This article is about the DC Comics character. For The Vedic Hindu deity, see
Savitr
.
Comics character
Savitar
|
---|
![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/5d/Savitar_%28DC_Comics_character%29.png) Savitar, as he appeared on a profile page of
The Flash Secret Files & Origins
#1 (November 1997).
Art by Kenny Martinez (pencils), Abigal Roddriguez (inks), and Patrick Martin (colors).
|
|
Publisher
| DC Comics
|
---|
First appearance
| The Flash
(vol. 2) #108 (December 1995)
|
---|
Created by
| Mark Waid
(writer)
Oscar Jimenez
(artist)
|
---|
|
Alter ego
| Barry Allen
|
---|
Species
| Metahuman
|
---|
Abilities
|
- Superhuman speed, stamina, agility, reflexes, and senses
- Electricity and lightning manipulation
- Accelerated healing
- Force field
- Time travel
|
---|
Savitar
(
) is a
supervillain
appearing in comic books published by
DC Comics
. An immensely powerful speedster that leads a cult dedicated to the
Speed Force
, he has battled
Wally West
,
Jay Garrick
, and
Barry Allen
.
[1]
A variation of the character appeared in
The CW
's live-action
Arrowverse
television series
The Flash
, voiced by
Tobin Bell
.
Publication history
[
edit
]
Savitar first appeared in
The Flash
(vol. 2) #108 (December 1995), and was created by
Mark Waid
and
Oscar Jimenez
.
[2]
[3]
Fictional character biography
[
edit
]
Savitar was originally an unnamed pilot for a third-world nation that was to test a
supersonic
fighter jet
during the
Cold War
. As he reached top speed, his plane was struck by what appeared to be
lightning
and he went down in hostile territory. Discovering he could defeat the enemy by moving at super-speed, he became obsessed, naming himself after the
Hindu
"god of motion"
Savitar
and dedicating his life to unlocking its secrets. As he studied, Savitar discovered new powers that no other living speedster has mastered. He can protect himself in a null-inertia force field, give speed and
kinetic energy
to objects or people, even those in a "rest state", and he could also heal his own injuries almost instantly.
[4]
Savitar's obsession gained followers, and he became the leader of a
cult
. In search of more knowledge, he sought out the only super-speed hero operating at the time:
Johnny Quick
. This encounter became a battle, the tide of which was turned with
Max Mercury
's arrival leading Savitar toward the
Speed Force
, but causing him to bounce off, both speedsters being thrown forward in time. Emerging from the timestream before Savitar, Max Mercury became a mentor to the Flash family's various members and other speedsters, secretly preparing them against the day Savitar would exit the timestream.
[4]
Reappearing decades later, Savitar found that his cult had grown in his absence, awaiting his return. He recruited former Blue Trinity member Lady Flash (Christina Alexandrova), and discovered a way to use the woman's speed to divert all energy from the Speed Force to his own army of
ninjas
. He then sought to eliminate the competition: The Flash (
Wally West
),
Impulse
, Golden Age Flash (
Jay Garrick
), Johnny Quick,
Jesse Quick
,
XS
and Max Mercury.
[5]
Wally's direct Speed Force connection prevented Savitar from stealing Wally's speed, and a coalition of just about every speedster (except for
Red Trinity
) foiled his plans. Hell-bent on at least destroying the Flash's world in retribution, Savitar led Wally on a worldwide race of destruction, until the Flash chose to give Savitar what he wanted: union with the Speed Force. His earlier encounter had shown him that the others who had arrived before would deal with Savitar as they saw fit.
[6]
In
The Flash Rebirth
mini-series, Savitar was able to escape from the Speed Force. He was run down by the Flash (
Barry Allen
) but Savitar disintegrates when the Flash touches him, leaving only a pile of bones.
[7]
It is revealed that
Professor Zoom
altered Barry's Speed Force connection to make the Flash shift in reverse,
cursed to kill
every Speed Force user with a single touch until a conflict between the Flash and Zoom.
[8]
Savitar, Lady Savitar (Christina Alexandrova) and Johnny Quick have been killed by this effect.
[9]
[10]
In
DC Rebirth
, Troia (a version of
Donna Troy
from an alternate future) recalls that Wally was killed by either Savitar or
Brother Blood
from that time.
[11]
A retcon following
Infinite Frontier
establishes that Savitar, escaping his imprisonment at Barry's hands in the Speed Force, was responsible for the deaths at Sanctuary in
Heroes in Crisis
, not Wally as originally believed. The explosion was caused as the Speed Force attempted to eject Savitar at various points along the timeline, succeeding at Sanctuary. Battling Wally during a frozen moment in time, Wally brings him back to the present, leaving recorded history untouched, before defeating Savitar and adding his power to his own.
[12]
Powers and abilities
[
edit
]
Savitar can move at super-speed, and is able to lend or steal speed from moving objects. He has accelerated healing due to increased metabolism and can generate a null Inertia force field.
[
citation needed
]
In other media
[
edit
]
Savitar wearing his armor in a promotional image of
The Flash
(left) and
Grant Gustin
as the character's true identity (right)
- A loose interpretation of
Savitar
, hybridized with the Future Flash from the
Out of Time
storyline,
[13]
appears in
The Flash
, portrayed by
Grant Gustin
while
Tobin Bell
provides his disguised voice and
Andre Tricoteux
portrays him in his
powered armor
. This version is a time remnant of
Barry Allen
who was driven to insanity. Originally created in the future to help imprison Savitar in the Speed Force, the time remnant travels back in time to create the myth of Savitar, escape his imprisonment, and recruit
Alchemy
to serve as his proxy, creating a "
closed loop
" in time in the process.
- Savitar appears in
DC Legends
.
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Manning, Matthew K.; McAvennie, Michael; Wallace, Daniel (2019).
DC Comics Year By Year: A Visual Chronicle
. DK Publishing. p. 321.
ISBN
978-1-4654-8578-6
.
- ^
Robinson, Ashley V. (22 November 2016).
"The Flash: Secrets of Savitar"
.
DC Comics
. Retrieved
1 October
2017
.
- ^
Allan, Scoot (21 November 2016).
"The Flash: Who is Savitar, and is He the New Fastest Man Alive?"
.
GeekExchange
. Retrieved
1 October
2017
.
[
permanent dead link
]
- ^
a
b
The Flash
(vol. 2) #109 (January 1996). DC Comics.
- ^
The Flash
(vol. 2) #108
- ^
The Flash
(vol. 2) #111
- ^
The Flash: Rebirth
#1 (April 2009)
- ^
The Flash: Rebirth
#4 (August 2009)
- ^
The Flash: Rebirth
#2 (May 2009)
- ^
The Flash: Rebirth
#3 (June 2009). DC Comics.
- ^
Titans
(vol. 3) #17. DC Comics.
- ^
The Flash 2021
Annual #1
- ^
The Flash
(vol. 4) #30
External links
[
edit
]