and completely stop when running at superhuman speeds.[3]
- Superhuman Perception: Thawne was able to think and preform actions before most people could perceive them.[42]
- Superhuman Senses: Thawne's senses were much greater than the average person, allowing him to hear properly even when exceeding the speed of sound.[1]
- Superhuman Speed: Thawne was able to move at superhuman speeds, to the point where he was able to run on walls and ceilings with ease.[3]
- Superhuman Reflexes: Thawne was able to respond to events much faster than normal people.[42]
- Time Travel: Thawne was able to travel through time by creating a portal to the Negative Speed Force.[4]
- Time Remnant Creation: To maintain the integrity of the timeline, Thawne was brought back as Time Remnant after his erasure from existence.[14]
- Superhuman Stamina: Thawne was able to run at superhuman speeds without becoming visibly tired or weakened.[1]
- Superhuman Strength: Thawne was able to generate immense amounts of physical force and direct it at his opponents.[3]
- Accelerated Healing Factor: Thawne's body healed much faster and more efficiently than regular people, meaning he could survive injuries that would prove fatal to most people.[40]
_(Pre-Crisis)_016.png)
- Negative Forces Connection: When the Negative Forces attempted to upset the cosmic balance and "tip the scales", Thawne became an avatar for all four forces.[11]
- Seismokinesis: While Thawne fought against The Flash, they created earthquakes all over Central City.[11]
- Telepathy: With a connection to the Negative Sage Force, Thawne had the ability to create an illusion in his opponents' minds, altering their perception of reality.[11]
- Teleportation/Time Travel: With a connection to the Negative Still Force, Thawne was able to teleport individuals, including himself and objects across space and time.[11]
- Tentacle Manifestation: Thawne was able to manifest magenta-colored tentacles from his body.[11]
Former Powers[edit | hide]
- Possession: After the Crisis, Thawne survived as Negative Tachyons, which allowed him to possess Nash Wells.[7] He lost this power after he was given a physical body by the Speed Force to assist The Flash during the Godspeed War.[30]
Abilities[edit | hide]
- Genius-Level Intellect: As a scientist from the 22nd century, Thawne is an exceptionally intelligent individual by 21st century standards.[3]
- Business Acumen: Thawne is a skilled businessman as he was able to found and effectively run S.T.A.R. Labs for fourteen years before his defeat by Team Flash.[3]
- Engineering: Thawne is a highly skilled engineer, as he was able to create numerous pieces of technology such as the particle accelerator.[3]
- Leadership: Thawne is an exceptionally adept leader, as he was able to effectively lead Team Flash during their first year of operations.[3]
- Hand-to-Hand Combat: Thawne is proficient in hand-to-hand combat, being able to effectively fight The Flash.[10]
- Swordsmanship: Thawne was able to create a sword made of lightning and use it to defeat Godspeed alongside The Flash.[30]
Weaknesses[edit | hide]
- Lightning Dagger: Cicada's dagger had the ability to negate the superhuman powers of metahumans. This was used to dampen Thawne's powers whilst he was on death row in 2049.[43]
- Nanites: When Oliver Queen shot Thawne with an arrow laced with nanites, courtesy of Ray Palmer, he was momentarily rendered powerless.[40]
- Positive Tachyons: Thawne's connection to the Negative Speed Force left traces of Negative Tachyons, meaning that Positive Tachyons are able to counteract his powers and gradually reduce his speed.[7]
Former Weaknesses[edit | hide]
- Connection Flux: Thawne severely damaged his connection to the Speed Force after travelling back in time and killing Nora Allen.[4]
- Lack of a Host Body: After the Crisis, Thawne was reduced into Negative Tachyons, meaning that he could not interact with the physical world and was forced to possess the body of Nash Wells.[7]
Equipment[edit | hide]
Former Equipment[edit | hide]
- Appearance-Stealing Cord: Thawne used an appearance-stealing cord to steal the identity of Harrison Wells.[4]
- Wheelchair: Thawne used a wheelchair while pretending to be Harrison Wells to hide his true identity from Team Flash.[3]
- Gideon: Thawne used a futuristic A.I. called Gideon to assist him in his war with The Flash.[44]
- Reverse-Flash Suit: Thawne wore a yellow and red protective suit whilst operating as the Reverse-Flash. It was designed to be the reverse of The Flash suit.[1]
- Reverse-Flash Ring: Thawne stored the Reverse-Flash suit in a golden-yellow ring.[1]
- Tachyon Enhancer: Thawne attempted to steal a tachyon prototype from Mercury Labs prior to murdering Nora Allen. However, he was prevented from doing so by The Flash, and so he travelled back in time further to create his own.[14]
- The Flash Suit: During Reverse Flashpoint, Thawne wore The Flash suit after stealing Barry Allen's life.[6]
- Time Sphere: Thawne possessed a time machine which allowed him to return to his own time period.[10]
Appearances[edit | hide]
Notes[edit | hide]
In-Universe[edit | hide]
- Thawne is a fan of the Back to the Future franchise[45] and Ghostbusters.[2]
- Thawne has never watched a film directed by Buster Keaton.[46]
- Thawne wore dark-framed glasses whilst impersonating Harrison Wells despite the former wearing translucent-framed glasses.[4]
- Thawne appears in a flashback in a deleted scene from The Trap in which he tells Caitlin Snow that he does not want people to judge her based on her decision to stay at S.T.A.R. Labs after the particle accelerator explosion.
- Thawne enjoys food from Big Belly Burger due to cows being extinct in his era.[10]
- Thawne claims to have been a match for The Flash's speed in 2024.[10] However, this appears to imply Barry Allen of the erased future, as Thawne was much slower than Allen in 2021 of the current timeline.[30]
- In a deleted scene from Fast Enough, it is revealed that Thawne gained Harrison Wells' memories and love for Tess Morgan after stealing his appearance.
- According to Tom Cavanagh, Thawne never lied to Barry during season 1 of The Flash because it was not necessary.[47]
- Team Flash had a habit of referring to Thawne as Wells even after he was revealed as an imposter.[48]
- Thawne despises guns,[20] which is ironic since he invented the anti-speedster rifles.[24]
- Thawne claimed in The Trap that he loved working with Team Flash and stated that he missed the camaraderie of working with Cisco Ramon and Caitlin Snow in Moonshot. However, this is contradicted in Crisis on Earth-X, Part 3 when he tells Kara Danvers that he hated every minute of working at S.T.A.R. Labs.
Out-of-Universe[edit | hide]
- Tom Cavanagh reprised his role as Dr. Wells in the Robot Chicken episode, "Ants on a Hamburger".
- In the mobile version of Injustice: Gods Among Us, there is a "Reverse Flash" card based on this version of Eobard Thawne.
Gallery[edit | hide]
-
Professor Eobard Thawne
-
Dr. Harrison Wells (2014)
-
Reverse-Flash (2014)
-
Dark Flash
-
Eobard Thawne (2049)
-
Reverse-Flash (2049)
-
Nash Wells
-
Reverse-Flash (2021)
-
Barry Allen/The Flash
-
Harrison Wells (Reverse Flashpoint)
-
The Flash (Reverse Flashpoint)
-
Thawne on Lian Yu
-
Reverse-Flash
-
Avatar of the Negative Speed Force
_(Pre-Crisis)_001.png)
_(Pre-Crisis)_002.png)
_(Pre-Crisis)_003.png)
_(Pre-Crisis)_004.png)
_(Pre-Crisis)_005.png)
_(Pre-Crisis)_006.png)
_(Pre-Crisis)_007.png)
_(Pre-Crisis)_008.png)
_(Pre-Crisis)_009.png)
_(Pre-Crisis)_010.png)
_(Pre-Crisis)_011.png)
_(Pre-Crisis)_013.png)
_(Pre-Crisis)_014.png)
_(Pre-Crisis)_015.png)
Promotional Images[edit | hide]
-
"Is he fast enough to change time?"
-
Harrison Wells
-
Harrison Wells
-
-
Crisis on Earth-X Comic Book Cover
-
-
-
-
_004.png)
_023.png)
_024.png)
References[edit | hide]
| Other versions of Eobard Thawne | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
- Metahumans
- Humans
- Characters from Earth-1 (Pre-Crisis)
- Male Characters
- Deceased Characters
- Characters
- Arrow Characters
- The Flash (2014) Characters
- Supergirl Characters
- DC's Legends of Tomorrow Characters
- Comic Characters
- Resurrected Characters
- Scientists
- Engineers
- Doctors
- Teachers
- Speedsters
- Vigilantes
- Heroes
- Time Travelers
- Villains
- Criminals
- Breachers
- Military
- Inmates