Eobard Thawne

Harrison Wells
Biological Information
Status	Alive
General Information
Occupation	Physicist Director of S.T.A.R. Labs Leader of Barry Allen's team (in secret) Vigilante (in secret)
Family	Tess Morgan (wife; deceased)
Alter ego	Reverse-Flash
Actor	Tom Cavanagh

"My name is Harrison Wells. Tonight, the future begins. The work my team and I will do here will change our understanding of physics, will bring about advancements in power, advancements in medicine, and trust me that future will be here faster than you think."

—Harrison Wells, prior to switching on the S.T.A.R. Labs particle accelerator^[src]

Dr. Harrison Wells, nicknamed the Reverse-Flash by Cisco Ramon (unbeknownst to Cisco), is the director of S.T.A.R. Labs, and the mind behind the particle accelerator that exploded, releasing theoretical particles that created a multitude of meta-humans. He is the leader of a team that assists the vigilante, The Flash, as well as the man in yellow who killed Barry Allen's mother.

Biography

Harrison owns a digital copy of a newspaper detailing the disappearance of The Flash in a crisis, dated from the year 2024.

Marriage to Tess Morgan and eventual move to Central City

For a time, Wells married Tess Morgan and together, they owned a lab together in Maryland. However, in 2000, she suddenly died in a car accident. Wells moved to Central City where no one knew him and could remind him of what he had lost.

Sometime around Tess' death, Harrison visited the Allen household in Central City with super speed, in a yellow suit, and murdered Nora Allen with a knife. Seemingly, The Flash visited from the future and attempted to stop the murder, but was unable to. Henry Allen was framed for the murder and sent to jail.

Two months following Tess' death, Wells moved far away to Central City. A couple years later, Wells worked at S.T.A.R. Labs there for at least five years as a scientist. When Wade Eiling approached S.T.A.R Labs with a view to conducting enhanced gene therapy for soldiers Wells agreed to work with him as he was interested in its applications for civilians. Eiling directed the project towards mind control for interrogation purposes and planned to conduct testing on a captive gorilla named Grodd. Wells, who by this point had seen Eiling's inhumane methods, shut down the program, despite having undisclosed plans for Grodd.

Explosion of the particle accelerator

By 2013, Wells was the director of S.T.A.R. Labs. In late 2013, he held an event at which he planned to switch on S.T.A.R. Labs' particle accelerator, which he had created. He began speaking on stage, claiming that the particle accelerator would create a brighter future, bringing advancements in power and medicine, as well as physics as they knew it. Later that night, the particle accelerator was switched on. However, particles began to behave abnormally, such as liquids floating in the air, followed by a loud bang from the accelerator. Wells sent Ronnie Raymond and Cisco Ramon down to manually shut the particle accelerator down before anything bad happened. After Ronnie had vented the system, assuring S.T.A.R. Labs' safety but sacrificing himself in the process, Cisco called Wells down to the chamber. Wells made his way down, but not before entering a secret room, taking off his glasses and watching a screen, on which Barry Allen, a forensic assistant, was struck by lightning in his lab. After the explosion, Harrison was allegedly paralysed, though it was a facade.

After he was put in to a coma due to the lightning strike caused by the shockwave, Barry's condition eventually went critical, at which point Wells convinced Joe West, Barry's foster father, to allow him to move Barry to S.T.A.R. Labs.

Working with The Flash

After Barry woke from his coma, Dr. Wells was called down to the lab to talk to Barry. He took Barry around S.T.A.R. Labs, explaining what had actually happened on the night of the particle accelerator explosion and how they'd moved him. Before they could run more tests, Barry left. After having realised he had the ability to run super fast, Dr. Wells and the team went to an airfield where they sought to test Barry's speed. Wells cautioned restraint, though Barry instead ran at full pelt, accidentally running in to barrels of water. Back at S.T.A.R. Labs, Barry told Harrison of his belief that perhaps there were more powered humans like himself, perhaps even another with super speed (as he had seen on the night of his mother's death), though Wells believed that Barry was most definitely unique. Following a later run-in with Clyde Mardon's weather manipulation, however, Barry returned, angry that Harrison had seemingly lied to him. The latter admitted fault, explaining that the explosion had released various forms of seemingly theoretical energy across the city, including anti-matter, dark energy and x-elements. Barry mentioned that he planned to stop Mardon, though Wells attempted to stop Barry from taking the risk, as he was incredibly important in terms of scientific advancement. Despite Harrison's claims that Barry was not a hero, only simply a boy who was struck by lightning, he headed out to find Mardon anyway. As Barry struggled to unravel a tornado Mardon had made, Dr. Wells intervened over the communication, apologizing, reassuring Barry that he did in fact believe in him, that he could undo Wells' wrongs. After, Harrison went to a secret room in which he held a digital newspaper from 2024, headlining that The Flash had gone missing in a crisis.

After Barry's run-in with a strongman at the Central City National Bank, he arrived back at S.T.A.R. Labs with a formerly broken wrist. Barry described the strongman to Wells, voicing his wishes to take the information to the police. However, Harrison reassured Barry that keeping his secret identity hidden was the best option, for his safety. He sent Barry to go obtain DNA samples from the crime scene. Later after they'd pieced together evidence leading numerous crimes to suspected meta-humans from the Central City Circus, Dr. Wells provided some details he knew on Mr. Bliss from having attended the circus previously, and Barry left to find the circus. Cisco and Caitlin arrived back sometime later with Barry. They explained how he'd been forced in to a catatonic state by Nathan Bliss. Harrison urged that Barry get better in order to save the city. Figuring that the catatonia could last from a few minutes to a few years, he suggested that Cisco and Caitlin go to warn spectators of a Central City Cougars game of what Mr. Bliss and his circus were about to do. After they left, Wells stood up and went to his secret room, opening a panel and picking out a gadget. He returned to Barry and used it on him, waking Barry up almost automatically. As he placed the gadget in to his jacket, Barry asked what had happened, Wells putting it simply down to his regenerative capabilities. He sent Barry to follow after Caitlin and Cisco to the stadium. After Barry had defeated Bliss and his circus, they went through S.T.A.R. Labs and talked. Initially discussing Barry's distaste for Cisco's "super protein bars", Wells complimented him as being a hero, rather than a supposed freak. Barry soon left for his job.

After having acted as a hero, Barry returned to S.T.A.R. Labs, where Dr. Wells again cautioned restraint to Barry, telling him to make sure he knew his limits. Barry later tried to act the hero again, though he passed out. He was taken to S.T.A.R. Labs and despite being scolded, they decided to try some tests. Barry began running on a modified treadmill, causing him to eventually pass out. Harrison identified that it had to do with his glucose levels, due to an extremely fast metabolism processing it too fast. They hooked Barry up to 40 IV bags before he finally awoke. As they began discussing a new diet for Barry, Joe West entered the room; Wells was surprised to see him. He reassured Joe that they were looking out for what was best for Barry, though Joe disagreed that what they were doing was the way to do it. Barry yelled at Joe, causing him to get upset and leave. A while later Barry returned to S.T.A.R. Labs, having been beaten up by another meta-human, who they identified by blood samples as Danton Black. Barry decided against trying to take him down, and despite Harrison's support, he was adamant that what they were doing was a mistake. Following that, Wells went to talk to Joe. He claimed that next time Barry suited up, he would doubt himself. Wells headed back to S.T.A.R. Labs, where Caitlin was able to grow a clone of Danton Black from a replicating cell, so they called Barry in and explained this. The clone promptly awakened, presumably due to the prime Black activating some clones, and Joe hurried in through the doors, shooting the clone and reassuring Barry that only he could stop meta-humans, being one himself. They talked to Barry when he reached Stagg Industries and Dr. Wells noted that he had to find the prime one, the original Danton Black. Ultimately, Danton was knocked over an edge, but despite being caught by Barry, forced himself to drop, killing him. The team watched a news report of it on the TV afterwards. Following that, Dr. Wells visited Simon Stagg. After Stagg claimed that he wanted to find and use "the streak," Wells stood up from his wheelchair and stabbed the man, claiming that The Flash, as he would one day come to be known as, had to be kept safe.

After the Darbinyan crime family were gassed to death by a presumed meta-human, the S.T.A.R. Labs team began researching what they could, all of them excited by the potential prospects. Joe noted that they would have to find somewhere to hold them, as Iron Heights was less than ideal, and Cisco suggested the particle accelerator. Cisco and Dr. Wells went down to the particle accelerator's core chamber. Dr. Wells had to go do some modifications while Cisco waited, and they soon went back up. Wells realized it was hard for Cisco to be there. The two later assisted Barry when he went after a mist-controlling meta-human inside the Central City Shopping Mall. However, Barry discovered that the man could turn himself in to gas, and inhaled some of his toxic gasses, before racing back to S.T.A.R. Labs where the team painfully extracted the poisonous gas. The team was soon able to identify the makeup of the gas: hydrogen cyanide with traces of a sedative. Barry figured that the two would be mixed in a death row execution and they identified the meta-human as Kyle Nimbus, proudly nicknamed The Mist by Cisco. Barry went to protect Nimbus' next target, Detective West, and the team supported him. Unable to outrun The Mist, they suggested he make him tired, as he would have to revert to his physical, human form eventually. Barry succeeded and The Mist was taken back to S.T.A.R. Labs, where he was locked up in the particle accelerator prison.

Wells defeated Barry in a game of chess while Barry also played a game of table tennis with Cisco and a game of Operation with Caitlin. When Felicity visited S.T.A.R. Labs, Wells greeted her and was more than pleased to meet her, noting he's aware of all her accolades and that he always keeps an eye out for such talent. When Felicity questioned about the possible dangers of what Barry does, Wells reassured her that everything they do is to ensure Barry's safety and that Barry is in good hands. Wells was later furious at Cisco, who built a weapon powerful enough to kill Barry despite his speed without any consent, though Cisco built it prior to Barry waking from his coma. Wells ordered Cisco to track down where the cold gun is and to do so immediately after telling him weapons don't belong in S.T.A.R. Labs. After Felicity left, Wells noted she was a remarkable young woman. Wells told Cisco to never do anything as to build such a weapon again, though he was unaware of another similar weapon that Cisco had built which was also stolen.

After Barry failed to stop Tony Woodward, Dr. Wells told Barry they'd find a way to stop him, but told Barry to rest and heal for the time being. A day later, Joe visited Wells, asking for help on Nora Allen's murder case. When Joe asked if his particle accelerator was possibly involved, Wells reminded Joe that the murder occurred 14 years ago. After a few other suggestions from Joe, Wells told him that they were all highly unlikely. After Barry tried to stop Tony Woodward alone, Wells was furious as they had yet to find a way to stop him. When Barry told him that he could just heal, Dr. Wells told Barry he can't heal if he was killed. Wells then told Barry could stop Tony Woodward if he moved fast enough as any material can be struck at a high enough velocity. The following day, Wells had a drink with Joe, where Joe suggested that he was involved as Wells arrived shortly after Nora was murdered. Wells told Joe to look up Tess Morgan before leaving. Joe visited Wells at S.T.A.R. Labs, apologizing for accusing him for murder. Wells then told Joe about his past and why he moved to Central City.

In an entry in his personal log, Dr. Wells noted that Barry was driven to use his powers to help people, and stated that this was keeping Barry from realizing his full potential. He later told Barry that he had to "kick it up a notch" in his training. When Farooq Gibran attacked S.T.A.R. Labs, Wells released Tony Woodward, offering him his freedom in exchange for killing Farooq. Later, he had a brief argument with Barry about sacrificing Woodward to stall Farooq, angrily insisting that he had merely done what was necessary. When Farooq cornered Team Flash, Wells confronted him, reciting from memory the names of everyone who died in the particle accelerator disaster, and demanding that Farooq leave the others alone, saying that he was the only one who deserved to be punished. After Flash defeated Farooq, Dr. Wells made another log entry, stating that he had previously been mistaken and that Barry's desire to help others was the key to developing the Flash's potential, not an obstacle as he had thought. He then took a blood sample from Blackout's corpse, saying that he was interested in finding out how the latter had drained the Flash's powers.

As the Reverse-Flash, Wells reappeared in Joe West's house, while he was investigating the man in yellow, and stole the evidence and threatened his daughter Iris by stabbing a similar knife into her photograph, to scare Joe away from investigating Nora's murder.

A few weeks later the Reverse-Flash stormed Mercury Labs looking for a tachyon prototype device, killing the guards but was unable to reach the device due to the doctor sealing it away and he stormed off. Later the Reverse-Flash spied on Barry as he talked to Iris then when Barry noticed him he ran after him, demanding to know why he killed his mother but the Reverse-Flash instead challenged him to a fight in a stadium. The Reverse-Flash proved to be the better speedster but also claimed that Barry already knew his identity, that they'd fought for a long time with Barry always loosing. He also told Barry it would be his destiny to die at his hands, as it was his mother's. Later S.T.A.R. Labs orchestrated a trap using the tachyon prototype and lured the Reverse-Flash in. When Joe tried to get answers from the Reverse-Flash he only addressed Dr. Wells before the force-field failed, allowing the Reverse-Flash to briefly escape and severely beat Dr. Wells before killing Eddie's task-force and attack Joe, but mysteriously let Eddie live. This reminded him of his previous threat to Joe then Flash arrived and fought him. However the Reverse-Flash again proved superior to the Flash but he was saved by Firestorm and the Reverse-Flash vowed their fight wasn't over and ran. Later it's revealed that Wells has possession of the the Reverse-Flash's suit and the tachyon device he stole.

Personality

Harrison is a scientific genius responsible for numerous achievements in the scientific field and has a large sense of respect from the scientific community as was the very genius behind the particle accelerator's existence. Harrison is a character of duel-identities towards his team and himself as he openly appears caring and compassionate guiding Barry into his journey of becoming the Flash, but has been shown to be willing to kill to ensure his safety, and willing to sacrifice the meta-human prisoners to ensure his protection. He also seems to be willing to sacrifice other people as he activated the Particle Accelerator after being warned of its possible malfunction at the risk of the city and sacrificed Ronnie Raymond's life, all to ensure Barry Allen would be struck by the lightning bolt that turns him into Flash.  

Harrison is shown to be a very secretive man, as not one of his workers has ever visited his house- and has either killed or manipulated people to their deaths. He does, however, seem to care about Barry's life, as he nearly gave up his secret to rush to Barry when he chose to take a missile head on, instead of running from it. He also protected Grodd from being tortured by Wade Eiling's inhumane experiments. Despite at first being tempted to kill Firestorm, Harrison decided to delay his plans to help him separate into two people again.

Powers and Abilities

Powers

• Superhuman speed: Harrison can move stupendously fast and is significantly faster than Barry currently. However he states his speed comes and goes and he is unable to control when it does. Likewise, it appears to be directly involved with his ability to walk, as once his speed became unusable, his legs quickly gave out and he collapsed to the floor.
• Rapid cellular regeneration: Harrison's fast healing was displayed when the wounds inflicted upon him had vanished almost instantly after putting on the tachyonic device on his suit. Without the tachyon device, he healed completely in an hour and not instantly. Harrison's wounds from being attacked with the force of a speeding car by the "Man In Yellow" were completely gone without a trace afterwards, which he covered up by isolating himself to avoid speculation of any kind.
• Extreme force generation: By building up enough kinetic force in his body, Reverse-Flash is able to deal very punishing blows. Even Barry Allen with his accelerated recovery abilities was quickly pummeled to the point he was unable to fight back. He generated enough force in his movements to almost completely breach a radioactive force field though he only managed to grab Harrison and pull him in to beat him up and leave him severely injured. Harrison's injuries looked similar to that of a person hit by a car, suggesting that he was attacked with similar force.
• Time travel: Harrison Wells can move so fast that he can travel backwards and forwards through time. He has used this power to travel back in time and kill a young Barry Allen's mother.

Skills

• Genius-level intellect: Harrison is very intelligent, as evidenced by the crucial role he plays in Barry Allen's team, he also spent most of his life trying to create the Particle accelerator, and eventually succeeded.
• Expert tactician: Harrison is a great tactician, as evidenced by him coming up with plans to help Barry Allen defeat the meta-humans he goes up against as The Flash.
• Skilled hand-to-hand combatant: Whereas Barry relies primarily on his reflexes and speed to overwhelm his slower opponents with random striking, Harrison as the Reverse-Flash is shown to be a very methodical fighter, striking at precise spots to systemically wear down his opponent. He easily defeated Barry in hand-to-hand combat twice.

Equipment

• Reverse-Flash Costume: Harrison wears a costume as his supervillain alter-ego, Reverse-Flash, to hide his identity from his victims. It is similar to Barry's Flash costume.
• Earpieces: On his suit's cowl, they are two lightning-bolt shaped earpieces on Harrison's suit.

Appearances

Arrow

Season 2

• "Three Ghosts" (mentioned)
• "The Man Under the Hood" (mentioned)

Season 3

• "The Brave and the Bold" (mentioned)
• "The Climb" (mentioned)

The Flash

Season 1 "Pilot" "Fastest Man Alive" "Things You Can't Outrun" "Going Rogue" "Plastique" "The Flash Is Born" "Power Outage" "Flash vs. Arrow" "The Man in the Yellow Suit" "Revenge of the Rogues" "The Sound and the Fury" "Crazy for You" "The Nuclear Man" "Fallout"

Comics

The Flash: Season Zero

• "The Strongman Cometh"
• "Who Let the Chimps Out?"
• "Big Top Brawl"
• "A Captive Audience"
• "Showtime"
• "The Big Finale"

Trivia

• Harrison Wells appears to be a fan of the Back to the Future film trilogy.
• When Harrison runs at high velocity speeds, the electricity that radiates off of him is red.

Behind the scenes

• In the DC comics, Reverse-Flash is the secret identity of a number of individuals (otherwise known as "Professor Zoom", then "Zoom"). The first was Eobard Thawne, who shares a similar name to The Flash's Eddie Thawne, and Hunter Zolomon.