WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for The Flash #88, by Joshua Williamson, Howard Porter, Hi-Fi and Steve Wands, on sale now.
The newest arc of Flash introduces Paradox, a villain who obtained his powers when the Scarlet Speedster faced off against a time-displaced Turtle in "Flash: Year One." DC has been touting Paradox as a new villain, and this is indeed the first time this version of the character has ever appeared in the DC Universe. However, there was actually a one-off villain in the '90s who used the same name. Here's a breakdown of the original Paradox and how he compares to the Rebirth version.
Paradox first appeared in Mark Waid and Craig Brasfield's The Flash Annual #4. The story itself was part of the "Armageddon 2001" crossover event, which explored possible futures for some of DC's biggest characters. In this particular version of the future, Wally West -- who was Flash at the time following Barry Allen's death during Crisis on Infinite Earths -- aids a woman named Bonnie Blackmon in investigating a secret crime boss named Diogenes. The two get him locked up but are later forced into witness protection due to fear of reprisal.
Years later, Diogenes figures out where Wally, Bonnie and their son -- who is named David -- are living. Diogenes kidnaps David as well as some of Wally West's most important supporting characters from the time: Tina McGee, Jerry McGee and Chester "Chunk" Runk. The crime boss's plan is to lure Wally out of hiding and make him run through a gauntlet of powerful villains before stealing his powers. Among those villains is the original Paradox.
The issue makes pretty clear what Paradox can do early on, as he uses his powers to accelerate the overweight Chunk's metabolism, making him lose an astonishing amount of weight very quickly. Paradox gets his abilities through his staff, which has an hourglass on the end. By scattering the sand inside, he can speed up or slow down time. Paradox uses this ability to great effect in his battle against Flash, at one point using his powers to make it so Wally can't breathe. However, the Scarlet Speedster does eventually prove victorious, and he's able to rescue his son and friends.
The biggest parallel between the two Paradoxes is they have powers related to time. However, that's essentially where the similarities end. The classic Paradox looks like he was a rejected member of KISS. In contrast, the new Paradox is brutal and hulking. This new version of the character's powers are also innate, whereas the Waid/Brasfield iteration relies a lot more on his staff and its sand.
The Waid/Brasfield Paradox also doesn't really have a backstory, and as The Flash Annual #4 took place in an alternate future that never came to pass, the villain didn't return, so he was never fleshed out. Conversely, Flash #88 provides the new Paradox's backstory, and solicitations make clear he'll last at least several more issues, though whether he'll survive past the current run remains to be seen.
When it comes to comics, there are a lot of one-off villains and allies that don't stick around. Still, the new Paradox has been pulling the strings behind the scenes for a very long time, and he's certain to prove one of the hero's deadliest challenges yet. Even if this is Rebirth Paradox's only story, he's going to go down fighting.
The Flash #750 goes on sale March 4 from DC Comics.