Zoom II

Hunter Zolomon was a survivor of tragedy. His parents had died on the same day, his mother killed by his father, his father killed by the police. He worked toward a career in the FBI, but a single misjudgment led to the death of his father-in-law, his wife leaving him, a bad knee, and his discharge from the bureau. He tried once more to build a life in Keystone City as a profiler with their police department, which made him a target for Grodd, who broke his back in a single snap, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down.

Driven into the depths of depression by his feelings of helplessness, Zolomon insisted the Flash take him back in time to prevent the mistake that cost him everything. The hero, knowing first-hand that changing history can easily make things far worse, refused. Undeterred, Hunter took the F.B.I.’s theories on the workings of the Cosmic Treadmill and attempted to hot-wire the device so that he could use it himself. Instead it exploded, taking the Flash Museum with it, and shifting Zolomon onto a faster timeline, effectively giving him super-speed.

His grasp on reality deteriorating, he latched onto a recent discussion about Professor Zoom, and decided he needed to become a new Reverse Flash. He would make the Flash face ultimate tragedy. He would force the hero to understand he must risk everything to prevent it. Zolomon was no more.

“He must face his ultimate opposite. A man who has lost his pride, confidence and identity to tragedy. A man who will run with him down a hellish road—and feel no guilt in bringing him there.” (Flash #197, 2003)

After an intense battle, Zoom was trapped inside one of the time windows that his speed would occasionally tear open. Frozen in time, he would re-watch his greatest mistake over and over again. On escaping, he decided Wally needed the same experience, and took him back in time to re-watch the moment in which Zoom attacked Linda and killed their unborn children. Ironically, the outcome of that rematch altered time, undoing the tragedy Zoom wanted Wally to re-live.

Zoom was tossed into the timestream while trying, once again, to use the Cosmic Treadmill. He survived, however, and has since broadened his efforts to “improve” other heroes.

• Primary Sources
• Art Credits
• Origin Tales
• Profiles in Print
• Legacy-Era Appearances
• One Year Later Appearances

Primary Sources

• “Rogue Profile: Zoom” - Flash (second series) #197 (June 2003), Geoff Johns

Art

• Main: Flash #197 (June 2003) - Scot Kolins and Doug Hazlewood
• Profile: The Flash #197 (June 2003) - Scott Kolins*

* Flash #197 credits the cover to Yvel Guichet and Mark Propst, but it’s part of a larger piece which is definitely by Scott Kolins. The covers for issues 198–200 correctly credit Kolins.

Origin Tales

Rogue Profile: Flash #197

• Flash #197 (June 2003): “Rogue Profile: Zoom,” Geoff Johns

Profiles

• The DC Comics Encyclopedia (2004)
• The Flash Companion (2008) - profiled by the author of this site.

Significant Legacy-Era Flash Appearances (as Zoom)

• Flash #197–200 (June–September 2003): “Blitz,” Geoff Johns
• Flash #210–211 (July–August 2004): “Reconnected” and “Animal House,” Geoff Johns (frozen)
• Flash #213 (October 2004): “Slow Motion,” Geoff Johns (cameo)
• Flash #217 (February 2005): “Post-Crisis,” Geoff Johns (cameo)
• Flash #219 & Wonder Woman #214 (April–May 2005): “Truth or Dare,” Geoff Johns & Greg Rucka
• Flash #½ (2005): “Rogue Wars Prologue: Tricksters,” Geoff Johns
• Flash #220–225 (May–October 2005): “Rogue War,” Geoff Johns

Significant One-Year-Later Flash Appearances

• The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #10–11 (May–June 2007): “Full Throttle Parts 2–3,” Marc Guggenheim
• Final Crisis: Rogues’ Revenge (3-issue miniseries, September-November 2008), Geoff Johns

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