As the Flash confronts the Trickster, Barry Allen finds the young supervillain has brought together some of the brightest minds in the DC Universe.
Warning: The following contains spoilers for The Flash #763, by Kevin Shinick, Clayton Henry, Marcelo Maiolo and Steve Wands, on sale now.
After recently enduring the onslaught of the Reverse-Flash and his Legion of Zoom, the Flash finds himself confronting a very different kind of supervillain team alone in The Flash #763. After the Trickster targets the Scarlet Speedster for his signature ring, he assembles a team of classic DC villains each known for their more cerebral mind-puzzles and reliance on gadgets.
While the Flash ultimately discovers this new ensemble is just part of an elaborate virtual reality program created by the Trickster, the confrontation provides a rare opportunity to take on these foes from outside his usual rogues gallery, face-to-face. Now, here is everyone that the Flash faced in the Trickster’s simulation, where he fought one of the smartest groups of villains ever put to page.
Cluemaster
Among the gathered villains is Arthur Brown, father of the young crimefighter Spoiler and secretly the sinister Cluemaster. Cluemaster relies on a whole array of weapons and gadgets, often housed in glass capsules adorning his costume to aid him with his heists.
The Cluemaster actually has a strong, behind-the-scenes connection with Barry Allen, introduced by the Silver Age Flash’s creators Gardner Fox and Carmine Infantino in the pages of 1966’s Detective Comics #351. Originally introduced as a Batman villain, Cluemaster was an occasional member of the Injustice Society and would side with the Joker during the “War of Jokes and Riddles.”
The Riddler
The most iconic villain of the Trickster’s simulated group is the Riddler, Gotham City’s resident master of puzzles, mind games and ciphers. A villainous mastermind who had once deduced Batman’s true identity, Edward Nygma often tasks the Dark Knight with increasingly deadly deathtraps and riddles that has the Caped Crusader repeatedly earn his title as the World’s Greatest Detective.
Created by Bill Finger and Dick Sprang in 1948’s Detective Comics #140, the Riddler has quickly become a prominent staple in Batman’s infamous rogues gallery, from the Golden Age through his appearances during the DC Rebirth era. Whether serving as one of Gotham’s most notorious criminals or helping Bane in his recent attempt to conquer the city, the Riddler remains one of the Dark Knight’s most memorable foes.
Prankster
The oldest DC Comics supervillain on the Trickster’s virtual team is the Prankster, a longtime Superman villain. While unable to confront the Man of Steel physically himself, Oswald Hubert Loomis instead relied on his genius-level intellect to develop gadgets and weapons to engage the superhero, with the most powerful being repurposed from stolen technology from Brainiac.
The Prankster was created by Jerry Siegel and John Sikela in 1942’s Action Comics #51 and has been a constant thorn in Superman’s side ever since, either on his own or as a part of the Injustice League and Secret Society of Super-Villains.
Toyman
There have been several figures to carry the moniker of Toyman but none are as twisted and terrifying as the original, Winslow Schott. A mechanical genius with a grudge against a society that spurned his intellect and accomplishments, Schott is one of the most quietly sinister Superman villains, often striking from the shadows with his army of murderous toys.
Created by Don Cameron and Ed Dobrotka in 1943’s Action Comics #64, Winslow Schott recently underwent a redemption of sorts after Superman’s public identity reveal. Inspired by the Man of Tomorrow dropping the facade and revealing himself as Clark Kent, Scott decided to use his talents for good and has since served as an occasional ally to Superman.
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