| “ | 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 is a Metahuman time criminal from the twenty-second century who operated under the alias of the Reverse-Flash.
After the murder of Nora Allen, Thawne was stranded in the twenty-first century with no means of returning to his home era. Thawne then took the identity of Dr. Harrison Wells and created S.T.A.R. Labs in order to move up the date at which Barry Allen became The Flash. His identity was later revealed through one of Cisco Ramon's visions, resulting in a fight between Thawne and Team Flash. This resulted in him being erased from existence after his ancestor, Eddie Thawne, committed suicide.
When The Flash travelled back in time to save his mother, he created an alternate timeline known as Flashpoint, resulting in Thawne surviving as a time remnant. This resulted in him being hunted by the Black Flash, and so Thawne began a search for the Spear of Destiny to rewrite reality to prevent his own death. This plan was ruined by the Legends of Tomorrow, who attracted the Black Flash and killed Thawne.
Thawne was eventually resurrected due to his connection to the Negative Speed Force. He then travelled to Earth-X and joined the New Reichsmen, assisting in the creation of technology capable of interdimensional travel. Now using the alias of the Dark Flash, Thawne participated in the Invasion of Earth-1, but was eventually defeated by The Flash and allowed to leave.
However, he soon found himself under arrest and a prisoner at Iron Heights Penitentiary. While there, he was visited by Nora West-Allen, who he manipulated into changing the whereabouts of Cicada's dagger in the present, the object which was inhibiting his powers. Now free from prison, Thawne once again fought Team Flash, but was once again defeated, though he managed to flee. During the Crisis, Thawne's consciousness was preserved in the Negative Speed Force as negative tachyons, and he was eventually relocated to Earth-Prime, replacing his Post-Crisis counterpart.
Biography
| Note: | This section is a stub. Click the edit button to the right of the section title to expand it. |
Early Life
Eobard Thawne was born around 2151 into an affluent family of influential politicians, scientists and captains of industry, with him eventually becoming one of the most distinguished members as the forename, Eobard, would apparently suggest.[2] When he was young, Eobard attended a grade school where he was taught astro-navigation.[3]
Eobard 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.[2]
In his adulthood, Eobard became a scientist[4] and professor,[5] who began to study the Speed Force in an attempt to unlock its secrets. He also designed an Anti-Speedster Rifle at some point.[3]
He 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, Eobard 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.[5]
He 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.[5]
This made him 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.[5]
Eobard 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.[6] 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.[5]
War with The Flash
First Encounter
Researching the Scarlet Speedster
Crisis of 2024
Life as Harrison Wells
Stolen Identity
Particle Accelerator Explosion
Working with Team Flash
Identity Revealed
Final Battle
Time Remnant
Flashpoint
Hunted by the Black Flash
Search for the Spear of Destiny
Aiding the Third Reich
Legion of Doom
Brave New World
Black Flash Arrives
Return of the Reverse-Flash
New Reich
Imprisonment
Liberation
Crisis on Infinite Earths
Powers and Abilities
Powers
- Speed Force / Negative Speed Force Connection: Thawne possessed a natural connection to the Speed Force after he recreated the accident that gave his idol, Barry Allen, his powers. After discovering that he was destined to become the arch-enemy of The Flash, he used negative emotions to create the Negative Speed Force to avoid the limitations of the Speed Force.[7]
- 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.[cite]
- Superhuman 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.[7]
- 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. It also allowed him to modulate his voice and reverse the effects of the appearance-stealing cord.[8]
- Intangibility: Thawne was able to phase his body through individuals and objects while remaining unharmed. He used this to kill people by phasing his hand through their heart and to damage computers.[8]
- Electrokinesis: Thawne's body produced red lightning, which he could throw as a weapon or use to turn his eyes red. The intensity of this lightning can vary greatly, as shown by video screens glitching during Barry Allen's first fight with Thawne.[9]
- Negative Speed Force Aura: Thawne was protected by an aura of invisible energy which protected him from burns due to extreme friction and gravitational forces.[cite]
- Superhuman Durability: Thawne was able to endure attacks and impacts which would prove fatal to normal people. However, he is still vulnerable to bullets and swords, which can injure and kill him.[cite]
- Superhuman Mental Process: Thawne was able to take in and retain information much quicker and more efficiently than regular people, allowing him to think and preform actions before most people could perceive them.[cite]
- Superhuman Senses: Thawne's senses were much greater than the average person, allowing him to hear properly even when exceeding the speed of sound.[cite]
- 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.[cite]
- Aerokinesis: Thawne was able to generate air vacuums by shaking a part of his body at superhuman speeds.
- Interdimensional Travel: Thawne was able to create breaches that allowed him to travel across the multiverse.[cite]
- Speed Mirage: Thawne was able to create realistic looking mirages of himself by bouncing back and forth, which makes it appear as if he is in more than one place at once.[cite]
- 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.[cite]
- Superhuman Momentum: Thawne was able to generate and withstand extreme kinetic energy and completely stop when running at superhuman speeds.[cite]
- Superhuman Reflexes: Thawne was able to respond to events much faster than normal people.[cite]
- Time Travel: Thawne was able to travel through time by creating a portal to the Negative Speed Force.
- Retrocognition: Thawne retained his memories of his original life after becoming a time remnant,[3] as well as remember events from both the pre-Flashpoint and post-Flashpoint timelines.[cite]
- Time Remnant Creation: Thawne was able to create a time remnant of himself, which allowed him to overwhelm his enemies and also protected him from being erased from the timeline.[cite]
- Temporal Immunity: Thawne was immune to changes in the timeline due to his connection to the Negative Speed Force.[cite]
- Superhuman Stamina: Thawne was able to run at superhuman speeds without becoming visibly tired or weakened.[cite]
- Superhuman Strength: Thawne was able to generate immense amounts of physical force and direct it at his opponents.[cite]
- 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.[cite]
Abilities
- Genius-Level Intellect: Thawne was an exceptionally intelligent individual as a physicist and professor from the twenty-first century.[cite]
- Business Acumen: Thawne was able to found and effectively run S.T.A.R. Labs for fourteen years prior to his erasure from the timeline.[cite]
- Engineering: Thawne was a highly skilled engineer, as he was able to create numerous pieces of technology such as the particle accelerator.[cite]
- Deception: Thawne was a master of deception, effectively being able to fake his identity for fourteen years without his true identity being discovered.[cite]
- Hacking: Thawne was a skilled computer hacker, as he was able to hack into the radio signals of cars to destroy Hartley Rathaway's weapons.[10]
- Leadership: Thawne was able to effectively lead Team Flash during their first year of operating, as well as the Legion of Doom during their conflict with the Legends of Tomorrow.[cite]
- Manipulation: Thawne was an extremely cunning manipulator, being able to gain the trust of Nora West-Allen to the point where she changed the timeline to free him from prison.[cite]
- Medical Knowledge: Thawne was somewhat knowledgeable in medical procedures, as shown by him being placed in charge of Overgirl's heart transplant.[11]
- Multilingualism: Thawne was able to speak English and Latin as well as read and write in the time language.[cite]
- Science: Thawne was an extremely skilled scientist, being able to recreate the events which gave The Flash his superhuman powers.[cite]
- Tactics: Thawne was an excellent tactician, being able to devise strategies to defeat several metahumans encountered by Team Flash all the while carrying out his own agenda to regain his superhuman abilities.[cite]
- Hand-to-Hand Combat: Thawne was proficient in hand-to-hand combat, being able to fight on par with individuals such as The Flash and Oliver Queen.[cite]
- Knife-Fighting: Thawne was capable of fighting using a knife, as shown when he fought against Ray Palmer.[cite]
- Stick-Fighting: Thawne was capable of fighting which a metal pole, as shown with his fight with Oliver Queen.[cite]
Weaknesses
Current Weaknesses
- Anti-Speedster Rifles: Thawne created a set of rifles which could be used to remove the powers of a speedster. He himself fell victim to these rifles during his conflict with the Legends of Tomorrow.[3]
- Cicada's 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.[12]
- Cold Temperatures: Thawne was weakened by extremely cold temperatures, as shown when he was knocked unconscious by Leonard Snart's cold gun.[cite]
- Irregular Gravity: Thawne was unable to access his superhuman speed whilst exposed to irregular gravity, such as in space or on the Moon.[3]
- Nanites: Thawne's powers were momentarily removed when shot by a nanite arrow by Oliver Queen.[13]
- Positive Tachyons: Positive tachyons were theorized to weaken Thawne's powers due to him producing negative tachyons.[cite]
- Timeline Alternations: Thawne was hunted by the Black Flash after becoming a time remnant due to The Flash's actions in Flashpoint.[14]
Former Weaknesses
- Speed Force Connection Flux: Thawne severely damaged his connection to the Speed Force after travelling back in time and killing Nora Allen[9]
Equipment
Current Equipment
- Appearance-Stealing Cord: Thawne used an appearance-stealing cord to steal the identity of Harrison Wells.[15]
- Pager: Thawne wore a futuristic watch-like pager to indicate whenever the Black Flash is nearby.[14]
- 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.[9]
- Reverse-Flash Ring: Thawne stored the Reverse-Flash suit in a golden-yellow ring.[9]
Former Equipment
- Biomolecular Enhancer: Thawne presented a biomolecular enhancer to the Nazis as a bargaining chip for the Askaran Amulet.[16]
- Gideon: Thawne used a futuristic A.I. called Gideon to assist him in his war with The Flash.[17]
- Spear of Destiny: Thawne possessed the Spear of Destiny, a Biblical relic which had the power to warp reality.[18]
- Tachyon Prototype: 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.[5]
- Time Sphere: Thawne possessed a time machine which allowed him to return to his own time period.[1]
- Wheelchair: Thawne used a wheelchair while pretending to be Harrison Wells to hide his true identity from Team Flash.[19]
Appearances
Notes
In-Universe
- Thawne is a fan of the Back to the Future franchise[20] and Ghostbusters[21] It is also implied that he has seen It's a Wonderful Life.[22]
- Thawne has never watched a film directed by Buster Keaton.[23]
- Thawne wore dark-framed glasses whilst impersonating Harrison Wells despite the former wearing translucent-framed glasses.
- Thawne appears in a flashback in a deleted scene from The Trap in which he tells Caitlin Snow that he doesn't 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.[1] He is also fond of curly fries.[22]
- Thawne claims to have been a match for The Flash's speed in 2024.[1]
- 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 wasn't necessary.[24]
- Team Flash had a habit of referring to Thawne as Wells even after he was revealed as an imposter.
- Thawne despises guns,[2] which is ironic since he invented the anti-speedster rifles.[3]
- 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
- 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
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Eobard Thawne
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Harrison Wells
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Reverse-Flash
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Dark Flash
Promotional Images
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"Is he fast enough to change time?"
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Crisis on Earth-X Comic Book Cover
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References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Fast Enough
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Grodd Lives
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Moonshot
- ↑ Potential Energy
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 The Reverse-Flash Returns
- ↑ Snow Pack
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Godspeed
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Rogue Time
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 The Man in the Yellow Suit
- ↑ The Sound and the Fury
- ↑ Crisis on Earth-X, Part 3
- ↑ The Girl with the Red Lightning
- ↑ Rogue Air
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 The Legion of Doom
- ↑ Tricksters
- ↑ The Justice Society of America
- ↑ Who Is Harrison Wells?
- ↑ The Chicago Way
- ↑ Pilot (The Flash: 2014)
- ↑ Fallout (The Flash)
- ↑ Revenge of the Rogues
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 Flashpoint
- ↑ Out of Time (The Flash)
- ↑ Tom Cavanagh Interview
| Other versions of Eobard Thawne | |||||||||||||||||||
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