- "It's funny. Returning from the dead really has a way of making you realize the mistakes you made in your old life. My mistake was being a nobody."
- —Eddie Thawne[src]
Edward "Eddie" Thawne (January 6, 1983 - May 19, 2015; resurrected 2049)[1] is a former police detective of the Keystone City Police Department and the Central City Police Department. He was the partner of Joe West, the fiancé of Iris West, a good friend of Barry Allen/The Flash, and an ancestor of Eobard Thawne/Reverse-Flash. Nicknamed "Detective Pretty Boy", he was one of the first police officers in the CCPD to discover of the existence of meta-humans - second only to Joe - and eventually learned of Barry's secret identity as the Flash. Learning he was Eobard's ancestor, Eddie would later sacrifice himself to erase Eobard's existence, saving the lives of Iris and his friends to prevent any further harm to Central City or Earth-1 itself before the Singularity followed immediately afterwards.[2]
Years later, Eddie would be mysteriously resurrected in 2049 on Earth-Prime with no memories of his previous life instead believing himself to be a scientist working for Mercury Labs known as Dr. Malcolm Gilmore. This would all change when he would be struck by a red lightning bolt in to be the Negative Speed Force's new avatar.[1] Eddie was manipulated into assuming the mantle of Cobalt Blue, time displacing the Flash's old enemies as the Legion of Zoom. However, after losing his power, he stole the powers of his legion and began to destroy the timeline. After a final confrontation between the two, Barry was able to force Eddie to break free of the Negative Speed Force's control, his friend convincing him to remove the Cobalt-97 and take control, making amends with Barry to keep balance in the universe.
Biography[]
Original multiverse[]
Early life[]
Eddie Thawne is a member of an affluent, prestigious family. He is the son of a politician and a woman with the former being an influential member of the town he was born and raised within.[3] He was implied to be very close with his grandmother.[4]
As a child, Eddie was short and overweight, frequently picked on by bullies as a result. The taunts often turned into physical violence, and he suffered many beatings at his tormentors' hands by getting his "ass kicked, a lot." Eddie's problems worsened when his father was responsible for a factory's closure which many people depended on. The bullying continued to escalate until a sympathetic gym coach trained Eddie to fight back. The teacher taught him that the "key to fighting is patience."[3] Eddie also found it difficult to make friends.[5]
In adulthood, Eddie became a police detective with the police department of Keystone City.[6] During his time as an officer in Keystone, Eddie was familiar with the Rusty Iron Ale Brewing Co..[3]
Service with CCPD[]
In late 2013, Eddie transferred to Central City to the CCPD.[6] On December 11, the night of the particle accelerator's unveiling, Eddie was to meet dancer Katie Rogers at Mama Chow's Fine Dining for a dinner date, which he was really excited about. However, Katie canceled at the last minute due to an injury so Eddie dined by himself. After dinner, he ended up stopping a thief who had stolen Iris West's laptop and brought the perpetrator to CCPD.[2] Sometime after Detective Fred Chyre's death, Eddie was Joe West's partner who was referred to as "Detective Pretty Boy" and started dating Iris in secret.[6]
9 months later, Eddie happily greeted CSI Barry Allen before he and Joe left to investigate a robbery at a bank. They brought back various witnesses to the station, questioning the witnesses on the circumstances surrounding the bank robbery. He discussed with Joe how the robbery had a freak storm proceeding it, a seemingly frequent occurrence, similar to the "wide world of weird" case that Barry loved investigating. They went on to question numerous witnesses, along with viewing footage they'd recorded on their cell phones. Following work, Eddie later went out to meet Iris at the latter's work, where they exchanged a kiss and talked a little before Iris went to talk with Barry. Not long after, Eddie and a number of other police officers arrived at the crime scene that Barry and Iris had been associated with. Eddie showed Joe the sketch artist's illustration of Clyde Mardon, a suspect which was the apparently deceased. Suspicious that Clyde could've survived, the two went to Mardon's old farmhouse, where they found the criminal. But before they could arrest, Mardon knocked Eddie and Joe away with wind and began to create a tornado around himself, proceeding to move it outside. Joe carried Eddie's unconscious body outside by their car while they were powerless against Clyde. As a piece of debris flew through the air, it almost hit them but was intercepted by Barry's super speed, saving them from danger by ultimately unravelling the tornado and Joe shooting Mardon.[6]
Detective West received a call that there was a situation at the bank. By the time that they arrived there, both the strongman and The Streak had left.[7] Iris met him at the crime scene, having been promised fro-yo. He reassured another cop that there was nothing between Barry and Iris, as the two were like siblings, and Barry wasn't even Iris's type. When he finished, Eddie took Iris to get fro-yo. On the way there, the two were involved in a crash with multiple vehicles. They were uninjured, but as they got out, a tiger, the cause of the crash, pounced towards Iris.[8] Eddie tried to nudge them away with pool toys, though they had little effect. However, the Streak intervened, zapping them away with static electricity, leaving Eddie to think that he'd done all of the work. When animal control arrived, the man commended Eddie for being able to do what he did, and Eddie mocked Barry for allegedly hiding and seemingly soiling himself. The two reached the police department, where Eddie bragged about his achievement, only to soon be sent back out to a homicide. Eddie and Barry concurred that the homicide was connected to the zoo outbreak, and started to look through the deeds of several companies scattered all over the floor.[9] A short while later, Eddie and Iris attended a sports game. At half-time, Eddie labelled the surprise of a circus as "crappy", to which Iris simply mocked him, asking if he was afraid of the circus.[10] Eddie attempted to go get some extra beer, though Iris made him stay to watch, kissing as he sat back down. Mr. Bliss soon struck fear in to everyone, causing Eddie to hallucinate seeing himself pointing a gun, apparently a past traumatic experience.[11] But Eddie, along with the rest of the crowd, was rushed outside of the stadium, claiming to have a raging headache. He attempted to keep everyone calm by announcing that he was police.[12]
Eddie was present with various other police members at the scene of a robbery. He downloaded surveillance footage, of which only showed one perpetrator but Barry found evidence leading to the idea that it was in fact six people. Eddie unintentionally implied that Captain David Singh could have been a suspect due to a similar shoe size, and walked off in embarrassment to survey the rest of the crime scene. Eddie later came to visit Iris in Barry's lab. While they immediately acted distant, Barry reminded them of knowing of their situation and they proceeded to kiss. A while later, Eddie and Joe visited Simon Stagg after having been shot at only a day before. They asked questions about the former employee Danton Black, though Stagg denied that it would ever be Black. As Simon walked away, Multiplex and masked "clones" began shooting at the three, forcing them to run for cover. When the coast was almost clear, Eddie took Stagg to safety. That night, Eddie visited Iris at his girlfriend's work. There they watched an interview with him on TV, and soon after he left for the police department to help with the hunt for Multiplex.[13]
Eddie arrived on to the scene of the Darbinyan crime family's murders. He suggested the idea that they were gassed to death, though witnesses had allegedly seen no one outside at the time, therefore concluding that it had happened from the inside. Joe went on to determine that there had to be a canister of sorts somewhere, though Barry was sure that the gas could've had a mind of its own. Though Barry appeared to treat it as a joke, Joe's interest was peaked and so sent Eddie off to canvas the area again. Sometime later, Eddie came to visit Iris, under the impression that Joe had gone out. Eddie claimed to have been looking for Joe and suggested that they go back to the crime scene to re-canvass, to "always work the case", as Joe had proudly taught him. While Joe went to wait in the car, Eddie pretended to go to the toilet while he actually kissed Iris, getting annoyed that the secrecy (all Iris's idea) was potentially killing their relationship. Following their encounter, Eddie met Iris at the police precinct, claiming the two needed to talk. Eddie initially mistook it for Iris breaking up with him, but Iris explained of being simply afraid of losing her first serious boyfriend. Before Eddie could walk off, still under the impression that Iris was breaking up with him, Iris pulled him back, kissing him in full public view. That night, Eddie was called by Barry whom he told Joe's location at the prison visiting Henry Allen. After Joe was hospitalized, Eddie and Iris finally decided to tell the truth of their relationship. Joe admitted putting it together due to detective skills and was already fully aware, promising to try hardest not to shoot Eddie.[14]
After Leonard Snart made an attempt to rob the Kahndaq dynasty diamond, Eddie along with Joe arrived at the scene. Eddie questioned how the driver that was shot and made it to the hospital. Eddie later revealed Iris had previously talked him into going to the Khandaq dynasty diamond exhibit. Eddie later told Joe that he's serious about Iris and he could see himself married to Iris. Eddie and Joe then furthered their conversation about Iris to which Eddie said they should just listen to the radio though it only made things more awkward between the two. Eddie later went to "Trivia Night" at CC Jitters with Iris, Barry and Felicity Smoak. When Eddie saw Felicity's dress, he suggested that Iris buy the same dress. Eddie later incorrectly answered the name of Han Solo's ship after being over excited. At Central City's train station chasing Snart, Eddie was told by Joe to stay back and wait for back up to which Eddie later reminded Joe that they're partners so he doesn't take orders.[15]
Barry held a social get together which included Eddie, Iris, Cisco Ramon and Dr. Caitlin Snow where Caitlin also expressed attraction to Eddie yet Cisco expressed distrust in him, mainly out of jealousy. Eddie, Joe and Barry later investigated a bombing at an office building though were unable to find what was stolen. Eddie later witnessed Joe being forced to hand over the instigation to General Wade Eiling on Singh's orders.[16]
While Tony Woodward was being chased by the CCPD, Eddie shot Tony in the head multiple times though he was shocked when none of his bullets penetrated Woodward. Eddie was then nearly ran over by Woodward, but Joe pushed him out of the way. When Eddie told Barry about what happened with Tony, Barry told him Tony must've had some body armor where Eddie reminded he shot Woodward in the face. When Iris came to visit, he noticed something was wrong between Barry and Iris. Eddie admitted that he was intimidated by Barry at first, admitting that Barry is a good guy and how close the two were. Eddie later realized Tony came from Rusty Iron Ale Brewing Co. After asking the workers about Woodward, one fled to which Eddie and Barry chased the man down. After Barry ran in front, Eddie tackled the man and asked what happened to Tony. Eddie later asked Barry how he managed to get in front of them. At the precinct, Eddie and Barry blew off some steam together where Eddie was shocked when Barry punched through the punching bag. During this, Eddie revealed his personal struggles from his childhood, worsened further due to his father. When Iris was kidnapped by Tony, Eddie stayed as calm as he could yet was very shaken up, however, Iris was later saved by the Flash.[3]
Eddie and Joe visited a crime scene with Barry, where the victim was burnt to a crisp by electricity with nothing else affected, despite numerous combustible objects nearby and no electrical objects around. William Tockman later took the precinct as well as Iris and Joe hostage, but Eddie managed to stay hidden. As Tockman attempted to get Singh to give a helicopter, Eddie attacked only to be shot. Tockman took Iris as leverage, though Joe managed to convince Tockman to let Iris say goodbye to Eddie. As they kissed, Eddie took the opportunity to tell Iris where his spare gun was located, which Iris used to defeat Tockman. Afterwards, Eddie was taken to the hospital and soon recovered.[17]
After Iris spent the night with him in his apartment, Eddie was disbelieved when Iris brought the Flash up, and went to a crime scene where all the people in the back tried to murder each other and Eddie comforted one of the people. Eddie began to notice all the strange occurrences in Central City and believed the Flash to be responsible and asked Singh to organize a taskforce to capture the Flash though Singh disbelieved him and Iris was mad at him for hating the Flash. Later when Eddie and Iris were driving back to his apartment, the two began to fight about the Flash and Iris confessed to having met the Flash a few times which Eddie felt outraged about, but the speedster abruptly took Eddie from the car and started beating him down in the street (as the speedster was manipulated by the Rainbow Raider at the time). However, the Arrow arrived and fought the Flash which allowed Eddie and Iris to escape. Eddie later visited Iris to say that Singh approved the taskforce and he vowed to take the speedster in which his girlfriend now supported.[18]
After seeing Iris's Christmas present from Barry, Iris's mother's wedding ring, Eddie suspected Barry harbored feelings for Iris though Iris denied it as Eddie gave Iris a present himself; a key to his apartment to move in with him which Iris accepted. Eddie later investigated a murder and thieving at Mercury Labs which he believed was the Flash and demanded Joe not to undercut him. Eddie and Joe later went with the CCPD taskforce to S.T.A.R. Labs where Dr. Harrison Wells, Cisco and Caitlin set a trap for the attacker, but found the Reverse-Flash instead of the Flash. The Reverse-Flash apparently escaped and severely beat Wells then attacked and killed Eddie's taskforce yet let Eddie live before the Flash intervened, much to Eddie's surprise. Eddie later wondered why the Reverse-Flash let him live and Joe confessed to the existence of meta-humans (like the Flash and this counter) and told Eddie that this needed to be kept secret. At the West house, Eddie, Joe, Iris, Barry, Cisco and Caitlin celebrated Christmas.[19]
Following the revelation regarding meta-humans and the Flash saving his life on numerous occasions, Eddie has come to see Flash as a hero rather than a vigilante. At the crossroads of the Flash's meeting with Captain Cold and Heat Wave, the Flash was struggling until Eddie intervened with an element-proof shield. The Flash rushed him to safety, and led Captain Cold's and Heat Wave's beams towards each other to cancel each other out and knocking the two away. Eddie received thanks from the Flash.[20]
After someone's attack on Wells's mansion, Eddie noted to Joe that Wells wasn't harmed despite being right where the shattered glass fell, which was suspicious because Wells shouldn't have been able to get out of the way quickly due to being confined to a wheelchair.[21]
Eddie was later asked by Joe to go back to Wells's house and search everything. However, an unknown creature appears to which shots from Eddie, Joe and rest of the CCPD do nothing in harm before the creature leaves. Eddie later unknowingly encounters a time-traveled version of Barry from 2016, asking for recorded a video message of him saying what Iris meant for what Barry claimed to be a video montage for Iris's birthday.[22]
Eddie and Iris met up with Barry before the couple went to dinner with his mother.[23] Eddie later tries to talk down someone who intended to commit suicide by jumping off a building, but the Flash used super-speed to deliver the individual to Eddie.[24]
Eddie and Iris are joined by Barry and Linda Park on a double date. Eddie and Linda get uncomfortable with Barry's and Iris's personal closeness which agitated both Eddie and Linda.
Initial Timeline: Eddie and Barry later are at the morgue, learning that Mark Mardon used weather-based abilities to torture the coroner and was now after Joe. After Mark uses lightning to try to kill Joe yet Singh was hit instead and gets hospitalized, Eddie and Joe goes off to face Mardon which results in Joe being yanked away by Mardon much to Eddie's horror. Eddie later gives an impassioned speech to the CCPD.[25]
Current Timeline: Eddie punched Barry after Barry confessed feelings to Iris. However, Eddie later apologized after Caitlin covered for Barry saying that was a side effect of the lightning strike and has receiving treatment at S.T.A.R. Labs for "Lightning Psychosis".[5]
Barry revealed being the Flash with Joe's support to Eddie in an effort to convince him to help protect Iris from investigating Mason Bridge's disappearance as Barry and Joe did not want risk Iris's safety as the Reverse-Flash murdered Bridge and subsequently hid evidence. Eddie later lies to Iris, suggesting that Mason had run away to Brazil about a liaison with a mysterious woman. Eddie discussed the cover story with Barry and Joe, making it clear that he has doubts in regards to keeping Iris in the dark for safety and decided to argue about it another time. He listens to Barry's suspicions of the Reverse-Flash.[26] While having the Flash assist his arrests makes his job in apprehending criminals easier, Eddie struggles to keep Barry's secret and believed Iris deserved to know, but Joe told him to keep it from Iris. This strained their relationship, as Iris didn't think Eddie should hide anything. While eating at a restaurant with Iris, Barry, Ray Palmer and Felicity, Iris berated Eddie for hiding a secret and stops living with him for a little bit.[27]
Barry and Eddie tracked down Hannibal Bates, a meta-human who could shape-shift into anyone after coming into contact with. Hannibal framed Eddie by impersonating him while shooting two cops. Eddie was taken out of prison by Barry's super speed due to seeing his situation similar to Henry's, but he convinces Barry to return him back to custody. Thankfully, the Flash defeated Bates and the video evidence proved Eddie's innocence to DA Cecile Horton. Eddie told Iris that his secret is that he was working with the Flash and they started to rekindle their relationship.[28] While the team neared a plan to capture the Reverse-Flash, Eddie planned to propose to Iris. He asked for Joe's blessing, but Joe refused. He later goes over to the bridge with his girlfriend. But just as he's about to propose to Iris, Eddie was knocked by the Reverse-Flash. Before the Reverse-Flash could kill Iris, the Flash arrived and Eddie gets kidnapped by the Reverse-Flash. Eddie learned the Reverse-Flash was actually his descendant Eobard Thawne.[29]
Though imprisoned, Eddie confidently believed that Eobard would fail against the Flash's team. Eobard later revealed Eddie's fate in the future: Eddie would go down as the most forgettable individual in the Thawne family due to an apparently uneventful life as a police detective. Eddie was also devastated when Eobard reveals that Iris will marry Barry in the future instead of him.[4] Eobard revealed a plan to Eddie to return to the future before the former re-activated the particle accelerator and escaped. Eddie was found by the team and managed to free him. Disillusioned from his time with Eobard, Eddie was confronted by Iris about his proposal. He revealed that Iris will marry Barry in the future and left. Despite Iris's unwillingness to accept the future, Eddie chose to break up with Iris due to knowing that his love interest always loved Barry all along.[30]
Death[]
Though the group finally managed to capture the Reverse-Flash with the help of the Arrow and Firestorm, Eddie fell into a period of depression and remained painfully aware of everything that had been revealed to him about the future. Eddie received some comfort when Martin Stein theorized that he was an anomaly in time, describing him as a "coincidence" and capable of choosing his own future. Remembering how he met Iris, Eddie encouraged himself to disregard his belief in destiny and repair his relationship with Iris saying "screw the future".
Eddie, Ronnie Raymond and the others would watch when the Flash entered through a wormhole to which Eobard intended to enter with the Time Sphere before the Flash returned to not undo a loved one's death and destroys the Time Sphere, resulting in the two speedsters fighting in the Pipeline. The Reverse-Flash gets the upper hand and threatened to kill all of Barry's loved ones before striking a finishing blow to which Eddie shot himself in the chest. Eddie believed that his own death would erase Eobard from existence which Cisco pointed out. Eddie found comfort that he would die a hero and soon passed away in Iris's arms which initially erased his descendant from existence. But his actions' effects on Earth-1's timeline (or Eobard's power source) caused the Singularity to form above Central City, which threatened to destroy the world. The wormhole managed to engulf Eddie's body before the Flash and Firestorm were able to avert the disaster.[2][31]
Legacy[]
Eddie's photo was displayed in memory of the CCPD's fallen heroes.[32][33][34]
Six months after Eddie's and Ronnie's deaths, Barry worked alone initially in an attempt to prevent anyone close from getting hurt, regarding both the two as the true heroes who saved Central City instead of the Flash. Eddie was amongst Team Flash praising Barry's efforts in a vision where the Flash and Firestorm defeat Captain Cold and Heat Wave.[31]
While Team Flash dealt with Hunter Zolomon/Zoom, Eddie was acknowledged by Patty Spivot, and Iris tried to move past grieving for Eddie.[35][36] Eddie's sacrifice was acknowledged by Joe.[37] After Barry traveled back in time and recorded a video message of Eddie expressing his love for Iris, Iris later watched the video and cried tears of joy at Eddie's words, which finally allowed Iris to move on from him.[22]
Eddie was acknowledged by Killer Frost and Savitar in order to taunt Barry.[38][39]
Eddie was remembered by Barry and Iris amongst Team Flash's deceased loved ones acknowledged by Sharon Finkel.[40]
Martin and Ray remembered Eddie while the Legends were dealing a cabal of supervillains.[41][42]
In 2017, Eddie's likeness was used by the Speed Force while lecturing Barry about time travel having consequences.[43]
Eddie's sacrifice was acknowledged by Ralph Dibny.[44]
Eddie's death weighed on Barry's conscience. His name was on one of the gravestones seen in a hallucination within the Speed Force while fighting Bloodwork's infection.[45]
Erased future[]
- "Oh, how about your career as a police detective? It's spectacularly uneventful.";
"Yeah. Well, we'll see.";
"No, we have seen. I have seen. I am from the future. And you are the only Thawne to be all but forgotten by history. Waste of a life, waste of a man." - —Eobard Thawne taunts Eddie Thawne[src]
Prior to 2024,[29] Eddie remained in his career as a police detective which was apparently a "spectacularly uneventful" one.[4] Eddie was not going to be needing his grandmother's ring to propose to anyone, implying that he never married.[4] However, Eddie had to have conceived at least one child which eventually resulted in being a progenitor of apparently successful scientists, politicians and captains of industry as well as a very distant great-grandfather of Eobard.[4][2]
New multiverse[]
Life and death[]
Eddie had an uncle.[46] In 2013, Eddie encountered Nora West-Allen and Bart West-Allen (posing as the interns Nora Moy and Bart Waid respectively) while he started working with Joe and meets Iris.[47] Eddie's life remained the same as he was engaged to Iris until he died by sacrificing his life to save Team Flash to which his body was absorbed into the singularity over Central City, but his sacrifice was in vain as the Reverse-Flash was still able to exist.[48][49][47]
A photo dated to 2014 of Eddie and various other officers, including Joe, was on display on a wall in a hallway at the CCPD in 2021.[49]
In 2022, Eddie's likeness was used by Deathstorm to psychologically torture Iris West-Allen, specifically acknowledging his sacrifice didn't prevent the Reverse-Flash's repeated returns.[50]
Eddie's death was avenged when his descendant was killed by the Flash.[51]
Resurrection[]
Life as Malcolm Gilmore[]
Due to the Cobalt-97, Eddie was resurrected on Earth-Prime by the Negative Speed Force in 2049 as "Dr. Malcolm Gilmore", a scientist who works at Mercury Labs. He lived in a house and had no memory of his previous life.[52][53]
Discovering the truth[]
Eddie left to go to work, but misplaced Gilmore's ID which he realized he left at his lab. Later at Gilmore's lab, he was in the middle of finishing something with a deadline when the power had suddenly cut out. When he got up to find the outage's source, Eddie was caught off guard by a strange storm rolling over Central City. Around this time, he saw the chemicals in the open beakers of his lab begin to levitate out of the containers, followed by bolt of red lightning which struck him through the window. Eddie was then thrown backwards into the chemicals, briefly knocking him unconscious. After awakening, Eddie found a redacted file detailing his former identity's death. Eddie was left in shock and confusion.[52]
Eddie decided to go to the CCPD to find out more about his previous identity's file when he noticed that the police officers were all staring at him in mild surprise and shock. Captain Daisy Korber stepped out of the office and quickly recognized him. Eddie was then directed to his previous identity's picture on the Honored Officer's wall and saw that his previous identity had died over 30 years ago. Eddie told his story, but Korber had trouble believing him. Eddie was asked to show his ID and saw his driver's license glow and change into Gilmore's license, but excused it as a trick of the light. Eddie soon began to grow frustrated when no one seemed to believe him. Eddie asked how his former identity died, but Korber didn't know as it was just one in a long history of Central City's unexplained incidents. Eddie began to get flashes of Iris in his mind and quickly left the precinct.
Eddie made his way over to another location and looked for anything he could find about his former identity in Iris's office, but he was quickly caught by Taylor Downs calling security as he was a trespasser. When he tried to explain that he was simply looking for Iris, Eddie hit a dead end as Taylor replied that Iris wasn't there. After seeing a photo of Iris and Joe, Eddie got more flashes of his former identity's memories, specifically ones from the day he died. Eddie then left and headed for the cemetery, claiming he needed to see his so-called lookalike's body.
Eddie later found his so-called lookalike's grave and began digging to try and get to his coffin. In the midst of his digging, Eddie was found to be held at gunpoint by Korber. Eddie tried to explain that he needed answers as to why 'they' looked alike and why he was remembering his so-called lookalike's life, but Korber tried to reason that he couldn't be as his former identity was dead. Eddie laughed out loud while getting more flashes of his former identity's past and recalling his own dying words that nothing was a coincidence. He then moved to open the coffin where he and Korber found that it was empty. Once he saw the coffin was empty, he began to get a clear recollection of his former identity and he was restored to his proper state of mind. He then truly acknowledged his former identity with Korber still in disbelief. He proved it by showing that his shirt now had a fresh bloodstain over where he had shot himself and he dug into his chest, retrieving the bullet as a bolt of red lightning struck his own tombstone behind him.[1]
As Cobalt Blue[]
Original identity restored[]
Eddie accidentally generated a wormhole which took Korber before he went to the Flash Museum to ask the Flash for help. Eddie then saw the display of the Reverse-Flash which further negatively affected him. Eddie was then reached out by a "daughter" he could have had with Iris before another wormhole was generated. Fortunately, he was rescued by XS and was medically checked out by Team Flash. Eddie remembered his encounter with Nora in 2013 and tried to process everything. Things got worse when the Negative Speed Force possessed Nora in order to manipulate Eddie. Returning to Mercury Labs, Eddie was almost convinced into believing that he had his life stolen from him with Barry and Iris together as well being insulted similar to Eobard's condescension. Eddie left for moment due to needing time to process his feelings before Barry arrived from 2023 and was immediately attacked by the Negative Speed Force. Eddie witnessed this and nearly snaps out of it before Barry's super speed allowed the two to escape.
The two are at Gilmore's "house" as Barry's speechless at Eddie brought back to life and had a brief reprieve from the Negative Speed Force's chaos. Eddie and Barry began to piece together the larger plot. Barry figured out that Eddie must have been resurrected as the Negative Speed Force's new avatar. The Negative Speed Force continued to manipulate Eddie, leading to an argument between the two in which Eddie accused Barry of stealing his life. Barry was briefly able to reach Eddie by bringing up Iris only to be called away by the Negative Speed Force threatening innocents.
As the Flash went off, Eddie traveled to the West-Allen family's flat to find Iris of 2049. Iris was initially happy to see him, but the conversation turned sour when Eddie revealed he had a way for the two to still be together. Iris tells Eddie that a marriage would have never worked out as Iris was always in love with Barry. Eddie gets enraged by this response and stormed off, leaving Iris with an ominous warning about what he planned to do.
Returning to Gilmore's lab again, Eddie angrily yelled at the Negative Speed Force for bringing him back to life. He decided to accept the Negative Speed Force's offer in the hopes to rewrite the past to get a better life for himself, approaching the Cobalt-97 and speaking to the Negative Speed Force. Upon accepting the powers as the Negative Speed Force's avatar, Eddie generated a portal willingly to act on the Negative Speed Force's behalf.[53]
The Legion of Zoom[]
Following the Negative Speed Force's plan, Eddie used his various abilities to summon the Reverse-Flash, Zoom, August Heart/Godspeed and Savitar from across time at the Negative Speed Force's recreation of Gilmore's "house". After the villainous speedsters argued with each other, Eddie revealed himself as the one behind everyone's arrival while acknowledging the others as "dead" if it wasn't for him. Acknowledging that the villainous speedsters teaming up would have a better chance together, Eddie uses the Cobalt-97 to create a suit for himself which completed his transformation into "Cobalt Blue", the Negative Speed Force's avatar. Cobalt Blue then arrived to 2023 at the hospital where Iris was getting ready to give birth to Nora, threatening Barry and Iris while simultaneously delivering flowers. Barry and Iris tried to convince him to stop serving the Negative Speed Force, but the attempts fell on deaf ears as Cobalt Blue believed that the Negative Speed Force had given him far more help than the couple were able to.
Cobalt Blue began to chase the Flash through Central City, showing a mastery of his new abilities and nearly defeating the Flash in a one on one. However, Cobalt Blue was unable to kill the Flash thanks to the timely intervention of XS. In response to Team Flash's arrival, he opened up four portals and summoned the Legion of Zoom, bringing Zoom, Savitar, Godspeed and the Reverse-Flash to the present. With both of their teams breaking into a fight throughout Central City, Cobalt Blue and the Flash faced off again, taking the two speedsters into CC Jitters where Cobalt Blue held two civilians at sword point to force the Flash to surrender. Before he could relish in his victory, Cobalt Blue's speed gets siphoned by Jay Garrick/The Flash using a tactic from the Flash of Earth 90, leaving him briefly powerless against the two Flashes. Refusing to give up, Cobalt Blue absorbed the speed from the defeated legion before teleporting back into the Negative Speed Force to get more speed.
Final confrontation and restoring the balance[]
Cobalt Blue was absorbing more speed from the Negative Speed Force, but he was interrupted when Khione teleported Barry there in an attempt to save his life instead of fighting. A brutal brawl sparked between the two avatars, with Cobalt Blue nearly killing Barry in a similar way that the Reverse-Flash did before Eddie's death. Barry was able to point out what he had turned into while the Negative Speed Force vindictively tried to convince him to kill. Eddie ultimately ripped the Cobalt-97 off his chest and destroyed the object, taking total control of the Negative Speed Force. Afterwards, the two avatars agreed to work together and find co-existence between the two versions of the Speed Force and the two shook hands to solidify their new partnership. Eddie was happy for Barry and Iris before he returned Barry to the hospital in order to be on time for Nora's birth. Eddie was left alone in the Negative Speed Force in order to restore the balance.[54]
Personality[]
- "What are the odds that Dr. Wells would travel back in time and get stuck in the exact same city as his great-great-great-great grandfather? Working in the same profession, the same building? And that part of his plan to get home would mean that he'd have to preserve and protect your life. That makes you this rare thing that no scientist can plan for."
"Which is?"
"Coincidence. There is no science to coincidence. You, sir, are an anomaly. A wild card, as it were. You are the only person in this whole story who gets to choose his own future." - —Martin Stein and Eddie Thawne[src]
Eddie was described as a "pretty boy" who actually kept track of his arrests, had a certain wit and appeared to be cocky yet was a very efficient cop, who went to any lengths to catch the criminals. He does have a caring side, as he covered Joe West's shifts, and was often the first one to comfort the witnesses of the various crimes he and Joe looked into. He also disbelieves in the Flash's existence (at first) and thinks anyone who does is a drug user. But when he "converts", he becomes distrusting of the Flash, especially after the Flash tries to murder him under Roy Bivolo's influence, and wants the speedster taken down. However, since his near-death with the Reverse-Flash, he seems to have changed his mind. He later saves the Flash, who was pinned down, evidencing that he sees the speedster as a hero instead of a threat.
Eddie was proven to care for Iris West a lot, as he kept their relationship from Joe a secret at Iris's insistence, which, though it annoyed him, he did for 9 months until Iris was ready to admit it, Eddie was also reasonable, as some dates with Iris have involved places which Eddie isn't too interested in yet goes for Iris. Eddie's working relationship with Joe was fairly stable, as they are both excellent cops who trust each other with their lives. Yet Iris's relationship with Eddie sometimes makes Joe wary. Eddie has a stable friendship with Barry Allen, though Barry isn't entirely trusting of Eddie, mainly out of envy that he was dating Iris, but was surprised to hear that Eddie felt threatened by Barry when they met. After a year of dating, Eddie was brave enough to ask Iris to move in with him yet suspected that Barry may harbor feelings for Iris though Iris denied it.
Eddie was proven to be loyal to Joe and very sharp, when questioning Joe's resolve to investigate Eobard Thawne, only to have Joe be determined to do so, Eddie smiled, seemingly thrilled to help Joe, most likely because he knew inconsistencies with Eobard's story of being attacked, he was also proven to be to care about people as he tried to talk a man out of committing suicide. He was also proven to have a laid back personality when the man asked if he would let him get back on top of the building after the Flash put him safely on the bottom only for Eddie to reply no in a comical manner.
Upon discovering that Barry is the Flash and Eobard is Reverse-Flash, Eddie aids Joe and Barry in stopping Iris from finding out that Mason Bridge was killed by Eobard as this knowledge would have put Iris's life in danger. He was reluctant to do so as he did not like lying to her and Iris's dishonesty put a massive strain on their relationship.
After being captured by Eobard, he was horrified to discover that Eobard was actually his descendant from the future, he realizes that was why Eobard did not kill him in their first encounter. Eddie was pained to learn from Eobard that Iris would be Barry's wife in the future instead of his and so breaks up with Iris, partly influenced by his knowledge of future events but mainly because there was a part of him that suspected Iris of having romantic feelings for Barry, as he did not want to be in a relationship or to marry someone who had romantic feelings for another but this decision was not lasting as he later reconciled with Iris, believing that; he would not let fate control his decisions.
Eddie was amazingly brave and selfless even in the face of death; he willingly committed suicide to prevent Eobard from causing any further harm in the present and the future in order to save Barry, Iris, Joe and Team Flash from his evil descendant.
- "No! You listen! The second I died, everyone forgot about me! And you, Barry, the man I sacrificed my life for, you thanked me by stealing my fiancée! But now, I have a chance to change that."
- —Eddie Thawne to Barry Allen[src]
After the Negative Speed Force resurrected and displaced him in 2049, Eddie felt he was forgotten as both Barry and Iris had moved on and got married as well as learning that Eobard had survived which meant his sacrifice was in vain as it only averted disaster for a moment.
Eddie was further driven toward desperation and insanity as the Negative Speed Force manifested as voices in his head, eventually Eddie reached his breaking point after feeling rejected.
In deep irony, Eddie is now just like Eobard, wanting the life of Barry and not caring who he has to hurt. Eddie was heartbroken to hear Iris say that even if they had gotten married, it would have failed because Eddie was always the rebound guy, while Barry was always the one she was meant to be with.
After a vicious beatdown on Barry, Eddie eventually returned to his senses with Barry's help, finding the willpower to not be swayed by the Cobalt-97's voices, seemingly ending the Negative Speed Force's sentience. Eddie and Barry agree to work together, although Eddie hints the Negative Speed Force may still be sentient as they won't always see "eye-to-eye" hinting that it might still influence him in the future.Powers and abilities[]
Powers[]
- Negative Speed Force connection/Meta-human physiology: Eddie became the avatar of the Negative Speed Force like Eobard Thawne before him. After agreeing to be the Negative Speed Force's new avatar, Eddie possesses the powers of any speedster, being nearly identical to those of his descendant. Even though Eddie hasn't had his speed for anywhere close to as long as Barry Allen, Eddie proved himself stronger than Barry in both of their fights. Eddie, being the avatar of the Negative Speed Force, is now one of the most powerful beings in the entire multiverse.
- Superhuman strength: Due to the tremendous amounts of Negative Speed Force energy in his body, Eddie displays a degree of superhuman strength, exerting inhuman amounts of force without using his speed.
- Accelerated healing factor: Eddie's accelerated healing factor is on par with Barry's, as his connection to the Negative Speed Force allowed him to remove the bullet from his chest and fully recover, much like how Barry was able to recover from massive psychic feedback that was equivalent to that of Savitar's stabbing through the chest which would be a lethal injury for most, as Iris West died that way in several futures.
- Superhuman durability: Eddie's durability is well-above that of normal humans, as he is able to endure attacks and exertions much quicker than normal and survive impacts that would be fatal or at least permanently disabling to normal humans.
- Superhuman speed: Eddie is able to move at speeds very close to that of Barry's peak.
- Superhuman stamina: Eddie's body can handle the stresses of superhuman racing without noticeable distress. His body's enhanced stamina allows him to function much longer than a normal human without getting tired or weak. Therefore; he is also adapted to the extreme amounts of force exerted on him while he is moving at super speed, as well as the extreme temperatures and lessened amount of breathable air.
- Superhuman agility: Eddie possesses superhuman bodily coordination, balance, equilibrium and dexterity. He is able to change direction immediately, thus allowing him to make sharp turns on city streets without sliding or losing his balance.
- Electrokinesis: Eddie can produce powerful red electricity from his body, generate a continuous stream of lightning to launch at a target, as well as generate various constructs to be used in battle. He can also absorb electricity from various sources to empower himself.
- Speed siphoning: Eddie has the ability to absorb speed from other speedsters, specifically other Negative Speed Force users. After his speed was drained by Jay Garrick, Eddie absorbed the speed of Eobard, Hunter Zolomon, Savitar and August Heart to make himself even more powerful than before.
- Singularity creation: As a result of his original death and the Cobalt-97, Eddie gains the ability to generate singularities not dissimilar to that of breaches. This power was originally activated as an emotional response but the Negative Speed Force helps him in managing to gain control over this power which he uses to form the Legion of Zoom.
Abilities[]
- "There's no such thing as a coincidence."
- —Eddie Thawne[src]
- Genius-level intellect/Expert investigator: As a police detective of the Central City Police Department and formerly of the Keystone City Police Department, Eddie is a highly skilled investigator.
- Expert driver: Eddie is a highly skilled driver; he is able to drive several different types of vehicles such as cars.
- Expert chemist/Scientist: While under his false life as Malcolm, Eddie was bestowed great scientific knowledge and potential. Malcolm had his own private lab, and possession of a blue crystal made of calcified cobalt and Negative Speed Force energies.
- "I got my ass kicked. A lot, until my gym coach took pity on me. She said the key to fighting is patience. Here. A lot of guys waste energy trying to land the most punches. All it takes is one, but you got to make it count. Choose your spot and drive through it, like it's six inches behind the target."
- —Eddie Thawne to Barry Allen[src]
- Expert hand-to-hand combatant: As a police detective, Eddie is a highly skilled hand-to-hand combatant, as he had received training as all Keystone City Police Department members do. As seen during a training session with Barry, Eddie also had a degree of boxing skills that he had honed from a young age thanks to his gym teacher lessons. He helped exemplify this by teaching Barry about proper striking methods. Eddie's combat capabilities allowed him to overpower Hannibal Bates for a time. He also once punched Barry, although it said be noted that he caught the latter off-guard.
- Expert marksman: As a police detective, Eddie is highly skilled in the use of firearms.
Equipment[]
- Cobalt Blue armor: After accepting his status as the Negative Speed Force's avatar, Eddie used the Cobalt-97 to create an armored suit made of Negative Speed Force Energy.
Former equipment[]
- SIG-Sauer P229R Eddie carried a sidearm as a detective. He ultimately used his weapon to shoot himself in the chest to stop Eobard Thawne.
- Handcuffs: Eddie carried handcuffs whenever he was out on patrol.
- Cobalt-97: As the avatar of the Negative Speed Force, Eddie is directly linked to the crystal and he can communicate with it mentally and hear its voice. It is currently unclear whether Eddie gains any extra powers from the crystal in additional to his regular powers. He had the crystal fused with his body, but he likely would've produced blue lightning. When he saw the Negative Speed Force’s corruptive influence, Eddie smashed and destroyed the crystal.
Appearances[]
The Flash[]
DC's Legends of Tomorrow[]
Season 2[]
- "The Legion of Doom" (flashbacks)
- "Moonshot" (mentioned)
- "Doomworld" (indirectly mentioned)
Arrow[]
Season 6[]
- "Crisis on Earth-X, Part 2" (indirectly mentioned)
Comics[]
The Flash: Season Zero[]
The Chronicles of Cisco[]
- Post 9 "Chapter Seven: Hannibal Bates" (mentioned)
- Post 11 "Chapter Nine: Cisco Disco" (mentioned)
Trivia[]
- Eddie is right-handed.[28]
- Eddie shares many traits with Tommy Merlyn:
- Both characters are related to a major antagonist, Malcolm Merlyn and Eobard Thawne, respectively and their surnames are the same as those villains.
- Both Eddie and Tommy were also mistaken for Eobard and Malcolm respectively by some fans initially, until the latter two made their official debuts/revealed their secret identities.
- Both debuted in the first season of their respective shows, and subsequently died by the end of the same season.
- Both died protecting their loved ones; Tommy died saving Laurel Lance from the collapsing CNRI building while Eddie killed himself to protect Iris West and his friends from the Reverse-Flash.
- Both characters have villainous counterparts in the comics.
- Tommy facilitated a love-triangle between himself, Laurel and Oliver Queen, while Eddie formed a love-triangle between himself, Iris and Barry Allen.
- Both characters were considered as being failures by their respective close relatives. Malcolm cut Tommy out of the family fortune and subsequently hired him in order to put his son's life in order. On the other hand, Eobard merely split Eddie apart from Iris only to ensure that his ancestor began a long blood-line of brilliant men of science, which included Eobard.
- Both characters' deaths prompted the main characters, Oliver and Barry, to change methods of vigilantism.
- Both characters have appeared sporadically in the subsequent seasons of their respective shows, where they haunt the main character but also inspire.
- Both characters were resurrected in their respective shows' final season, with Tommy being brought back because of Crisis while Eddie is brought back by the Negative Speed Force. Both go on to have fresh starts in life.
- Both characters have villainous counterparts in the comics which is ultimately seen with Tommy's doppelgängers (as the Dark Archer and Prometheus) while Eddie himself is ultimately revived as the speedster Cobalt Blue.
- Both characters are related to a major antagonist, Malcolm Merlyn and Eobard Thawne, respectively and their surnames are the same as those villains.
- Eddie's exact relation to Eobard was never specified, but Martin Stein stated that Eddie is Eobard's great-great-great-great grandfather which was likely Martin's guess based on the time Eobard is from.
- Though it's not confirmed, it's possible that Eddie (or his grief) was connected to Deathstorm as he was sucked into the singularity along with Ronnie Raymond.
- Because Eddie was resurrected by the Negative Speed Force in 2049, this would indicate his dead body traveled to the future by going through the singularity, and was brought back to life a while later by the Negative Speed Force.
- His driver's license as Malcolm Gilmore lists his birthday as March 30, 2017, placing his age at 32 years old, the same age he was when he died in 2015. The license also lists his height as 5'10", one inch shorter than Rick Cosnett's actual height.[1]
Behind the scenes[]
- In the comics, the modern-day Thawne who lived in the present day is Malcolm Thawne/Cobalt Blue, Barry Allen's long-lost twin brother and Eobard Thawne's ancestor. He is the possessor of a blue talisman that was behind his super speed and other powers.
- Interestingly, his time as "Detective Pretty Boy" shares similarities with Fred Chyre and Robern Thawne. Like Chyre, he's a detective who was originally from Keystone City and is the Flash's ally. Like Robern, he's a police officer who Eobard had contempt with.
- Additionally, his alias "Malcolm Gilmore" is a homage to Dr. Asa Gilmore, the doctor who stole Malcolm at birth and reported him as stillborn while giving him away to the Thawne family.
- Eddie's name was a red herring for viewers who were familiar of Eobard Thawne.[55]
- Eddie was originally going to appear in the 100th episode of The Flash.[56]
References[]
Other versions of Eddie Thawne | ||||
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To see other versions of this character, click the Earth name below for that Earth's counterpart of Eddie Thawne. | ||||
New multiverse | ||||
Earth: Prime | ||||
Original multiverse | ||||
Earth: 1 | ||||
Transmultiversal multiverse | ||||
Earth: 27A |