Arrowverse: Savitar / Characters

Warning: All spoilers, including Savitar's true identity, are unmarked

Savitar

"I am the future, Flash!"

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/flash_savitar_barry.jpg

"Like I told you from the beginning... I am the future Flash!"

Species: Metahuman (Time Remnant)

Known Aliases: Barry Allen, Alchemy, God of Speed, Future Flash

Played By: Grant Gustin, Andre Tricoteux (suit actor), Tom Felton (as Alchemy)

Voiced By: Tobin Bell

First Appearance: "Shade" (The Flash 3x6), "I Know Who You Are" (The Flash 3x20; true identity)

Appearances: The Flash

"I was broken and alone. I wanted the pain to end. And that's when I realized the truth, Barry. God feels no pain. All I had to do was become one."

Savitar is said to be the first speedster, taking his name from the Hindu god of motion, and meets the Flash at some point in the future. It culminates in the Scarlet Speedster banishing him to the Speed Force, where he begins plotting his revenge on the mortal who wronged him...

Which is Metaphorically True, but not the whole story.

As the Big Bad of Barry Allen's third year as the Flash, Savitar is actually a time remnant of none other than Barry himself from the future - a consequence of creating and then undoing "Flashpoint". A few months removed from the present, Barry's love and future wife Iris West is brutally murdered by a Savitar from the future, who then is created by one of the surviving time remnants that Barry sends at Savitar to combat him. After helping the main Barry trap Savitar in the Speed Force, the remnant felt shunned by Team Flash for being a fake and grew to resent them. He came to the realization that he wanted the Barry of the past to suffer the same pain that he did by killing Iris himself, thus causing Savitar to perpetually exist by way of a Stable Time Loop.

He acquired the Philosopher's Stone - energy from the Speed Force condensed into a mineral-like substance - and used it to create a suit of armor to hide his identity and spread rumors of his godhood. He eventually amassed a devoted following and took possession of a man by the name of Julian Albert, speaking through him as "Dr. Alchemy". All the pieces were in place, including recruiting one of Barry's closest friends Caitlin Snow by appealing to her Meta half in Killer Frost, and Savitar seemed to ensure he would keep the cycle of his existence going forever.

That is, until things took an unexpected turn. As a way to atone for being "useless" for Team Flash during his tenure, the Harrison Wells at the time - H.R. - secretly swapped places with Iris moments before she was fated to die, causing Savitar to kill him instead and break the time loop keeping him alive. As a paradox on borrowed time, he made one last stand against his past self, only to be fatally shot by the very woman he intended to kill and was erased from the timeline.

see the Arrowverse: Barry Allen page for his main timeline counterpart

see the Arrowverse: Future Characters page for the version of Barry Allen he split from

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A-E

A Wizard Did It: The best way to explain his return in the series finale despite all the timeline resets the Multiverse has experienced since his debut.
Accent Relapse: A variation. Savitar generally speaks in a formal, stilted manner, using metaphors as if he's a sage. This stops when he reveals himself to be Barry's time remnant, and it stays that way even when he's back inside his suit.
Achilles' Heel:
- Anything that affects the present-day Barry can threaten Savitar's health and existence; Barry being rendered amnesiac left Savitar without his own memories, and he was completely incapacitated until Barry's memories were restored. In the same vein, Savitar and his minions can't simply kill Barry, as that would also erase Savitar from existence.
- The murder of Iris is the lynchpin of Savitar's existence; preventing it dooms Savitar to a fate of being Retgoned out of existence.
Adaptational Abomination: Subverted. He seemed like this at first, going from a really powerful but otherwise mortal speedster, to a Physical God who Was Once a Man. It turns out he merely has a God Guise and is otherwise just as mortal as Barry Allen is given he is his rogue time remnant.
Adaptational Badass: Savitar is treated as a far more serious threat in the show than he was in the comics, with his alleged status as a Physical God and being so fast he made standard speedsters look like normal people. Even when he is Brought Down to Badass after exiting the Speed Force and The Reveal of his true identity, he still poses far more danger than comics Savitar. Team Flash was constantly faced with the problem of Savitar knowing exactly what would happen as he had already lived it, which made it extremely hard to defeat him.
Adaptational Curves: Inverted. Comics Savitar was absolutely ripped and his costume showed it all off. The show's version of Savitar is revealed to be a time remnant of Barry Allen, so he possesses the same slender Geek Physique underneath his armor.
Adaptational Job Change: While Savitar is still a cult leader, he got his start as a forensic scientist as opposed to a pilot.
Adaptational Modesty: He is not the shirtless man of the comics, but dresses modestly in a black jacket and trousers while clad in his powered armor. He only appears shirtless once, and in a short flashback.
Adaptational Nationality: Savitar was from an unnamed Eastern European country in the comics, while here he's American since his real identity is Barry Allen.
Adaptational Superpower Change: Unlike his comics counterpart, whose main gimmick was being able to use the Speed Force in unorthodox ways, this Savitar is more of a Lightning Bruiser who overwhelms his opponents with sheer power. While no less dangerous, he's much less versatile. He also displays additional powers thanks to his connection to the Philosopher's Stone, being capable of Demonic Possession and telepathy.
Adaptational Ugliness: His comics counterpart was a Walking Shirtless Scene covered in muscles. This Savitar spends most of his time wrapped in armor, and he's later shown to have burns on his face and a discolored eye. This trope also applies once he is revealed to be Future Flash, who in the comics was a well-built, square-jawed man with a few wrinkles on his face at worst, and who had an ethereal and noble appearance due to the blue light radiating from his suit. Here, he's a grimy, slight figure with the aforementioned facial damage.
Adaptational Villainy: The Future Flash from the New 52 comics underwent Sanity Slippage and had somewhat nobler intentions, wishing to correct his own mistakes which led to the death of Wally West. The Arrowverse version is much more pettier and selfish, doing many things For the Evulz, as well as killing Iris only to secure his own existence by making sure Barry will eventually become him.
Adaptation Dye-Job: The comics' Savitar had blue-black hair and white lightning. This Savitar has brown hair and yellow lightning that only looks white while he's in his armor.
Adaptation Origin Connection: Comics Savitar had no connection to the Philosopher's Stone or Dr. Alchemy. He was just a normal human pilot who was in an accident where he got struck by lightning and gained speed. It turns out this isn't the comics Savitar, just an insane time remnant using the name of the Hindu god to create a myth that he heard about earlier in his life. This also extends to Future Flash who had nothing to do with Alchemy either.
Affably Evil: When he's not hamming it up, he manages to be a bit friendly, like a king to his subjects. When talking to Wally West through Alchemy, he is disconcertingly warm and friendly, almost fatherly. Being a corrupted future version of Barry Allen, who's friendly by default, will probably do that for you.
Age Lift: The Future Flash in the comics was about middle-aged, as indicated by his being an older version of an adult Barry Allen from two decades into the future. The one in the show still seems to be in his twenties.
- He's actually a bit older. Chronologically Savitar is a time remnant created around 2020/2021 when Barry would around his early 30s. His appearance can largely be explained by an actor (who is already arguably Older Than They Look) playing an older version of himself.
Alas, Poor Villain: In spite of his actions, even Barry felt sorry for him.
Alternate Self: To our Barry, considering he is a time remnant of the Barry from a possible future.
Ambiguous Situation: Was he genuinely interested in redemption in the Season Three finale, or just biding his time to let his plan be completed? He seems sincere while talking to Barry and Iris, but when asked about his time at STAR Labs by Killer Frost, Savitar claims that it went as he expected.
- Is he actually millennia old? Or did he just do a lot of time travelling?
Ambiguously Human: While he is humanoid, it was unclear what entity he was, as his physical characteristics are far from any human being. It seemed like he Was Once a Man, but became the first to gain Super-Speed, subsequently becoming a god of motion. Then it's revealed that he actually still is a man (or rather a metahuman) under that armor, not a god at all.
Ancient Evil: The first man granted with Super-Speed who becomes an evil Humanoid Abomination that is The Dreaded to many (if not all) speedsters across The Multiverse. At least, that's what the legend of Savitar says, but he is actually from the future; specifically, he's a future time remnant of Barry Allen.
Animated Armor: As revealed in "Cause and Effect", his suit can fight on its own, though it only moves at Super-Speed when he's inside it.
Arch-Enemy: Savitar considers Barry to be his in no small part due to Barry's future self locking him inside the Speed Force, which he says almost made him lose his mind multiple times. Savitar also seems to blame Barry for turning him into a speedster in the first place and believes that he doesn't deserve his happy life. Then it's revealed Savitar was actually created by the abuse of time remnants, one of which turned to the dark side. One can't get more personal as an enemy than himself.
Savitar: You have everything, and deserve none of it!
Armored Villains, Unarmored Heroes: His heavy armor contrasts Barry's friction-resistant suit, but it's not invincible and it can be broken. "Into The Speed Force" reveals that it's also a means to help with his God Guise.
Ascended to a Higher Plane of Existence: This was Savitar's ultimate/secondary plan even if his first plan of killing Iris and completing the Stable Time Loop were to fail. He has Cisco modify the Speed Force bazooka into an interdimensional quantum splicer and have it fired at Savitar in close proximity to a portal. The result would be that Savitar would be fragmented across space and time, essentially existing every at once as a true immortal God. Though Cisco of course doesn't allow this and sabotaged the device to keep Savitar anchored to the present.
Back for the Finale: In the series finale, Savitar is one of several evil speedsters pulled from the point in time before his death, to assist Eddie Thawne in fighting Team Flash.
Badass Boast: He loves making these, with his God Guise speeches, claiming that he "rules" the Speed Force and that other speedsters are nothing before him.
Bad Boss: He's willing to execute his underlings when they fail him. However, this only extends to the metas actually working for him.
Batman Gambit: Being stuck inside the Speed Force allowed Savitar to witness Wally's transformation into Kid Flash in the Flashpoint timeline, and thus, he came up with the idea to turn Wally into Kid Flash in the current timeline. Afterward, he tormented Wally, telling him that he would never be fast enough to stop him, all to ensure that Wally would create a portal to the Speed Force and throw the last piece of the Philosopher's Stone into it, which would allow Savitar to swap places with him and be free once more.
Been There, Shaped History: It was Savitar who went back in time and created the speedster legend of Savitar, the God of Speed, to begin with.
Became Their Own Antithesis: Barry Allen, the kind, humble, seemingly incorruptible hero, spawned a cruel, manipulative, ruthless villain consumed by a god complex.

Big Bad: Of The Flash Season Three. Despite it initially seeming like he would form a Big Bad Duumvirate with Dr. Alchemy as heads of his cult, Alchemy is only his vessel. This is even lampshaded by Cisco, when calling Dr. Alchemy "the Big Bad's little bad".
Big Bad Slippage: Barry spends the whole of Season Three trying to save Team Flash from Savitar, only to realize that Savitar is a (possible) future version of himself.
Blade Below the Shoulder: He sports a retractable blade on each of his gauntlets. While they're formidable, they can still be broken off with, say, a vibrating hand.
Blue Is Heroic: Inverted. As Barry's evil future self, he wears armor that always gives off blue light. When Barry temporarily takes over the armor, the light turns red.
Bond Villain Stupidity:
- Savitar couldn't resist gloating to Team Flash about how he inherits Barry's every memory, by having Killer Frost Speak in Unison to Barry. This is what tips off Team Flash on how to defeat him, by having present Barry Locked Out of the Loop so that Savitar is unable to gain any memories. H.R. exploits this by performing a swap with Iris without Barry or Savitar's knowledge.
- Relying on Cisco to complete the device he needs for his ascension to godhood was an astoundingly stupid idea. The end result? Jay is freed from the Speed Force, and Savitar's plans are completely ruined. This is especially egregious since he knew Prime Barry worked with Cisco for years, and saw Cisco pull the same kind of fast one on their other foes many times over.
Break Them by Talking: Outside of being an immense physical threat, one of Savitar's most commendable abilities is his power to completely terrify and shatter his enemies simply using words. He was able to goad Wally into carrying out his will, using constant taunts, which ended in Wally throwing a piece of the Philosopher Stone into the Speed Force and being sucked in himself while Savitar was released.
Brought Down to Badass: Being trapped inside the Speed Force allows Savitar to run so fast that it looks like he's teleporting and Barry has no hope of keeping up. However, once he manages to escape, he seems to drop to being a very powerful speedster, still faster then Barry, but not nearly as godlike as he was before, nor as invulnerable. This is because he's not a god at all but a speedster, one of the most high-profile speedsters ever, but still no god.
Cain and Abel: As Barry, he was Wally's foster brother. As Savitar, he not only sealed Wally in the Speed Force, but he cripples him and leaves him catatonic in a possible future.
Can't Kill You, Still Need You: He had many chances to kill Barry during their fights, but never did so. Eventually, it's revealed he can't; since he's an future time remnant, killing his younger prime self would mean erasing himself from existence. He is probably the best example of this trope out of all The Flash Big Bads, as letting Barry live is the only way he can secure his own existence. Though when Barry directly suggests the possibility of committing suicide, Savitar reminds him that's what Eddie Thawne did to ensure the Reverse-Flash's non-existence, and Eobard Thawne managed to get back anyway... not that Savitar himself is particularly interested in Tempting Fate.
Cast as a Mask: As with Tony Todd voicing Zoom, Tobin Bell voices Savitar to help hide his true identity.
Catchphrase "Bow to your god!" and "I am the future, Flash." Except he's actually saying, "I am the Future Flash."
Chest Insignia: It's hard to make out at first, but he sports a large lightning bolt on his chest, reversed from Barry's like with the Reverse-Flash and Zoom, but without a circle behind it.
Chewing the Scenery: Once his true identity is outed, Grant Gustin definitely hams it up in his portrayal of the maniacal Savitar.
Clone Angst: Savitar reveals that he was one of many time remnants created by Future Barry to fight Savitar. He was the only one to survive, but subsequently got rejected by Barry and the rest of Team Flash. This absolutely broke him, leading to his Start of Darkness and becoming Savitar himself.
Color-Coded for Your Convenience: Normal speedsters have yellow, orange, or red lightning. Speedsters overdosing on Velocity-9 have blue lightning. Savitar's is pure white, likely because of his suit of armor. "Cause and Effect" reveals that when he's running around outside of it, he has the same golden lightning as Barry, due to being his own time remnant.
Comic-Book Movies Don't Use Codenames: Generally defied in that he always calls himself Savitar, but he receives a civilian name that he didn't have in the comics, Barry Allen, since he's also the show's version of Future Flash. However, he only uses that codename when trolling the heroes with the line "I am the future, Flash."
Combo Platter Powers: He's the fastest speedster and has the standard speedster powerset and weakness to cold, but he also has a whole plethora of unusual abilities and traits, such as his millennia-long lifespan, his armored skin and weapons, his invisibility to non-speedsters, the ability to possess a human as Dr. Alchemy to lead his acolytes, the ability to metamorph humans who have powers in the Flashpoint timeline by encasing them in a cocoon, and the ability to manipulate people by appearing as ghosts of their loved ones (much like The First Evil^note).
Composite Character: His title and status as an extremely powerful leader of a Speed Cult belong to an otherwise nameless East European speedster. Also much like comics Savitar, Arrowverse Savitar was trapped in the Speed Force by a Flash (though in the comics, it was Wally). However, his true identity as an alternate future version of Barry Allen who went down a dark path makes him one to the New 52 Future Flash, who similarly bears pale blue Tron Lines on his costume. It's later clarified that he is a time remnant of the original Future Flash, who has a much smaller role in the show. He also draws traits from multiple speedsters and characters from the comics.
- His status as the true intelligence and voice behind Alchemy makes him analogous to Alvin Desmond, the Split Personality that drove the original Dr. Alchemy, Albert Desmond, to villainy.
- The white lightning produced as he runs, as well as his tendency to call himself himself "the God of Speed", most likely reference Godspeed, who has a white suit.
- His suit being made from some kind of metal comes from the New 52 Reverse-Flash, Daniel West.
- He seeks vengeance against Barry for something his future self did to him, much like this continuity's version of Eobard Thawne. He's even shown killing Iris in one timeline, much like the comic version of Thawne.
- His origin relies on a Stable Time Loop involving travelling back at the height of his power to kill a loved one to ensure his existence in the first place, rather closely mirroring time travel villain Monarch's original incarnation in Armageddon 2001.
- Finally, some of his comments in "The Wrath of Savitar" indicate that he's Driven by Envy of Barry's loved ones, similar to Cobalt Blue.
Contrasting Sequel Antagonist:
- Visually, he contrasts the yellow and black suit worn by the Reverse-Flash and the black suits worn by Zoom and the Rival by wearing sharp silver armor.
- In terms of his goals, he doesn't fake being a mentor because he has no interest in using or stealing the Flash's speed, wanting only to kill him for what his future self did to him. Furthermore, he instead had an interest in allowing Wally West to become faster, so that Wally could take his place in the Speed Force and he could be freed. Although it turns out he did have plans for Barry after all, with the revelation that Savitar is actually a time remnant of Barry, his intentions are to corrupt Barry and break his spirit in order to lead to Savitar's creation to begin with.
- He also has powers aside from speed, being capable of harnessing the Philosopher's Stone to carry out Demonic Possession and Telepathy, something Reverse-Flash and Zoom never had. While Reverse-Flash used tachyons and Zoom abused Velocity-9, Savitar's suit allows him to harness his vast speed.
- While Eobard Thawne is the Reverse-Flash and Hunter Zolomon could be seen as a Reverse-Barry, Savitar being a time remnant from the future is a reverse of both sides of the hero.
- Like Reverse-Flash and Zoom, he adopts identities to hide who he really is. Unlike his predecessors who pretended to be heroes who mentored Barry, Savitar pretended to be a god to actively terrorize his younger self. Furthermore, while all three were once part of Team Flash, while the others were Evil All Along, Savitar was once a genuine hero who was Driven to Villainy.
- While he does use impersonations, they have a more temporary effect of luring others into traps rather than long-term deception and gaining of trust like Thawne and Zolomon did.
- Unlike Thawne, who faked being a widower, and unlike Zoom, who had an unhealthy obsession with Caitlin, Savitar was once genuinely in love with Iris.
The Corrupter:
- His specialty. Edward Clariss and Frankie Kane, two of his minions seen thus far, were perfectly normal people before Savitar, through Alchemy, granted them their Flashpoint powers and memories, subsequently driving both to villainy. "Shade" shows that the corruption works like a drug — the victim is overcome with a desire to find Alchemy and will let nothing stand in their way.
- He turned Julian Albert Desmond into Dr. Alchemy against his will.
- He encourages Killer Frost to give in to her evil side, seeking to kill Caitlin Snow for good.
Create Your Own Villain: He claims Barry created him, but then backtracks when Barry presses him for more details — which suggests that, like Thawne, his feud with Barry is a result of Evil Is Petty, but his huge ego won't let him admit it to Barry's face. The truth is that he is (a time remnant of) Barry, making this Savitar by definition a creation of Barry's... if not exactly the current Barry. In fact, Savitar is trying to create himself from our Barry via a Stable Time Loop.
Curb-Stomp Battle: When Barry was defeated by Zoom or the Reverse-Flash, there was always the sense that he was almost as fast as them. Even when they outclassed him, he could eventually catch up. Savitar is so fast that he fights other speedsters like speedsters fight normal people — at least until he leaves the Speed Force, after which he and Barry are on more equal footing.
Cynicism Catalyst: The death of Iris West drove Future Barry off the deep end, and he pushed everyone else away in his zeal to defeat Savitar. Eventually, thanks to his abuse of time remnants, two Barry Allens existed; while one stood a chance of healing, the other was so consumed by his darkness that he became Savitar, and was willing to recreate the very tragedy that caused him to fall so far into despair just to ensure his existence as Savitar remained intact.
Dark Is Evil: His armor is dark silver. And underneath it, he wears all-black civilian clothes.
Dark Reprise: Twice.
- When he reveals himself to be Future Flash, a version of the show's main theme plays alongside his usual Ominous Latin Chanting theme.
- When describing his plans to become a God-Emperor, he quotes the line "Every hour, every minute" from Running Home To You.
Dead Person Impersonation: He disguises as Dante or Francine to trick people close to them into doing something beneficial for them with the Philosopher' Stone.
Deader than Dead: He's shot by Iris and subject to a Ret-Gone when the time loop that sustains his existence is broken.
Deadpan Snarker: He has a lot of moments, first shown when talking to Magenta through Alchemy. He also snarks a lot outside of his suit at both Team Flash and Killer Frost.
- From "Cause and Effect":
  Barry: You're not so scary without your armor.
  Savitar: What can I say? I outgrew red.
- It's hard to tell if he's genuine, but he really digs into Barry at his offer to save Savitar's life.
  Savitar: So how's this gonna work? Where will I live?
  Barry: What do you mean?
  Savitar: Are Wally and I gonna be bunkmates? Am I supposed to rejoin Team Flash, fight some Rogues? What kind of life were you thinking I'd lead?
  Barry: I hadn't gotten that far yet.
  Savitar: How would we explain me at the wedding? And do I sit bride-side or groom-side?
Death by Adaptation: Played With. Comics Savitar is pretty much in line with the show, meeting his demise not too long after he exits the Speed Force. However, comics Future Flash survived the war with the heroes and replaced the past Barry, while his Arrowverse counterpart is erased from existence at the end of the season.
Death by Irony: Savitar, whose plan to become a god depended on killing Iris, is ultimately killed by Iris in the most mundane of ways. It also applies to his posterior erasure from existence: he tricked H.R. with an impersonation, and his transformation into a paradox was negated by an impersonation performed by H.R..
Decomposite Character: Together, Savitar and the Barry Allen of 2024 take aspects of the comic's Future Flash. The latter has the character's depression and eventual return to heroism, while Savtar takes a version of the black-and-blue costume, the Face–Heel Turn, and the murderous nature. Both characters are called "Future Flash" at different points in the story.
Demonic Possession: Alchemy acts as his avatar; Savitar uses whoever possesses the Philosopher's Stone as his vessel to act out his will.
Dimensional Traveler: Apparently, he can quite easily hop back and forth in any part of The Multiverse.
Do Not Call Me "Paul": Addressing him by his given name will instantly agitate him.
Dramatic Irony: Earlier in the season, Barry hates that Julian has more authority over him and that they share the same lab. During that time, Julian is The Dragon for Savitar via Demonic Possession.
The Dreaded: He manages to create a timeline where he is worshipped and feared by many speedsters. Even Jay Garrick is intimidated by the mention of Savitar's name.
Driven by Envy: In "The Wrath of Savitar", he does a lot of ranting about how Barry has everything and deserves none of it — remarkable that a self-proclaimed god would be jealous of a mortal, even a super-powered one.
Driven to Villainy: According to him, he is one of Barry's time remnants who was rejected by his loved ones as a "failed" and "expendable" aberration. Evidently, he went insane later down the line, travelled into the distant past and became the Savitar of legend, intent on recreating the tragedy that defined his life to ensure his own existence.
Drunk on the Dark Side: Savitar quite evidently basks in his immeasurable speed, flaunting around his self-claimed status as a god. The smugness he displays after he steps out of his suit and reveals himself further exemplifies this.
Early-Bird Cameo: His voice is first heard in The Stinger of The Flash 3x01, while his arm makes an appearance in The Stinger of 3x02, but he isn't officially introduced until the end of 3x06. And since he is a time remnant of Barry Allen, he was technically introduced during Arrow Season Two.
Enemy Without: He's revealed to be a time remnant created to fight Savitar who wound up surviving, then being just as broken by Iris dying as the original Barry, then being further broken by Team STAR Labs (with the exception of Caitlin/Killer Frost) rejecting him. So he is indeed what Barry would become if he lost his grip on all his humanity.
Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: As Barry recounting his favorite memory of his mother and father causes a tear to fall out, it shows that Savitar still loves his parents.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Played with. Judging by his apology to Iris in 3x15, Savitar still holds some fondness for her, but not enough to compromise his own existence.
Evil Counterpart:
- To Barry Allen/The Flash, unsurprisingly given he is literally a version of Barry who turned evil. Aside from the obvious factors like both being speedsters on the opposite sides of the moral spectrum, there's some more subtle differences. Both Barry and Savitar are defined by the tragedy of losing Iris, but in Savitar's case he is trying to make the tragedy happen to ensure his own existence, while Barry is doing everything he can to prevent it. Savitar also armors himself up rather than using the standard speedster tactics of phasing to protect themselves from harm. Savitar proclaims himself to be a god, which is something Barry specifically denied very early in his career. Savitar has a blue color motif, since he outgrew Barry's red.
- To Julian Albert Desmond. Both are connected to the Philosopher's Stone and both started out as simple forensics scientists, but Julian is a Jerk with a Heart of Gold who wants to atone for his actions as Alchemy while Savitar puts himself above all else. While Julian does everything he can to save Caitlin from her Killer Frost persona especially after he plays a role in her being overwhelmed by it, Savitar encourages her to embrace her inner darkness.
Evil Former Friend: Since he is revealed to be Future Barry Allen, he is this to Team Flash.
Evil Gloating: Most of his dialogue consists of him gloating about his "godhood" and how he's going to kill Barry and his loved ones.
Evil Is Bigger: He's huge, easily towering over Barry and the other main characters. When he's given a practical effects appearance, he's played by 6'11" actor Andre Tricoteux. Beneath the armor, however, he is exactly as tall as Barry.
Evil Is Hammy: One of the hammiest Big Bads, what with his constant proclamations of his godly status. It even carries over to after his reveal where he acts immensely smug towards Barry and Team Flash.
Evil Makes You Ugly: A time remnant of the once dashing, dorky Barry Allen now bears a large burn scar over the right side of his face.
Evil Mentor: He cripples Wally in a possible future and even had a skirmish with Jesse Quick.
Evil Sounds Deep: His voice is low and gravelly, downright metallic compared to Zoom's utterly demonic voice. Averted with his true voice, which sounds just like Barry's, only colder and darker.
Evil Sounds Raspy: Courtesy of Tobin Bell. When he's speaking through someone else as Alchemy, it lacks the metallic echo. His actual voice is the same as Barry's, but does sound a bit rougher.
Evil Twin: He counts since he is a very malevolent time remnant.
Evil Wears Black: He wears an all-black outfit underneath his Powered Armor. In his own words, he outgrew red.
Exact Words:
- When asked who he is, Savitar states "I am the future, Flash." But it turns out he was actually saying "I am the Future Flash." He seemed to know the others would be confused by his odd usage of grammar, and did this just to further mess with them.
- He lampshades it once Barry finally figures it out and confronts him. "Like I told you from the beginning... I am the Future Flash."
Expendable Clone: He's one of several time remnants Future Barry created to try and stop on Savitar. He's also the only survivor, and is less than happy with being treated as expendable.
Eye Scream: Subtly done. The eye on the burned right side of his face is discolored from dark green to pale blue.

F-M

Facial Horror: The right side of his face is heavily burned.
Fallen Hero: He was a time remnant of the heroic Barry Allen, before he went down a dark, corrupt path and became the villainous Savitar.
Fate Worse than Death: He considers his time stuck inside the Speed Force to be this. Given that Wally and Jay had to relive their worst moment, this is a reasonable statement.
Foil:
- While the Rival was a minion of Dr. Alchemy and Season Three's Starter Villain, Savitar is a Knight of Cerebus and Alchemy's master, the true Big Bad of the season.
- While the Reverse-Flash was an evil speedster from the future who killed one of Barry's loved ones in the past, Savitar is an evil speedster from the past (being thousands of years old) who may kill one of Barry's loved ones in the future. Likewise, the two wish to kill Barry but can't; whereas Thawne couldn't kill Barry since their fates were linked and he needed Barry's speed in order to return home, Savitar won't kill Barry because he wants to make him suffer first by murdering Iris in front of him. Then we learn that he's not from the distant past but rather the near future, and he wants Barry to be so destroyed through Iris' death, which will in turn allow Savitar to be created via Barry's abuse of time remnants. He also can't kill Barry either since he literally is a time remnant of Barry from the future.
Foreshadowing:
- In the first episode of Season Three, Eobard Thawne mocked Barry with the infamous line: "NOW WHO'S THE VILLAIN, FLASH?!"
- In "The Wrath of Savitar", Savitar, speaking through Julian, tells Barry "From my perspective, you're the Big Bad."
- Not to mention how personal he made his feud with Barry and friends sound, to back it up.
- Along with:
  - "Only one of us could live." — Barry cannot be happy and still create Savitar, so Savitar "kills" him by killing his happiness.
  - "You thought Thawne and Zoom were your greatest enemies, but it's me. It's always been me." — Even without future interference, Barry is the cause of 90% of his own problems. Even now, Barry has some serious self-loathing issues.
  - "You're there when I become who I am." — The moment Iris dies is the moment that sets Barry on the path to becoming Savitar.
  - "I created myself." — Savitar causes the trauma that leads Barry to essentially become him.
  - "Only I can bring out my greatness." — Only Savitar can turn Barry into what he is in the future.
  - "Iris... I'm sorry that you have to die. But it's you, or me." — If Iris survives, Barry is not broken enough to become Savitar, and Savitar is erased from existence.
- His Catchphrase — "I am the Future Flash!" — is a straight-up Sarcastic Confession.
Fragile Speedster: Although he easily overwhelmed Barry with his impossible speed in their first fight, Caitlin was able to immobilize him with one ice blast before he escaped. He proves even worse at taking hits without his armor. Barry is able to incapacitate him with an uppercut after he steps out of his armor, and Iris actually kills him with a single bullet.
Freudian Excuse: He was created as an expendable time remnant and felt rejected by Barry and his friends. This hurt him so deeply that he decided to abandon all human emotions and become a god.
Future Badass: Savitar is revealed to be from the future and the fastest speedster thus far shown. Then he's revealed to be a future time remnant of Barry himself, meaning Barry really does become the Fastest Man Alive.
Future Me Scares Me: Barry finds out that Savitar is really a time remnant from the future, gone down a dark path. Even before this revelation, Barry was pretty terrified by the prospect of Savitar killing Iris, but this revelation makes it far, far worse.
Future Self Reveal: He appears exclusively in his armor for most of the season, leaving his identity unknown and as a common discussion topic for Team Flash. He finally reveals himself to be Barry from the future at the end of "I Know Who You Are" after Barry has a Flashback-Montage Realization and confronts Savitar about his identity.
Genius Bruiser: Adding on to his past self being a Badass Bookworm, Savitar has traversed the time stream and unlocked many secrets of the Speed Force, giving him the knowledge to match his immense physical power.
Glowing Eyes of Doom: The eyes of his armor glow bright, pale blue.
Godhood Seeker: Although in the present day he already calls himself one, when his identity is revealed he talks about how he realized the solution to his problems was to become a god.
God Guise: The Flash 3x16, "Into The Speed Force", reveals he's not a god, just a man under that armor. 3x20, "I Know Who You Are", fittingly reveals which man. 3x21, "Cause and Effect", reveals why he even tried. Under the rationale that "God feels no pain", he, a Fallen Hero, decided to become one himself.
God-Emperor: In addition to being the God of Speed, he claims he "rules" the Speed Force. When his attempt to secure his own existence by killing Iris is thwarted, he tries to splice himself throughout all of time, meaning he really will rule. It doesn't work out for him.
Good Colors, Evil Colors: His armor is usually blue, but when Barry kicks Savitar out of his own armor and takes control, the blue Tron Lines turn red.
Good Scars, Evil Scars: The right half of his face is heavily scarred.
Have We Met Yet?: Future Barry defeated him at some point, so he wants his revenge on our Barry. Then it turns out he's a time remnant of Future Barry and is trying to ensure his own corruption.
Heavenly Blue: Invoked. His primary color is blue, and he declares himself to be a god.
He Who Fights Monsters: He has become as manipulative as Eobard Thawne and as sadistic as (Earth-2) Hunter Zolomon, who were the respective Big Bads of the first two seasons.
Hidden Agenda Villain: While we know that he wants revenge for something Barry will do to him (much like the Reverse-Flash) and that he wants to challenge the most powerful speedsters across the multiverse, at 60% of the way through the season, we still have no idea why he's recreating the metahumans from the Flashpoint timeline. Presumably, he wanted them to be his minions, and Word of God is that he has a specific reason for turning Caitlin into Killer Frost and getting her on his side. We finally learn what it is in 3x23, "Finish Line" — so she can help him splice himself throughout time and stop the Black Flash from getting in the way.
His Own Worst Enemy: It's been repeatedly stated that Barry himself is his own worst enemy, not whoever or whatever he faces. This is taken to new heights with the reveal of Savitar being an evil time remnant of him — for all his claims of godhood, Savitar hating his past prime self so much that he's willing to recreate the very tragedy that drove him to his own creation takes some serious internalized self-hatred to happen.
Hoist by His Own Petard: Impersonating the still- heroic Barry contributed to his downfall. It motivated H.R. to rescue Iris, impersonate her and take her place to die in order to atone for revealing Savitar where Iris was. That change makes Savitar a paradox and eventually erases him.
Human All Along: He was no god. Just an evil clone of Barry Allen.
Humanoid Abomination: He looks even less human than Zoom. He looks more like a semi-organic robot than a person. However, it's revealed to be a disguise to make him look more intimidating and to keep his incredibly high speed under control.
I Am the Noun: He refers to himself as the future. Or rather, the Future Flash.
I Hate Past Me: He's revealed to be a future time remnant of Barry Allen who despises his past self. In fact, his whole personality is based around this trope.
I Have Many Names: His real name is Barry Allen. He uses multiple aliases throughout Season 3, including Savitar, Alchemy, the God of Speed, and The Future Flash.
If I Can't Have You…: He's perfectly willing to kill Iris not only to preserve himself, but also to make sure his past self won't be able to live happily with her. When offered a chance at redemption, he refuses specifically because he knows that Iris would never leave present Barry for him.
Inexplicably Awesome: Savitar's Powered Armor is still this, even after The Reveal. There are mysteries on how Savitar managed to create it, how it's able to do certain things like move on its own, or how it summons broken shards of itself back.
In Name Only: He had little in common with the comic book version of Savitar, with the only similarities being a powerful evil speedster who's worshiped as a god by his cult. It almost seemed like he was an original character with the same moniker, but then it's revealed he's actually a Composite Character with Future Flash, and his armor does visually resemble the character's black suit by bearing blue Tron Lines of nearly identical design.
Inferiority Superiority Complex: Savitar has become a megalomaniac, but that only accentuates how insecure he is and how desperate he is to escape from his very painful past as Barry Allen.
Informed Attribute:
- He claims to be Barry's greatest nemesis, far more than the Reverse-Flash or Zoom, a claim that is later echoed by Abra Kadabra (a man from the future, for whom this is all ancient history). However, over 75% of the way through the season, his personal connections to Barry have not been nearly as well established as with the Reverse-Flash or Zoom, meaning this claim has yet to be physically demonstrated. Finally subverted when we learn that he is a future time remnant, meaning Barry is indeed His Own Worst Enemy.
- Tracy comes to the conclusion that Savitar's armor keeps his supercharged speed under control, and that he'd likely suffer severe side-effects without it. When seen without the suit, Savitar's speed seems no different than Barry's, and he suffers no obvious consequences to going without it.
Invisible to Normals: Non-metahumans, most metahumans, and camera footage can't see him, even when he's not moving. Speedsters like the Rival and Barry can, though when he is moving, even they only see brief flashes of light due to how incredibly fast he is. However, he seems to be able to make himself visible when he wants to, such as allowing Julian to see him. It's eventually revealed that he's trapped in the Speed Force. Once he breaks free, he's visible to everyone.
It's All About Me: Befitting his god delusion, Savitar only truly cares about himself. His entire evil plan revolves around ensuring his own existence and ascending to godhood.
Jumping Off the Slippery Slope: It only becomes apparent once he reveals his Mysterious Past as a time remnant of Barry Allen, but it's quite clear Savitar has long since gone off the deep end. He dons a Psychotic Smirk, has feigned a god complex, and is uncharacteristically sadistic.
Karmic Death: He is ultimately killed by Iris West, the very woman whom he tried to kill to ensure his survival.
Kick the Dog: Hoo boy...
- He baits Julian Albert into getting the Philosopher's Stone and getting turned into Dr. Alchemy with the false possibility of bringing his sister back to life.
- He appears to Wally as his mother in an attempt to get him to release the Philosopher's Stone, only to drop the disguise and taunt him.
- He seals Wally in the Speed Force to suffer an eternal Mind Rape.
- The Bad Future Barry saw has him stabbing Iris through the back, breaking Wally's spine, and sending Joe into a deep depression.
- As soon as he's close to facing a Ret-Gone, he threatens to kill Caitlin if Cisco doesn't redesign the Speed Force Bazooka. To threaten Cisco, he mimicked the way Thawne killed Cisco in a cancelled timeline, just to hurt him.
- He specifically threatens to kill Cisco with a Reverse-Flash so he can "die the same way twice."
- Once he's finally out of ways to save himself, he declares that he will kill all of Barry's loved ones out of spite. It's the last Kick the Dog moment he gets to make before Barry gives him a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown and Iris shoots him.
Kill the Ones You Love: His goal is to kill Iris West, the woman he outright called the love of his life. Why? So that he can break the prime Barry and drive him down the dark path that will give birth to Savitar. But in a twist of irony, it's Iris herself who puts an end to him.
Kneel Before Zod: He keeps insisting that others bow to him as part of his God Guise shtick.
Knight of Cerebus: The moment he shows up, an already dark and intense scene gets worse. The revelation of his true identity in 3x20 only makes him even more of a living nightmare.
Large Ham: He clearly enjoys boasting about his godhood at every opportunity.
Savitar: You are but a shadow beneath my throne.
Lean and Mean: Underneath his armor, he has Barry's Geek Physique.
Leaning on the Fourth Wall: In "I Know Who You Are", Barry confronts Savitar, declaring he has finally figured out Savitar's identity. Savitar dryly responds with the thought on every viewer's mind.
Savitar: It's about time.
Leitmotif: His theme music consists of a choir chanting in soprano, as if to signify his godhood.
A Lighter Shade of Black: Despite his actions and what his end goal is, he's far more sympathetic than Reverse-Flash or Zoom. He's so far the only Big Bad Barry has ever sympathized with in spite of how much Savitar wants him to suffer.
Light Is Not Good: His armor has glowing lines of pale blue light and the lightning he leaves behind is pure white, but nobody would mistake him for a hero.
Lightning Bruiser: He's huge and doesn't have Barry's fragility, but is also fast well beyond any other speedster featured on the show.
Literal Metaphor: Barry Allen truly is His Own Worst Enemy.
Living Legend: Invoked. Jay Garrick and Abra Kadabra talk him up as an all-powerful "God of Motion," the very first speedster to ever exist, the conqueror of many Earths, and the very worst enemy of Barry Allen. It's later established that Future Flash deliberately spread the myths of "Savitar" via time travel.
Loss of Identity: The time remnant that once was Barry Allen thoroughly rejected his former identity after experiencing so much pain at the hands of his former friends disowning him. He instead embraces his God Guise as Savitar and refusing to be referred to by his old name.
Malevolent Masked Man: His creepy metallic armor masks his face up, and he's definitely malevolent.
MacGuffin: The Philosopher's Stone, later revealed to be calcified Speed Force, is one of the main plot drivers for Season 3. It's the source of power for Dr. Alchemy (and later Savitar), it enables the recreation of the Flashpoint metas, and it's vital in what is needed to stop Savitar or alternatively what Savitar potentially uses to prevent himself from being foiled.
Manipulative Bastard:
- He (through Alchemy) recruits a normal Edward Clariss by constantly showing him visions of his alternate Flashpoint life where he had powers, and offering to turn him into a metahuman. It's later all but stated he did this to the other three people he changed.
- He uses visions of someone's deceased loved ones (Julian's sister, Dante Ramon, Francine West) to manipulate them into taking the Philosopher's Stone and setting him free.
- He turns Wally into a speedster, then emotionally manipulates him using taunts and visions, which ends with Wally throwing the stone into the Speed Force and being sucked in himself, while Savitar was allowed to roam free.
Master of Illusion: Thanks to the Philosopher's Stone, he can project illusions to manipulate people to do his bidding. He voices the illusions himself, making it even harder for Team Flash to tell what's real and what isn't.
Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: It's ambiguous if his Powered Armor has scientific or mystical origins. It's even implied to be both.
Meaningful Name: Savitar (also spelled Savitr) is a Hindu god of, among other things, motion.
HR: Savitar. Hindu god of motion.
Barry: ...he said he was a god.
Cisco: Well, that's not disturbing.
Mirror Match: Whenever he fights Barry. Apparently this also happened in a potential future where Barry created a whole bunch of time remnants to fight him, and Savitar single-handedly killed them all except deliberately leaving one alive (as well as the original Barry) to become him. The fact that he was able to do this is likely a combination of him being a Future Badass as well as lacking Present!Barry's moral boundaries.
Monster Progenitor: He's the first speedster and among the first metahumans at all (if not the absolute first), as he was granted power by the Philosopher's Stone, the first Mass Super-Empowering Event. Except not; his prime self was first turned by the Particle Accelerator explosion, meaning the Stone, made of calcified Speed Force energy, could only have made him more powerful.
My Future Self and Me: 3x20 reveals that Savitar is actually a future time remnant of Barry Allen who has turned evil, so throughout Season Three, Barry has been fighting an evil version of himself.
Mysterious Past:
- Allegedly he was the first human to become a speedster before he became a god. It gets more muddled when he claims that Barry created him, only to backtrack and claim he created himself, meaning it's possible he's not the Savitar from legend, merely someone using his name (similar to Hunter Zolomon only pretending to be Jay Garrick). "Into The Speed Force" confirms this to be the case, and "I Know Who You Are" reveals his true identity — a time remnant of Barry himself. Then "Cause and Effect" has the team theorize that he deliberately created the myth of the God of Speed by means of time travel, meaning he is that Ancient Evil, but the myth itself is inaccurate.
- Even with his true identity revealed, Savitar's past remains mysterious. When and how he obtained his armor, and how his face was disfigured is never revealed. The armor's implied mystical aspects only raise further questions as to where he got it. The root of his supposedly supercharged speed and how he obtained the Philosopher's Stone are likewise left unrevealed. His descent into villainy is also relegated to exposition from Savitar himself (who may or may not be a reliable source, given his personal biases and Sanity Slippage), and the exact details are left to the audience's imagination.
My Suit Is Also Super: "I Know Who You Are" establishes that the armor is designed to protect him from the dangerous side effects produced by his greater than normal (for a speedster) speed. It can even fight under its own power by his command.
Savitar: I forgot to tell you. My suit's cooler than yours.

N-Z

Named by the Adaptation: Of a sort. In the comics, Savitar's real name was never revealed. The Flash does give him a name, Barry Allen, but it's only due to being a Composite Character.
Narcissist: He's obsessed with his own godhood and he can't stop talking about it, even when Barry groans at him to shut up.
Nothing Is Scarier: He claims that being trapped in the Speed Force made him lose his mind several times over. Although it is later shown that being trapped in the Speed Force forces one to continually relive their worst memories, it is still unknown what Savitar saw, though one could presume it was prime Barry watching Iris die.
Not So Invincible After All: H.R. comments that if he protects himself with a suit of armor, he can't be all-powerful like he claims. Indeed, Jesse manages to stab him through a gap in the armor and injure him. Ultimately, for all his claims of godhood, Savitar is nothing but a man. And Iris proves him right when she shoots Savitar dead.
Obviously Evil: Between his appearance and voice, it's pretty easy to tell that he's a villain. His appearance under the armor — with the black outfit, burned face, and the sadistic grin he shows to his past self — just further emphasizes how far removed he is from the hero his prime self is.
Oh, Crap!: Has this moment when he realizes that he failed to kill Iris, putting his existence in jeopardy.
Ominous Latin Chanting: His theme most definitely befits his ominous presence. When his true identity is revealed, it's mixed with a Dark Reprise of the show's main theme to awesome yet tragic effect.
Outside-Context Problem: He's the first Flash Big Bad whose powerful to a level that Barry and Team Flash have no hope of countering. When facing Thawne and Zoom, Barry just had to find a way to get faster and close the gap between them, but with Savitar, he's so hopelessly fast it's apparent he has no chance of ever reaching his speed. This holds true even after The Reveal, as Savitar was actually revealed to be a Future Barry Allen, which meant he had knowledge of what Barry had done which is constantly being rewritten whenever Barry and Team Flash try to change history.
Paradox Person: Savitar's entire existence is one of the most paradoxical in the entire Arrowverse. It's revealed that Barry Allen of 2024 created multiple time remnants to aid in the fight against Savitar, with Savitar killing all of them except for one. This surviving time remnant ended up becoming Savitar himself, going back to torment the present day Barry by attempting to kill Iris and recreate the conditions used to create himself, effectively ensuring his existence via a Stable Time Loop. However, Savitar only came into existence after the Flashpoint event, as shown by the future newspaper in the Time Vault changing. Needless to say, Savitar's origins are very complicated.
Past-Life Memories: He's capable of granting to others their memories of the Flashpoint timeline. He also gains whatever memories Barry creates.
Planet Looters: How he spends his time? Travelling throughout the Multiverse with the Philosopher's Stone in hand, seeking out the most powerful speedsters who threaten his power, doing battle with them, then taking over their Earths. Future Barry does not approve, so out of revenge and pride, Savitar decides to attack the present Flash, who is still in his early days before they've even met. At least, that's what the legend of Savitar says; it turns out he has a far more personal vendetta with Barry, being an evil time remnant.
Physical God: Jay Garrick confirms in The Flash 3x09 that Savitar Was Once a Man, but became the God of Motion, meaning he's not exaggerating. Later subverted; after he escapes his prison, he loses his complete dominance over Barry and only seems slightly faster, because he's still just a man; The Fastest Man Alive, yes, but still not an actual god.
Power Echoes: Much like the previous two Big Bad speedsters. His voice is given a more metallic, gravelly sound compared to Zoom's very deep, Vader-esque voice or Reverse-Flash's whispery one.
Powered Armor: His suit isn't just for show; it sports retractable blades, allows him to channel his white lightning into ranged attacks, and helps him keep his immense power from consuming him. It can also move on its own!
Pretender Diss: He calls H.R. "the fake Wells", presumably due to the latter having pretended to be a scientist.
Psychological Horror: Something that Savitar introduces that was absent from the Reverse-Flash and Zoom is his tendency to use Demonic Possession, invading the minds of his victims and speaking through them.
Pride: Future Barry's victory over him leads to Savitar going back in time to attack Barry in the present. Turns out he's also trying to ensure his own corruption.
Really 700 Years Old: Implied, given that he's the first speedster in existence. Possibly subverted when he claims that Barry created him, then when it turns out he's just a man under the armor, then fully subverted with the reveal of his true identity.
Red Baron: The "God of Speed". He's also called the "Dark Lord" by his own cult.
Redemption Rejection: Barry offers to save Savitar after Iris' death is prevented, and while he seems to entertain the possibility for a brief time, he ultimately rejects the offer when he points out that even if they saved him, forgave him and gave him a place, he can remember all of the happy memories Barry will have with Iris that he himself can't have.
Ret-Gone:
- Having failed to kill Iris and drive Barry to darkness, Savitar is eventually wiped from existence as a result, though it takes a few hours. He even gets shot dead by Iris beforehand.
- Post-Crisis it’s implied that not only was he erased from existence but he never happened at all, with characters having no memories of him. When listing off the previous speedster villains they’ve faced, Savitar is noticeably absent.
The Reveal: In 3x20, "I Know Who You Are", it's revealed that Savitar is actually a time remnant of Barry Allen, who has gone down a dark and twisted path. He's menacing the present Barry and attempting to kill Iris in order to create a Stable Time Loop and ensure his own existence.
Revenge: This seems to be his motive; he wants revenge on Barry for his defeat and imprisonment at Future Barry's hands. However, that's just a cover for his true goal, to ensure that Barry becomes him.
Ripple-Effect-Proof Memory: He seems to have knowledge of the Flashpoint timeline that was erased. This is because he got trapped inside the Speed Force by Future Barry, allowing him to observe the events of Flashpoint unaffected. Then it turns out he is a time remnant of Future Barry, so whatever Barry does to try and stop him, Savitar remembers and can easily counter it. On the downside, anything that affects Barry's memory also affects Savitar; when Barry inadvertently gave himself amnesia, Savitar lost his own memories as well, only recovering after Barry did. It occasionally takes a while for Savitar's memories to adjust to changes in the timeline; he only remembers the "Iris" he killed was really H.R. after he already did it.
Rogues' Gallery Transplant: Savitar singles out Barry as his most personal Arch-Enemy, while his comic counterpart was introduced in the Wally West era. Granted this Savitar does indeed clash with Wally West, but it's a far less personal conflict than it is with Barry. It gets more complicated when it's revealed that Savitar is really the show's version of Future Flash, who indeed was a personal enemy for Barry Allen in the New 52 comics.
Sadly Mythtaken:
- In the Hindu pantheon, there is a Savitr, but he's a solar god, and has nothing to do with speed or motion (Fridge Brilliance: The Savitr from Earth-19 may well be a god of motion).
- Savitar claims he sought godhood because "God feels no pain". Depending on what myth you're looking at, gods are perfectly capable of feeling pain, including Hindu mythology from which he takes his name and the Christian mythology Barry was raised in. It appears that even though he's been around for thousands of years, he has never once bothered to actually do a bit of research (either that or he's just being plain hypocritical).
Sanity Slippage: While we don't actually see it onscreen, he goes from the selfless, heroic, noble Barry Allen that we know, to a sadistic killer with a god complex known as Savitar. He explains it was the result of anguish at being rejected by Team Flash due to his status as a time remnant, so he resorted to becoming a god to deal with the pain.
Sarcastic Confession: Every time Team Flash asks who he is, he's been answering them flat-out, knowing they won't get it.
Savitar: I am the Future Flash!
Sealed Evil in a Can: His physical presence depends on if the box containing the Philosopher's Stone is open. If it's closed, he disappears. Turns out Future Barry trapped him in the Speed Force, so he uses Alchemy as a medium to further his return to the physical world.
Second Episode Introduction: Viewers get a glimpse of his arm during The Stinger of the second episode of The Flash Season Three. Though technically, he's been introduced way before the series even aired, in the middle of Arrow Season Two.
Serial Escalation: He's even faster and more monstrous-looking than Zoom, who himself was a big step up from the already creepy Reverse-Flash.
Serkis Folk: The first speedster who's so inhuman-looking that he's entirely CGI, and played by motion capture stuntman Andre Tricoteux. Subverted as of 3x15, "The Wrath of Savitar", when he finally appears in an actual, physical suit. Further subverted when the man under the armor reveals himself to Killer Frost, then to Barry.
Slasher Smile: He sports a chilling one when revealing his true identity to Barry.
Small Name, Big Ego:
- He claims to be Barry's most hated enemy, even more than Thawne or Zoom, while from Barry's perspective he's just the latest in a long line of evil speedsters he has to fight. However, considering there's a timeline where he killed Iris which broke Barry in a way that not even his parents' deaths did and wrecked Team Flash's lives, he might have a point.
- He claims to be a god when he's actually just a man.
- However, his name isn't that small with The Reveal that he is a time remnant of the Flash himself.
Stable Time Loop: His entire existence is one giant Temporal Paradox where he is responsible for his own creation. He wants to kill Iris in order to ensure it, and since he lived through all of his prime self's attempts to stop it, he knows exactly how to thwart them. After finding out his true identity, Barry and Team Flash's goal is to break the cycle and prevent his creation in the first place.
Super-Empowering: As Alchemy, Savitar is capable of granting to people the powers and memories they had in the Flashpoint timeline. Judging by the number of "husks" the police have found, he's done so at least six times thus far, known recipients being Edward Clariss, Frankie Kane, Shade, Wally West, and Clive Yorkin.
Super-Speed: He's so fast that only Barry and cameras can even see the flashes of light that come with his movements. In fact, when seen through his perspective, it appears he is running by tunneling through the Speed Force itself. Sensors pick him up as essentially teleporting all across the city simultaneously, and Barry identifies him as more teleporting than running. Judging from their first battle, Savitar runs so fast that Barry appears to be moving in slow motion. After escaping the Speed Force, his speed has been reduced; while he's still faster than Barry, the latter is able to fight him on a more even footing than before.
Super-Strength: Thanks to his Powered Armor, this Savitar is not only faster but also stronger than the average human, able to heft Barry Allen up by the neck using only one arm.
Sword and Fist: He makes use of bare-handed blows as often as he does his blades.
Sympathy for the Devil: With the revelation that Savitar is a time remnant of Barry that went off the deep end, Joe appears to be sympathetic to him and tries to remind him that he was his son.
Tall, Dark, and Snarky: He's freaking huge and will deliver snarky one-liners if he has a chance. And underneath the Powered Armor is a time remnant of the once Tall, Dark, and Handsome Barry Allen.
Taking You with Me: After his plans are utterly ruined in "Finish Line", Savitar, knowing that he only has minutes of existence left, promises to kill everyone Barry loves before meeting his fate. Even after Barry stops him, Savitar makes a desperate attempt to kill Barry as revenge for all the suffering he's endured (although he fails in this as well).
Temporal Duplication: Originates as a time remnant of Barry, created to fight against Savitar/himself.
That Man Is Dead: In a sense. Savitar has completely rejected his previous identity as Barry Allen, and is enraged when Joe calls him by his former name.
Tin Tyrant: Savitar's armor invokes this with its menacing appearance.
Took a Level in Badass: Inverted. Once he escapes the Speed Force in "The Wrath of Savitar", he comes off as only slightly faster than Barry. It appears that being in the Speed Force gave him an immense speed boost. "Into the Speed Force" compounds it by revealing that he's only been pretending to be a god all along.
Tragic Villain: According to his testimony, he's a time remnant of Future Barry who (according to himself) was shunned by Team Flash for not being the "real" Barry. Suffice it to say that he went crazy, decided becoming a god was the only way to deal with his miserable existence, and went back in time to terrorize his past self.
Troll: He pulls off a bit of wordplay just to mess with Barry and Team Flash: They think he's saying "I am the future, Flash" (a boast), when he's really saying "I am the Future Flash" (he is a future time remnant of the Flash). The whole time that Barry's been searching for Savitar's identity, he was overlooking a blatant clue from the man himself. Barry all but kicks himself when he figures out what Savitar really meant.
Tron Lines: His metallic armor glows with pale blue accents.
Two-Faced: Once he steps out of the suit, the right side of his face is shown to carry a huge burn scar.
Undignified Death: One of the defining aspects of his personality is his god complex, and he's ultimately killed by being shot by a mere bullet.
Ur-Example: In-Universe, he is the first person to be granted Super-Speed. Or at least, the first person we've seen be granted Super-Speed, due to being a time remnant of Future Barry Allen.
Villain Ball: He could kill Barry at any time and Barry wouldn't be able to stop him due to Savitar massively outspeeding Barry, but this was especially shown when he was actually trying to kill Barry in "The Present" and took the time to run his arm-blades against the wall while slowly walking towards Barry and Wally, instead of just killing them outright. May be a result of his enormous pride driving him to toy with his victims. He later explicitly acknowledges that he could easily kill Barry after he escapes his imprisonment in the Speed Force, but he'd rather let Barry live to experience greater suffering when Savitar kills Iris in front of him in the future. The trope is finally subverted when we learn that he is a time remnant of Future Barry, so he can't risk killing himself just yet.
Villains Never Lie: He's been telling his Secret Identity every time Team Flash asks it (see Exact Words above).
Savitar: I am the Future Flash!
Villainous Breakdown: When he realizes that H.R. sacrificed himself in place of Iris, thus preventing the future where Savitar comes to be, Savitar loses it, spending the rest of the Season Three finale desperately trying to complete his plan before he's Ret Goned out of existence. It reaches its peak when Team Flash foils this plan and Barry destroys his armor, after which Savitar is reduced to screaming in impotent rage as he makes a final, desperate attempt to kill Barry before being gunned down by Iris.
Visionary Villain: His cult believes he'll lead them all to a better world. In truth, his only real vision is to make himself a god who will rule over all of time; everyone is just a pawn in his game.
Was Once a Man: He used to be a normal man, but became the first speedster, and eventually this Humanoid Abomination. "Into the Speed Force" reveals he's still very much a man, although "I Know Who You Are" reveals he's a time remnant of the Fastest Man Alive.
Weaksauce Weakness: The Philosopher's Stone. It's the source of his powers, but it's also his only link to the physical world. Put the stone in the casket and he's gone. He overcomes this when Wally throws the last piece of the stone into the Speed Force where Savitar is imprisoned, allowing him to escape.
What Measure Is a Non-Human?: According to him, the entirety of Future Team Flash shunned him after he and Barry's other time remnants failed to stop Savitar, calling him a "fake Barry" and rejecting him as part of their group. This broke him and led him to turn to villainy to begin with.
Wicked Pretentious: He renamed himself after a Hindu god and references the myth of Atlas, but he doesn't show anything more than a passing knowledge of the stories and more than likely just brought them up to sound cool.
Would Hit a Girl: He killed Iris in a possible future and has a brief skirmish with Jesse Quick.
You Have Failed Me: He doesn't take it kindly when his minions fail. The Rival finds this out the very hard way.
Your Size May Vary: In his initial appearances, he utterly towered over Barry. During "The Wrath of Savitar", he seems almost the same size during some scenes. His being portrayed by an actor (albeit a 6'11 one) in a suit now instead of being purely CGI probably contributes to that. Then it turns out that he's the same height as Barry underneath the futuristic armor.
You Will Not Evade Me: He does this to Jay Garrick for trying to escape the No-Holds-Barred Beatdown Savitar's in the process of giving him.

Characters / Arrowverse: Savitar

Savitar

Species: Metahuman (Time Remnant)

Known Aliases: Barry Allen, Alchemy, God of Speed, Future Flash

Played By: Grant Gustin, Andre Tricoteux (suit actor), Tom Felton (as Alchemy)

Voiced By: Tobin Bell

First Appearance: "Shade" (The Flash 3x6), "I Know Who You Are" (The Flash 3x20; true identity)

Appearances: The Flash

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Characters / Arrowverse: Savitar

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Savitar

Species: Metahuman (Time Remnant)

Known Aliases: Barry Allen, Alchemy, God of Speed, Future Flash

Played By: Grant Gustin, Andre Tricoteux (suit actor), Tom Felton (as Alchemy)

Voiced By: Tobin Bell

First Appearance: "Shade" (The Flash 3x6), "I Know Who You Are" (The Flash 3x20; true identity)

Appearances: The Flash

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