- "There's a... a new king in town."
- "And I'm the queen."
- —Sam Scudder and Rosa Dillon[src]
Rosalind "Rosa" Dillon, nicknamed Top by Cisco Ramon, is a meta-human criminal and the girlfriend of Sam Scudder. When she was exposed to the energy of the particle accelerator explosion of S.T.A.R. Labs, she gained the ability to disrupt another person's sense of balance.
Biography
Crossing Leonard Snart
In 2013, Rosa Dillon and Sam Scudder betrayed their then-partner Leonard Snart by spending the money from their heists shortly after they stole it. Snart was outraged that his co-conspirators would so blatantly flaunt their ill-gotten wealth instead of lying low in the face of pressure from the police, and he confronted the two of them at their hideout in Broome Industries. A physical altercation quickly ensued, with Rosa fighting Snart's thugs while Scudder took on their former partner. Snart eventually threw Scudder against a mirror and prepared to kill him. Rosa rushed to help her boyfriend, but was subdued by Snart's men. It was at this moment that the S.T.A.R. Labs particle accelerator exploded, spreading dark matter and other elements throughout Central City. While Snart and his accomplices quickly escaped from Broome Industries, Rosa was struck by the energy from the explosion as she tried to help Scudder. She was sent spiraling through the air while Scudder was trapped inside a two-dimensional universe within the mirror, and both became meta-humans as a result of the explosion.[1]
Reuniting with Sam Scudder
Unlike Scudder, Rosa was not so lucky and wound up in Iron Heights Prison for three years after being arrested by the Central City Police Department, where she was held in a specially-built cell with a door fitted with a new type of glass designed to shield the guards from her vertigo-inducing abilities. When Scudder finally managed to free himself from the mirror universe, he tracked Rosa to Iron Heights and broke her out using his powers. Faced with the reality that Leonard Snart was long gone, the duo decided to go on a major crime spree, robbing banks throughout Central City. During one such robbery, Dillon and Scudder found themselves confronted by The Flash and Jesse Wells but Rosa and Scudder were able to escape through another mirror. The two speedsters set off in pursuit; while The Flash went after Mirror Master, Quick confronted Rosa on top of a skyscraper. Remarking on how much she liked her new nickname "Top", Rosa used her power to disorientate Quick, causing Quick to fall off the roof. This distraction allowed Scudder to ambush The Flash and trap him in a mirror.
Team Flash was able to get Barry out of the mirror and used a holographic image of Snart to lure Scudder and Dillon to an abandoned funhouse. While The Flash dealt with Mirror Master, Jessie Quick once more confronted Top, who tried to disorient Quick a second time. Quick however, was able to shake off the dizzying effect and, after taking Top for a superspeed spinning, knocked her out with a single punch. Once The Flash had dealt with Scudder, Rosa was returned to her cell in Iron Heights while Scudder was locked away in his own cell in the same facility.[1]
Erased future
In the potential future when Savitar killed Iris West, the Flash became a recluse and stopped protecting the city. As a result, Scudder and Rosa, who somehow escaped from prison, had taken over the Central City underworld and do as they please. In 2024, Scudder and Rosa encountered the Flash's younger self, who they mistook for being the 2024 version of the Flash.[2] Due to H.R. Wells preventing Iris' murder and Savitar's death, this timeline has been erased.
Powers and abilities
- "Says she has the ability to induce crippling Vertigo."
- —Caitlin Snow on Rosa's powers[src]
Powers
- Meta-human physiology: After Rosa was struck by the energy of the S.T.A.R. Labs particle accelerator explosion, this altered her DNA and supercharged her cells, augmenting her physiology into allowing her to induce vertigo in people when they look into her eyes.
- Vertigo inducement: After she was caught in the shockwave of the particle accelerator's explosion, Rosa gained the power to disorient others' sense of balance, triggering a heavy state of vertigo in her victims. Her power works in much the same way as that of Roy Bivolo in that her eyes flash green as well as those of her target, indicating that her power is channeled visually.[1] Rosa was able to create a refraction effect that, when used with the reflection-portals of Sam Scudder, he was able to create portals without a reflective surface.[2]
Abilities
- Expert thief: Rosa is an excellent thief, having successfully pulled off multiple heists with her boyfriend, Sam Scudder. Rosa and Scudder even apparently helped Leonard Snart move up from "kicking down liquor stores".[1]
- Skilled hand-to-hand combatant: Rosa was able to fight off two of Snart's thugs simultaneously with a combination of punches, kicks, and takedown techniques, only losing because she became distracted.[1]
Weaknesses
- Balance: When Rosa induces Vertigo, she is the only person that is balanced and standing straight, making it easier to attack her.[1]
Appearances
The Flash
Season 3
Season 4
- "True Colors" (mentioned)
Trivia
- Rosa Dillon is the third case of gender-bending in The Flash. The others are Brie Larvan, Linda Park of Earth-2, Mina Chaytan, Izzy Bowin, Janet Petty, Spencer Young, Joslyn Jackam, and Raya Van Zandt.
- Having heard her nickname from Jesse Wells, Rosa liked it in a similar way to her ex-partner in crime Leonard Snart liking his nickname Captain Cold, also coined by Cisco Ramon.
- As seen in 2024, Rosa is still with Scudder, but has to constantly remind him that they share the city. Aside from that, their relationship remains the same, with both still just as in love as in the past.
Behind the scenes
- In DC Comics, the Top is a legacy name of multiple villains that used disorientation-related gadgets, as well as superhuman speed and telekinesis; the most well-known among them was Roscoe Dillon, a long-time member of the Rogues, who seems to have been the inspiration for Rosa's character in the show.
- Rosa's powers in the series are very similar to those demonstrated by Count Vertigo in the comics.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "The New Rogues"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "The Once and Future Flash"