The Flash season 3 introduced Savitar, the god of speed, as its main villain. But who is he in the DC Comics?
We learned at the end of “Shade” that Alchemy and his followers are all acolytes of Savitar, who calls himself the god of speed. He has a metallic, robotic appearance, which differs from his comic book counterpart. It’s not clear whether this is a suit he is wearing or if he is made of metal.
Savitar was created by Mark Waid and Oscar Jimenez. The character first appeared in the DC Comics in 1995’s The Flash Volume 2 #108. He’s had relatively few appearances in the comics compared to some of the other villains that have made their way to The Flash.
In the DC Comics, Savitar’s real name is unknown. He was a Cold War pilot for an unnamed Eastern bloc nation. While testing a supersonic jet, his plane was struck by lightning and went down in hostile territory. He discovered in fighting enemy soldiers that he could move at super speed, so, believing he’d been given a divine gift, he named himself after the Hindu god of motion, Savitr.
Savitar dedicated his life to studying the secrets of speed. Through studying ancient texts, he discovered new, creative uses of his powers. These included protecting himself within a force field, giving speed to others and healing his injuries almost instantly. He is also able to steal speed from other speedsters and absorb motion, thus slowing down objects at will. His obsession with speed gained him followers and he ended up at the head of a speed cult.
At this time, the only speedsters operating were Johnny Quick (father of Jesse Quick) and Max Mercury, as Jay Garrick had already retired and Barry Allen had yet to debut. After Savitar sought out Johnny Quick, the encounter turned into a fight. The tide turned with the arrival of Max Mercury, who forced Savitar into the Speed Force.
Savitar spent decades in the Speed Force, and when he emerged from it, he discovered his cult had only grown in size. He set up headquarters in Tibet and recruited Lady Flash (who would change her name to Lady Savitar).
He sought to destroy the other speedsters who could oppose him including The Flash (Wally West), Impulse (Bart Allen), Jay Garrick, Johnny Quick, Jesse Quick, XS (Jenni Ognats) and Max Mercury. He wanted to transfer their speed to his followers. After a battle, however, Wally sent Savitar back to the Speed Force.
In Flash: Rebirth, Barry Allen was revived after being dead for decades. His return also set Savitar loose, but when Barry touched him, he crumbled into dust because Barry was transforming into a Black Flash (the grim reaper of speedsters). This, however, turned out to be the result of tampering by The Reverse Flash.
Currently, we know little of the incarnation of Savitar on The Flash, other than that his abilities vastly outpace Barry’s. He also seems to have knowledge of the future; does that mean he is a time traveler as well? Like his comic book counterpart, he is at the head of a cult that is granting abilities to others, but his true motives remain a secret.
Since Savitar is one of Wally West’s enemies in the comics, it’s noteworthy that Wally has been given speed this season. I have a feeling he’ll be instrumental in defeating the god of speed. It seems likely that Jesse will also play a role in his defeat since she is involved in his story as well.