Fans of The Flash have known how deadly and dangerous Hunter Zolomon a.k.a. ZOOM truly is for years. But as proof that even the most evil-seeming villains can surprise you, the truth about Hunter’s own Flashpoint origin story has been revealed… and it was all he needed to die a hero’s death saving the DC Universe, the timestream, the Flash family, and more.
Considering how easily most Flash fans assume Hunter Zolomon’s origin is as much a copy of the first Reverse-Flash as his suit, his actual tragic origin is often overlooked. With his mother murdered by his father, Hunter’s life started almost the same as Barry Allen’s. Where Barry devoted his life to proving guilt or innocence, Hunter devoted his to profiling, to catch killers (like his own father actually was). But it’s now been revealed that Hunter’s origin story is even more unfair and cruel than fans ever really knew.
The new revelations are built on the origin story Flash fans have always known: Hunter joined the FBI as a profiler, found his wife, Ashley, along with her father as a mentor on the job. But when Hunter made the wrong call, assuring his superiors that a serial killer (‘The Clown’) didn’t use guns, the mistake cost Ashley’s father his life. And so Hunter’s life unraveled, setting him on his path to become the villainous Zoom. But Barry Allen just discovered that wasn’t the real story…
As Barry is discovering the true origin of Hunter Zolomon, the villain himself is finishing his mission to kill as many heroes as he has to in order to gain the power of not only the Speed Force, but the Strength, Sage, and Still Forces as well. His goal is sound: to create so drastic an imbalance, the Black Flash will come to kill him (like all other speedster before) to restore order. And when it does, Hunter will kill Death itself, becoming the greatest Flash in the Multiverse. Which is the exact moment Barry tells him the truth.
Having found a second set of fingerprints on the gun that killed his mentor, Barry is able to show Hunter the truth: he wasn’t wrong about The Clown, and the tragedy that destroyed his life wasn’t his doing. It was Eobard Thawne who traveled back to put the gun in that killer’s hand, creating the Reverse-Flash the same way he created the first Flash, his own nemesis. Eobard’s long game isn’t clear, but the truth is all Hunter needs to see. Witnessing the chaos he has wreaked by unleashing the Forces, and knowing what Wally would do, Hunter gives Barry a message:
Only I can do this, Barry. I control all four Forces and I can repair the Force Barrier. But you need to live. Find Eobard Thawne! Find out why he did this to us! The real reason. And… tell Wally… I’m sorry. I wish he and I could have stayed friends… This is what Flashes do, right?
Then, as a reminder of why he and Wally West were friends in the first place, Hunter sacrifices himself to be absorbed not only into the Speed Force, but restore all the Forces to their rightful places, along with the barrier that he previously cracked open.
The change to Hunter’s origin may be taken better or worse by some fans of Wally West’s Flash, but tragedy and regret were always major parts of their rivalry. With this story, writer Joshua Williamson, and artists Scott Kolins and Luis Guerrero confirm enough of the good man remained in Hunter to realize his mistakes, and atone for them. The final verdict may have to wait until Eobard Thawne’s plan is totally revealed. But in the meantime, expect Wally West to have one more reason to destroy Thawne when he finds out the villain ruined his best friend’s life, too. But he couldn’t take all the hero out of him… which should count for something.
The Flash #82 is available now from your local comic book shop.
