One of The Flash’s Most Underrated Rogues Got a Massive Upgrade to Justice League Villain That Nobody Saw

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Every superhero needs compelling villains, and The Flash has one of the most diverse and unusual collections in DC Comics. The Flash’s enemies can be surprisingly inconsistent – sometimes they’re formidable and brilliant, and other times they’re portrayed as bumbling and harmless. A great example is the Weather Wizard, who can be a major threat in one story and a minor annoyance in the next. Interestingly, the 1997 Justice League of America TV movie, often criticized for its inconsistent power levels, actually gave Weather Wizard a significant and well-reasoned power boost.

Superhero stories often face a challenge: as they get longer, it becomes difficult to create meaningful character development and compelling conflicts. A common result is heroes effortlessly defeating villains they once struggled with, simply to show how much stronger they’ve become. We see this happen repeatedly – from the climactic battles in X-Men and X-Men: Apocalypse taking place in increasingly absurd locations, to Superman refraining from fighting in his original movie and immediately mastering his powers in later installments. Even in The Flash, a recurring villain like Weather Wizard was easily defeated after years of posing a threat. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing – it’s a way to keep the action exciting and remind viewers of the hero’s progress. The 1997 Justice League of America TV movie offers a good example. While most of the team were already established heroes, it cleverly upgraded the Weather Wizard, giving him a more significant role. This approach was surprisingly innovative for its time, and could offer valuable lessons for James Gunn’s new DC Universe.

What Was the 1997 Television Version of Justice League, and Why Has It Disappeared?

I remember when the comic book craze of the ’90s started to slow down – even the big companies were having a tough time. One bright spot was Grant Morrison’s JLA series in 1997. After years of so many different Justice League teams popping up in various books, JLA brought everything back to the core group of DC’s biggest heroes. What I really appreciated was how Morrison subtly updated their relationships, while still keeping them recognizable. The TV show that followed tried to recapture that magic, but they went in a totally different direction. They introduced a team of young, ’90s-style characters trying to be cool and edgy, but honestly, they barely resembled their comic book counterparts. They felt more like they were trying to fit into typical TV tropes of the time. While that approach definitely hurt the show, I think the limited technology and budget actually led to a surprisingly creative take on the Weather Wizard. It was a weird time, but I still have fond memories of it.

The show faced some limitations. For example, David Ogden Stiers played Martian Manhunter, but only appeared in a few scenes. While Michelle Hurd as Fire and Kim Oja as Ice were important in Justice League International, they weren’t well-known to most viewers. The series also couldn’t include popular heroes like Superman, Wonder Woman, or Batman. Kenny Johnson played the Flash, but his character was a bit of a slacker, unable to hold down a job or maintain a relationship. Matthew Settle portrayed Green Lantern, and the cast included a young David Krumholtz as a teenager with a crush on Fire. The late Miguel Ferrar played the villain.

Had the Justice League of America TV movie been picked up for a couple of seasons, it likely would be remembered as one of the best superhero shows ever made. The use of powers and the development of relationships between characters would have likely gotten better over time. Despite its flaws, the 1997 movie stands out from other shows of its era, like Marvel’s Generation X. The heroes wore costumes very similar to their comic book appearances, and the show didn’t rely on irony or campy humor. In a way, it foreshadowed the approach Marvel Studios would later take, treating the source material seriously and letting humor come naturally from the characters and situations. While Justice League of America wasn’t a success and its special effects weren’t great even for the 90s, it did something better than many modern superhero productions.

Justice League of America Reimagined Weather Wizard as a Disgruntled Scientist

It’s surprising that Weather Wizard first appeared on screen in the 1979 show Legends of the Superheroes, which shows how well-known he was as one of the Flash’s enemies. By the time the 1997 Justice League of America series came around, the character might have felt a little old-fashioned, so producers updated him. They created Dr. Eno, a scientist who used a high-tech device to control the weather as a weapon, rebranding him as “The Weatherman.” Interestingly, as the only villain in that series, most of the action scenes focused on the heroes simply saving people – something they didn’t get to do as often due to increasingly powerful threats. The rest of the League spent their time investigating clues and building relationships.

Doctor Eno wasn’t evil, just a frustrated scientist who felt overlooked and underpaid. Unlike villains who naturally control the weather or use magic, Eno relied on a device that simply created storms – and wasn’t even very precise in its control. The name ‘Weatherman’ actually fits perfectly, as that’s all he could really do: summon large, destructive storms. The Justice League could easily stop these storms, and if they knew Eno was behind them, they could have apprehended him immediately. He wasn’t a super-powered criminal, just a knowledgeable man with advanced technology. The heroes weren’t fighting criminals, they were battling the forces of nature itself.

Villains like Weather Wizard in The Flash often have powers that are far too strong. To make stories believable, writers usually limit those powers – maybe they can’t use them for very long, or their range is restricted. Otherwise, a character could easily cause massive destruction. Interestingly, Justice League of America did the opposite with Weather Wizard, turning him into the Weatherman but reducing his power. This is unusual, as villains typically become more powerful over time. In some ways, this villain is more similar to Lex Luthor or the Joker. He isn’t physically strong or invulnerable, and he doesn’t rely on overwhelming power. Instead, his plan is a real and dangerous threat, and the heroes must overcome obstacles that aren’t about huge battles or superpowers.

We’re in a new era of comic book adaptations, but stories like the one told in the 1997 Justice League of America TV movie remain unusual. Studios investing huge sums of money usually avoid taking big risks. However, this movie did just that. Instead of focusing on typical superhero battles, the Justice League used their powers for rescue missions, disaster relief, and crime prevention. The Weather Wizard, reimagined as a more complex character, was particularly well-suited to this approach – he wasn’t a world-ending villain, but he wasn’t a hero either. While Doctor Eno wasn’t a match for the entire League, stopping his storms required everything they had. Likely a product of budget constraints, this largely forgotten TV movie offered a rare glimpse of superheroes dealing with everyday problems – something viewers don’t often see, even now.

You can watch all of The Flash on Netflix, but the 1997 Justice League of America TV movie isn’t available to stream or buy anywhere officially.

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2025-11-09 04:10