10 Deadliest Enemies The Flash Ever Faced

8. Heat Wave

Reverse Flash
DC Comics

A dangerous pyromaniac, Heat Wave was a key member of supervillain team 'The Rogues' and a constant threat to Central City.

After becoming obsessed with fire at a young age, Mick Rory set his home alight and watched his family perish. His fascination would continue until his adulthood, where he decided to use flames to commit crimes. Arming himself with a heat gun and encasing himself in a protective suit, he proceeded to battle the Scarlet Speedster.

Allying himself with fellow villain Captain Cold, the two criminals soon realised their differences when Cold's aversion to killing caused problems for Rory. Kept on a tight leash by Captain Cold, who tried to help him fight his fiery urges, Heat Wave joined the Rogues and became a recurring enemy for Barry Allen's Flash.

A later version of Heat Wave instead possessed the metahuman ability to expunge flames from his body after a horrific accident with a genome recorder left him badly scarred.

The hot-headed Rory has always maintained his incendiary gimmick, but not all versions have been entirely villainous. Reforming in later years, the versions of Heat Wave appearing in the comics now are more heroic, or at least depict him as an anti-hero.

Contributor
Contributor

Eden Luke McIntyre is a Scottish writer, editor and script consultant, with an MA in TV Fiction Writing. He writes content for TV, radio, stage, and online, and was appointed as a BBC Writers Room Scottish Voice in early 2020. Eden can usually be found rambling about Doctor Who, The Beatles, and obscure things that no one cares about.