Despite multiple delays and the controversy surrounding its lead star, The Flash has remained on track for its June 16, 2023, release date. Meanwhile, since the film’s official trailer dropped, anticipation has been rising for the return of Michael Keaton’s Batman and the debut of Sasha Calle’s Supergirl. Additionally, given how highly the film has been praised by Warner Bros. executives despite Ezra Miller’s legal troubles, we’re hoping it’s hiding a few more surprises.
So far, it has been confirmed that Man of Steel‘s Michael Shannon and Antje Traue are reprising their roles as alternate versions of General Zod and Faora-UI. While it will be exciting to see them return, there have been rumors that a new mystery villain may also be lurking in the film. Merchandise seems to have confirmed that some evil variant of the Flash could show up. But there are lots of Flash enemies from DC Comics that The Flash could incorporate into its flexible multiverse premise. Here are the 10 villains we want to see the most in The Flash.
Reverse-Flash
Eobard Thawne, a.k.a. Reverse-Flash, has long been rumored to be appearing in The Flash, as he is deeply connected to the Flashpoint storyline. In the comics, Thawne killed Barry Allen’s mother, resulting in Allen going back in time to prevent the incident and accidentally creating the Flashpoint timeline. The Flash‘s plot is strikingly similar to this storyline, meaning there’s a chance that Reverse-Flash is the film’s real villain. Some theories even suggest that the mysterious alternate Barry Allen (also played by Miller) seen in the film could be its adaptation of Reverse-Flash. Ultimately, he’s one of The Flash’s most iconic villains, and the film has created the perfect premise for his debut.
Zoom
Hunter Zolomon, who took up the monikers Zoom and Reverse-Flash, was a major villain for Wally West’s Flash and an occasional foe of Allen. His life was riddled with tragedy, including his father being a serial killer and Zolomon suffering a near-fatal attack from Gorilla Grodd. When West refused to go back in time to prevent such tragedies, Zolomon decided to do it himself and also vowed to make West suffer. While attempting to time travel, he gained the unique ability to control time around him, giving him the appearance of superhuman speed when slowing time down. He has unique superspeed skills and a very complex backstory that would make him an intriguing addition to The Flash.
Dark Flash
Ahead of The Flash‘s release, several action figures inspired by the film were unveiled. One mysterious figure bears a resemblance to Dark Flash, leading some to suspect he could be the secret villain of the film. In the comics, Dark Flash was an alternate version of Wally West who failed to save his wife Linda from an attack by Zoom. He was a fairly complex character, given that he wasn’t strictly a villain, but later became more of an anti-hero and even joined the Justice League in the Flash’s place. If he is introduced in The Flash, there would be an opportunity for him to show up later in the DC Universe, as well.
Black Flash
The mysterious action figure mentioned above could also be Black Flash instead of Dark Flash. Black Flash is one of the most terrifying and mysterious Flash variants. He is described as the “grim reaper” of speedsters and appears before the deaths of Flashes to return them to the Speed Force. His identity is unknown, though in some iterations Bart Allen or Barry Allen became the Dark Flash. Fortunately, his appearance doesn’t always mean death, as some speedsters have managed to escape him. With his mysterious nature and limited comic book history, the film could really turn him into whatever it wants him to be, whether that be a Grim Reaper or a more villainous character.
Captain Cold
Leonard Snart (a.k.a. Captain Cold) is one of the Flash’s most iconic non-Speedster villains. While DC reboot The New 52 temporarily gave him ice powers as a metahuman, he is most often depicted as a human with no intrinsic powers. Instead, his powers come from a sophisticated ice gun that can freeze anything it touches and create a cold field capable of reducing the Flash’s speed significantly. He is described as the only DC villain to have mastered “absolute zero,” putting him above even Mr. Freeze. Captain Cold became one of the Flash’s most formidable foes purely through ingenuity and wit, making him a complex and impressive villain for The Flash to debut.
The Rogues
Speaking of Captain Cold, we’d like to see the entire villainous team he formed, the Rogues, combat the Flash. The team was led by Snart and included his sister, the Golden Glider, as well as the villains Mirror Master, Heat Wave, Weather Wizard, and Trickster. The group ended up together by chance after they were released from prison at the same time. However, they functioned very well as a team, even earning the respect of the Flash for their formidability as they combined wit and strategy with technology to succeed. Meanwhile, with the alternate universe in The Flash film being one where metahumans don’t exist, the Rogues would make a great villainous team considering they are typically depicted as humans without intrinsic powers.
Trickster
Several characters have taken up the moniker Trickster in the DC Universe over the years, but James Jesse and Axel Walker are the two most popular incarnations. Jesse was the first incarnation of the Trickster, an acrobat who used gag gadgets and a pair of flying shoes to commit his crimes. Later, Walker inherited the Trickster’s flying shoes and took up the villain’s mantle. Trickster is frequently compared to the Joker, though he’s a much more silly than the clown prince of crime in the comics. However, he could add some comic relief to The Flash and would definitely fit well with the oddness of an alternative universe.
Gorilla Grodd
Gorilla Grodd is one of the Flash’s most unusual villains. He’s neither human nor a metahuman, but a gorilla with genius-level intellect and telepathic powers, including mind control. Grodd and his fellow gorillas were imbued with super-intelligence after being exposed to radioactive material. They used their intelligence to create Gorilla City, but Grodd soon overtook the city and sought to conquer the rest of the world, as well. This put him in conflict with the Flash and led to him often losing his grip on Gorilla City. His goal of conquering always remained regardless of what universe he was in, making him a versatile villain who could show up and wreak havoc in The Flash.
The Red Death
The Red Death is an alternate version of Bruce Wayne who defeated the Flash and absorbed his powers. He became a speedster known as Batman: The Red Death. Wayne initially did this as a desperate move to save his deteriorating home world. When this plan failed, he joined the Dark Knights in their quest to conquer the multiverse instead. While Michael Keaton will be playing an alternate version of Batman in The Flash, some are speculating that multiple Batmans and Flashes could turn up in the film. If so, Red Death would be perfect to debut as a mixture of Batman and the Flash that captures both their fears and darker instincts.
Johnny Quick
Johnny Quick from Earth-Three was a supervillain born with super-speed who later utilized a helmet to enhance his powers even further. He formed the powerful Crime Syndicate of America that sought to conquer the world and fought alternate versions of the Justice League and Justice Society of America (JSA). What’s particularly interesting about Quick is that he and his Crime Syndicate were the only superpowered beings on Earth-Three. While The Flash‘s alternate universe doesn’t include metahumans, perhaps Quick and an evil version of the JSA could be the exception to that, as they are in the comics.
(featured image: DC Comics)
