Hunter Zolomon

Lore & Background

Hunter Zolomon is the son of a serial killer who is inspired to become a criminologist and psychologist after learning of his father's identity. He later joins the FBI with his wife Ashley, where he quickly makes a name for himself as a criminal profiler. His life changes after an encounter with the Clown. Zolomon assured Derek Fox, Ashley's father, that the crook would not be armed. Despite Ashley urging caution, Zolomon and Derek directly confront The Clown, and are caught off-guard when he pulls a gun. The Clown kills Derek and shoots Zolomon in the leg, permanently crippling him and forcing him to walk with a cane. Ashley divorces Zolomon, he is fired from the FBI, and he subsequently becomes a profiler in Keystone City. During his time working with Keystone City's Metahumans Unit, he became close friends with Wally West. Zolomon is later injured in an attack by Gorilla Grodd and rendered paraplegic. He begs Wally to use the cosmic treadmill to change his history for the better, but he refuses, fearful of what will happen to the timestream. Zolomon breaks into the Flash Museum and attempts to use the treadmill himself. The resulting explosion cures Zolomon's paralysis and gives him superhuman speed. Zolomon becomes the supervillain Zoom and Ashley assumes his old job.

In Their Own Story

Zoom is freed from imprisonment by Cheetah (Barbara Minerva), seeking to recruit him into the Secret Society of Super Villains. Although the two share a minor attraction and romance, Zoom still considers himself married to Ashley. Zoom infiltrates the Rogue war between Captain Cold's Rogues, the Trickster's reformed Rogues, and the Top's brainwashed Rogues. After spiriting Ashley out of danger to Linda's home, Zoom returns to the battlefront to dispatch Captain Cold whom he believes is wasting the Flash's time. As Wally and Kid Flash (Bart Allen) attempt to contain the battle, Zoom threatens to snap Bart's neck in a manner reminiscent of what Barry had done to Eobard Thawne. Before Zoom can kill Kid Flash, however, Thawne arrives on a cosmic treadmill with Jay Garrick chained to it. A battle ensues between the three Flashes and the two Zooms. Zolomon and Thawne capture Wally and jump onto the treadmill. Zolomon forces Wally to repeatedly experience their first fight in which Linda was severely injured, feeling that West should be made to focus on feelings of sorrow and loss to become a better hero. However, Barry arrives on his own cosmic treadmill in search of Thawne. Barry subsequently saves Wally and returns Thawne to the predecessor's proper place in the timeline. The enraged Zoom then begins running around the world, building up speed to collide with and kill Linda. Wally catches up with Zoom and pushes him, causing the villain to fall forward into the sonic boom that he himself used to kill Linda's twins, thus creating a 'fissure in time' that restores Linda's pregnancy. Wally grabs Zoom and uses the treadmill to return to the present. Zoom recognizes his mistreatment of Wally and briefly apologizes before slipping into the timestream. He is later seen as a ghostly figure apologizing to Ashley.

Reader's Guide

While most speedsters in the DC Universe draw their powers from the Speed Force, Hunter Zolomon can alter time relative to himself, manipulating the speed at which time flows around him which is later revealed to be the Forever Force. With every step he takes, he uses time travel to control his personal timeline; he slows it down to move faster and speeds it up to move slower, effectively allowing Zolomon to run at 'superhuman speeds'. He can also create powerful sonic booms and electrical shockwaves by snapping his fingers, and is able to grant a form of 'super-speed' to other beings by giving them the ability to control their relative timelines through himself; a connection that Zoom can shut down at will. Due to his slowed perception of time, Zolomon's strength and physical attributes have been heightened to superhuman levels, allowing him to effortlessly react to danger and be able to withstand punches from speedsters while sustaining no serious injuries. The temporal nature of Zoom's powers renders him unaffected by the usual problems and hindrances encountered by other speedsters.

Did You Know?

• Hunter Zolomon first appeared in The Flash: Secret Files & Origins #3 in November 2001, created by Geoff Johns and Scott Kolins.
• He first appeared as Zoom in The Flash (vol. 2) #197 in June 2003.
• In 2009, Zoom was ranked as IGN's 37th-greatest comic book villain of all time.
• Zoom appeared in the live-action Arrowverse television series The Flash, portrayed by Teddy Sears and voiced by Tony Todd.
• Zolomon's powers come from altering time relative to himself, not from the Speed Force, and are later revealed to be the Forever Force.