History ComicBook / EobardThawne

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->''You will never find love. You will never be the Flash. Barry Allen destroyed my future. It's time I destroyed '''his.'''''

Eobard Thawne, a.k.a. Professor Zoom a.k.a. the Reverse-Flash, is a fictional Creator/DCComics supervillain first appearing in ''Franchise/TheFlash'' vol. 1 #139 (September 1963). He is traditionally an EvilCounterpart and ArchEnemy of the Barry Allen Flash.

A completely psychopathic speedster from the 25th century out to destroy everything the Flash family stands for. While his reasons and origin have changed heavily throughout his existence, the one thing that remains is his obsession with and hatred of the Flash legacy, and Barry Allen, the second Flash, in particular. Possessing all the powers of the Flashes (and sometimes more), he abuses his powers for his own self-interest, which usually comes down to how much he can hurt the Flashes. Funnily enough, Thawne himself is an ancestor of Bart Allen, the second Kid Flash and fourth Flash, a fact he doesn't take kindly to.

Not to be mistaken for ComicBook/HunterZolomon, another supervillain who acted as an EvilCounterpart to a Flash (in his case, Wally West) and went by the aliases of Reverse-Flash and Zoom (without the "Professor").

[[header:Appearances in other media:]]

[[AC:Live-Action TV]]
* The ''Series/{{Arrowverse}}'', played by Creator/MattLetscher and Creator/TomCavanagh[[note]]As his original persona and the identity he impersonates, respectively[[/note]]
** ''Series/TheFlash2014''
** ''Series/FlashVsArrow''
** ''Series/LegendsOfTomorrow''
** ''Series/CrisisOnEarthX''
** ''Series/Elseworlds2018''

[[AC:Video Games]]
* ''VideoGame/LEGOAdaptationGame'':
** ''LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes'', voiced by Creator/DwightSchultz
** ''LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham'', voiced by Creator/LiamOBrien
** ''VideoGame/LegoDCSuperVillains'', voiced by Creator/CThomasHowell
* ''VideoGame/InjusticeGodsAmongUs'' (mobile version only), voiced by Creator/LiamOBrien
* ''VideoGame/Injustice2'' ([[PaletteSwap Premier Skin]] for Barry Allen), voiced by Creator/LiamOBrien

[[AC:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'', voiced by Creator/JohnWesleyShipp[[note]]Yes, [[Series/TheFlash1990 Barry Allen]] himself[[/note]]
* ''WesternAnimation/DCAnimatedMovieUniverse'', voiced by Creator/CThomasHowell
** ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueTheFlashpointParadox''
** ''WesternAnimation/SuicideSquadHellToPay''
* ''WesternAnimation/HarleyQuinn2019''
* ''WesternAnimation/RobotChicken'', voiced by Creator/SethGreen and Creator/TomCavanagh

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[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder: A-C]]
* AbortedArc: One of the concepts for Geoff Johns' run on the Flash after ''Blackest Night'' was Eobard making a Reverse-Flash Family. Outside of a one-panel glimpse in a one-shot, this never came to fruition - until issue #755 of the ''Rebirth'' series, which finally saw Eobard put together a Legion of Zoom based on Barry's greatest enemies [[spoiler:as a prelude to his taking over Barry's body]].
* AbusiveParents: The pre-''Flashpoint'' version of his parents were emotionally distant at best to the point of total detachment, with no indication they ever really saw Eobard as anything more than a required necessity. Even more glaringly, they blatantly favored his younger brother Robern, to the point of punishing Eobard for getting angry at one of Robern's tantrums.
* AccidentalMurder: The recipient: Barry infamously broke his neck by accident when trying to stop the Reverse-Flash from murdering his fiance. The [[ComicBook/TheTrialOfTheFlash murder trial resulting from this]] lasted over two years of comics.
* AdaptationalSuperpowerChange: [[StatusQuoIsGod Subverted]]. Before ''Rebirth'', his New 52 incarnation was a TimeMaster instead of a speedster (albeit one still connected to the Speed Force). As of ''The Button'' he's back to his ''The Flash: Rebirth'' status as a classic speedster, albeit one powered by the Negative Speed Force.
* AdmiringTheAbomination: When Barry returns to save Iris, now powered by [[spoiler:the Negative Speed Force]], he's initially disbelieving, then delighted, dubbing the now-monstrous-Flash "beautiful".
* AGodAmI: Has mentioned having ambitions of using his ability to time-travel to become humanity's "ultimate keeper of knowledge and power". Of course, Barry has thrown a wrench into his plans so many times that all that matters to Thawne is revenge.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Going both ways between Barry and Eobard. With Eobard, it's metaphorical and part of the reason that he hates Barry is that he can never be the hero Barry was and he's never able to absolutely defeat Barry. With Barry it's literal as Thawne, the way he was introduced, is even faster than Barry though this has been a case of DependingOnTheWriter but as of modern continuity, Thawne is faster than Barry but Barry is more creative with his use of the Speed Force and [[SanityHasAdvantages not insane]].
* AmbiguouslyBi: Modern versions of the character ''heavily'' skirt this line and the ''Rebirth'' version is probably the closest yet. He dedicated his entire being to Barry, wanting to be acknowledged and loved by him but Barry's return was less than satisfying to his needs. His reaction to Barry's lack of interest in him can be compared to any {{Yandere}} character and ''The Color of Fear'' prologue arc had Barry outright comparing Thawne to Multiplex, a villain who attacked Barry's birthday party to get revenge from the girl who rejected him. The issue titles of the ''Running Scared'' storyline are all obsessive love songs [[note]]"Every Breath You Take" by The Police, "One Way or Another" by Blondie and "I'll Possess Your Heart" by Death Cab for Cutie[[/note]], which adds more to suspicions. Unfortunately though these implications fall into more [[DepravedHomosexual negative]] [[DepravedBisexual stereotypes]].
--> '''Barry:''' Why, Thawne? Why won't you stop? Why do you keep invading my life?!
--> '''Eobard:''' Because...It's the only time you'll spend with me.
* ArchEnemy:
** Has been this for Barry since UsefulNotes/TheBronzeAgeOfComicBooks. In ''The Flash: Rebirth'', Barry specifically compares his and Thawne's rivalry to that of Franchise/{{Batman}} and ComicBook/TheJoker.
** An argument can be made that he's this to the entire Flash Family, being both directly and indirectly responsible for a lot of their suffering over the years, especially Wally. [[spoiler:Which is only cemented when it's revealed that he's responsible for turning Hunter Zolomon, Wally's ArchEnemy, into Zoom]].
* AscendedFanboy:
** In ''ComicBook/TheReturnOfBarryAllen'' it was revealed he used to be a huge fan of the Flash, to the point where he copied his powers and altered his appearance to look like Barry Allen. Then he time traveled to the past and found he would become [[YouCantFightFate the Flash's greatest villain]]. He took it [[IdentityAmnesia poorly]], to say the least.
** His new origin in ''Rebirth'' is basically this again with a few twists; he gets to meet Barry as 25th century's Flash and they bond over their belief of every second being a gift. After being exposed as a fraud, Thawne genuinely attempts to rehabilitate, becomes the curator of Flash museum and gets to be known as a Professor. He decides to go back in time to show his hero how far he came, only to see Barry give the same advice to Wally West. Hurt that he wasn't as special as he initially thought, [[{{Yandere}} he swears to destroy Barry's future]].
* AxCrazy: He is perfectly willing to destroy ''anyone'' if he can gain something from it.
* BackFromTheDead: After a 26-year absence just prior to ''Final Crisis'' courtesy of the White Lantern. In the ''Rebirth'' comics he's this again thanks to Dr. Manhattan -- and even manages to pull it again after [[spoiler:Manhattan practically incinerates him in ''The Button'']].
* BerserkButton: After issues of goading Barry to kill him, he's made [[DontYouDarePityMe so furious]] by [[spoiler:Barry forgiving him for all his appalling acts]], he blindly runs into Barry's trap of phasing through him - [[spoiler:resetting his timeline to a harmless museum curator in the 25th century and erasing the Reverse-Flash as he is from existence]].
* BigBad: Of several arcs, including ''The Return of Barry Allen'', ''The Flash: Rebirth'' and ''Flashpoint'', though he's not entirely responsible for the events of the latter.
* BigBadDuumvirate:
** Not at the beginning but close to the end of the ''Rogue War'' once Hunter brings him in from the timestream to torture Wally, the two momentarily become a tag-team against Wally and Barry.
** After ''Flash: Rebirth (2009)'', [[spoiler:he teams up with Zolomon again to improve both Flashes, which leads to "ComicBook/FlashWar" years later]].
* BlessedWithSuck: [[spoiler:Eobard can remember every time he's died. It did not help his already poor mental state.]]
* BodySnatcher: [[spoiler:Uses his phasing powers to take over Barry's body in the "Finish Line" arc, though it doesn’t last, and ultimately gives Barry the idea of how to defeat him]].
* BornInTheWrongCentury: Despite gloating about how advanced the time period he comes from is and how everything in DC's "present" is history to him, Thawne has admitted on a couple occasions that he finds the "past" a far more interesting and exciting place compared to his era in the 25th century, where crime is rare and superheroes are a thing of the past.
* BrightIsNotGood: His bright yellow suit and red lightning cannot hide his vile nature.
* BreakoutVillain: While he's still solely fixated on the Flash Family, the TurnOfTheMillennium promotes Eobard to a multiversal threat due to his constant tampering with time.
* BrokenPedestal: "Running Scared" reveals Barry is this to him in a huge way, to the point it formed Eobard's initial basis for his immense hatred of Barry and thus spurred his becoming the Reverse-Flash.
** Gets a bit more complex with the reveal in the same story he's the curator of the Flash museum and responsible for all its exhibits -- including one claiming Flash and Reverse-Flash were [[BlatantLies partners and best friends]]. The implication from this [[note]] The use of the Reverse-Flash name and costume in the exhibit suggests it's something he set up after the return to the future he describes in this arc, hence way after the start of his rivalry with Barry and not from his rehabilitation period [[/note]] seems to be that there's some part of Eobard that still yearns for Barry's respect and approval.
* TheBusCameBack: Barry's return in ''Final Crisis'' led to Thawne's coming back in ''The Flash: Rebirth'', becoming Barry's principal speedster antagonist once more. Post New 52, the success of Thawne as the BigBad of the first season of the 2014 Flash TV series [[RealLifeWritesThePlot led to him returning ahead of schedule]] to the ComicBook/New52 Flash comic, displacing the Daniel West incarnation of Reverse-Flash as the prime evil speedster.
* CainAndAbel: Killed and ''[[{{Retgone}} completely erased]]'' his younger brother for holding him back, and for ruining his life's work. The fact that their parents favoured Robern over Eobard may well have helped, as did Robern's bratty behaviour as a child.
* CharacterizationMarchesOn:
** His Silver Age appearances had him be a little more menacing than Flash's other Rogues, but over time his obsession with and advances towards Iris, his eventual murder of her, and attempted murder of Fiona Webb gradually solidified him as THE ArchEnemy of Barry Allen.
** An interesting variant in the ''Rebirth'' comics -- while this trope usually features ill-defined characters becoming more fully fleshed out later on, here an earlier characterisation of Thawne (The New 52 Professor Zoom) was fully replaced by the ''earliest'' and best-developed version (the pre-''Flashpoint'' Reverse-Flash) thanks to [[spoiler:Dr. Manhattan]].
* TheChosenMany: PlayedWith. The New 52 reset the DCU, stripping Thawne of his status as both the original Reverse-Flash and as Barry's ArchEnemy, giving both to Daniel West. Thawne would be introduced later, reclaiming the title of Barry's main nemesis, but even with West being moved to the ''New Suicide Squad'' comics he was known only as Professor Zoom (usually just Zoom in-story). This changed dramatically in the later stages of the ComicBook/New52 and then ''ComicBook/DCRebirth''; Daniel was KilledOffForReal, while the Post-''Crisis'' Eobard Thawne would return in in place of the New 52 Professor Zoom, reclaiming his mantle as the Reverse-Flash.
* ClassicVillain: Envy with a ''big'' helping of Wrath. Where Barry is defined by his hopeful, selfless and inspirational nature the Reverse-Flash is utterly ruthless, self-obsessed and completely sociopathic. Eobard's striking costume, with the bright colours so different from Barry's red outfit, further lends itself to this trope. That he's the archenemy of ''the'' Silver Age hero says a lot about him.
* ComedicSociopathy: He's mostly portrayed as a terrifying supervillain, but some of his attempts to torment Barry are so [[EvilIsPetty unbelievably petty]] that they [[CrossesTheLineTwice swing back around to being almost funny]]. For instance, when he goes back in time just to torment Barry as a child, he runs by at superspeed so that the [[BlowYouAway wind scatters Barry's homework]], and later causes Barry to miss a catch at a baseball game. The hilariously absurd pettiness of Thawne's actions led to 4chan creating [[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/it-was-me-barry-zoomposting Zoomposting]].
* CompositeCharacter: The New 52 version of Thawne was half-Thawne and half-Hunter Zolomon. He retained Thawne's full name, a grudge against Barry and involvement in the murder of Nora Allen. However, his design was reminiscent of Hunter's, with black and red eyes while in costume, as well as Hunter's distinction of ''lacking'' SuperSpeed and instead being able to alter the speed at which he moves along a timeline. This version of him later combined with the pre-''Flashpoint'' Thawne, bringing the latter [[StatusQuoIsGod back into continuity as Barry's Arch-Enemy]].
* ContinuitySnarl: He's seemingly a ''living'' one. Aside from his origin changing in every DC era, his New 52 self was still acknowledged as Eobard Thawne...then he ''wasn't'' when the "real" Eobard overtook his body. Yet the stories with the New 52 Eobard are still canon...but then everything about them conflicts with his ''Rebirth'' origin and history, which ''acknowledge'' the New 52 stories.
* TheCorruptor: To the Tornado Twins, mentally manipulating them to turn against Barry.
* CostumeEvolution: His costume was originally ''just'' Barry's with a different colour scheme, with no reversed symbol. Once he truly returned in ''ComicBook/BlackestNight'', the direction of the lightning bolt was also reversed, similar to ComicBook/HunterZolomon's design. Once he returns in ''Rebirth'', he's also adopted the more modern belt, again, similar to Hunter.
* CurbStompBattle:
** Issues #78-79 of The Flash (vol.2) basically see him running roughshod over Wally West (see the LightningBruiser entry), Jay Garrick, Max Mercury, Johnny Quick and even Hal Jordan until Wally gets his act together. All the more impressive as he wasn't even that experienced at this point in his timeline.
** When he comes for Batman in ''The Button'', Eobard hammers him mercilessly. While Bruce gets some hits in through quick thinking, his self-admitted strategy is simply to survive until Flash shows up.
** Reverse-Flash vs. Kid Flash (Wallace II) in #24 is ''horrendously'' one-sided, with Wallace only surviving so he could give Flash a message on Iris' whereabouts. Once the Flash catches up to him the following issue that fight doesn't go any better for Barry.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: D-H]]
* DeathIsCheap: Originally played with -- while his death was meant to be permanent (and stuck for 26 years until ''The Flash: Rebirth''), subsequent writers would use TimeTravel to bring him back for brief appearances, invoking this trope without actually overturning his death at Barry's hands. Played deadly straight in the ''Rebirth''-era comics, as despite Eobard [[spoiler:getting [[StrippedToTheBone killed]] by a being powerful enough to [[RealityWarper rewrite reality]] itself]] Barry is utterly certain he'll somehow still come BackFromTheDead. [[spoiler:He's right.]]
* DecompositeCharacter: Overlapping with StatusQuoIsGod; the ComicBook/New52 version of Thawne was a [[CompositeCharacter combination of himself and Hunter Zolomon]], but ''Rebirth'' undid this, and Thawne is back to his classic self, thanks to [[spoiler:Dr. Manhattan]].
* DisproportionateRetribution: Has practically weaponized this -- one issue had him using his powers to ''[[RetGone erase from history]]'' anyone who even remotely antagonized his younger self. And that's not even going into his [[InsaneTrollLogic reasoning]] for trying to ruin Barry's life...
* DrivenByEnvy: His desire to be Barry Allen is a large part of his motivation for his villainy.
* DoNotCallMePaul:
** One pre-Crisis story featuring Superman indicated he absolutely loathed the Reverse-Flash name, seeing it as being defined by his greatest enemy. In all pre-New 52 comics he usually (though not exclusively) refers to himself as Professor Zoom, with other DC characters generally calling him the Reverse-Flash, and the Flash Family using the two interchangeably.
** In the New 52 he went solely by Professor Zoom (usually just Zoom) as at that point Daniel West was Reverse-Flash. Since ''Rebirth'' brought back the original version of Thawne he's started referring to himself as Reverse-Flash more, as with Daniel dead Eobard is the sole holder of the name.
* TheDreaded: Due to his near-murder of Batman and seeming inability to stay dead, Barry has a waking nightmare of Thawne killing Iris, Wallace and everyone else at his birthday party in #23 of the 2016 series and being powerless to stop it.
* DueToTheDead: Subverted -- the Rogues stole his body, set it on fire and yelled at him as they did it, as they were appalled he'd [[InsaneTrollLogic embarrassed them all by getting killed by Barry]].
* DystopiaJustifiesTheMeans: In the ''New 52'' he becomes the dictator of 25th century Central City but his people rebel against him due to the Flash's legacy. Thus Thawne swears to ruin Flash's legacy at all costs.
* EarlyBirdCameo:
** For the New 52, the Flash Annual #3 has a future Grodd chowing down on his brains after gaining Speed Force powers from Reverse-Flash, enabling him to travel to the 25th century. This was nearly a year before Professor Zoom's first New 52 appearance.
** The pre-''Flashpoint'' Professor Zoom (identifiable through his costume and red lightning) has two prior to his return in ''The Button'': the ''Rebirth'' one-shot preceding the 2016 series sees him appear as part of a series of visions (also featuring Wally and Godspeed) culminating in Barry's [[CallBack snapping his neck]]. Issue #9 sees him appear in another Speed Force vision after Barry freaks out, telling him that he'd seen Barry's future and that he's destined to run alone forever.
* EinsteinHair: When unmasked in ''The Flash: Rebirth'' and the the New 52 "Zoom" storyline.
* EnemyMine: The threat of [[ComicBook/TheFlashRebirth Paradox]] is so great that he has to team up with Barry Allen to stop him.
* EvilCostumeSwitch: In his ''Rebirth'' origin, his second costume was a Flash suit, but with the colours of his Reverse-Flash suit. The story depicts the reversed symbol as something he implemented once he decided to become Barry's enemy.
* EvilCounterpart:
** To Barry, complete with a uniform that, unsurprisingly, features a reverse color-scheme (red lightning motif and boots, yellow costume) to the Flash.
** Interestingly, he is also one for the third Flash, Wally West. Both characters hailed Barry as their idol and dedicated themselves to honoring Barry's heroic ways, which is something even Eobard points out in "ComicBook/TheReturnOfBarryAllen", calling Wally "sorta like a brother". "Running Scared" (a ''Rebirth''-era story) takes it to a new level, depicting Thawne's costume as being inspired by the similar colour scheme of the various Kid Flashes. His hair colour changed from strawberry-blonde to complete redhead just like Wally's too. On top of it all what makes Eobard snap? [[GreenEyedMonster Seeing Wally take his desired place in Barry's life]] when he sees Barry telling him the very same thing he told Eobard when they met in the 25th century. Eobard Thawne is basically what would happen if Wally's dedication to the Flash took an extremely dark turn. This comparison is now explicitly stated by Hunter Zolomon at the beginning of "ComicBook/FlashWar". He becomes friends with Thawne partly due to similarities.
---> '''Hunter:''' I would [[BerserkButton never]] tell Eobard this, but he has so much in common with ComicBook/WallyWest.
* EvilGenius: He's considered to be incredibly brilliant even by 25th century standards.
* EvilGloating: ''Constantly''. His gleeful description of the ways he's messed up Barry's life in ''The Flash: Rebirth'' is a perfect example.
* EvilIsPetty: ''Incredibly'' so. Thawne's primary M.O. is just to screw with Barry's life out of sheer spite, and he tends to react to anyone so much as slightly inconveniencing him by pulling a RetGone on them, including ''his own brother''. According to ''Flash'' #750, he also used his time-travel abilities to go back to the 40s just to whisper in Jay Garrick's ears that he'll be forgotten.
* EvilRedhead: Used to be strawberry blond before his resurrection, which caused his hair to go silver. He's back to redhead again in the ''Rebirth'' comics and this time his hair color is wine red.
* EvilTeacher: While one of his identities is ''Professor'' Zoom, he does surprisingly little to invoke this trope until he confronts Barry in the 25th century in the ''Rebirth'' comics, initially dressing as what looks like-an old-school college professor while handing Barry a CurbStompBattle and lecturing him about Thawne's bizarre outlook on their rivalry.
* EvilVsEvil: Implied: when Captain Boomerang freed him from jail just prior to ''Flashpoint'' (to get answers about his own resurrection as a Black Lantern) he noted the Rogues had been at war with the Reverse-Flash almost as long as they'd been battling the Flash.
* FauxAffablyEvil: Very much NOT [[ObviouslyEvil his usual demeanour]], but in "Running Scared" he comes across as this, treating Iris as an old acquaintance and bemoaning how they, and Wally, are all victims of Barry's deceit. Given that he's [[CurbStompBattle beating Wallace halfway to death]] at the same time, it comes across exactly how you'd expect.
* FallenHero: Thanks to his own manipulation of his timeline, Eobard was ''very briefly'' the Flash of the 25th century, until he went insane and turned evil anyway.
-->'''Past!Eobard:''' And from this day forward, I'm the Flash of the 25th Century!\\
'''Present!Eobard:''' It won't last long. [[IJustWantToBeLoved You will never find love]]. [[SingleTear You will never be the Flash]]. [[InsaneTrollLogic Barry Allen destroyed my future]].
* ForScience: A few of the most heinous acts Thawne has committed, including ageing children to death and flat-out erasing people from history, are done as experiments to see what exactly the Speed Force can allow him to do.
* ForTheEvulz: When Zoom recruits his assistance to help ruin Wally's life in ''Rogue War'', he happily admits that while Zoom might want to "teach" Wally that MiseryBuildsCharacter, Thawne is just there to make him suffer.
* FountainOfYouth: Just before ''Flashpoint'' he displayed the ability to use the Speed Force to alter his own age, managing to de-age himself to appear as a child. Once he returns in ''Rebirth'' he looks significantly younger unmasked than he did in ''The Flash: Rebirth'', though it's not clear whether he's used this trick again or [[spoiler:Dr. Manhattan]] de-aged him when he brought him back the way he did the rest of the DC Universe when he altered it.
* GodhoodSeeker: The New 52 Professor Zoom was fond of [[EvilGloating bragging]] that once he'd absorbed Flash's powers (and, secretly, those of his acolytes) he'd become a god.
* GreaterScopeVillain:
** [[spoiler:In "Death and the Speed Force," it is revealed that he was the one who ensured Hunter Zolomon took the path that led to him becoming Zoom, ensuring Hunter's father-in-law was killed by the murderer they were tracking by giving him the gun Hunter predicted he wouldn't have.]]
** [[spoiler:It's also revealed over in ''Batman'' that he was the one who saved Thomas from his timeline during the events of ''The Button'' as a form of revenge for killing him in ''Flashpoint'' (forcing him to live in a world where Bruce threw away his life becoming Batman) - making him indirectly responsible for all Thomas' actions there.]]
** [[spoiler:At the end of "The Flash Age," he reveals that he is the one who killed August Heart's brother, leading him down the path to become Godspeed.]]
** ''Flash'' #761 takes it to even '''greater''' heights: [[spoiler:Every negative decision the Speedsters have made over the last five years - Barry's AesopAmnesia, Wallace letting Damian go out of control, Bart not reconnecting with his family, everything Wally did in ''Heroes in Crisis'' - was because of Zoom using the Negative Speed Force on them. This is enough to make Barry decide to kill him]]
* HateSink: He is murderous, petty, smug, and selfish. He goes out of his way to be responsible for every single misfortune in Barry's life in ''Flashpoint'', such as the death of his dog, the loss of his house, and his failure to pitch a baseball. He is HatedByAll in-universe, and the Rogues went out of their way to desecrate his corpse after Barry finally killed him.
* HesBack: The ''Rebirth'' comics have served as a large-scale case of this for the pre-''Flashpoint'' Reverse-Flash. Not only has he been portrayed as an even more dire threat than before -- he [[CurbStompBattle absolutely batters]] Batman, Kid Flash and Barry at various points, and [[DeathIsCheap easily returns from]] getting killed by a being powerful enough to rewrite reality itself -- but he's received his highest level of characterization so far, revealing more about his origins and why his eternal rivalry with Barry has spiralled so far out of control, adding new layers of depth to the Flash's most iconic ArchEnemy.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: [[spoiler:The "Legion of Zoom" storyline sees him using his phasing powers in a completely new way - to phase into Barry's body and essentially possess him. In "Finish Line," which is also the arc's conclusion, Barry admits this gave him the idea to phase through Eobard and ground him with the Speed Force - undoing his ParadoxPerson status and resetting him to the benign curator of the Flash museum in the 25th century]].
* HopeSpot: At the end of "Flash Age", he's teamed up with Barry to stop Paradox from existing and wiping out the Flashes, and when it comes down to it chooses not to murder him, instead giving Paradox his life back, so maybe he'll be better...? ''Nope''. [[spoiler:He gloats about how he was the one to kill Godspeed's brother in the first place while he suddenly [[NeckSnap kills Godspeed]] and runs off, taunting Barry about how he'll just keep getting away every time.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder: I-L]]
* IControlMyMinionsThrough: Manipulation and distortion of the truth. In the ''New 52'', he has a team he manipulated and trained against Barry Allen, leading them to believe Flash was an evil force that needed to be destroyed.
* IHaveManyNames: He's been called the Reverse-Flash, Professor Zoom, Adrian Zoom, and Eobard Thawne, among other names.
* IdentityAmnesia: In "ComicBook/TheReturnOfBarryAllen" he thought he was Barry Allen because of this.
* IfICantHaveYou: Does this to Iris when she rejects his advances. He's later revealed to have lobotomized another woman who refused him via time-travel.
* IJustWantToBeLoved: Eobard was never loved by anyone, including his parents, which led him to find solace in Barry's bright legacy. He made being loved and respected by Barry his life's goal, which turned into obsession later on.
* ILied: Promises Barry he'll take Iris back to her own time once he's sealed Barry away from causing any more harm -- then invokes this trope towards Iris almost instantly once Barry is out of the picture.
* ImmuneToFate: When he comes BackFromTheDead he displays the ability to not only alter the past via TimeTravel, but remember the events of prior timelines before he changed things. In ''The Button'', he tries to use this as a weapon against [[spoiler:Dr. Manhattan, which doesn't end well for him.]]
--> '''Eobard:''' But I'm not like them. My existence is the only constant in the sea of possibilities. I can not be erased. [[RealityWarper By you]]. By anyone.
* {{Irony}}:
** Eobard has dedicated his life to ruining and destroying Barry Allen...and yet his powers rely on the Speed Force Barry generates to even exist. This only further motivates him to unravel every facet of Barry's life.
--> '''Eobard:''' [[ArchEnemy The man I most want dead]]. The man I'd give anything to kill! Has to live...or I die.
** How Batman (Thomas Wayne) [[spoiler:kills him when he runs a sword through Eobard]]. The one opening that Batman had was when Eobard stopped. One of the fastest individuals in fiction, and he [[spoiler:dies when he stops moving]]. Lampshaded by Thomas himself:
--> '''Batman/Thomas Wayne:''' Doctor's advice: when you're in the middle of a war...don't stand still.
* ItsAllAboutMe: Thawne will get what he wants irrespective of who he has to hurt in the process.
* KickTheDog:
** Virtually the entirety of his early messing with Barry's past, of which erasing his best friend from existence so Barry would be lonely as a child would be the best example.
** When he assaults Batman in ''The Button'', he finds ''Flashpoint'' Thomas Wayne's letter to his son -- and shreds it, just to screw with Bruce.
** He gives a NoHoldsBarredBeatDown to Wallace II, continuously breaking his kneecaps right before they start healing while [[PretenderDiss mocking his situation compared to other Kid Flashes]].
** Possibly his ultimate moment of this comes in "Running Scared" -- he reveals Barry's identity as the Flash to Iris out of pure spite.
** Revealing he's the one who killed August Heart's brother for no reason would already put him here, but he also does it [[spoiler:as he suddenly snaps August's neck, just for extra-level knife-twisting dickery]]. Then he runs away, taunting Barry about how he'll be a KarmaHoudini.
* KillAndReplace: A unique variant -- in ''The Button'' [[spoiler:Dr. Manhattan]] revives the pre-''Flashpoint'' Professor Zoom and merges him with the ComicBook/New52 incarnation -- except the former's memories and powers have overwritten the latter's, essentially meaning Eobard unwittingly manages to pull this with ''himself''.
* KilledOffForReal: One of the most famous villainous examples, when Barry snapped his neck as the only way to stop the Reverse-Flash from killing his fiance. Due to Barry's disappearance in ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' and Wally's subsequent ascension to being the Flash, it actually stuck for over two decades (barring the occasional TimeTravel appearance), but was ultimately undone in ''The Flash: Rebirth'' when he was resurrected by the White Lantern to (ironically) bring back Barry.
* KnightOfCerebus: Very few villains have the ability to darken the story like the Reverse-Flash.
* LackOfEmpathy: Even by the low standards of DC villains, he's well known for having no empathy whatsoever, in stark contrast to the (somewhat) [[EvenEvilHasStandards more principled Rogues]] or even the ([[BlueAndOrangeMorality admittedly often incomprehensible]]) code of his successor [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes Zoom]].
* LaserGuidedAmnesia: When Dr. Manhattan brings him back in his New 52 self's body, he forgets ''everything'' since Thomas Wayne killed him. However, he ''does'' remember quite a bit of pre-''Flashpoint'' history...until he travels back to the future, which seemingly rewrote his memories with new ones.
* LastDisrespects: The Rogues vandalize his grave. Making this all the more impressive is that it's set up in their private, hidden graveyard, so they went to the effort of making a gravesite for Eobard only to vandalize it. That's how much the Rogues hate him.
* LightningBruiser: Being connected to the Speed Force and then later the Negative Speed Force have made Thawne one of the fastest beings in existence, but unlike some with superspeed, his connection gives him a kind of shield that manipulates kinetic energy and inertia so Thawne (and any other speed force speedster) can take insane levels of impact moving at high velocity without serious injury, meaning that when he punches someone the momentum doesn't damage his fists (unless they're really durable like Superman) and he's landing blows with ultra-sonic levels of force behind them.
** To quote Wally West in "ComicBook/TheReturnOfBarryAllen":
--> All around me I hear cracking noises. It takes a moment to place them. They're the sounds of Thawne's fists breaking the sound barrier. He hits like a jackhammer. I can't even think about tagging him back. By the time I swing, he's long gone. He moves so fast, he's invisible. His punches are blurs of yellow followed by explosions of red.
* LoonyFan: He was obsessed with Flash to the point of recreating his powers and trying to be ''him'' before he was completely taken over by his obsession.
* LoveMakesYouEvil: His obsession and admiration for Barry turned him into the monster he is today.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: M-O]]
* MadScientist: He studied the Flash and the Speed Force to the point that it drove him mad.
* MajorInjuryUnderreaction: Try major '''death''' underreaction. At one point he time travels to the point where Barry kills him -- his reaction to seeing Barry standing over his corpse is dispassionately noting he had to learn "the hard way" not to try and kill the Flash's love.
* MakeWrongWhatOnceWentRight: His ''modus operandi'', screwing over Barry Allen's entire life in the name of petty revenge, and conveniently giving him an updated, DarkerAndEdgier backstory. And if not Barry, then anyone who ever remotely annoyed him.
* ManOfKryptonite: When he powers himself with the Negative Speed Force, its energy drains and poisons regular Speed Force users.
* ManipulativeBastard: Among his first few appearances, he relentlessly tried to manipulate recovering villain Dr. Alchemy into going back to a life of crime, playing into the man's weaknesses and vulnerability. The New 52 version had a team he'd assembled against Flash via saving them from various personal tragedies -- tragedies that he used his powers to secretly cause for just that purpose.
* MultipleChoicePast: There are five versions of Thawne's origin story, spanning over the various eras of DC:
** In his pre-''Crisis'' origin, he was a crook with a scientific background who discovered Barry Allen's Flash suit in a time capsule sent from the past to his home 25th century. Succeeding in using it to replicate Barry's powers, he then committed crimes with them before Barry arrived in his era and defeated him. Now enraged at Barry, Thawne decided to become the Flash's worst enemy, thus the whole time travel thing. He also developed a desire to replace Barry as Iris' husband and as the Flash.
** In his post-''Crisis'' origin, written by Mark Waid in the famous "ComicBook/TheReturnOfBarryAllen" storyline, it was changed so that his reason for hating Barry ''before he met him'' was that Thawne was a Flash fanboy who even had surgery to look like Barry Allen, along with recreating Barry's accident to give himself powers. He became the Flash of the 25th Century. Thawne traveled back in time to run alongside his hero, but missed the date and instead landed in the Wally West Flash era. He then discovers that he would become the Flash's worst villain, and all of this combined with the trauma of time travel made him snap. He impersonates Barry for a while, but is eventually defeated by Wally and sent back through time. The experience is erased from his memory, but he holds onto an instinctual hatred of the Flash as well as his Reverse-Flash costume, and it just so happens that he meets Barry "first". This explains how his extensive knowledge of Barry Allen and his desire to replace him came about.
** His post-''The Flash: Rebirth'' origin is a combination of the above two. Here Eobard was still from the 25th century and was also genetically engineered to be intelligent. He formed an obsession with the heroes of the past, specifically the Flashes. He became his world's foremost leading expert on the Speed Force and head of the Flash Museum. Because of this, he was dubbed "Professor Zoom". Eventually, Thawne figured out how to replicate Flash's powers from a costume from a time capsule, and aimed to become a hero like his idol -- but in the super-safe 25th century resorted to causing accidents himself that he'd then save people from. He eventually encountered Barry Allen as the Flash, and after Barry "ruined his life", he resolved to ruin Barry's.
** In the post-''Flashpoint'', New 52 retelling of his origin, Thawne came from a 25th century that idolized the Flash as a god. After witnessing his mother murdered by his father as a child and later gaining time alteration powers, Thawne attempts to conquer Central City but is opposed by the populace who fight against him in the Flash's name, motivating him to travel back in time, gather a group of similarly powered acolytes, and kill the Flash so that he goes down in history as a failure, not as a hero. He also notably never used the name "Reverse-Flash", instead going exclusively by Professor Zoom. This version was undone in ''The Button'', which merged this Thawne with the post-''Flash: Rebirth'' Thawne, with the latter's memories -- and his previous origin -- now dominant.
** The ''Rebirth'' version of Thawne's origin is essentially the post-''The Flash: Rebirth'' origin, but it's expanded upon and there are some changes. Eobard is a child who grew up loving the Flash. Finding Barry's suit in a time capsule, he uses it to replicate Barry's powers in himself, becoming the Flash of the 25th Century. This time, he goes about causing accidents that he can save people from (it's not established if accidents are illegal like in the post ''The Flash: Rebirth'' origin). Encountering a time-travelling Barry Allen, the two bonded over their belief that time is valuable, and Thawne considers Barry telling him that "every second is a gift" the happiest day of his life. However, when Barry discovered Thawne's unethical ways of being a hero, he defeated him and turned him over to the authorities. Thawne genuinely repented, becoming curator of the Flash Museum (being dubbed a professor) and eventually donning a new costume based on Kid Flash's (it's basically his ''Rebirth'' suit but with the lightning bolt's direction the same as Barry's). However, when he travelled back in time to be with his hero once more, he discovered Barry was already mentoring Wally West. Seeing Barry tell Wally that "every second is a gift" and giving Wally his grandfather's watch with said quote engraved on it, Thawne was heartbroken. An enraged Thawne now believes his "bond" with Barry had all been lies on Barry's part and thus decided to fill Barry's life with the pain he was experiencing and make sure everyone knew what kind of person Barry really was.
* MurderTheHypotenuse: Manipulates time to erase his crush's husband (and later every man she has ever dated) from existence.
* NeckSnap: How Barry ([[AccidentalMurder accidentally]]) kills him when the Reverse-Flash threatens to murder his fiance Fiona Webb the same way he did Iris West.
* NewPowersAsThePlotDemands: Oh, and ''how''. After his resurrection in ''The Flash: Rebirth'', Thawne learned to effortlessly time travel (previously he'd always needed the Cosmic Treadmill), create a Negative Speed Force, strip away Speed Force powers, and de-age and re-age himself at will. The New 52 version had a device created by Henry Allen he could use to steal other superpowers, giving this trope an in-story explanation, at least for that version of him.
* NeverMyFault:
** The post-''The Flash: Rebirth'' Thawne blamed Barry for the failure of his being the 25th century Flash, despite that being [[AxCrazy due to his instability]] and tendency to RetGone any minor inconvenience.
** The New 52 version takes this UpToEleven, with Thawne blaming the memory of Barry for causing the people of Central City to rebel against his rule in the 25th century -- despite ''that'' happening because of [[EvilOverlord his being a brutal and capricious tyrant who murdered everyone that opposed him]]. Issue #47 of the New 52 series features an extended rant where he extensively blames Barry and his legacy for ''everything'' that went wrong in his life -- alongside a series of (appropriately) reverse-chronological [[TimeyWimeyBall flash-forwards]] showing what actually happened. The disconnect between the two is so great one suspects this Thawne might be genuinely delusional.
** Thawne really likes to rub it in that Barry was the one responsible for ''Flashpoint''. Barry only went back in time to save his mother from being murdered by a time-travelling Thawne.
* NonLinearCharacter: A user and abuser of TimeTravel, so his appearances to the reader are not necessarily in chronological order. This is especially apparent in ''ComicBook/TheReturnOfBarryAllen'' and ''ComicBook/TheButton''.
* NotMeThisTime: Barry and Batman (Thomas Wayne) spend most of ''Flashpoint'' under the impression the new timeline is a result of Thawne's meddling -- but when confronted he gleefully tells Barry it isn't his doing, and is actually a result of Flash's actions.
* NotSoDifferent: Tries to invoke this with Wally West in ''ComicBook/TheReturnOfBarryAllen'', pointing out that they're both inspired by and desperate to emulate Barry. Wally [[TalkToTheFist does NOT agree]] -- but as noted in the EvilCounterpart entry, there actually ''is'' an uncomfortable level of similarity between Thawne and West in many areas, especially since ''DC Rebirth''.
* ObviouslyEvil: Where the Rogues have [[EvenEvilHasStandards a set of moral guidelines they follow]] (most of the time) and characters like ComicBook/LexLuthor or Grodd can at least [[FauxAffablyEvil hide their nature behind a veneer of civility]] Professor Zoom '''never''' makes any bones about being anything other than a sadistic, sociopathic monster out to ruin Barry's life any way he can.
* OhCrap:
** Very rare for ''any'' incarnation of Thawne, due to his SmugSnake tendencies and superiority complex -- but he probably gets his greatest moment of this in ''"ComicBook/TheReturnOfBarryAllen"'' when Wally gets over his fears of replacing Barry and matches Thawne in speed; the moment they get the equal ground, Thawne knows that he has no chance against Wally anymore and he drops the cocky attitude ''instantly''.
--> '''Wally:''' At last, we're evenly matched--and the look of surprise on Thawne's face is ''priceless''. He wasn't prepared for a '''fair fight'''.
** The New 52 version had a major moment of this when Barry worked out how to use his own connection to time (speeding it up instead of Thawne's slowing it down) to counter Thawne's TimeMaster powers, evening the playing field and ultimately leading to Professor Zoom's defeat.
** When he uses [[spoiler:the Comedian's button]] to meet the one who altered the DC universe to its current New 52/''Rebirth'' state in ''The Button'', he's supremely confident, [[SmugSnake stating he can't be erased]] -- then [[spoiler:Dr. Manhattan]] actually shows up and he's immediately reduced to begging for his life before [[spoiler:Manhattan blasts half his body away]].
** And again when he realises [[spoiler:Barry has used his own Speed Force powers to undo his ParadoxPerson status in the ''Rebirth'' timeline, leading to him fading away and being reset to the harmless curator of the Flash museum in the 25th century]].
* OneManArmy: The ''Dark Multiverse'' version of ''Flashpoint'' showed what would happen if he cut loose without Barry around to stop him; on behalf of the United Staes, he kills Aquaman and over a thousand other Atlanteans and then uses that to intimidate the Thermyscirans into standing down. [[spoiler:It takes that universe's Superman and careful planning by Thomas Wayne to defeat him]].
* OneSteveLimit: His return to the comics has twice led to other characters with the Reverse-Flash/Zoom moniker being PutOnABus:
** His return in ''The Flash: Rebirth'' was immediately preceded by his successor Zoom (Hunter Zolomon) being depowered in ''Final Crisis: Rogues' Revenge'' (as well as Zolomon's self-appointed successor Kid Zoom being blasted to death by the Rogues).
** Professor Zoom's return in the ComicBook/New52 led to the Daniel West version of Reverse-Flash being moved to the ''New Suicide Squad'' comic -- eventually pulling a HeroicSacrifice that [[spoiler:has (seemingly) killed him for good]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder: P-T]]
* PaletteSwap: Professor Zoom wears a color-flipped version of Flash's costume.
* ParadoxPerson: He turned into one thanks to his connection with Negative Speed Force in ''The Flash: Rebirth'', able to alter history and be the only one to remember the way things were before. In ''Flashpoint'' he becomes a paradox in that universe due to being from the prior timeline, which allows him to try and kill Barry without fear of losing his powers (though he's killed by Thomas Wayne before he can go through with it). In ''Rebirth'', his return to life gives him the idea to [[ImmuneToFate use this as a weapon]] against [[spoiler:Dr. Manhattan]], reasoning he can use it to steal his reality-altering power for himself. He's [[VillainsWantMercy wrong]]. ''[[StrippedToTheBone Very, very wrong]]''. The "Paradox" arc shows that each time he dies he's reborn in the Negative Speed Force with his memories of what happened before; not only that, but he retains said memories even when he's at points in his timeline (like killing Nora Allen) where he shouldn't. Finally undone at the end of "Finish Line" when Barry figures out that the reason this is happening is Thawne has nothing to ground him in the current timeline - so he [[spoiler:phases through Eobard and imparts some Speed Force energy to him - acting as a lightning rod to anchor him to the here-and-now, erasing the Reverse-Flash as he is from existence and "resetting" him to the NiceGuy curator of the Flash museum in his home time period]].
* ParentalNeglect: The pre-''Flashpoint'' version of his parents gave birth to Eobard ''out of obligation''. Their robotic parenthood (as well as blatantly favoring his brother) definitely contributed to Eobard's lack of empathy later on.
* PetTheDog: Horribly subverted, as only Eobard can. [[spoiler:When he time travels to the past he saves Chris from becoming Paradox as Barry wanted, instead of killing him as he'd been loudly proclaiming he would throughout the entire arc. A sign of change? Nope, he murders August moments later and runs off to found a Reverse-Flash Family. He even gleefully tells Barry that Paradox was after the wrong monster all along.]]
* PutOnABus: Despite his status as Barry's ArchEnemy this has happened a few times. A combination of his being KilledOffForReal pre-Crisis and Wally's becoming The Flash meant that he only made a few surprise appearances due to TimeTravel from 1983-2009 (in "ComicBook/TheReturnOfBarryAllen" and "Rogue War" most famously), though he was still very important to the mythology -- eventually inspiring a new Reverse-Flash in Hunter Zolomon's Zoom. In the New 52 he was absent for the first few years, and replaced entirely as Reverse-Flash by Daniel West. But in both cases [[TheBusCameBack he managed to come back]]...
* PretenderDiss: Has done this to Daniel West twice, even though the two have never met -- and spread across two different versions of the character to boot. He's also not a fan of the new Kid Flash.
** The New 52 version calls Daniel "an insult to our kind" ("our" being himself and Barry) in his debut "Zoom" storyline. It should be noted that at this stage Thawne was only known as Professor Zoom, so it's not 'exactly' a diss to Daniel's Reverse-Flash title but his claim to Barry's ArchEnemy status.
** Later, in the ''Rebirth'' series, the Post-''Crisis'' Thawne outright dismisses Daniel, stating there is only one Reverse-Flash when Iris and Wallace bring him up.
** He sneeringly dismisses Wallace II as "a '''fake''' Kid Flash" and "not even the '''real''' Wally West" when the two do battle in #24.
** In ''Flash'' #755, he tells August Heart he'll never get a statue in the Flash Museum, he'll just be forgotten. [[spoiler:This, ''after'' killing the guy.]]
* RedBaron: He's every bit as well-known and notorious as either the Reverse-Flash or Professor Zoom. In an interesting twist the latter was actually a fairly benign nickname bestowed on him in his home time-period for his knowledge of the Speed Force.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: From ''The Flash: Rebirth'' onward his eyes were frequently seen to glow red whenever he was using his powers, as can be seen in the above image.
* ReplacementGoldfish: Hunter clings onto Eobard as a friend after Wally and notes the similarities between two men.
* {{Retgone}}: After coming back from the dead, Eobard learned how to ''weaponize'' this, getting rid of people who stood in his way, or refused him, or even annoyed him. His first victim was his younger brother.
* RevengeByProxy:
** As much as he hates Barry he's stuck operating this way when trying to ruin his life -- as Barry generates the Speed Force Thawne uses to fuel his own speed, killing him would render Thawne powerless. As a result, he uses time travel to kill Barry's mother and frame his father for it decades before Barry ever became the Flash. Subsequent attempts on Iris and the rest of the Flash Family were also motivated by this,
** When [[spoiler:Dr. Manhattan]] revives him in ''The Button'', he remembers being killed in ''Flashpoint'' by Batman/Thomas Wayne -- and immediately tries to kill his son Bruce in retaliation.
* RippleEffectProofMemory: Zig-zagged. As a time traveller he's a living paradox and he is aware of how things were before he changed them ''himself''. While the New 52 Thawne (a TimeMaster who needed a Cosmic Treadmill to time travel) never really did this enough for this trope to take effect, the pre-''Flashpoint'' Thawne was brought back in ''The Button'', and was shown to retain his full memories of ''Flashpoint'' and the preceding post-''Crisis'' era, despite [[spoiler:Dr. Manhattan]] altering the DC universe into the New 52/''Rebirth'' reality -- properly invoking this trope. Issue #24 of the ''Rebirth'' series plays with the effects of this a little, with Thawne bemoaning his expertise on the Flash has been rendered moot now that the New 52/''Rebirth'' universe has altered so much of the Flash's history. Also, once he travels "back" to the future, it's clear that some aspects of his history have changed, as have his memories of the post-Crisis universe.
* {{Sadist}}: While he's beyond doubt TheSociopath, he also fits this trope pretty well in relation to his hatred of Barry Allen. He absolutely revels in inflicting as much pain as possible on Barry any way he can -- killing his wife, going back in time to murder his mother, pulling a RetGone on Barry's childhood best friend -- even if [[RippleEffectProofMemory he's the only one that remembers]] doing it due to his TimeTravel antics. "Rogue War" showed he was willing to extend this to anyone in a Flash uniform he encountered.
* SadisticChoice: The New 52 version offers a subtly nasty one to Henry Allen -- telling him he can help him create a weapon to kill the Flash via stealing his speed, or watch as he murders Allen's son Barry. What's particularly cruel here is that Henry has no idea Barry is the Flash (though Eobard does), so he's basically signing his son's death warrant either way...
* SelfMadeOrphan: The post-''The Flash: Rebirth'' version was revealed to have killed his parents via time-travel for preventing his study of the Speed Force.
* ShadowArchetype: The "Reverse" of the Flash for a reason. He's completely evil without any redeeming qualities, extremely selfish and obsessed with ruining people's lives -- in stark contrast to Barry's pure and genuine heart, selflessness and humble nature.
* ShockwaveClap: A trick he learned from Hunter Zolomon.
* SlasherSmile: Often sports a truly unnerving one, usually when he's done something to really screw up Barry's life. The New 52 version practically has this as his default expression when in costume -- in fact, embodying this trope perfectly, he's wearing one of these as he stabs Barry's mother to death.
* SmugSnake: Has a monumental superiority complex, not just regarding the Flash but pretty much every DC hero he encounters.
* SmugSuper: Imagine someone with the Flash's power set crossed with Lex Luthor's total disdain for/imagined superiority to everyone around him, then throw in massive doses of EvilIsPetty and AxCrazy, and you'd sum up Professor Zoom perfectly.
* TheSociopath: And how. Where even major [[BigBad DC villains]] like ComicBook/LexLuthor or ComicBook/RasAlGhul have the occasional humanizing moment, Thawne has consistently failed to display any kind of empathy for any other living being in close to 60 years of appearances through various eras of DC.
* SpannerInTheWorks: For [[spoiler:Dr. Manhattan]]. It's implied [[spoiler:Manhattan]] resurrected him to kill Batman and the Flash after they begin to investigate his altering of the DC Universe -- except Thawne then [[BullyingADragon attempts to take that power for himself]]. [[spoiler:Manhattan]] has to step in and personally kill Thawne, leaving Bruce and Barry with more questions than before.
* SplashOfColor: When the New 52 Professor Zoom uses his powers, he remains in color while everything else around him appears in monochrome gray.
* StalkerWithACrush:
** To Iris Allen. His obsession with Barry didn't end with wanting to be The Flash — but to have everything The Flash had, including his wife. This eventually culminated in his ''murdering'' her (though she [[BackFromTheDead got better]]).
** He later demonstrates a similar attitude towards a reporter who was interviewing him, using his powers to RetGone all her past boyfriends -- then, when she rejected him, used TimeTravel to traumatise her so thoroughly as a child she was rendered catatonic in a mental institution in the present.
* StalkerWithoutACrush: To Barry. Taken UpToEleven -- he stalks Barry ''throughout his entire childhood'' solely to find ways to make him suffer. In the ''Rebirth'' (2016) comics Barry outright calls him a stalker.
* StatusQuoIsGod: ''Rebirth'' basically acted as a giant reset button for Thawne. The ComicBook/New52 Thawne shared some of the classic version's backstory and hatred of Barry, but was otherwise a very different character with [[TimeMaster a new powerset]]. In addition, he wasn't even the original New 52 Reverse-Flash (that honor going to Daniel West), being solely called Professor Zoom. Then in ''Rebirth'' Wally West reawakened Barry's pre-''Flashpoint'' memories, leading him to not only openly call Eobard the Reverse-Flash, but the first one in place of Daniel. ''The Button'' went further and actually brought back the post-''Crisis'' Thawne in place of the New 52 Thawne. Subsequent dialogue from him and Barry confirm this is indeed the original Thawne, bringing everything about the pre-Crisis Eobard into the ''Rebirth'' continuity and invoking this trope full-force over the now-overwritten New 52 version.
* SupernaturalGoldEyes: Jaundiced yellow.
* SuperSpeed: Naturally. He's even faster than Barry due to the fact that he gained his connection to the Speed Force (then later making his own Negative Speed Force) using future super science though Barry manages to win because he's more creative than Thawne and Thawne is insane. Just like anyone connected to the Speed Force or in his case Negative Speed Force, he can move at ultra-high speeds to the point where he can move almost as as fast as light. In Pre-Crisis continuity and Pre-New 52 continuity, he could exceed the speed of light just like the fastest among speedsters and use that to break the time barrier. In the Rebirth continuity, abilities like phasing and breaking the time barrier are explained to be due to the Speed Force allowing the user to manipulate time and space to a limited extent while travelling through the Speed Force to jump to different time periods rather than breaking the time barrier.
* TimeMaster: Before ''Rebirth'', the New 52 Thawne, like the pre-reboot Zoom, had no Super Speed, but his ability to alter his personal flow of time made him look considerably faster than Barry. Interestingly, this incarnation's powers still seemed to have elements of his pre-New 52 speedster self -- he could both go intangible and time travel using a Cosmic Treadmill, things the pre-''Flashpoint'' Zoom (Hunter Zolomon, also this trope) was never able to do. As of ''The Button'', Thawne is back to using classic super speed again.
* {{Time Travel}}ler: A frequent time traveller, Thawne abuses the time stream in ways that no other DC villain can, regularly altering the past to make Barry Allen's life more miserable.
* TimeyWimeyBall: As a frequent time-traveller, gets hit with this a lot -- his famous appearance in "ComicBook/TheReturnOfBarryAllen" is particularly notable. While he's infamous to Wally and the rest of Barry's allies as The Flash's ultimate ArchEnemy, he comes from a point in his timeline where he hasn't even met Barry yet, and as such is desperate to avoid returning to his own time, as that way he can [[YouCantFightFate avoid his neck-snapping fate at Barry's hands]].
* TragicVillain: Yes. Really. While Thawne's actions and personality are so evil and atrocious that he's probably beyond redemption and FreudianExcuseIsNoExcuse for Thawne, he has been genuinely dealt a bad hand from the get go. Born to an era that's cold and without passion while brought up by [[ParentalNeglect parents who were extremely un-involved with actual parenting]], having no real friends left his childhood was dark and lonely. He was so desperate for affection, recognition, or hell even the smallest sliver of light that he became obsessed with Barry Allen and the legacy of the Flash. After, living in a fantasy and dreaming of how wonderful the Flash was and how great it must be to become a hero, Thawne found a way to gain a connection to the Speed Force and become the Flash of his era. He later traveled to the past to meet his hero with the hopes of going on adventures with him and finding the acceptance, recognition, and friendship he couldn't find in his own time. Once arriving in the present he learns to his horror that not only was he never meant to be a Flash but he was to become his hero's greatest enemy and an irredeemable villain. Even more tragic is that if Thawne had been just a bit stronger emotionally, had support, and didn't have an already somewhat unstable mind, he might have been able to overcome the despair from this realization and tried to ScrewDestiny like so many other heroes have done in the DC universe.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: U-Z]]
* UnexplainedRecovery: Twice in the Rebirth era. First, when he suddenly reforms himself from a [[spoiler:charred skeleton after Dr. Manhattan kills him]], and second, after [[spoiler:Iris West kills him]], he's shown in the present as a member of the Secret Society of Super Villains in ''ComicBook/DeathstrokeRebirth''. The fact that he uses and abuses TimeTravel makes the latter [[NonLinearCharacter a bit complicated]], however.
* TheUnfavourite: He certainly feels this way with regards to his parents, who blatantly favoured his brother Robern over him, and Barry, after finding out he mentored other speedsters the same way. While the former has some justification (they would punish him for his brother's tantrums) the situation with Barry seems to stem from Eobard [[EvilCannotComprehendGood not getting]] that Barry would do all he could to help and guide any speedster coming under his wing, whether it was Thawne, Wally or anyone else.
* TheUnfettered: No matter what it takes, Thawne will do '''anything''' to get what he wants.
* UnreliableNarrator: Because he's from the future and is a Flash fanboy, he has extensive knowledge of the Flashes and their families' lives. Of course, he also lies quite a bit, and is also mentally unstable, so everything he says has to be taken with a grain of salt. One example would be the Flash Museum (of his time) saying that Eobard Thawne was Barry's best friend...this is blatant lies, as his actions as the Reverse-Flash are publicly known, and he's an outlaw in his own time. Yes, his narration is so unreliable that it extends to his own museum displays, meaning ''everything'' in that museum is unreliable! Later still, it was established that said museum was changing because of alterations to the timeline, so even if he ''thinks'' he's telling the truth, he may not be.
* VibroWeapon: Can vibrate his hand so fast he can phase it ''through'' people, stopping their heart or disrupting their brain. This was famously how he killed Iris Allen, and became so associated with him it became the Reverse-Flash's [[SignatureMove preferred murder method]] in the 2014 TV series. The New 52 Professor Zoom could do it too, despite being a TimeMaster.
* [[VillainEpisode Villain Issue]]: Both issue 8 of the 2010 series and his ''Flashpoint'' tie-in issue are from Eobard's POV and shed a lot of light on his origins, motivations and history with Barry.
* VillainousBreakdown:
** At the climax of ''ComicBook/TheButton'', he realizes who had caused the ''ComicBook/New52''. Upon seeing him, a being he thinks of as ''God'', he begins pathetically begging for mercy and tries to [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere run for his life]].
--->'''Eobard Thawne:''' ...Hello. [[ComicBook/{{Watchmen}} You]] don't have to be ''shy'' now. I can ''feel'' your presence. Like a wave of static electricity. It's ''powerful'', I'll admit. In fact, I've never encountered anything quite ''like'' it. You've done [[ComicBook/New52 such strange things]] to the timeline. Things I won't begin to question. And you've remained ''hidden''. From all of [[Franchise/TheDCU them]]...but I am not ''like'' them. [[TheConstant My existence is the only constant in a sea of possibilities]]. [[ImmuneToFate I cannot be erased]]. By you. By anyone. ''Show Yourself—''...I...[-my God.-] ''[[OhCrap Wait]]!'' Wait, I didn't ''know! Please! [[IDontWantToDie I don't want to]] [[StrippedToTheBone d]]—''
** Has another in ComicBook/TheFlashRebirth #762, when [[spoiler:Barry provides him with a lightning rod to ground him, effectively resetting Thawne's past and moving on with his life]].
-->'''Barry Allen:''' Eobard... [[spoiler:''I forgive you''.]]\\
'''Eobard Thawne:''' [[spoiler:You... ''what?'' [...] You don't get to forgive me. I won't let you do this. Your entire life is about me. You are the Flash because of ''me''. Without me you are nothing. [...] ''Our race will never end!'' [...] ''Our hate is '''forever'''!'']]\\
[[spoiler:(''Barry lets Eobard run through him, grounding him in the Speed Force with him as a lightning rod, and explains what he did'')]]\\
'''Eobard Thawne:''' [[spoiler:I ''was'' [[ParadoxPerson a paradox]] and that helped me [[ImmuneToFate avoid]] ''all'' the [[CosmicRetcon changes in time]]. But you... this... this ''resets me''. But this won't reset your ''[[YouKilledMyFather past]]!'']]\\
'''Barry Allen:''' [[spoiler:I know. Goodbye, Thawne. (''runs away'')]]\\
'''Eobard Thawne:''' [[spoiler:'''[[PleaseDontLeaveMe Don't you dare run from me, Barry!]]'' The last time this happened [[LaserGuidedAmnesia I forgot everything]]. ''[[VillainsWantMercy Please!]]'' I... '''''[[RetGone NOOOO]]''''']]
* VillainousCrush: On Iris Allen. Possibly towards Barry too.
* VillainousFriendship: "ComicBook/FlashWar" reveals he had one with [[spoiler:Hunter Zolomon (his successor Zoom), breaking him out of jail after Zolomon offered to help improve them both and helping him walk again. Ultimately though, their differing philosophies on the Flashes led to Eobard abandoning Zolomon in favour of returning to the 21st century to make Barry pay directly.]]
** [[spoiler:This may be one-sided on Hunter's part, as it's eventually revealed that Eobard gave Lyle Corley the gun he used to cripple Hunter and kill his father-in-law, which led to Hunter's wife divorcing him, which drives him to eventually become Zoom.]]
* VillainousLegacy:
** Even after his death, the memory of what he did and his impact on Barry is enough to inspire Hunter Zolomon to become Zoom once he gets powers, so that Wally will have a villain to drive him to the same lengths Professor Zoom drove Barry.
** His actions in "Running Scared" lead directly to Barry's becoming empowered by the Negative Speed Force, which in turn leads to a host of effects for Barry: Flash becomes more violent and less in control of his powers, Barry's angrier attitude leads to his getting fired from the police and eventually Barry loses the Negative Speed Force to Meena, creating a new villain in Negative Flash. In addition, Thawne's outing of Barry as the Flash to Iris (as well as her [[spoiler:killing him]]) creates a major rift between Barry and Iris.
** Later, it's revealed [[spoiler:his death at Iris' hands]] was the catalyst for [[spoiler:Hunter Zolomon]] finally abandoning his obsession with "improving" the Flashes through tragedy in favour of having them wage war instead. It's also eventually revealed that [[spoiler:Eobard was the one to give Lyle Corley a gun, ensuring that Corley would cripple Hunter and kill his father-in-law, leading to Hunter's wife divorcing him and putting Hunter on the path to becoming Zoom]].
* VillainTakesAnInterest: His desire to become Barry's closest ally triggers basically everything in Barry's life, starting with his mother's murder.
* WhiteHairBlackHeart: After his resurrection and later in the New 52. It's gone by the time of ''Rebirth''.
* WhyDontYouJustShootHim: Justified; Thawne can't kill Barry, much as he'd really love to, since Barry generates the Speed Force, and Thawne uses that to fuel his own powers. Otherwise, it'd be easy enough for him -- when he discovers Hot Pursuit is an alternate-universe version of Barry just prior to ''ComicBook/{{Flashpoint}}'', he immediately uses his powers to age him to death. During ''ComicBook/{{Flashpoint}}'', [[spoiler:once Barry has severed the connection between them, Thawne takes full advantage of the opportunity to try, and would've succeeded if Thomas Wayne hadn't been there]].
** PlayedWith in the New 52 "Zoom" storyline -- he could kill Barry at a ''lot'' of points in the story, but feels the need to completely discredit and humiliate him in front of all of Central City to ruin his legacy, ensuring that Professor Zoom's rule of the Gem Cities won't be wrecked by Flash's legacy. While this all ''sounds'' logical ([[InsaneTrollLogic kind of]]), the actual story makes it clear Professor Zoom's massive psychosis and sheer sadism play a big part in his not killing Barry when he has the chance.
** Eobard in ''VideoGame/Injustice2'' is stuck in a TemporalParadox since one of the Regime members killed one of his ancestors. His rage is focused on The Flash, since now he can kill him freely.
* WorthyOpponent: He tells Wally "You run one hell of a race" in "ComicBook/TheReturnOfBarryAllen" -- the closest he's ever come to showing outright respect for any Flash.
* WouldHitAGirl: Killed Iris Allen by vibrating his hand through her head, tried to kill Fiona Webb the same way, tries to kill Iris ''again'' in ''The Flash: Rebirth'' and traumatizes a woman who rejects him into catatonia. He's also only too happy to try and kill Jesse Quick and Irey West during the events of ''The Flash: Rebirth''.
* WouldHurtAChild:
** During ''Legion of Three Worlds'', it's mentioned he tried to kill a young Jenni Ognats solely for being Barry Allen's granddaughter.
** When a reporter he is interested in spurns his advances, Thawne travels back to her childhood and traumatizes her, leaving her effectively brain-dead as an adult.
** During ''The Flash: Rebirth'' he attacks Jai and Irey, manipulating their connection to the Speed Force in an effort to kill them.
** Gives Kid Flash (Wallace West II) -- who cannot be any more than 13 or 14 -- an [[CurbStompBattle utterly brutal beating]] in the ''Rebirth'' comics, including breaking his leg twice in the space of about a minute.
* {{Yandere}}: To both [[StalkerWithACrush Iris]] and [[AscendedFanboy The Flash]].
* YouCantFightFate: He tries to in "ComicBook/TheReturnOfBarryAllen" -- when he travels back in time and discovers that not only is he destined to become Barry's ArchEnemy but also due to die at his idol's hands, he resolves to stay in the past, as if he never goes back to the 25th century, this timeline can't happen. However, it's eventually played straight when Wally tricks him into returning to the future sans memories, ensuring that the timeline plays itself out correctly.
* [[YouKilledMyFather You Killed My Mother]]: In both ''The Flash: Rebirth'' and The New 52 he travels back in time to kill Barry's mother and frame his father for it, drastically altering Barry's life in the process.
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