7 Times The Flash Improved DC Mythology (& 4 Times It Failed)

2. Bungling Savitar

The Flash Savitar Future Barry Allen
The CW

Much like the TV series, the comic book world of the Flash features a bunch of nefarious, villainous speedsters. And one such rogue speedster is Savitar.

In the comics, Savitar is a big-time player who is viewed as a god by his cult-like followers. Initially a Cold War pilot who was struck down by lightning, Savitar is a motion-obsessed villain who is so powerful that his legend precedes him for the decades to come.

After initially butting heads with Johnny Quick and Max Mercury in the past, the modern-day Flash family was then warned all about Savitar years down the line. Make no mistake, this speedster is a massive threat – and he would resurface to fight (and often best) a who’s who of heroic speedsters.

What did The CW’s The Flash do with Savitar, then? Why, they instead had Savitar be a future time remnant of Barry Allen. That future Barry went back in time to essentially start his own mythical legend of Savitar, which pretty much makes zero sense and sh*ts all over the established comic book lore of this most heinous of bad guys.

Advertisement
Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.