5 Great Flash Villains Nobody Talks About

The Flash is a mantle carried by several heroes in DC Comics, including Jay Garrick, Barry Allen, Wally West, and Bart Allen. Over the course of multiple generations, these Scarlet Speedsters have amassed a large and colorful rogues’ gallery. Some of the Flash’s most recognizable villains include the Reverse Flash, Gorilla Grodd, and the Rogues. Still, many other villains have been unfairly sidelined and forgotten by the majority of DC Comics fans. Even if they don’t appear as frequently as some of the Flash’s other adversaries, they remain menacing and compelling villains in their own right, deserving of greater recognition and appreciation.

The Flash has always been known for his vast array of strange and fantastical supervillains. From molten monsters to lethal time-travelers, these are the underdog villains of the Fastest Man Alive.

5) Tar Pit

Joseph Montelone, aka Tar Pit, was a petty crook who ended up in prison, where he eventually discovered he could astrally project into inanimate objects and animate them. Unfortunately, he accidentally got his spirit stuck in asphalt, leaving his real body in a coma with his mind trapped in ever-burning tar. Tar Pit may not be that bright, but he’s still one of the Flash’s physically strongest foes. His hulking, molten body gives him super-strength and a durable, malleable form. He can also burn with a touch and hurl flaming chunks of tar. Like many of the Flash’s rogues, Tar Pit isn’t pure evil, and there are lines he’s unwilling to cross when committing petty crimes, making him a more three-dimensional villain.

4) Griffin

When Bart Allen became the fourth Flash, his first villain was his best friend, Griffin Grey. Griffin was caught in a lab accident that gave him super-strength, agility, and the ability to project energy. With these abilities, Griffin became a superhero, but his recklessness and desire for fame put people in danger. When Griffin discovered that his powers were causing him to age rapidly, he went insane. As his mind devolved, Griffin intentionally destroyed a bridge so that he could swoop in and save people from the disaster he had orchestrated. Bart fought Griffin to stop his rampage. By the end of their battle, Griffin died of old age. Griffin hasn’t reappeared since, but his tragic story about the corrupting influence of power and fame deserves more appreciation.

3) Blacksmith

Many people are familiar with Captain Cold’s version of the Rogues, but another villain made their own deadly version of the Flash supervillain team. Amunet Black, aka Blacksmith, is a cunning and ruthless criminal mastermind in charge of the Network, an underground black market for supervillains in Central and Keystone City. She has the power to infuse metal into her body, giving her enhanced durability and super-strength. Moreover, she can control machines with her mind. To take over Central and Keystone City and destroy Wally West, she created her own team of Rogues. Blacksmith and her Rogues attacked Wally and his allies, defeating them one by one. Ultimately, the Scarlet Speedster bested her, but Blacksmith remains a menacing villain that deserves to make more regular appearances.

2) Turtle

The very first villain Barry Allen ever fought, the Turtle, was originally a joke villain who just moved slowly. However, Rebirth rebooted the character to be Barry’s true antithesis. After being caught in a lab accident, the Turtle became connected to the Still Force, the source of all entropy and inertia. This energy granted the Turtle immortality, super strength, and the ability to negate motion. The Turtle can also drain people of their energy and wants to absorb Barry’s power to become unstoppable. His ability to sense energy allowed him to immediately recognize Barry Allen as the Flash when they first met. His name may be silly, but the Turtle is a genuinely terrifying and powerful adversary of the Flash.

1) Reverse-Flash (Danny West)

While Eobard Thawne is the most popular Reverse-Flash, Danny West still deserves more recognition. The brother of Barry Allen’s girlfriend, Iris West, and the father of Wallace West, the Kid Flash, Danny has a personal connection to the Flash Family that few other villains have. After a freak accident, Daniel gained the ability to time-travel. Fueled by the Speed Force, he began killing people who had a connection to it so that he could absorb their power. As the Reverse-Flash, Daniel attempted to go back in time to kill his abusive father before he could hurt him or Iris. Barry managed to stop Danny’s plan and sent him to jail. Despite Danny’s tragic and compelling motivation, DC unceremoniously and unfairly killed him off when he joined the Suicide Squad.

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