Zoom

ZOOM

Real Name: Hunter Zolomon

Class: Human mutate

Occupation: Rogue, formerly Rogue profiler

Group Affiliation: The Society

Known Relatives: Ashley Zolomon (ex-wife), unnamed parents (deceased)

Aliases: Reverse-Flash

Base of Operations: Keystone City, Kansas

First Appearance: (Hunter Zolomon) Flash Secret Files #3 (November, 2001) (Zoom) Flash II #197 (June, 2003)

Powers: Zoom was detached from time, operating on a faster timeline and allowing him to move at superhuman speeds. Every time he shifted his speed in time windows to the past and future opened. Zoom was a talented criminal profiler.

History: (Flash II 197 (fb)) - Hunter Zolomon grew up in a home where his parents never talked in front of him, an acte as if he didn't exist. After graduating high school he returned home to find his parents dead. His mother called the police to cofess that her husband was a serial killer, but he overhear her and killed her. When the police arrived he attacked them and they were forced to gun him own. Hunter wanted to understand why his father did what he did, and became interested in criminal profiling. Hunter met Ashley in college and fell madly in love. After they graduated G.M.U. they both transferred to Quantico to the F.B.I. training program. Ashley’s father was a pioneer in metahuman criminal profiling, and he took Hunter under his wing. Hunter and Ashley were married an they worked together in the F.B.I., bringing down such supervillains as Matter Master an Bug and Byte. Hunter, his father-in-law and Ashley were assigned the task of bringing in serial killer Clown. Hunter assured them the Clown was a grownup acting like a child and would be unarmed. He was dead wrong, leading to the greatest tragedy in his life. Clown shot and killed Hunter’s father-in-law and crippled Hunter before being gunned down by Ashley Zolomon. Hunter was fired from the F.B.I. and Ashley filed for divorce.

(Flash Secret Files #3) - The KCPD hired Hunter as a Rogue profiler. He met his co-workers Chyre and Morillo as well as the Flash. Hunter didn’t get excited easily, but meeting the hero took him aback. He Murmur had slaughtered the employees of radio station KKEY, and Hunter did a profile on him that led Flash to his next target. Flash offered him the chance to come along on the case, but Hunter declined, knowing his lame leg would only slow him down.

(Flash II #181) - Hunter gave Flash the profile and origins of Fallout, who was unintentionally causing death and destruction in Keystone. Flash brought Fallout in after promising him he’d receive more humane treatment in the Heights.

(Flash III #183) - Hunter gave the Flash a rundown of his profile on the new Trickster. Trickster broke into his office and wiped out all of his files on the Rogues.

(Flash II #184, 185, 187, 188) - The Thinker took over most of the minds of Keystone City, including Hunter. While Hunter was unconscious Captain Cold broke into his office and stole his hardcopy files on the Rogues. Flash defeated the Thinker, breaking his control over Keystone. Hunter was ambushed by Plunder, who held him at gunpoint until Chyre and Morillo arrive at Hunter’s office. The officers teamed up to defeat Plunder.

(Flash II #189) - Hunter got a release warrant for Pied Piper after learning the Rogues had framed him He and Flash served Wolfe with the papers, but when he went to free Piper he found that he’d already broken out.

(Flash II #190) - Hunter and Flash contacted F.B.I. agent and former Rogue James Jesse in hopes of locating Piper. Jesse told them he came up dry, but Hunter sensed he was lying. In truth Jesse put Piper in a secret F.B.I. program.

(Flash II #191) - A giant beanstalk sprouted in Keystone, courtesy of Brother Grimm, and all Hunter and the KCPD could do was to declare Keystone a no-fly zone. Flash defeated Grimm, and the beanstalk disappeared.

(Flash II #192-194) - Flash made an effort to get charges against Peek-A-Boo dropped because she committed theft in an attempt to save her father’s life. Hunter Zolomon came to Iron Heights to interview her, but Wolfe kept him away from her cell. Mind-controlled Gorilla City gorillas tore apart the Heights and freed the prisoners in order to find Gorilla Grodd’s cell. Flash brought Gregory Wolfe and Hunter Zolomon to a safe room, and then confronted an army of rogues freed by the gorillas. Gorillas attacked Hunter an Gregory and they fled. Grodd wanted to hurt Flash by hurting his friends, so he broke Hunter’s back. Hunter received medical attention, but the paramedics doubted that he’d ever walk again. Hunter awoke in the hospital with Flash, Morillo, Chyre and Wolfe at his side. He broke down in tears when he realized he was cripple.

(Flash II #195) - The wheelchair bound Hunter was admitted to St. Edward’s Hospital. He gave Flash a profile on the Top so Flash could defeat the villain, and bemoaned how helpless he felt after Grodd crippled him.

(Flash II #196) - Hunter asked Flash to use the cosmic treadmill to undue the tragic event that started his downward spiral. Flash told him time travel was risky and he couldn’t change the past without fear of repercussions. Hunter got angry and told Flash he needed to experience tragedy to understand what he was going through. Hunter went to the Flash Museum and found the cosmic treadmill.

(Flash II #197) - Hunter activated the cosmic treadmill, and it exploded, sending him to the hospital. He awoke with superspeed powers. Hunter believe Flash needed to experience tragedies like Hunter had in order to be a better hero, so he created the identity of Zoom, wearing the costume of Flash Barry Allen’s nemesis Reverse-Flash, to test the Flash.

(Flash II #198-200) - Zoom caused sonic booms in Keystone by snapping his fingers, causing massive property amage and collapsing a Stagg Industries building. Flash I and Flash III prevented any civilian casualties, but Zoom didn’t want Jay Garrick interrupting his test of Flash III, so he beat him unconscious. He then confronted Linda Park and dragged her in front of Flash. He unleashed a sonic boom on her, and then fled. Linda was hospitalized, and Zoom attacked Flash. Zoom was winning the battle, and took the time to check on Linda. He announced that she’d miscarried because of his attack, and hoped this tragedy would teach Flash he had to risk everything to protect his loved ones. Zoom tried to cripple Flash, but when his powers opened up a window to the past showing Ashley Zolomon visiting her father’s grave he went crazy an ran off. When he recovered he met Flash and told him he was going to kill Linda. He wanted Flash to kill him like Flash Barry Allen killed the Reverse-Flash to protect his fiancée. A window to the past opened showing the moment when Hunter’s mistake led to his father-in-law’s death, and Flash pushed him inside the window. As a result Zoom was frozen in suspended animation and force to relive his greatest mistake over and over again.

(Flash II #206) - Ashley Zolomon became the KCPD’s new Rogue profiler so she could be close to Zoom in his Iron Heights cell. She lame herself for what he’d become because she’d abandoned him, and vowed to never again leave him.

(Flash II #210, 211) - Ashley knew Zoom was trapped reliving a moment from his past and promised to cure him. She still saw the man she love in Zoom, and admitted she was the one who’d gotten him thrown off the F.B.I. Zoom started to become aware of his wife’s presence.

(Flash II #213) - Zoom shook off being in suspended animation and escaped his cell. He visited his wife in the hospital, where she was recovering from a serious car accident, and left her flowers.

(Flash II #217) - Zoom returned to his cell, but Cheetah broke into the Heights, and her heightened senses let her know he was playing possum. She told him she wanted him.

(Flash #219, Wonder Woman II #214) - Cheetah asked Zoom to share his speed with her, and in return she’d offer herself as a lover and protection from the Society. Zoom explained that his powers didn’t work like Flash’s did, and that he was a married man. He did promise to make her a better villain in the way he was “helping” Flash be a better hero. He taught her that since her powers were mystic most of her limits were self-imposed. He convinced Cheetah she could only achieve her full potential by killing her predecessor Priscilla Rich. Flash and Wonder Woman confronted the villains, and they fought. Zoom wanted to “help” Wonder Woman be a better hero the way he “helped” Flash, and decided she needed to learn humility. He went to Themyscira, badly beat amazon Io, and threatened to kill every amazon to motivate Wonder Woman. She defeated him before he could kill anyone, but both Zoom and Cheetah managed to escape. Despite his objections that he wasn’t a villain, Cheetah convinced Zoom to join the Society after having him meet Dr. Psycho, who professed to admire Zoom’s work.

(Flash II #1/2) - Zoom confronted Linda Park, telling her he wasn’t done tormenting her.

(Flash II #220, 224 (fb, BTS)) - Zoom attacked Flash Jay Garrick on his way to a JSA meeting, and said he needed Jay to teach Flash III more about tragedy. Zoom used Jay’s speed to power the cosmic treadmill and pluck Reverse-Flash from the timestream.

(Flash II #222-225) - The Rogues found Ashley Zolomon with Captain Boomerang’s body. The F.B.I. use newfound technology to animate Boomerang’s corpse long enough for Ashley to question it, and the Rogues were ready to kill her, but Zoom stopped them. He dropped Ashley off with Linda Park and told the two of them he should talk. Zoom interrupted a battle between Flash and the Rogues because he wanted a private fight with Flash. He killed Plunder to make his point. Kid Flash had come to Flash’s aid and Zoom tried to strangle him to make Flash endure more tragedy. Reverse-Flash joined the battle and Zoom and Reverse-Flash used the cosmic treadmill to take Flash into the recent past. They beat him and made him watch Linda Park’s miscarriage at Zoom’s hand over and over again. Flash Barry Allen was tracking Reverse-Flash through the timestream and helped Flash by removing Reverse-Flash from the battle. Zoom tried to kill Linda, but Flash knocked him into the path of his own past self just as his past self unleashed a sonic boom on Linda. Zoom took the brunt of the hit, causing a ripple in time that led to Linda becoming pregnant again in the future. Zoom tried to use the cosmic treadmill to escape, but without Reverse-Flash there to power it it crumbled and Zoom found himself lost in time.

(Green Lantern: Sinestro Corps Special #1) - Green Lantern was investigating the newly formed Sinestro Corps, and recruited the JlofA to help him track down leads. They confronted Zoom, a former Society teammate of Sinestro, and he took the opportunity to try ‘testing’ the League, asking Batman if his villains made him stronger, asking Superman if death made him a better hero and asking Wonder Woman if being a murderer increased her will. After a brief fight the JlLofA subdued him, and he admitted he knew nothing of the Sinestro Corps, although he admired the way Sinestro made Green Lantern confront fear in the past. Zoom shook off the heroes and fled.

Comments: Created by Geoff Johns & Scott Kollins

Flash II #203 and #205 had a flashback of Zoom’s appearance in Flash II #199.

Flash II #204 showed a picture of Zoom and other Rogues in the KCD squadroom.

Flash II #207 showed a mugshot of Zoom in Iron Heights.

A statue of Zoom was seen in the New Flash Museum in Flash II #208.