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| “ | Look at them praying for a miracle that isn't coming. Who knows, maybe it's my curse to leave one betrayal behind, only to fight a greater one here amongst the stars? They could've stopped this, but none of them had the strength to do what must be done, but I do. | „ |
| ~ Despero's first words in Armageddon. |
| “ | As you wish. Bear witness to a coming Armageddon that you create ten years from now, one that destroys your own planet. It already happened, Flash. That's why I, Despero, have to kill you. It's how I save our world. | „ |
| ~ Despero explaining his reasons to the Flash on why he has to kill him. |
| “ | Despero: I was right about you all along, Flash. You are humanity's enemy. Flash: I'm choosing to save a life, Despero, not end one. That's what heroes do. But you've never been a hero have you? Despero: What are you implying? Flash: What you told me about your home world, that was a lie wasn't it? You weren't the heroic rebel leader. You were the despot. The one who inflicted pain and suffering. Who killed to get what he wanted. Despero: I did what was necessary. Flash: No, you're wrong. You've been wrong this whole time about everything. You're no hero, Despero. You're just like Thawne. Despero: Only in your eyes, Flash, because I know what must be done. The greater good that must be embraced in order for this world to survive. All that remains is for me to show you! |
„ |
| ~ The Flash realizing the truth about Despero as he reveals his true colors. |
Despero is the central antagonist of the first half of Season 8 of The Flash and the 2021 Arrowverse crossover, Armageddon.
He is a powerful and intelligent Kalanorian from the future possessing incredible telepathic powers who left his homeworld, Kalanor, under mysterious circumstances. Now he’s facing a deadly mission on Earth: To prevent Armageddon, one whose outcome will decide the fate of humankind and put him on a collision course with Team Flash.
He was portrayed by Tony Curran, who also portrayed Marcus Corvinus in Underworld: Evolution and Finn Cooley in Daredevil.
Biography
Despero was born on the mysterious planet, Kalanor, where he eventually became the leader but as time went on, Despero became a tyrant who inflicted pain and suffering toward his enemies and killed to get what he wanted. As time went on in his reign, a rebellion was formed against him to free Kalanor. After heavy losses on both sides, the rebels were victorious and they ended up sparing Despero, whom they decided to banish to Earth since he knew that losing his homeworld would be a fate worse than death.
Eventually, after his banishment, Despero came to accept Earth as his new home. In 2031, Despero witnessed an Armageddon in Central City that was caused by the Flash and the Reverse-Flash. This event ended up destroying the planet. To prevent this from happening, Despero traveled back to the year 2021 to kill the Flash.
At the Central City Tech Convention, Despero interrupted Iris West-Allen's interview with Ray Palmer, luring the Flash towards him. The Flash tried to create a vacuum around Despero, but Despero punched the ground, taking the battle outside. Eventually, the Atom showed up and tried to help the Flash, just before being misled by one of Despero's illusions. After Despero threw a taxi at the superheroes, the Flash attacked him with a speed mirage but still wasn't able to get a hit in on Despero. As Despero had the Flash pinned down, the Flash asked what happened to him in the future. Despero then showed him this future using his third eye. Just as Despero was about to kill the Flash, his belt malfunctioned because of the Atom, and teleported Despero away to a random location. Sometime later, Despero teleported to STAR Labs, where he was confronted by the Flash. After being impressed by the Flash by reading his mind and him showing Despero his real identity, Despero gave the Flash seven days to prove that he won't go mad and cause Armageddon and then he left.
Throughout the next few days, Despero would keep an eye on Barry to see if he was telling the truth or not. In those seven days, he told the Flash that on his world, he was leader of a rebellion seeking to overthrow the supposed tyrant of Kalanor and after heavy losses on both sides, the rebels were victorious. However, when the time came to kill the tyrant, Despero chose to spare him. His act of mercy allowed the tyrant to rise again stronger than ever and he ended up sparing Despero, whom he decided to banish to Earth, since he knew that losing his home world would be a fate worse than death. When the Flash attacked Central City, Despero went back on his word and sought to complete his mission and kill the Flash. He tried to kill him at the West house before he was stopped by Team Flash and the Flash escaped. He scolded Team Flash for intervening and told them, he will find Flash and kill him.
Soon, he went back to STAR Labs to psychically track the track but was unable, so he activated the particle accelerator to increase his powers and left the government agents fighting themselves to death. He tracked Team Flash to their temporary hideout, where he psychologically tortures Top and Cecille Horton into giving up Flash's location, but Cecille pushes back on him, forcing him away. Using Cecille' mind, he then tracked the Barry to the Hall of Justice, where he fought Black Lightning who was standing between him and Barry. After Barry escaped into the future, Despero left the Hall of Justice to track him down again.
Despero then kidnaps Team Flash and psychologically tortures them one by one until they die. Just as Despero is about to kill Cecile Horton, a wave of temporal energy floods the room and erases the timeline, including Team Flash, except him. After the Flash returns the timeline, he tells him that Eobard Thawne manipulated the timeline into making him think he was crazy into causing Armageddon, and Despero senses that the future is safe, so he returns to 2031 to see for himself and threatens to return with a death threat if the world is still in danger.
Trivia
- There are major differences with Despero between the comics and the TV series. In the comics, he was the tyrannical dictator of the planet Kalanor, who is an enemy of the Justice League; while in the show, he was a time-traveling rebel from the planet Kalanor, who is an enemy of the Flash.
- However, this proved to be a lie as Despero was actually the tyrant who did what was needed to be done, and he is now doing the same to Earth, which makes him no better than his comic book counterpart.
