The Flash has one of the most diverse range of rogues in both comics and on the screen. His villains are often bizarre, wacky and almost ridiculous, but they are also incredibly dangerous. Yes, over the years we've seen a wide variety of strange characters, some of which were just as daft as their name suggests; hardly ever causing a real threat to the scarlet speedster.
However, there are some villains in this area of the DC universe that sound absurd but are actually very deadly. They bring all the silliness of a good Flash villain while also actually bringing some dangerous powers to the party. They've teamed up, gone solo and caused all kinds of madness, so here's a look at 10 Flash villains that are darn dangerous despite their ridiculous names.
10 TURTLE
The Turtle is a classic foe of the fastest man alive, as he possesses the exact opposite power set to the scarlet hero. Debuting in All Flash issue 21, Turtle has consistently appeared to thwart the heroics of the Flash and his allies. The name Turtle doesn't exactly spark fear into anyone's heart, as turtles are pretty harmless. However, over the years, he's caused enough destruction to showcase that he is a force to be reckoned with.
Because he can slow down the people around him and even stop bullets, he is a difficult foe for Flash to fight. His super speed can't help him in these situations, and Turtle is pretty tactical in the way in which he operates. We've even recently seen a future where Turtle has actually taken control of Central City demonstrating why he is a real threat to its citizens.
9 FIDDLER
Another All Flash alumni, appearing in issue 32, Fiddler sounds like he should be a member of some kind of music group rather than fighting the Flash. It's not a name that you'd associate with a master criminal, at least not a super-powered one that actually has some real strength to him.
The Fiddler actually has all types of abilities that he uses his violins and fiddles to weaponize. He can do everything from creating force fields and mind control. Some of his violins can even shoot bullets! He'd be a valid threat to any DC superhero.
8 WEATHER WIZARD
Any comic fan will know that a character that can manipulate the weather is actually pretty powerful. However, someone new to this world of heroes and villains might think that Weather Wizard sounds pretty lame. However, with his Weather Wand (which also sounds ridiculous), he's capable of causing some real damage!
First appearing in The Flash issue 110, Weather Wizard has been a pretty consistent foe, being brought back countless times and even becoming a member of the Rogues. He's become even more powerful when advanced technology meant that he no longer had to use his wand to control the weather, being able to actually do so with his mind!
7 THINKER
Thinking doesn't sound very threatening, does it? In truth, The Thinker is a particularly dangerous Flash villain who has advanced intelligence which he can use in all sorts of very lethal ways. Whether he's producing some vicious inventions or is using his incredible tactical abilities, he's always one step ahead.
His appearance in All Flash issue 12 set him up to be a very powerful supervillain and his reccurring plots over the years show us that just because he's doing a lot of thinking, it doesn't mean he's not also a man of action! He's the smartest villain in any room (unless that room also contains Lex Luthor)!
6 TOP
The Thinker is a silly name that's pretty hard to beat, but we're sure that Top can... top it. You probably think of a toy rather than a homicidal maniac, yet, despite the ridiculous costume he wears, Top's powers are actually ones that you need to watch out for!
The Flash issue 122 saw the first emergence of Top as he sought to terrorize Central City. Although his name is pretty silly, it's actually resulted in quite a diverse set of abilities. His main function is to... spin really really fast, but this has developed into super intelligence and even psychic abilities. Of course, any villain needs a gimmick and his weaponized tops are also there to get the job done.
5 GOLDEN GLIDER
The sister to Captain Cold, Golden Glider sounds pretty harmless. It's almost as if she's an Olympic snowboarder rather than any kind of criminal. Names can be deceiving, though, and Golden Glider is one of the most notorious characters for criminal activity.
Funnily enough, Golden Glider is in fact an Olympian, although a figure skater rather than a snowboarder. However, with some interesting technology, she can actually skate on any surface, making her incredibly agile. In the new 52, her powers have been increased to be able to phase and she can move at even faster speeds. She's come a long way since her debut in issue 25 of The Flash and shouldn't be underestimated just because of a silly name.
4 RAINBOW RAIDER
Rainbow Raider takes it to another level, carrying on where Golden Glider left off. Rainbows may just be one of the least threatening things in the universe. They've been used in comics in the past to be a way of transporting people, rather than causing any kind of danger.
The look and the name mean nothing, though, in comparison to what he can actually do! The Flash issue 286 saw the first appearance of this crook and showed us that a manipulation of rainbows can actually be pretty dangerous. Whether he's sliding across them or using them as weapons, you don't want to have to face the Raider.
3 DOUBLE DOWN
To a non-DC fan, Double Down doesn't really mean all that much. To most people the phrase's basic definition is to work harder. For DC, this is a gambling term, however, as it fits the character that the name belongs to. A man of the casinos and a meta-human with the ability to use cards as weapons, he still doesn't sound too threatening.
However, he's so skilled, so precise and so dangerous that he's made the man of steel bleed! His first appearance is in Flash: Iron Heights in 2001, which makes him a relatively new villain. In that short time, though, he's shown why he may sound stupid but he certainly shouldn't be underestimated.
2 CAPTAIN BOOMERANG
It seems like a tradition at this point to make fun of both the name and gimmick of Captain Boomerang. Despite his over-the-top design and silly nature, the character has been a mainstay in the scarlet speedster's rogues gallery and is one of the most dangerous villains that the speedster has ever had to face.
He found his first fight in Flash issue 117 and has had many more with the masked hero ever since. The boomerangs that he creates and controls are so deadly that they have caused a lot of havoc over the many years the villain has been featured.
1 ABRA KADABRA
Bad magic tricks usually contain the words Abra Kadabra somewhere. So, we'd be wise to think that a character that goes by that name shouldn't be taken too seriously. Yet this magician is a Flash foe that has nearly beaten the hero and his allies on many occasions, with the right skills and charm to pull off any trick.
Of course, it really was just trickery at first, with the magician using futuristic technology to convince everyone of his wizardry skills. He later gains his own very real powers though, allowing him to actually conjure proper spells capable of defeating the Flash. His initial appearance in Flash issue 128 may have been cheesy but he has evolved to become just as dangerous as a lot of better-named villains.