The Flash: Who is the Reverse-Flash?

This article contains potential spoilers for The Flash TV series and several comic book storylines.

Since the first episode of The Flash, fans have been teased with the question of “who is the man in the yellow suit?” Comic book fans know him as the Reverse-Flash, a character who has plagued DC Comics speedsters for decades. While there are plenty of reasons to believe that The Flash is taking a rather direct approach to the identity of the Reverse-Flash, it might not quite be as simple as we expect, if only because it’s too easy.

And, as you're about to find out, absolutely nothing is easy when it comes to the Reverse-Flash.

Trying to untangle the intricacies of Reverse-Flash history would really be a pointlessly confusing task. But it looks like The Flash is taking elements from two distinct incarnations of the Reverse-Flash and either combining them into this “man in the yellow suit” we’ve already seen in action, and/or spreading them out across multiple characters.

Buckle up...

The original "man in the yellow suit" was Eobard Thawne, who became Professor Zoom, the Reverse-Flash. Thawne was a man from the future who got himself some super speed and a snazzy suit (don't ask how, just go with it) and became obsessed with Barry Allen and came back in time to bedevil him. To virtually nobody's surprise, Harrison Wells has now been revealed as the Reverse-Flash, and he certainly has a bit of a Barry Allen obsession. Fans have speculated that Wells is actually a version of Barry from the future, something which probably won't come to pass, but the Professor Zoom of the comics did become so obsessed with Barry that he had plastic surgery to resemble him more.

Now, there's one catch here, there's already a certain E. Thawne on the show, but we'll get to him in a minute. First, let's get back to this Professor Zoom fella.

Keep in mind that Flashexecutive producer Geoff Johns added a major component to Flash and Reverse-Flash mythology when he wrote The Flash: Rebirth, a comic series that first revealed Barry's troubled past. Who killed Nora Allen in that comic? That would be Professor Zoom. Since the opening moments of The Flash TV series felt like a fairly direct adaptation of this concept, right down to Barry's Dad getting marched out of there in handcuffs as the prime suspect, I'm willing to believe that's where we're going here.

Before Professor Zoom took on the "Joe Chill" role in Flash's history (where are my Batman fans?),  the character's greatest achievement was the murder of Iris West, something which makes the final moment of "The Flash is Born" all the more chilling. Shortly before Barry and Iris were to be married, Zoom murdered Iris with a super speed blow to the brain, and years later he intended to do it again when Barry was getting ready to marry Fiona Webb. While trying to stop Zoom, Barry accidentally killed him. This kicked off what is arguably the greatest storyline in Flash’s history, “The Trial of The Flash,” a two-year long exploration of Flash's manslaughter trial.

"The Trial of the Flash" felt wildly out of place, especially in a DC Comic, upon its publication in the early ‘80s, but in hindsight it was actually kind of ahead of its time. I'm willing to wax endlessly about how excellent it is and why it really deserves a more prestigious place in the role call of mid-80s superhero comics that helped move the genre forward, but I've got my hands full trying to explain this whole "man in the yellow suit" thing. I promise to get to it in a future article, though.

In all likelihood, the Reverse-Flash we're currently dealing with on the show is some version of the Eobard Thawne/Professor Zoom version of the character. That doesn't clear up the Eddie Thawne issue, but I'm trying to get to that. Y'see there's also another Reverse-Flash, inspired by the deeds of Professor Zoom. This one was a cop...but not Eddie Thawne. Confused yet? Good. It means you're human and you haven't read too many comic books like I have.

Anyway, this police officer, Hunter Zolomon, found himself disabled thanks to supervillain activity in the area, and blamed Flash (Wally West) for not going back in time to stop it from happening. Without getting into too many details, Zolomon ends up with powers, although he isn't a traditional speedster. Instead, he kind of manipulates how he moves through time, so he may as well be moving at super speed. Well, the guy who murdered Nora Allen and threatened Joe and Iris West doesn't seem to have any trouble moving through time, right? Uh-oh...

So, talk about a switch! The show has given us a prominent Flash name with “Thawne” on a character who appears to be nothing more than an ordinary (albeit talented) police officer. But meanwhile, Eddie Thawne Eddie is already been annoyed with the Flash, Barry is making heart eyes at his girlfriend, and he really looks like he's up to no good in this trailer for upcoming episodes. He also doesn't seem like a bright enough bulb to be a time-traveler.

Zoom (no Professor for Zolomon, as he clearly didn't finish evil graduate school) had a disturbing MO, as well. By creating personal tragedies for Wally West, he figured he was helping the Flash become a better hero. Well, in theory, if Nora Allen lives, Barry doesn't necessarily have the drive to become a police officer, and in turn, a hero. So killing Nora Allen could be considered a "personal tragedy" that could create a hero, right? Well, yes, but again, in the comics it was the OTHER Zoom who did this, not Hunter Zolomon. 

Oh, and who else do we know that's pretty insistent on making sure the Flash is all the hero he can be? That would be Harrison Wells, the guy who we already know is wearing yellow tights. If this article gets any more convoluted, I'll give you three guesses which finger I'm pointing at him. And yes, I'm aware that killing the Flash's potential wives also falls under the "creating personal tragedies" MO, but Professor Zoom didn't do it because of any twisted logic, he only did it because he clearly got his PHD in being an evil yellow dick.

Grant Gustin has promised that even viewers who think they know everything about the Reverse-Flash will be surprised by the twists this story has waiting for us. But if you're looking for a tiebreaker, keep in mind that Flashexecutive producer Geoff Johns created the non-Professorial version of Zoom, so there's pretty much no doubt that we're going to meet him at some point...just probably not this season.

Look, it's time travel. It's supposed to give you a headache. If it's not, it's doing something wrong.

Mike Cecchini is not from the future and looks terrible in yellow. You can follow him on Twitter at your own risk.