The New Year is upon us and our Christmas break is over. Fortunately the news has been kind to one of the latest comic to TV adaptations, The Flash, which has already been confirmed for a second season. Coming out of the mid-season break, our favorite speedster is going to have more rogues ready to face off than ever before. With this in mind, this week we pick out who we believe are the top ten best Flash villains out there. With that ZOOM-M-M—-away we go!

10. Weather Wizard (First Appearance Flash #110 1959)

Mark Mardon has been part of the Flash’s Rogues Gallery for more than 55 years. He gained his powers through the use of a wand that controls the weather. The downside of using anything against the Flash is that you have to catch him first. His motivations initially were ones of revenge and that was the case in his first appearance on the CW. The new 52 changed his origins slightly and his weather wand drove him to madness.

9. Golden Glider (First Appearance Flash #250 1977)

Lisa Snart is the younger sister to Leonard (Captain Cold) Snart. She is an Olympic skater and has skates that allow her to skate on thin air. She also uses diamonds that are explosive and have hypnotic power. She blames the Flash for the death of her coach and lover, The Top. She retired after the death of Barry Allen during the Crisis event. You can’t keep a bad girl down, and she eventually returned to the life of crime by enlisting henchmen that used Leonard Snart’s freeze gun. She was murdered during this. The character will show up during CW’s version of the Flash later this year.

8. Trickster (First Appearance Flash #113 1960)

While James Jesse is not one of the Flash’s more notorious villains, he is definitely the one with the worst fashion sense. Jesse, or Giovanni Giuseppe (his real name), decided he would become a criminal like his reverse namesake Jesse James. His boots allow him the ability to walk on air. He also used several gag gadgets like exploding teddy bears to annoy the Flash. Like many others in the Rogue Gallery, he quit after Barry Allen was killed during Crisis on Infinite Earths. The Trickster returned again during the Countdown story line and was killed saving his friend Piped Piper. The Trickster will return in the new Flash TV series sometime. Mark Hammill will reprise his role from the 90’s Flash as the Trickster’s father.

7. Savitar (First Appearance Flash vol. 2 #108 1995)

Savitar in Hindu means “god in motion”. The man who became Savitar was a test pilot during the cold war. During a supersonic test flight his plane was hit by lightning. He gained the power of speed and an obsession towards the need to steal “speed” from others. His appearance caused a cult following during that time and a battle with Johnny Quick who was the speedster then. Savitar returned later to fight Flash (Wally West). He tapped into the Speed Force that Flash and many other speedsters used but was absorbed by it. He was released from the speed force when Barry Allen was returned and promptly turned to bones by Barry’s touch. Professor Zoom had altered the Speed Force making it so this is the effect Barry had on other speedsters.

6. Heat Wave (Flash #140, 1963)

What every list needs is a pyromaniac. Heat Wave (Mick Rory) had a knack for burning stuff down so much that he joined the circus to be a fire-eater. Rory burned the circus down, thus becoming Heat Wave. He has a gunsized flamethrower and a fire resistant suit made of asbestos (good stuff back in the day). Heat Wave’s battles with the Flash never ended well and he always ended up in jail. Even when he teamed with Captain Cold, the Flash stopped them both. Heat Wave even tried going straight and working as a fire inspector. Heat Wave has been already been teased in the Flash TV series. It’ll be interesting to see the back story they create there.

5. Mirror Master (First Appearance Flash #105)

The Mirror Master is one the Flash’s more interesting villains. He can travel and trap people within the reflections of mirrors. Sam Scudder was Mirror Master up until Crisis on Infinite Earths when he was killed off along with Icicle. The Mirror Master identity was used another time by Captain Boomerang when he was moonlighting for the Suicide Squad. Sam Scudder was re-animated during the Blackest Night story line. The new 52 saw his powers no longer part of a gadget, but instead he is actually part of the mirror world.

4. Captain Boomerang (First Appearance Flash #117 1960)

George “Digger” Harkness has probably one of the worst costumes ever. He’s a guy that throws boomerangs to stop the Flash. There really isn’t any way this guy is cool. He is a tool. Digger is memorable though and he was pest to the Flash for a number of years. Desperate to become a better villain he killed Timothy Drake’s father and then was killed himself. His son Owen Mercer took over the role at his death, who in our opinion, was a much cooler Captain Boomerang than his father ever was. Digger and Owen had recently bonded. Owen’s mother is said to be the Golden Glider.

3. Gorilla Grodd (First Appearance Flash 106 #1959)

I just want to know how the guys writing the Flash went from guys with gadgets to a talking Gorilla. Nonetheless, Grodd has been a pain to the Flash for several decades. Besides being a really large Gorilla, Grodd is hyper-intelligent and has telekinetic and telepathic powers. His powers were gained by a radioactive meteorite infused by the alien that brought it to earth. Along with several other apes affected, they built what is called Gorilla City. The city was eventually stumbled upon by outsiders. Grodd tricked the humans to kill the alien so he could take over the city, in turn taking control of all the apes. Another gorilla by the name of Solovar contacted the Flash to stop Grodd. Grodd has been on a world type conquest ever since. The Flash show has teased Grodd briefly, meaning we should expect him to pop back up in the future.

2. Captain Cold (First Appearance Showcase#8 1957)

Leonard Snart is the leader of the Rogues Gallery. He has been a bitter enemy of the Flash for decades. He uses a freeze gun to battle the Flash. Snart was one of the Rogues that helped kill Bart Allen (the 4th Flash). His history is a long one, but the thing that stands out is the moral center that Snart has for his Rogues. They are not allowed to take hard drugs and they never kill women or children. Snart was played by Wentworth Miller on the Flash TV show. I can’t wait to see how much more the character is developed on the show in its return.

1. Reverse Flash/Professor Zoom (First Appearance Flash #139 1963)

Eobard Thawne is Barry Allen’s mirror image. He is from the 25th century and tries to become Barry Allen through cosmetic surgery. This process ends up driving him mad and taking it out on all the Flashes through time. At one point Thawne went back in time and killed Barry Allen’s wife Iris. Barry apparently kills Thawne during this event. At sometime he is brought back and names himself Professor Zoom. What makes this character number #1? He is the reason the NEW 52 is happening now since he went back in time to change the DC universe. Zoom is currently tormenting the Flash on the CW TV show. His motivations are yet to be known, but you can bet when we find out, it’s going to be epic.