A Superhero With No Powers Made The Flash Look Bad in His Biggest Arrowverse Battle

Rivalries make the superhero world go round. There’s no Batman without The Joker, and there’s no Superman without Lex Luthor. Unfortunately, not every DC franchise gets to utilize those iconic characters. The Arrowverse, in particular, has to make do with what it’s got, building its franchise around characters that aren’t exactly on the front of every poster. The one silver lining is that The CW’s various shows get to create new rivalries that wouldn’t exist elsewhere. Oliver Queen spends years under Slade Wilson’s wing, only to have to face off against his former mentor when he resurfaces as Deathstroke. The Green Arrow’s friend, The Flash, has an even worse go of it, though.

Before Barry Allen even gets through middle school, he already has a rival because a mysterious speedster breaks into his house and kills his mother. Barry spends well over a decade trying to uncover more about that night, and it comes to light that Harrison Wells, aka Eobard Thawne, is behind the whole thing. The Flash learns all about his nemesis from the future, Reverse-Flash, but he doesn’t push him as hard as another Arrowverse hero who always proves to be a thorn in the villain’s side.

Ray Palmer Gets the Better of Reverse-Flash Before They Even Meet

As Barry begins to suspect that Wells is the “Man in Yellow” in The Flash Season 1, he catches his allies up to speed. Joe West is on board from the start, while Cisco Ramon and Caitlin Snow need some convincing because they’ve worked for Wells for years. When the evidence becomes too hard to ignore, however, Team Flash begins to devise a plan to take on Reverse-Flash. Barry realizes that his strength comes from his friends, so he reaches out to two pretty formidable ones for help. When the villain shows up outside of S.T.A.R. Labs, The Flash goes out to confront him and brings Firestorm and the Arrow with him. Of course, there’s not much a man with a bow can do against a speedster, but Oliver has a trick up his sleeve.

When the fight starts, Oliver hits Reverse-Flash with an arrow that puts nanites in his bloodstream. The tiny devices, courtesy of Ray Palmer, prevent the villain from using his speed. Oliver siezes the opportunity and lands some hits, and while he doesn’t put down Reverse-Flash for good, he reveals that he isn’t untouchable. And Thawne clearly doesn’t pay close enough attention because he underestimates Palmer the next time they cross paths in Legends of Tomorrow.

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The Legion of Doom Can’t Put Ray Palmer Down for Good

Joining the Legends allows Palmer to embrace his dream of making the world a better place. After dealing with Vandal Savage, the team turns its attention to the Legion of Doom, comprised of Thawne, Damien Darhk, and Malcolm Merlyn, who are searching for the Spear of Destiny. Thawne’s ultimate goal is to secure his place on the timeline because he’s being hunted by the Black Flash, who knows the speedster doesn’t belong. The mission takes the Legion to the moon, where one piece of the Spear is hiding. Palmer, in his Atom suit, shrinks down to confront Thawne, but the two get stuck in a shuttle together and need to find a way to get back to Earth. It takes both of their big brains to get the job done, and Thawne even throws a few compliments Palmer’s way as they work.

Unfortunately, that positive attitude doesn’t stick around forever because, during a conflict in the past, Thawne rips out Palmer’s heart, shocking his teammates. Time travel shenanigans rear their ugly head again, though, allowing Palmer to survive and the Black Flash to catch up to his target. Unlike Barry, who can never seem to get rid of his rival, Palmer takes care of Reverse-Flash and does it without superpowers. Thawne will probably never admit it, but the Atom is the biggest threat to his survival in the Arrowverse, not The Flash and his meddling friends.

The Arrowverse shows, including The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow, are streaming on Netflix.

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