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| “ | Enjoy your petty little victories, Flash. But no matter how fast you run, you can't save everyone. Not the ones that matter to you. | „ |
| ~ Thawne taunting Flash about not stopping his mother's death. |
| “ | Flash: I just wanted to save her. Zoom: Her hero. How noble. Oh, wait. You didn't stop JFK from getting assassinated, or make sure Hitler stayed in art school. You saved your mommy. You missed her. And in a supreme act of selfishness, shattered history like a rank amateur, turned the world into a living hell moments away from destruction, and I'm the villain? |
„ |
| ~ Thawne taunting Barry for inadvertently causing an apocalyptic war after saving his mother. |
| “ | It was Batman. In another timeline. Can't say I blamed him. Thanks to me, his entire world was going to die. Only Flash could turn back time, and I was damned if I was gonna let that happened. I never saw it coming. But I felt it. I tried to vibrate my inner molecules to save my brain even as the bullet was tearing through. And in that moment, that very infinitesimal split-second before death, I drew the Speed Force into me with every ounce of willpower I had left. I literally brought time. I'd expanded my moments of dying into days, maybe weeks. But it's like operating in a fog. Everything's a little unreal and warped. I feel like I'm walking through water sometimes. And then when I speed up, I can feel my life slipping away. | „ |
| ~ Professor Zoom revealing to the Suicide Squad that he is dying due to Batman shooting him in the head. |
Eobard Thawne, also known as Professor Zoom, is the overarching antagonist of the DC Animated Movie Universe. Like all incarnations, He is the archenemy of the Flash, who he wants to eliminate everything the latter stands for, going so far as to orchestrate deadly events from both realities around them, including many devistations and countless deaths along the way until he was killed by Deadshot in the new timeline.
He was voiced by C. Thomas Howell, who also played the Reaper in Criminal Minds, Captain Cold in Injustice 2, Will Magnus in Justice League: Gods and Monsters, Weston Steward in Grimm and Carson Wolf in Marvel's The Punisher.
Biography[]
Original Timeline[]
To get Barry's attention, he hires Captain Cold, Heat Wave, Mirror Master, Top, and Captain Boomerang to break into the Flash Museum. This alerts the Flash who fights the Rogues but is eventually tied to a wall by adhesive from one of Captain Boomerang's boomerangs. While the Rogues gloat about their victory, Thawne speeds into the room and reveals himself to Barry as their employer. He reveals that he plans to destroy the museum, calling it a "shrine to Flash's ego", as well as a few city blocks close by. The Rogues are taken by surprise as this was not what they agreed on. When Captain Cold asks what Thawne is talking about as they did not bring any bombs, Thawne reveals that he secretly attached bombs to all their belts. Barry tries to reason with Thawne, stating that he does not need to kill thousands of innocents just to kill him. Thawne acknowledges that he doesn't need to but chose to do so just to make Barry's last moments more agonizing.
To save the city, Barry vibrates inside his gel-shackles to liquefy the adhesive just enough to cover Thawne in it as well. Believing that Thawne has to deactivate the bombs to prevent blowing up with them, Barry tells him that he has no other choice. Thawne, however, accepts that bringing down Barry would mean his own death. It does not come that far as the rest of the Justice League enters the building. With her Lasso of Truth, Wonder Woman tries to force Zoom to reveal how to disarm the devices but Zoom just tells them that it is impossible. The rest of the League then bring the Rogues outside the city to disarm the devices without threatening civilian lives. This leaves Barry alone with Zoom whose bomb eventually is the only one active. Barry manages to deactivate it by smashing it somehow. Zoom in then freed from the adhesive and bought to S.T.A.R. Labs by Superman. Before the two lift off, Zoom remarks on how Barry cannot save everyone, at least not those who matter.
Flashpoint-Paradox[]
In the alternate universe, Barry, who does not understand what happened, tries to visit Batman. When he finds out that Batman is Thomas Wayne, not Bruce Wayne, he tries to prove that he's Flash. However, his ring does not contain his Flash uniform but the uniform of Zoom. He reveals Zoom's story to Batman before joining up with him. Flash deduces that Thawne must have sped back through time and must thus have altered the history. After regaining his power, Flash attempts to track down Zoom.
When Barry attempts to run fast enough to break the Time Barrier, Zoom somehow deliberately stops him from running fast enough by preventing him to harness enough of the Speed Force.
While Lois Lane is attacked in London by Amazons of Wonder Woman, Thawne takes out the attackers and saves Lois, who does not see his face because of his speed. Footage of the attack is later sent to Batman who then decides to join the new Justice League to take down Zoom, thereby allowing Barry to restore the original timeline which would mean the survival of his son Bruce. As Thawne expected, Barry and the Justice League then head to London to prevent the war between Wonder Woman and Aquaman.
During the final battle in London, Thawne reveals himself to Flash. The two battle throughout the ruined streets of London and Zoom manages to impale Flash's leg with a steel rod and then proceeds to beat him. While Flash is beaten down, Zoom reveals to him that it wasn't him who altered the timeline but Barry, who traveled back in time to save his mother. After gloating over Barry for destroying all, he mocks Barry for not saving JFK or making sure Hitler stayed in Art School but for saving his mother and causing destruction by this act of selfishness. While Barry is forced to see his allies die, Zoom starts beating him up again. He then stops once more, gloating that the so-called hero is responsible for the destruction of the world.
To prevent Barry from harnessing the force, Thawne siphons the energy he needs to go back in time. Thawne is unafraid of the risk of death to himself and gloats to Barry. However, while he was distracted Batman sneaks up on him and shoots Thawne in the head. After his nemesis falls to the ground dead, Barry manages to speed off fast enough to restore time and this time lets his mother die as she was meant to, although this results in history still being somewhat altered.
Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay[]
Despite his apparent death, Zoom returns to the new timeline created by Barry Allen's correction of history. Zoom first appears in his hideout with his henchmen Silver Banshee and Blockbuster, where he has a government scientist gives him information on Steel Maxum. When the Suicide Squad tracks Maxum to a strip club in Missouri in order to get the Get Out of Hell Free card, a magical device that allows a person to bypass Hell and enter Heaven, from him, Zoom, Banshee, and Blockbuster attack them. The Squad manages to escape the club in their RV and Zoom gives chase. As they are being chased, Deadshot realizes that something is wrong with Zoom, as he is moving far too slow. Ultimately, Killer Frost slips Zoom up using her powers, and the Squad escapes.
Later on, Zoom and his minions come across Steel Maxum, who has been abandoned by the Squad and is being arrested for indecent exposure and presumably kill him and the police officer arresting him. Following Vandal Savage's escape with the card, Zoom expends himself in order to place a tracking device on his ship. While he smiles at his success in doing so, he notices a stream of blood running down from his head. As the Squad prepares to leave Utah, Zoom's henchmen kidnap Killer Frost and bring her to him. He offers Frost a spot on his team, also removing the bomb implanted in her neck, and she eagerly joins. Using the tracer feature of Frost's bomb, Zoom tries to kill the Squad by luring them into a trap and detonating the bomb, although they survive, albeit with Bronze Tiger heavily injured.
The Squad, with help from Scandal Savage, track Vandal down to his lair and are captured, before Zoom and his team arrive, defeat Vandal, and freeze the Squad. When Deadshot questions why he has become so slow, Zoom reveals the bullet hole in his head, explaining how Batman had shot him during Flashpoint, and that he used his connection to the Speed Force to expand his life at the cost of having to run slower to prevent physical strain. The dying Zoom tells him that it's like operating in a fog, with everything being unreal and warped. Zoom then phases his hand into Vandal Savage's body to retrieve the card, which had been surgically attached by Professor Pyg, killing the immortal in the process.
Despite finally succeeding in getting the card, Zoom is betrayed by Killer Frost, who kills Banshee and Blockbuster, freezes him, and takes the card for herself, resulting in Amanda Waller detonating Copperhead's bomb in order to kill them both. Zoom and the remaining Squad members fight for the card, which ends with Zoom taking the card and performing lingchi on Bronze Tiger with a ceremonial dagger and nearly killing him. Deadshot points his guns at Zoom, but Zoom tells Deadshot to try and shoot him, as, regardless if he does or not, he'll die and use the card to get into Heaven. Then, using the last of his strength, Tiger throws the dagger and cuts off Zoom's fingers, making him drop the card. Deadshot immediately riddles Zoom with bullets and kills him for good, giving the card to the dying Tiger afterward. Zoom returns to the moment Batman (Thomas Wayne) killed him in the alternate timeline. Zoom's dead body remains flickering on the ground before it vanished.
Justice League Dark: Apokolips War[]
During the Justice League's second attempt to destroy Darkseid, John Constantine sees visions of Flashpoint (including Zoom) after healing Barry Allen (who'd been captured and forced to power Apokolips by running for 2 years nonstop). It's also clarified that Barry's prior attempt to fix Flashpoint didn't fix the timeline but rather created a new one making Thawne ultimately responsible for the downfall of the new timeline (since Flashpoint's creation was indirectly prompted by Thawne's actions) and forcing Barry to reset the timeline once again.
Appearance[]
Thawne looks a lot like Barry Allen, except he has red eyes with black sclera and a more muscular body. Zoom's outfit is similar, except it's yellow with red lines and a flash icon drawn backwards.
Personality[]
Professor Zoom is a calm, collected, stoic, sadistic, merciless, manipulative, arrogant and highly intelligent sociopath. Zoom lacks any form of morality, being completely devoid of empathy or remorse for the atrocities he commits. He rarely loses his temper, often maintaining a calm and collected composure, as well as being semi-polite to all around him. Even in defeat he only expresses subtle anger followed by taunts toward his captors. Despite this, the most defining trait of his personality is his pathological hatred of his arch-nemesis, the Flash. Thawne is more than willing to go to every possible length to kill Flash no matter what, regardless of the lives he has to end or ruin in order to do it. His hatred for Flash is so great that he is more than happy to sacrifice his own life, if it means killing him; without a second thought. Zoom would also happily sacrifice the whole planet Earth and by extension the entire universe itself if it meant killing Flash, showing that he considers revenge against the Flash to be his sole purpose in life. However, rather than kill him outright, Zoom always tries to make Flash’s death as emotionally and mentally painful as possible, showing an intense desire to make him suffer before he dies.
The only things that rival Zoom's hatred of the Flash are his arrogance and sadism. Despite the Flash being the one he hates more than anything, Thawne greatly enjoys the suffering of those who have nothing to do with his grudge as well. This is shown during his slow and painful killings of both Vandal Savage and Bronze Tiger, as well as reveling in the chaotic and destructive world war Flash’s flashpoint unintentionally caused. An even greater example is when after subduing Flash inside the Flash Museum, Zoom attempted to blow up his own henchmen along with Flash and several blocks of Central City, for no other reason than pure sadistic glee. This also shows he has no regard for those who work under him, seeing them only as disposable tools. Thawne also never considers the possibility that his plans might fail, always considering them to be fool-proof. He always underestimates his enemies, be they Flash or someone else. This arrogance and underestimation of his opponents is what leads to Zoom’s defeat at Flash’s hands every time. However, it was both his arrogance and sadism that lead to both of his deaths first at the hands of Batman (Thomas Wayne) and then Deadshot, as he wasted time both torturing his enemies and boasting about his triumph as well as disregarding injured fighters whom he did not consider threats (Batman and Bronze Tiger).
While he generally spoke bluntly, he also relied on understatement for the effect of horror; as in the Flashpoint universe, he describes the changes as "slightly different" in spite of him knowing that heroes in the old universe are now monsters worse than any villain, thus further torturing Barry with guilt over how the "ripples" caused nightmarish changes to people he once knew as heroes and friends.
Professor Zoom shows all the traits of a true psychopath: lacking any form of empathy or remorse, possessing a high IQ, having extreme narcissism, skilled at lying and manipulation, and devoid of fear. If there was one thing he did fear, it was the afterlife; initially, he seemed ambivalent about dying, but upon believing the Get Out of Hell card was real and functional, he became obsessed with acquiring it, as regardless of his apathy around morality, he seemed to have the self-awareness that his actions would doom him to Hell. Although, even his fear manifested akin to his other psychopathic traits, as in a pragmatic acceptance of reality when it is cruel and evil.
Quotes[]
| “ | Flash: It's me you want Thawne. You don't have to kill thousands of innocents to bring me down. Zoom: No. No I don't. But I choose to... knowing it will make your last moments pure agony. |
„ |
| ~ Zoom's sadistic moral agency. |
| “ | Very well. If it means shattering your golden throne in history, linking your name forever to this city's darkest hour, then my life is a small price to pay. | „ |
| ~ Zoom spitting at death's door when Flash turns the tables on him. |
| “ | Wonder Woman: How do we shut off these charges? Zoom: You can't, we'll all be dead shortly. The truth hurts doesn't it? |
„ |
| ~ Zoom whle under the Lasso of Truth. |
| “ | Flash: What did you do to the world? Zoom: Ohh Barry. That's the beauty of all this, I didn't do any of it. [Grabs Flash] You did. [Throws Flash to the ground] Think Barry, isn't there some little thing, some little good deed you might've done? Flash: I saved someone. Zoom: Yes. Flash: I saved her. I saved mom. Zoom: [Kicks Flash] That's right. |
„ |
| ~ Zoom forcing Barry to realize he's the cause of the Flashpoint. |
| “ | Flash: No. No. It wouldn't have changed all this. It wouldn't have changed what happened before her murder: Bruce's parents, Clark's landing. Zoom: Ohh but it did. Break sound barrier and there's a sonic boom. You broke the time barrier, Flash, "time boom". Ripples of distortion radiated out through that point of impact, shifting everything just a tiny bit. But enough. Enough for events to happen slightly differently. |
„ |
| ~ Zoom explaining the ripple effect. |
| “ | Good job, Barry. The world is about to end, thanks to you. I hope your mother has a good view of it. | „ |
| ~ Zoom taunting Barry one last time while waiting for the explosion to reach them. |
| “ | Flash: You can't let this happen Thawne, you'll die too. Zoom: As you say in this era: "Totally worth it". |
„ |
| ~ Zoom spitting at death's door again as he waits for the explosion. |
| “ | [Finger wags] Uh uh uh. As long as I can siphon off of the Speedforce, you can't escape this timeline. I'm afraid there just isn't enough speedforce to go arou- | „ |
| ~ Zoom's final words before being shot in the head by Batman. |
| “ | It was Batman. In another timeline. Can't say I blame him. Thanks to me, his entire world was going to die. Only Flash could turn back time, and I was damned if I was going to let that happen. I never saw it coming...but I felt it. I tried to vibrate my inner molecules to save my brain even as the bullet was tearing through. And at that moment, that very infinitesimal split second before death, I drew the Speed Force into me with every ounce of willpower I had left. And literally bought time. I expanded my moment of dying into days, maybe weeks...but it's like operating in a fog. Everything's a little unreal and warped. I feel like I'm walking through water sometimes, and when I speed up, I can feel my life slipping away. I'm running on fumes now, but I've got just enough gas for this. | „ |
| ~ Zoom explaining how he used the Speed Force to expand his life before stealing the Get Out of Hell Free card from Vandal Savage. |
| “ | I promise you, Deadshot, I'm good for one last hit of speed. Any bullet you shoot, I'll make sure it's lethal. So go ahead, make my afterlife. | „ |
| ~ Zoom taunting Deadshot while holding the Get Out of Hell Free card. |
| “ | F-ck... my life. | „ |
| ~ Thawne's last words before Deadshot kills him. |
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- As the Reverse-Flash from the original timeline was still around until Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay, it's left unconfirmed if the new timeline has its own version of Reverse-Flash. This is due to the fact that Deadshot was familiar with Eobard, so this opens up two possibilities: either Eobard replaced his new timeline counterpart as the sole Eobard Thawne, or he lives alongside his new timeline self - since the Flashpoint Paradox ended post-Throne of Atlantis with Flash inheriting three separate timelines of memories, it is plausible the same thing happened to Thrawne as drew in the Speed Force to reach the new present era, too.
- There's also a chance that New-Timeline Thawne could still be in the future being fully aware of the old timeline Reverse-Flash actions. It is unknown if he will still be involved in the movies going forward.
- When Eobard takes his mask off he looks exactly like Barry Allen except with a more muscular facial structure. This is a direct reference to the comics where Eobard idolized Barry and after gaining access to the Speed Force altered his appearance to look exactly like him. He even masqueraded as Barry trying to escape his destiny as Barry's archenemy until Wally West exposed him.
- Zoom is a villain that acts as a DCAMU main antagonist twice; a feat also accomplished by Darkseid.
- To convince Silver Banshee to work with him, he promised to take her back in time to punish her former clan. Given how depleted his powers were, however, it seems unlikely he would've had the ability to time travel, much less bring someone along with him. This means his offer was most likely a lie, or much like his counterpart on The Flash (2014 series), Thawne had a Time Sphere that could take the user any-when they wanted.
- Deadshot's bullets created an X over Zoom's chest, which is likely a reference to Task Force X, to taunt Zoom that it wasn't some mighty superhero that defeated him, it was some lowly criminals he never gave any regard.
- Thawne has caused his universe to be rebooted three times and the subsequent reboots all end terribly. So, in a way, he kept his promise to take the world with him if it meant making Flash miserable.
- The Original was erased for good.
- Flashpoint would have had Captain Atom blown up and end the world.
- The New Timeline had Darksied conquer most of the universe and leave Earth doomed.
- The Tommorowverse is destroyed by the Crisis on Infinite Earths.
External Links[]
- Professor Zoom on the Pure Evil Wiki.
