President Thawne

For a thousand years the Thawnes and Allens had been bitter enemies. Allen super-speed battled the magic of the Thawnes’ Cobalt Blue gem, until a truce was declared in the 30^th century. Then a pair of star-crossed lovers stepped into the picture: Meloni Thawne, daughter of Earthgov’s current President, and Don Allen, son of the legendary Flash, Barry Allen.

President Thawne was enraged. He used his allies among the alien Dominators to arrange the deaths of Don and his sister Dawn, but not before the birth of the next generation of Allens. Even so, Dawn’s daughter Jenni appeared to be a normal infant, and Don’s son Bart was half-Thawne—and securely in Earthgov custody. President Thawne reconstituted the Cobalt Blue gem, planning to amplify its powers with the aid of sorcerers from Zerox and make it possible for the Thawnes to rule the galaxy. What he didn’t count on was being overheard by the Flash... or Thawne’s own ancestor Professor Zoom. The ensuing super-speed struggle destroyed the gem, much to the consternation of the sorcerers.

Thawne managed to hold onto his life and his office, and set in motion another plan. If he could not harness the power of the gem, he could still have revenge on the Allens by subverting the last of their line. Bart remained in the custody of Earthgov’s scientists until Don’s mother Iris broke him out and took him to the 20^th Century in which she had grown up. When Meloni discovered what had happened, she brought back the now-teenaged Bart to help save Iris’ parents and Jenni from her father’s wrath, but eventually had to settle for staying with him in exchange for Bart’s safety.

Undaunted, Thawne had another backup plan: he took a sample of Bart’s DNA, spliced in more from the Thawne side, and began to grow a clone. It would take centuries to develop, but it would be perfect. Inertia, as he became called, would be trained to supplant Bart Allen and complete the subversion of the Allen line by the Thawnes.

One possible future involved Thawne destorying the planet. Had Max Mercury died at the dawn of the 21^st century, Bart and his girlfriend Carol would have traveled to their future and settled there. Thawne would have remained in office for the next 15 years, stealing Carol’s Speed Force research to create hyperspeed guards, then to irradiate the entire planet, killing most of the population and leaving the survivors with the benefits of superspeed. However, Max’s death was prevented, and Carol never arrived in the 30^th century. 15 years later, when the Legion of Super-Heroes was formed, Thawne was no longer in office.

• Primary Sources
• Art Credits
• Appearances

Primary Sources

• “You and Me Against the World” - Impulse #25 (May 1997), Mark Waid
• “Chain Lightning” Part 4 - The Flash (second series) #148 (May 1999), Mark Waid and Brian Augustyn

Art

• Flash (second series) #148 (April 1999) - Paul Pelletier and Vince Russell

Significant Appearances

• Impulse #25 (May 1997): “You and Me Against the World,” Mark Waid
• Flash Secret Files #1 (November 1997): “A Run of Luck,” Mark Waid and Brian Augustyn
• Flash #147–148 (April–May 1999): Chain Lightning parts 3–4, Mark Waid and Brian Augustyn
• Impulse #53 (October 1999): “Threats,” Todd Dezago (flashback)
• Impulse #73–75 (June–August 2001): “Dark Tomorrow,” Todd Dezago

Home