Chester Phineas Runk (born July 5, 1991)[1] is a former scientist turned online streamer in Central City.
Biography
While he was a scientist, Chester frequently stole old lab equipment and materials from a junkyard. After later being caught and apprehended, CCPD let Chester off with a warning. He later left his occupation to become an online streamer, where he often displayed his scientific and technological prowess to viewers. To stay up for his streams, he would go to CC Jitters, where he met and was attracted to Natalie, a barista who often brewed him a Vibe-uccino.
Chester streaming
During one stream, Chester built a gravitational wave emitter using scraps from his garage. However, when he turned it on, the device malfunctioned, forming a black hole in the process. Chester frantically attempted to resolve the problem but accidentally touched the black hole, seemingly sending him into a catatonic state, although in reality, half of his consciousness had been transferred into the black hole itself.[2]
Materializing around Central City
Not long after, the black hole, where half of Chester's consciousness resided, began to materialize at places of personal significance to him, such as the junkyard where he was once apprehended, where it almost pulled in Iris West-Allen before dissipating. It later materialized at CC Jitters, the place where his crush Natalie worked, nearly killing all the people in the building before they were saved by The Flash.
Having uncovered Chester's history and an experiment gone wrong, Iris tracked him down to a hospital and attempted to communicate with him, although Chester was unable to respond. Iris later realized the correlation between Chester's movements and the black hole's pulses, allowing Team Flash to devise a plan to send Barry into the black hole in order to destabilize it and return Chester's whole consciousness to his body.[2]
Rescue
Shortly afterward, the black hole reappeared, powerful enough to engulf all of Central City. While Chester was relocated to the Mental Augmentation Chamber (MAC) at S.T.A.R. Labs, Barry ran into the black hole and cut it off from within, restoring Chester's consciousness to his physical form while the black hole imploded. After awakening, Chester, with his eyes glowing of dark energy, admitted to The Flash that he was a big fan. Cisco later revealed that Chester would have to remain inside the MAC for four to six weeks longer to allow his subatomic particles to re-stabilize.[2]
Personality
Affable and exuberant, Chester has a likable personality. This was evident when Ralph explicitly states so and the fact that Runk had many subscribers amicably commenting on his posted video.
Power and abilities
Powers
- Meta-human physiology: After building his gravitational wave emitter and the device malfunctioned, Chester gained his own unique powers.
- Black hole/Void manifestation: Half of Chester's consciousness was stored in a black hole. While in a comatose state, the black hole pulsated in rhythm with his finger motions. It is however unknown whether he is able to consciously control the black hole.
Abilities
- Genius-level intellect: Chester was intelligent enough to create his own gravitational wave emitter from junk yard material. A feat that, according to Cisco, was nothing short of legendary. However, he was under the belief that what he was creating was a device meant to contact extraterrestrial life; and only realized too late what his innovation was actually capable of.
Appearances
The Flash
Season 6
- "Into the Void"
- "A Flash of the Lightning" (mentioned)
- "Dead Man Running" (mentioned)
- "Kiss Kiss Breach Breach" (mentioned)
- "License to Elongate"
- "The Last Temptation of Barry Allen, Pt. 2" (mentioned)
Behind the scenes
- In the DC comics, Chester P. Runk is a friend of Wally West.
References
- ↑ "License to Elongate"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Into the Void"