As the Fastest Man Alive, the Flash has crossed many villainous speedsters in the DC Universe, each vying as his greatest nemesis. While several of these speedsters have worn the mantle of the Reverse-Flash, the most terrifying of them all is Hunter Zolomon, who takes on the villainous alter ego Zoom before opposing both Wally West and Barry Allen.
Since he's just returned to menace the Flash once again, we're taking a closer look at this sinister speedster, from his original debut, his role during the DC Rebirth era and his memorable Arrowverse incarnation during Season 2 of The Flash.
WHO IS ZOOM?
Created by Geoff Johns and Scott Kolins in 2011's The Flash: Secret Files & Origins #3, Hunter Zolomon was a criminal profiler working for the Central City Police Department. Obsessed with understanding the criminal mind after learning his estranged father was a serial killer, Hunter was haunted by a case while working for the FBI that resulted in the death of his father-in-law and mentor. Hunter's burgeoning friendship with Wally West was ruptured when the Flash refused to use the Cosmic Treadmill to prevent a tragic incident that had left Hunter permanently paralyzed by Gorilla Grodd.
Attempting to use the Cosmic Treadmill himself, Hunter accidentally triggered an explosion, allowing him to manipulate the flow of time as opposed to drawing his speed directly from the Speed Force, giving himself the illusion of super-speed. Obsessed with making Wally a better superhero by having him endure personal tragedy, Hunter caused Wally and Linda Park's unborn twins to temporarily disappear while battling against Wally as the evil Zoom, both alone and part of the Secret Society of Super-Villains.
Zoom in the Arrowverse
The primary antagonist of Season 2 of The Flash was Zoom, reimagined as a monstrously masked speedster forced to draw off the energy from other speedsters' connection to the Speed Force to survive. Originally from Earth-2, Hunter witnessed his father murder his mother, resulting in him becoming a notorious serial killer himself. The destruction of a particle accelerator on his world coincided with Hunter's execution, giving him super-speed from his exposure to the released dark matter. Traveling through the DC TV Multiverse for speedsters to siphon energy from, Zoom kidnaps Earth-3's Jay Garrick and targets Barry Allen and Wally West on Earth-1.
Initially robbing Barry of his super-speed, the Flash regains his powers after entering the Speed Force, angered that Hunter had betrayed them while posing as his world's Jay. In retaliation, Hunter killed Barry's father and developed a machine to destroy the rest of the Multiverse. Defeated by Barry, Zoom is killed by Time Wraiths governing the integrity of the timeline, merging with them to become an undead version of the Black Flash that relentlessly hunts other speedsters threatening the space-time continuum.
Zoom in DC Rebirth
After spending the initial beginning of the DC Rebirth era out of the spotlight, Zoom returns in a major way, manipulating Barry Allen and Wally West to face off against each other during "The Flash War" storyline. Plotting to make the two heroes better by the confrontation, Hunter reveals the original Reverse-Flash, Eobard Thawne, had brought him the 25th century where he learned about the existence of Forces beyond the Speed Force. To provoke the confrontation between Barry and Wally, Hunter secretly restores Wally's memories of his lost children Iris and Jai, lost after the reality-altering events of Flashpoint.
Determined to change time to restore his children, Wally races faster than ever, forcing Barry to run after him to preserve the space-time continuum once again. The two Flashes inadvertently break the barriers between the Forces, resulting in Hunter absorbing several Forces declaring himself the new Fastest Man Alive. The encounter will traumatize Wally, leading to his arrival at Sanctuary and setting up his role in Heroes in Crisis while Hunter plots to absorb the remaining Forces to become the greatest (if twisted) hero in the DC Multiverse.