5 Years Ago, The Flash’s Best Villain Disappeared (And He Should Stay Gone Forever)

by

Eobard Thawne, also known as Professor Zoom or the Reverse-Flash, is a hugely popular villain in the DC universe. A lot of this comes from just how unhinged he is. As the fastest villain alive, he’s spent his entire life trying to make the Flash’s life miserable. The Reverse-Flash is remarkably spiteful, going to extreme lengths to make Barry Allen unhappy and uncomfortable – everything from tragic events like the death of Barry’s mother to petty acts like tripping him. His presence always makes stories more compelling.

Despite being a compelling villain, the Reverse-Flash hasn’t appeared in comics for five years, and that was the right decision. His retirement was a powerful and definitive conclusion, providing closure for both his story and Barry Allen’s time as the main Flash. This happened in the “Finish Line” storyline, which marked the end of Joshua Williamson’s impressive 101-issue run on The Flash (2016).

The Race to End Them All

“Finish Line” marked the exciting conclusion of Williamson’s run on the series, aiming to resolve the long-standing conflict between Barry and Thawne. Throughout the story, Reverse-Flash had relentlessly tormented Barry, infecting him with the Negative Speed Force and using his powers of hypnosis to manipulate Barry and those he cared about. Thawne wanted to escalate their feud, but Barry was determined to end it permanently, even if that meant killing Thawne again, something he’d done before.

Reverse-Flash assembled a team of all the Flash’s greatest enemies, calling them the Legion of Zoom, with the goal of finally defeating the Scarlet Speedster. At the same time, Barry attempted to isolate his loved ones, determined to confront and defeat Thawne alone – wanting the conflict to remain a personal one. Their rivalry escalated to a deeply personal level, and surprisingly, Thawne desperately wanted Barry to be the one to end his life, understanding the devastating impact it would have on Barry, and seeing little value in his own survival.

Barry Allen, also known as The Flash, had previously killed Eobard Thawne to save his wife. While Thawne stayed dead for a while, he later became linked to a powerful force called the Negative Speed Force, essentially making him a time paradox that couldn’t be permanently destroyed. Barry understood that simply killing Thawne wouldn’t solve anything, as he would just return to haunt him. He ultimately chose to forgive Thawne and used his connection to the Speed Force to firmly place him back into the timeline. This reset Thawne’s history, turning him into the curator of the Flash Museum in the future, where he has remained ever since.

The Race to Forgiveness

The final confrontation with Eobard Thawne is so impactful because it brings both his story and Barry’s to a satisfying conclusion. Thawne had been consumed by bitterness and spite ever since he felt betrayed by Barry. Though Barry repeatedly attempted to end their conflict and move on with his life, Thawne always pulled him back into their feud, constantly sabotaging Barry’s happiness and restarting their endless battle. Barry couldn’t find lasting peace because Thawne was inextricably linked to his life, and the problem wasn’t just about Barry’s own struggles.

Thawne’s intense hatred stemmed from an all-consuming obsession with Barry. He desperately wanted a connection with Barry, but when he couldn’t achieve heroism like his idol, he instead became Barry’s greatest enemy. This obsession spanned across time, relentlessly tying Thawne to the Flash. Barry eventually understood that defeating Thawne through violence would only fulfill Thawne’s desires. The only true path to saving them both was through forgiveness – by demonstrating the very heroism that had initially driven Thawne.

The Flash defeated Reverse-Flash not through power, but by embodying true heroism, ironically giving Thawne the fulfilling life he’d rejected years before. This brought a definitive end to Thawne’s arc and provided a fitting parallel to Barry’s own journey. While Barry continued his heroic work, Wally West once again took on the mantle of the main Flash. The storyline completed a full circle, stemming from Thawne’s actions in The Flash: Rebirth that brought Barry back to life, allowing both characters to finally break free from the connection that bound them. Any further appearances by Thawne would undermine his established character development and diminish the impact of this conclusion.

What do you think? Leave a Comment below and join the conversation in the ComicBook Forum!

https://comicbook.com/comics/list/10-fastest-characters-in-marvel-comics-who-could-rival-the-flash/embed/#

Read More

2025-12-14 17:16