After Batman, the Flash is considered to have the best rogues' gallery in DC Comics. Where many of Batman's villains are malicious, cruel, and unnerving, the Flash has villains who are more campy and have retained much of their Silver Age charm over the many decades since their creation.
On top of that, many of Flash's rogues have their own moral code. The likes of Captain Cold, Heatwave, and the Trickster are less likely to butcher someone than the Joker, Killer Croc, or the Riddler. Where Batman has a roster of killers to battle, the Flash has a roster of thieves to arrest.
8 Wally West's Rogues Are Just As Creative As Barry Allen's
When someone mentions the Flash's rogues or just, "the Rogues," what comes to mind for a DC fan is generally Captain Cold, Mirror Master, Heatwave, Golden Glider, Weather Wizard, the Trickster, and Captain Boomerang. There's a good reason for this, as each of these villains is iconic in their own right. However, it's unfair to discount Wally West's roster of rogues.
While they aren't as unified as Barry's foes, Wally's villains are fairly competent and creative. The likes of Zoom, Girder, Magenta, Abra Kadabra, the sadistic second Mirror Master, Murmur, and the morally conflicted second Captain Boomerang give Wally's list of villains their own flavor and shouldn't be forgotten.
7 Each Villain Has Their Own Distinct Relationship With The Flash
Flash rogues have their own personal beefs with the Flash. Captain Cold views Barry as an annoying yet worthy adversary. Heatwave would fry the Flash at the first opportunity. Gorilla Grodd sees the Flash as a pest who desperately needs stomping out. Professor Zoom has his unhinged love/hate relationship with Barry Allen.
Zoom thinks Wally could be more than he is. Magenta sees Wally as someone who failed her. These relationships demonstrate how good superhero stories should be written. Heroes and villains need a relationship that is unique. Otherwise, the colorful costumes are just a distraction for a villains roster that could easily blend together.
6 Captain Cold And His Crew Keep The Silver Age Alive
Captain Cold's team has dubbed themselves "the Rogues" or "the Central City Rogues." Their years of failure to beat the Flash have developed a bond between them, and they work together more often than not. This dynamic, as well as their strict moral code (no killing women or children), has made the Rogues one of the best villain teams to come out of the Big Two.
The Rogues moral code also allowed them to keep their Silver Age charm. The Rogues don't want to kill, and they only use murder as an absolute last resort. This has kept them from entering the death spiral of dower darkness, and makes it more significant when they do take a life.
5 The Relationships Between The Rogues
The interpersonal relationships between the different members of the Central City Rogues added to their charm. Captain Cold and Golden Glider were siblings with a complicated history. The first Mirror Master (Sam Scudder) had a relationship with Golden Glider, which made things messy between him, Captain Cold, and Golden Glider.
This is to say nothing of Heatwave's temper, Trickster's prodding antics, or the Weather Wizard's ego. There's also the Rogues' "no speedsters" rule brought about by their violent encounters with both Professor Zoom and Zoom.
4 The Evil Speedsters Each Have Their Own Unique Motivation
To the uninformed observer, the Flash's rogues gallery is saturated with evil men who run fast. This isn't untrue. Professor Zoom, Zoom, Reverse-Flash, Savitar, the Black Flash, and Godspeed comprise a good portion of Flash's core villains. That's to say nothing of the confusing naming conventions. Professor Zoom and Zoom are two different guys, but they both also go by Reverse-Flash. However, there's also a third guy who just goes by Reverse-Flash and never went by Zoom. All of those caveats aside, each of these evil speedsters are worth remembering for their distinct motivations and reasons for hating the Flash.
Eobard Thawne and Hunter Zolomon think they could do a better job than the Flash and want to torment Barry and Wally. Daniel West, aka Reverse-Flash, has a tragic backstory he wants to erase. Savitar is a mysterious figure who has a more religious and spiritual view of the Speed Force and believes himself to be the god of speed. August Heart, aka Godspeed, is a former friend of Barry Allen who believes killing criminals shouldn't be off the table. The Black Flash — essentially the grim reaper of speedsters — is so fast that even a speedster can't outrun him.
3 Eobard Thawne And Hunter Zolomon Are Distinct Approaches To The Same Idea
More than any of the other evil speedsters the Flash frequently clashes with, Eobard Thawne and Hunter Zolomon have truly cut to the core of their rivals. The irony of both dark speedsters is that they were once obsessive fans of their respective Flashes. Thawne is a devoted fan of Barry Allen from the far future who began to resent and hate the Flash after meeting him.
Zolomon was a close friend of Wally West who grew bitter after Wally refused to go back in time and undo the accident that put Zolomon in a wheelchair. These are pretty novel approaches to villain-writing in the superhero scene. They both ultimately approach the same idea of "don't meet your heroes" but make it unique for Barry Allen and Wally West respectively.
2 Daniel West Is A Tragic Figure With An Incredible Costume
Daniel West was the Reverse-Flash for a very short time until he was seemingly killed while on a mission with the Suicide Squad. He only clashed with the Flash once, but he's managed to stick around in the consciousness of the Flash fandom despite his brief existence. Daniel West is a truly tragic figure. The brother of Iris West, his father was a terribly abusive man. Daniel and Iris were separated for a time, and it ruined their friendship.
Daniel blames all of this on his father and started killing individuals touched by the Speed Force to steal their power. He wanted to go back in time and kill his dad so he and Iris could have a better life. Of course, the Flash has to stop this. On top of all of this tragedy, Daniel West has an amazing costume with metal shards that he can (somehow) project as bladed weapons before recalling them to his costume.
1 Gorilla Grodd Is The Best Sinister Simian In Comics
One should never forget Gorilla Grodd when talking about the Flash's rogues. He is a tyrannical gorilla-supremacist from the hidden Gorilla City. Hyper-intelligent and possessing telepathic abilities, Grodd is quite sophisticated and takes pride in his intellect. As great as the likes of Monsieur Mallah, Ultra-Humanite, and Gorilla-Man of the Headmen are, they pale in comparison to Grodd.
Unfortunately, more recent stories have tried to focus on Grodd's more savage side. The arrogant and well-spoken Grodd has been exchanged for a ferocious warlord obsessed with gaining the Flash's speed by eating his brain. This version of Grodd is still fun, but it would be nice to see a return to the more sophisticated Grodd.