We have always seen the Reverse Flash as the Flash’s biggest arch-nemesis. And rightfully so!! Nobody has been able to get under Barry Allen’s skin the way Eobard Thawne has. But there are some villains who could fill those shoes if given the chance.
Reverse Flash: The Negative Speed Force
The Negative Speed Force is a parasitic dimension of energy that feeds on the energies of the Speed Force Dimension. While the Speed Force gives the users who channel its energies through their body a feeling of warmth and hope, the Negative Speed Force gives out an aura of envy and hatred. It has many other abilities that the Speed Force cannot grant. It allows the Reverse Flash to alter his enemies’ memories, de-age him-self, as well as having a corrupting effect on Speed Force Users. Even the Reverse Flash’s powers are an anti-thesis of the Flash.
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Better Villain: Turtle
Talking about super power antitheses, we give you the Turtle. There are seven different cosmic forces in the universe. The Speed Force is just one of the seven. The Turtle is the Avatar of the Still Force. If the Speed Force is the embodiment of Velocity, the Still Force is the power of Entropy. The Turtle, as its avatar, has powers to slow things down. He can stop someone’s heartbeat and suck someone’s life energy out of their body. The Turtle is also immune to the powers of the Sped Force and can negate Barry’s speed pretty easily.
Reverse Flash: His Obsession with the Flash
Eobard Thawne was the Flash’s biggest fan. He lived in the far future and idolized the adventures of the Scarlet Speedster. He went back in time using a time machine to meet his greatest hero. But after coming to the past, Eobard realized that he was destined to become his hero’s rival and enemy – the Reverse Flash. This revelation broke Thawne, who after gaining the ability of super speed, terrorized the Flash for years. The ultimate goal of the Reverse Flash is to not only defeat the Flash but destroy his personal and professional life and take over the mantle of the Flash. He has come dangerously close to achieving that at times.
Better Villain: Cobalt Blue
Cobalt Blue is Barry Allen’s Twin Brother. His name is Malcolm Thawne and he has the power of the Blue Mystic Flame. This allows him to siphon the powers of his brother to grant him-self super speed and reality manipulation powers. Cobalt Blue harbors a level of obsession and hatred that is almost as wicked as the Reverse Flash’s. Since he is connected to the Flash in ways not even Eobard Thawne is, he could make for a way better villain than the Flash’s yellow suited rival.
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Reverse Flash: He is a Psychopath of Epic Proportions
Eobard Thawne is not just obsessed, he is downright insane. And his insanity goes well beyond his quest to defeat the Flash. Any person unlucky enough to be in his life will forever be tormented by nightmares. After the events of Infinite Crisis, Eobard kills his own family when they become an obstacle in his research. He then falls in love with a reporter, kills all her ex-boyfriends, and then when things still don’t work out, he travels back to the past to torment and haunt her so that the two never meet. The Reverse Flash is an evil SOB.
Better Villain: Captain Cold
Among all the Flash villains in the lost, Captain Cold is the only one we would respect. It is because the man leads the Rogues, a group of Flash Villains, under the banner of a strict moral code. Captain Cold is a calculative man who always manages to stay three steps ahead of the Flash. Cold is the ring leader of Organized Crime in Central City. His rivalry with the Flash is almost as old as the Reverse Flash’s, having been one of the first super villains o have fought the Speedster.
Reverse Flash: Death Cannot Touch Him
The Reverse Flash’s abilities are similar to the Flash but they work differently. The Flash and other Speedsters connected to the Speed Force can travel through time but it is quite difficult for them to traverse the time stream. The Reverse Flash’s Negative Speed Force gives him a more efficient connection to the time stream. He has a more refined time travel ability that is not hindered by time travel mechanics. At any point of time, there will be multiple version of the Reverse Flash jumping to and fro the time stream. So even if the Flash manages to defeat or kill the Reverse Flash, a time remnant version of the Reverse Flash from the past or the future could take his place.
Better Villain: Godspeed
Godspeed is a recent addition to the Flash’s Rogues Gallery. Both share a similar origin story. Both were part of the Police Force of Central City. Like the Flash, Godspeed was bestowed with Speed Force Powers and wanted to make a difference. He also intended to use his powers to fight crime and evil. But unlike the Flash, Godspeed crossed the line, blurring the intentions of his action. In the end, Godspeed turned out to be an extremist, who will readily spill blood to deliver his version of justice to evil doers. Godspeed’s ideological dissimilarities will be a very good point of debate between the two speedsters, who would fight on the ethical boundaries and implications of heroism.
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Reverse Flash: Connected To Barry’s Past
The Reverse Flash is the progenitor of almost all of the woes of Barry Allen. He is responsible for the first ever tragedy in the Flash’s life. It was Eobard Thawne who traveled to the past and killed Barry’s mom, leading to the chain of events which would one day make the feeble forensic scientist an avatar of the Speed Force. A good arch nemesis is connected to the hero’s past. Take for example the Joker. He was one of the Batman’s first failures and now haunts him as a demon from his past forever. The Reverse Flash will always catch up to the Flash not just because he is fast but also because he is connected to his deepest and darkest trauma.
Better Villain: Gorilla Grodd
Gorilla Grodd hails from a hidden, technologically advanced city state called Gorilla City. Grodd is an abomination even in a city of talking, intelligent Gorilla. He is more brilliant, stronger, and more sinister than any other Gorilla. He uses his telepathic powers to fight the Flash and take over Central City. Grodd has been a part of the Legion of Doom and Reverse Flash’s Legion of Zoom. Grodd would be a unique super villain arch nemesis for the Flash on account of his size, strength, and powers when compare to the Flash’s nimbleness, speed, and agility. Apart from the Reverse Flash, Grodd is the only super villain in this list who harbors a deep hatred for the Flash.
