The Flash: Ranking Every Character From Worst To Best
2. Eobard Thawne
The archenemy of The Flash, Eobard Thawne had travelled from the future intent on killing the Scarlet Speedster as a child. However, in the ultimate twist, he ended up losing his speed and needed The Flash's help to return to his time and thus, he hatched a new plan to befriend the young Barry and turn him into the hero that he needed. In the process, he actually ended up (dare we say it) growing quite fond of his arch-rival.
That right there didn't just give the first season of The Flash a Shakespearean-like story, it solidified the Reverse-Flash as the greatest villain to have graced our TV screens in a very long time. Though it was his own hubris that got him into this predicament, it also resulted in him falling for a group of people that he longed to destroy. Now that, in itself, is some Shakespearean-quality character development.
Moreover, hiding in plain sight as Harrison Wells made him both a chilling and formidable antagonist that was easily able to defeat Barry at every turn, simply because he knew everything about him. And, as The Flash's first real test, he was everything that the ultimate villain should have been and, in being so, he undoubtedly became the show's all-time greatest Big Bad.
Both the writing, and Tom Cavanagh himself, have simply never been better.