The Reverse-Flash has been terrorizing the Flash since the Silver Age. His death in the early ’80s stuck for many years, but one day a writer named Geoff Johns came along and changed the Flash’s lore forever. Even before Reverse-Flash’s return in The Flash: Rebirth, Johns was squeezing Eobard Thawne and his legacy into stories and he’s become a massively important DC villain.
Over the decades, Reverse Flash has starred in some great stories. He’s become a very different villain over time but his hatred of Barry Allen remains intact. Creators have taken him to new places that have allowed him to join the upper echelons of the supervillain community.
10 Flashpoint
Flashpoint blasted the Flash mythos, and the DC Multiverse, into the New 52. Written by Geoff Johns with art by Andy Kubert, the story focuses on Barry Allen waking up in a completely unfamiliar timeline. Teaming with Thomas Wayne’s Batman and Cyborg, Barry has to figure out how to fix the world and bring it back to normal.
Reverse-Flash doesn’t actually appear very much in Flashpoint but his presence is what makes it great. His appearance in the book’s final issue is easily the best part of the story, as he lays out the reasons why the world changed so radically. Flashpoint is a controversial story for many reasons, but Reverse-Flash makes it worth reading.
9 The Flash: Rogue War
Reverse-Flash didn’t appear very much during Wally West’s time as the Flash, but he had two memorable stories. In The Flash: Rogue War, by writer Geoff Johns and artist Howard Porter, the Rogues implode and begin fighting among themselves. Zoom decides to bring Reverse-Flash back from the past to help him finally destroy Wally West.
Rogue War was a shock for readers and seemingly a dream come true for Johns, who would soon establish the Reverse-Flash as one of the greats. Reverse-Flash isn’t in much of the story, but when he does show up, it kicks the story into its next gear. The Rogues are the appeal here, but Reverse-Flash makes the story memorable.
8 The Flash #756
Reverse-Flash was a one-villain-show after his return to life. His vendetta against Barry was his focus, but being defeated so many times changed his lone-wolf streak. The Flash #756, by writer Joshua Williamson and artist Christian Duce, sees Thawne commit to the idea that there’s strength in numbers.
This prelude to Williamson’s final Flash story, Finish Line, sees Reverse-Flash bringing together the Legion of Zoom but has a twist. Instead of just going and grabbing predictable villains, Thawne decides to go to the future and bring the Tornado Twins, Barry’s grandchildren, into the Legion. It’s a nice surprise and shows just how cruel Reverse-Flash can be.
7 The Flash: Finish Line
Writer John Williamson scored the longest uninterrupted run writing The Flash and finished off his run on the series with a banger. Joined by artist Howard Porter, The Flash: Finish Line chronicles how Reverse-Flash gathered a group of Flash’s worst enemies – the Legion of Zoom – and brought the fight to the Flash Family. However, in this tale he doesn’t just want to destroy the Flash, he wants to become him.
Finish Line sees Reverse-Flash truly come into his own as in the DC villain community, leading his own team of villains against his hated rival. Williamson wrote an amazing Eobard Thawne, and this story shows that off. It’s peak Reverse-Flash.
6 The Flash #139
The Flash #139 is a legendary comic, one of the best Silver Age Flash stories. On its surface, it’s a pretty standard Silver Age Flash story, as Flash travels to the future to stop a time capsule from destroying Central City in the future. However, the first appearance of Reverse-Flash elevates this story to unexpected heights.
In “Menace of the Reverse-Flash,” Eobard Thawne gets his hands on a Flash costume that was in the time capsule, and gains powers from it, becoming Professor Zoom in the process. It was the beginning of a legend and writer John Broome and artist Carmine Infantino were at the top of their games here. It’s a very different Reverse-Flash from today, but the DNA is there.
5 Batman/The Flash: The Button
Batman and the Flash make a great team, and they’ve enjoyed some great crossovers. Batman/The Flash: The Button, by writers Joshua Williamson and Tom King and artists Jason Fabok and Howard Porter, was meant to be a big deal. It set up Doomsday Clock by having Batman investigate the Comedian’s blood-stained smiley face, but it kicked off with a fight between the Caped Crusader and Reverse-Flash.
The Button gets a bad rep because of its connection to the unpopular Doomsday Clock, but it’s an awesome Reverse-Flash story. The opening fight between the Dark Knight and Reverse Flash is worth the price of admission alone. Itgrabs readers right away and never lets them go.
4 The Flash: The Flash Age
DC Rebirth gave readers some great runs, as writer Joshua Williamson started his landmark Flash run. He impressed fans right away by writing outside the box. The Flash: The Flash Age, with artists Howard Porter and Rafa Sandoval, had Barry Allen battle a new villain, Paradox, and he needed some major help.
In The Flash Age, Barry turned to Reverse-Flash for assistance and fans got to see their unexpected team-up. Putting Barry Allen and Reverse-Flash together gave readers a huge shock to the system. Reverse-Flash stories can get pretty same-y but pairing Flash with his greatest foe this way was unprecedented.
3 The Flash (Vol. 3) #8
Writer Geoff Johns made Reverse-Flash a big deal again. He amped the villain up to eleven every chance he got but The Flash (Vol. 3) #8, with artist Scott Kolins stands out. Titled “Reverse-Flash: Rebirth, ” this story was part of the build-up to Flashpoint. Focusing on the villain, it showed his past and how he began to use his time-travel powers to create the timeline he wanted most.
“Reverse-Flash: Rebirth” was kind of a red herring for Flashpoint, leading readers to believe that Reverse-Flash was behind the changes to the timeline in that story. However, that doesn’t mean that it’s a bad story. Johns and Kolins are an amazing team and they gave readers something great here.
2 The Flash #324
Reverse-Flash is completely ruthless. He’s shown that in a million ways over the years, but readers learned how far he’d go when he killed Iris West-Allen. Barry met a new love interest, Fiona, but the Reverse-Flash wasn’t through with Barry’s loved ones. The Flash #324, by writer Cary Bates and artist Carmine Infantino, sees Barry and Eobard locked in their greatest battle.
“The Slayer and the Slain!” is the story where Barry kills Thawne in their super-speed battle where Reverse-Flash tries to execute his plans for a wedding day murder. It’s an extremely important issue in Flash history and showed just how far Reverse-Flash would go to hurt Barry Allen, making it a straight-up classic.
1 The Flash: The Return Of Barry Allen
Wally West’s adventures as the Flash saw him battle many of his uncle’s worst enemies. The Flash: The Return Of Barry Allen, by writer Mark Waid and artist Greg LaRocque, started with Wally believing that Barry had returned to life. However, when the legendary hero turned to evil, Wally realized the terrible truth. Reverse-Flash had been impersonating Barry all along.
The Return of Barry Allen is the best of the best. The twist is amazing but even when readers know it’s coming the story’s brilliant. It brings Wally West to the next level, has the perfect villain, and hooks readers like few other Flash stories.