Summary
- Not all of the Flash’s villains are irredeemable or psychopathic; some, like Heatwave and Mirror Master, have redeeming qualities and lines they won’t cross.
- Quicksilver, although a rival to the Flash, is still considered a hero in his own world and ultimately fought dirty to defeat the Flash.
- Captain Cold, Pied Piper, and the Shade are among the Flash’s villains who have shown respect for him and have even become allies or redeemed themselves.
The Flash has one of the greatest and most identifiable rogues galleries of any hero. Even the Fastest Man Alive isn’t above being challenged by a zealous antagonist. Whether it’s Jay Garrick, Barry Allen, or Wally West, every version of the Scarlet Speedster has faced off with some truly trying opponents.
But not every villain is completely irredeemable or a downright psychopath. Sure, there are villains like Reverse-Flash, but many of Flash’s other foes have something about them that makes them somewhat likable. Read on to discover 15 of the Flash’s most likable villains.
15 Heatwave
Heatwave, aka Mick Rory, is a member of the Rogues, Flash’s iconic cache of villains. Rory is like most Rogues and prescribes to the ideology set out by his leader, Captain Cold. For all his love of burning things, Rory doesn’t harm women, children, or police officers, and only kills if it’s absolutely necessary. Heatwave always backs up his leader too, as seen in Rogues when he eagerly joins him for one last score.
14 Quicksilver
Yes, Quicksilver is technically an Avenger and a heroic mutant. But he crossed paths with the Flash in the epic DC vs. Marvel crossover and the two speedsters got into a fight. Though Wally was faster than Pietro, Marvel’s fleet-footed hero wound up trouncing the Flash by attacking him when Wally was distracted while saving others. Despite the rivalry and dirty tricks, Quicksilver is still a hero in his own world.
13 Mirror Master
Mirror Master is another Rogue that lives by the code established by Captain Cold. But Evan McCulloch has always been one of the more principled Flash villains. In Animal Man, he flat-out refused to kill Buddy Baker’s wife and children and even assisted the hero in helping track down the man who hired Mirror Master in the first place. McCulloch is in the game for the thrills but knows where to draw the line.
12 Reverse-Flash (New 52)
The New 52 brought a lot of changes to the DC Universe, and for Flash, it meant the creation of a brand-new Reverse-Flash. Daniel West is Iris West’s brother, who wanted to use his powers to mend the broken relationship with his sister. Daniel did a lot of terrible things to accomplish his goals, but in the end, this Reverse-Flash died heroically saving a small village from a bomb in Suicide Squad.
11 Trickster
Axel Walker is another member of the Rogues. As one of its younger members, he’s generally shown to chafe under the strict rules set out by Captain Cold. He’s been kicked off the team numerous times, often leading Trickster to team up with more unscrupulous crews or villains such as the Riddler (as seen in the “Full Stop” arc). However, Trickster always comes back to the people he considers family.
10 Rag Doll
The Golden Age Rag Doll was a monster that went up against the Golden Age Flash. However, his son was a much more personable villain. Peter Merkel, Jr. was a member of the mercenary crew Secret Six. While Rag Doll showed no qualms when it came to killing, he only ever did so when he had to. Most of the time, he was just the team’s goofy everyman who could fit into small spaces.
9 Godspeed
Godspeed is August Heart, a friend of Barry Allen who was blessed with speed after being struck by Speed Force lightning in The Flash #1. However, Heart believed in using his powers to kill criminals, making him a dark reflection of the Flash. While it’s hard to call him a hero, he’s a far cry from someone like the Reverse-Flash, as Heart wants to use his powers to make the world better, just in a more lethal way.
8 Rose/Thorn
Rose and her dual personality Thorn were originally an enemy of Jay Garrick. But like many villains from the Golden Age, she was reinterpreted over the years. Legion of Super-Heroes: Millennium introduces a new version of the character who spends a millennium trying to figure out who she is and where she belongs. In the 31st century, Rose is crucial to the development of the Legion of Super-Heroes.
7 Captain Boomerang
Captain Boomerang is a former Rogue who pretty much became a mainstay member of the Suicide Squad. George ‘Digger’ Harkness is by no means a saint. But he has become a fan-favorite over the years thanks to his smartass, snarky comments and his surprising efficiency with boomerangs. While Captain Cold confirmed in The Flash #2 that he’s not Rogues material, he’s always got a home in the Suicide Squad.
6 Magenta
Magenta is a bit of a tragic character. Frances Kane was Wally West’s girlfriend during his Kid Flash that ultimately became a villain due to a dark alternate persona she developed. Magenta allied herself with several villainous causes, but in the end, she found herself reforming. Frances and Wally were even able to remain friends in the post-Rebirth era in spite of their bitter history.
5 Girder
On the outside, the hulking, twisted metal villain Girder looks pretty intimidating. But on the inside, Tony Woodward is surprisingly nice. In The Flash #41, he helps Barry’s father escape from prison to help Barry and in the following issue, he viciously attacks the Flash in order to protect his grandmother from being charged with abetting a fugitive. He’s prone to violence, but Girder has a good heart somewhere in him.
4 The Shade
The Shade is one of Jay Garrick’s oldest enemies, and the two fought countless times in the elder Flash’s heyday. However, in the same way that Captain Cold and Flash developed an odd bond, Shade found a respect for his speedster antagonist. Shade even saved Garrick and his wife from being killed after Jay had retired from crime-fighting in The Shade #3. The two aren’t best friends, but they’re quite affable in their rivalry.
3 Golden Glider
Golden Glider is Captain Cold’s sister. But make no mistake, she’s her brother’s biggest critic. During the New 52 run of The Flash, Lisa Snart took her brother to task over the poor ways he handled his team. After Cold abandoned his team during Forever Evil, the Rogues voted to install Lisa as their new leader, a duty she took seriously and treated her teammates with respect.
2 Captain Cold
Captain Cold is Flash’s number-one villain. But unlike most hero/villain dynamics, Leonard Snart actually respects his enemy and keeps his Rogues in line to not antagonize Flash. He makes sure his team rarely, if ever, kills and when Central City comes under threat from outside forces, Cold joins Flash to protect it. Snart even made it onto the Justice League, a moment that Barry admitted impressed him in The Flash #32.
1 Pied Piper
The one Flash villain who proved that redemption is possible for Flash’s enemies. Pied Piper used to be a member of the Rogues. But in the Post-Crisis DC Universe, Hartley Rathaway put his criminal life behind him and decided to walk a more heroic path. He became a close ally to Wally West and to this day occasionally helps the Flash Family when they need it.
The Fastest Man Alive has a lot of enemies, many of whom would kill him and not think twice. However, these 15 villains stand out as some of the most likable Flash enemies of all time.
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
