Hunter Zolomon: Supervillain Zoom

Yes… This guy… Who is he again?

For the ones who don’t know who Hunter Zolomon is, don’t worry; we got you covered! We’ll try to (shortly) describe to you who Hunter is!

Hunter’s Comic Book History

Just like most villains, Hunter has quite a tragic backstory. He had a troubled relationship with his parents (who had quite a troubled relationship with each other as well). One day, when Hunter came home from college, the police had infiltrated his home. They were looking for his father; who had committed some serious crime. This event sadly resulted in both of his parents passing away. This event made him obsessed with understanding the criminal mind, which resulted in him studying psychology and criminology and even joining the F.B.I. with his future wife, Ashley. Eventually, this job even led to Hunter becoming friends with the Flash at the time, Wally West. In an attack, Hunter was paralysed and asked Wally to prevent that from happening by time travelling. West said no, and Hunter tried it anyway - leading to him gaining superpowers and becoming the supervillain Zoom. At first, he tried to do some good and messed with West’s life, because he said this would lead to West becoming an even better Flash than Barry Allen used to be? Weird logic, but sure! The true villain in Hunter - in Zoom, came out after these events. He still said he was married to Ashley (which he wasn’t), tried to set up a Secret Society of Supervillains, took part in the Rogue War, partnered with Professor Zoom (Eobard Thawne), and so on.

Hunter Zolomon: Powers & Abilities

In his time during college (and when working for the F.B.I.), Hunter gained quite some abilities. He is the person you should have when doing any investigation; especially when it relates to criminology or psychology. His tactical analysis also isn’t that bad, just like his knowledge in tae kwon do! He also has some superpowers, relating to him being able to manipulate the time around him. This gives Hunter superhuman reflexes, speed, durability, and strength. He is also able to project lightning as a side effect of his time manipulation!

Even Supervillains Have Weaknesses

Every superhero and supervillain has their weaknesses. Just like them, Hunter had multiple too. However, one of these is specifically interesting to mention: his power limitation. At certain points in his life, Hunter was not able to vibrate molecules, unlike other speedsters. Which made that he wasn’t able to phase through solid matter!

Hunter Zolomon: appearances throughout the DC Universe

Hunter Zolomon is a well-known character all over the DC Universe. Whether it be in the comics, in one of the TV shows, or in even a novel; big chance you have run into him. If you have never seen him before, then we’ll give you a quick heads-up as to where you might find him!

Hunter Zolomon in DC Comics Books

Let’s start with a quick look into the comics. In total, Hunter has appeared in 67 comics (WOAH!). As expected, 40 of these are The Flash comics, in one way or another. However, Hunter has also appeared in comic books such as Teen Titans, Wonder Woman, and even in The Adventures of Superman, he showed his face!

Hunter Zolomon in The Flash

But where most people know him from is most likely The Flash TV Show. In this show - especially in season 2, where he has played the biggest part - Hunter was a well-known villain.

In season 1, he was only indirectly mentioned - which does show how the makers already had all kinds of plans to include him (pretty cool, isn’t it?). But in season 2, it seemed like they couldn’t get rid of him - because he appeared in almost every episode! After season 2, however, we didn’t see Hunter that much. He still got mentioned quite a lot in seasons 3 and 4 (even appeared in some flashbacks), but afterwards, it became way less. Besides season 2, Hunter was only seen in one episode in season 3 and one in season 9.

Hunter Zolomon in Arrowverse Shows

We’ve talked about this many times before, but when being a part of The Flash-cast, you automatically become a big part of the whole Arrowverse DC Universe. And while Hunter never actually showed up in other TV shows - no, that isn’t true… he showed up twice! Two times in the DC’s Legends of Tomorrow show. In season 2, he got mentioned quite a lot and eventually showed up in a total of three episodes! Which is more than some other characters get! Later in this show, he also got mentioned again - but most of these were indirect mentions. In another show, however, Hunter got a direct mention a total of one time! This show was Supergirl, where he was mentioned in season 1. And last but not least; Hunter was mentioned a total of five times (once indirectly) in Arrow.

But what we really want to know, to be honest; is where you saw Hunter before. Have you ever heard about him before? We’d love to hear!