Savitar (DC)

Savitar is a supervillain appearing in the Flash comics. He is an immensely powerful speedster who leads a cult that worships the Speed Force. He desires to drain any enemy speedster of their powers in order to live up to his name as a god. He has fought many speedsters, including Wally West, Jay Garrick and Barry Allen.

Biography
A Cold War pilot for a third-world nation, the man who would become known as Savitar was to test a supersonic fighter jet. As he reached top speed, his plane was struck by what appeared to be lightning, and he went down in hostile territory. Discovering he could defeat the enemy by moving at super-speed, he became obsessed with speed, naming himself after 'Savitr', the Hindu "god of motion", and dedicating his life to unlocking its secrets. As Savitar studied, he discovered new powers that no other living speedster has mastered. He can protect himself in a null-inertia force field, give speed and kinetic energy to objects or people, even those in a rest state, and could also heal his own injuries almost instantly.

Savitar's obsession gained followers, and he became the leader of a cult. In search of more knowledge, he sought out the only super-speed hero operating at the time: Johnny Quick. This encounter became a battle, the tide of which was turned with the arrival of Max Mercury, who led Savitar toward the Speed Force, but caused him to bounce off.

Savitar returned decades later, to discover that his followers, the Thunderbolt Agents, had become a large cult in his absence. Making his headquarters in a fortress in Tibet, he recruited the speedster known as Lady Flash. He then used her powers as a catalyst to strip most of Earth's speedsters of their link to the Speed Force, transferring their speed to the Thunderbolt Agents. He sent a few of these agents to attack Wally West. When these proved ineffectual, he sent more to kill the other speedsters: Impulse, Jay Garrick, Johnny & Jesse Quick, XS and Max Mercury.

Fortunately, Wally's direct link to the Speed Force prevented Savitar from stealing his speed, and a coalition of all the speedsters he had tried to kill, foiled his plans. Hell-bent on at least destroying Flash's world in retribution, he led the Flash on a worldwide race of destruction, until Flash chose to give Savitar what he wanted: union with the Speed Force. His earlier encounter had shown him that the others who had arrived before would deal with Savitar as they saw fit.

Savitar was able to escape from the Speed Force. He was run down by the recently returned to life Barry Allen; however, when Barry touches him, Savitar disintegrates, leaving only a pile of bones.

Television

 * A heavily adapted version of Savitar appears as the main antagonist in Season 3 of The CW superhero TV series, The Flash. Savitar is an armored speedster who is later revealed as a future time remnant of the series' protagonist, Barry Allen, who was shunned for being an aberration. Desiring revenge, he plans to ascend to becoming the "God of Speed" by killing Iris to hurt his original self and ensure that he creates him in the future. However, after Iris' life was saved, Savitar was eventually erased from existence. He is portrayed by Grant Gustin (as Barry), Andre Trictoteux (whilst armored) and voiced by Tobin Bell.