10 Deadliest Enemies The Flash Ever Faced
7. The Rival
The archenemy of the Golden Age Flash Jay Garrick, the Rival was the first villainous speedster that our hero ever encountered.
Also referred to as the Golden Age Reverse-Flash, this super-fast supervillain first arrived in the pages of Flash Comics #104 from 1949.
The Rival was once Edward Clariss - a professor from Jay Garrick's university. Believing he had replicated the formula Garrick had used to give him superspeed, Clariss tried to sell it to the scientific community. Ridiculing him, Clariss decided to don a darker version of Garrick's costume and turn to crime.
Initially outrunning the Flash, the Rival soon realised that his formula was imperfect and his powers only temporary. With his superspeed wearing off, Garrick easily defeated his old professor.
Managing to eventually recreate the formula again, this batch was too powerful and Clariss found himself trapped in the Speed Force. He resurfaced in the Modern Age, possessing the body of another Golden Age speedster - Max Mercury.
Working alongside the Justice Society of America's enemies the Injustice Society, the Rival soon entered into a rematch with an older Garrick. Soon realising that he wasn't as quick as his enemy, Clariss was defeated once more and hasn't resurfaced since.