Eobard Thawne: A Study Case of Main Villains in the Flash Series Season 1

Abstract

Every superhero needs a villain. The Flash is an American superhero television series developed by Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg, and Geoff Johns, airing on The CW. It is based on the DC Comics character Barry Allen / The Flash, a costumed superhero crime-fighter with the power to move at superhuman speeds. In The Flash TV series Season 1, Eobard Thawne is introduced as a scientist from the future; he duplicated the reaction behind Barry Allen/The Flash's powers and learned he would become his own hero's arch-enemy: the Reverse-Flash. This study is aimed to identify the methods of characterization used in introducing Eobard Thawne as the main villain, and also analyzing the intrinsic and extrinsic motivations that the main villain character develops. In collecting the data, this study used library research and the data itself was analyzed qualitatively. Finally, the methods of characterization of the main villain character as well as the character’s motivations are explained. The character may be seen as simple at first glance, but Eobard Thawne has the components that describe him as evil character; from his characterization in his introduction to the motivations that guide him through each step of the story. Indeed, it is absolute reverse.