The Rogues are a group of

supervillain A supervillain, supervillainess or supercriminal is a major antagonist and variant of the villainous stock character who possesses Superpower (ability), superpowers. The character type is sometimes found in comic books and is often the primary ...

s of the

comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...

the

Flash Flash, flashes, or FLASH may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional aliases * The Flash, several DC Comics superheroes with super speed: ** Flash (Jay Garrick) ** Barry Allen ** Wally West, the first Kid Flash and third adult Flash ...

. Known members throughout its incarnation are

Captain Cold Captain Cold (Leonard Snart) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino, the character first appeared in '' Showcase'' #8 (June 1957). In his comic book appearances, ...

, Abra Kadabra,

Mirror Master Mirror Master is the name of several supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is a recurring foe of the Flash (comics), Flash with considerable technical expertise and skills involving the use of mirrors. Three ...

Heat Wave A heat wave or heatwave, sometimes described as extreme heat, is a period of abnormally hot weather generally considered to be at least ''five consecutive days''. A heat wave is usually measured relative to the usual climate in the area and ...

, the

Golden Glider Golden Glider (Lisa Snart) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. She is the younger sister of Captain Cold and enemy of the Flash (DC Comics character), Flash. Lisa Snart appeared in the The Flash (season 1) ...

, the

Weather Wizard Weather Wizard (Mark Mardon) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Weather Wizard made his first live-action appearance in the television specials '' Legends of the Superheroes'' (1979), played by Jeff Altma ...

, the

Trickster In mythology and the study of folklore and religion, a trickster is a character in a story (god, goddess, spirit, human or anthropomorphisation) who exhibits a great degree of intellect or secret knowledge and uses it to play tricks or otherw ...

, the

Pied Piper The Pied Piper of Hamelin (, also known as the Pan Piper or the Rat-Catcher of Hamelin) is the title character of a legend from the town of Hamelin (Hameln), Lower Saxony, Germany. The legend dates back to the Middle Ages. The earliest refere ...

, the

Top Top most commonly refers to: * Top, a basic term of orientation, distinguished from bottom, front, back, and sides * Spinning top, a ubiquitous traditional toy * Top (clothing), clothing designed to be worn over the torso * Mountain top, a moun ...

, and

Captain Boomerang Captain Boomerang is the name of two supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, who respectively serve as enemies to both the Barry Allen and Wally West versions of the Flash (DC Comics character), Flash. Created by wr ...

. This loose criminal association refers to themselves as the "Rogues", disdaining the use of the term "supervillain" or "supercriminal".

Fictional team history

The Rogues, compared to similar collections of supervillains in the

DC Universe The DC Universe (DCU) is the shared universe in which most stories in American comic book titles published by DC Comics take place. In context, the term "DC Universe" usually refers to the main DC Continuity (fiction), continuity. It contains v ...

, are an unusually social group, maintaining a code of conduct as well as high standards for acceptance. No Rogue may inherit another Rogue's identity (a "legacy" villain, for example) while the original is still alive. Also, simply acquiring a former Rogue's costume, gear, or abilities is not sufficient to become a Rogue, even if the previous Rogue is already dead. They do not kill anyone unless it is absolutely necessary. Additionally, the Rogues refrain from drug usage. Although they tend to lack the wider name recognition of the villains who oppose

Batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...

and

Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...

, the enemies of the Flash form a distinctive

rogues gallery A rogues' gallery (or rogues gallery) is a police collection of mug shots or other images of criminal suspects kept for identification purposes. History In 1855, Allan Pinkerton, founder of the Pinkerton National Detective Agency, established ...

through their unique blend of colorful costumes, diverse powers, and unusual abilities. They lack any one defining element or theme between them, and have no significant ambitions in their criminal enterprises beyond relatively petty

robberies Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take anything of value by force, threat of force, or use of fear. According to common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person o ...

. Speedster villains, such as

Reverse Flash The Reverse-Flash is a name used by several supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Each iteration of the character serves as a foil and an enemy of the Flash. Characters Edward Clariss Edward Clariss (also k ...

Zoom Zoom may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Film * ''Zoom'' (2006 film), starring Tim Allen * ''Zoom'' (2015 film), a Canada-Brazil film by Pedro Morelli * ''Zoom'' (2016 Kannada film), a Kannada film * ''Zoom'' (2016 Sinhala film), a Sr ...

, are typically not welcome within the ranks of the Rogues due to their obsessive, untrustworthy and psychotic behavior.

''The New 52'': ''The Flash'' and ''Forever Evil'' (2011–2016)

The Rogues are referenced by Barry Allen to have previously been defeated by him and disbanded. Known members (so far) have been the Golden Glider, the Weather Wizard, Heat Wave, and the Mirror Master. The Rogues appeared in ''The Flash'' (vol. 4) Annual #1 in a war against Captain Cold, the Flash, and the Pied Piper. Confirmed Rogues include the Golden Glider (Lisa Snart) as the current leader, the Weather Wizard (Marco Mardon), the Trickster (Axel Walker), Heat Wave (Mick Rory), and the Mirror Master (Sam Scudder). A year prior, Captain Cold, Heat Wave, the Mirror Master (Sam Scudder again), and the Weather Wizard underwent a procedure at an unknown facility that would merge them with their weapons, giving them superpowers. The procedure went awry and exploded. Cold's sister Lisa, who was also at the facility, was caught in the explosion. The five were given superpowers, but each in a twisted manner. Heat Wave gained

pyrokinesis Pyrokinesis is a List of psychic abilities, psychic ability allowing a person to create and control fire with the mind. As with other parapsychological phenomena, there is no conclusive evidence in support of the actual existence of pyrokinesis. ...

, but at the cost of his body being burned; the Weather Wizard becomes emotionally tied to his weather wand, causing constant depression; Lisa becomes an astral projection of herself; and Sam would be forever trapped in the Mirror World. The Rogues blamed Cold for this and turned against him. However, they are forced to team up with the Flash, Cold, and the Pied Piper when

Gorilla Grodd Gorilla Grodd is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino, the character first appeared in ''The Flash'' #106 (May 1959). He is an evil, super-intelligent gorilla who ...

invaded Central City. As of ''

Forever Evil "Forever Evil" is a 2013–2014 crossover (comics), crossover comic book storyline published by DC Comics that began in September 2013 and ended in May 2014, consisting of an eponymous, central miniseries written by Geoff Johns and art by David F ...

'', they seem to be working together again.

Membership

Silver Age Flash enemies

The enemies of the Flash started to use the name the Rogues during the

Silver Age of Comics The Silver Age of Comic Books was a period of artistic advancement and widespread commercial success in mainstream American comic books, predominantly those featuring the superhero archetype. Following the Golden Age of Comic Books, the Silver ...

. Originally, the Rogues were just the Flash's enemies teaming together after they were all broken out of jail by another Flash foe, the super-intelligent gorilla

, to distract the Flash during Grodd's latest attempt at world conquest. After their defeat by the Flash, they formed a lasting group, and usually a Rogue will never commit a crime by himself. The Silver Age Flash enemies who became Rogues were

, the

and later, the

Rainbow Raider Rainbow Raider (Roy G. Bivolo) is a supervillain appearing in comic books by DC Comics. His real name is a pun based on the acronym "ROYGBIV", a mnemonic for the colors of a rainbow. He is a minor, though recurring, enemy of the Flash (Barry Allen) ...

. These villains battled the second Flash (

Barry Allen Bartholomew Henry "Barry" Allen is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is the second character known as the Flash, following Flash (Jay Garrick), Jay Garrick. The character first appeared in ''Showcase (comic ...

), and the

third Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', i.e., the third in a series of fractional parts in a sexagesimal number system Places * 3rd Street (di ...

and fourth Flashes after Allen's death. In chronological order (with issue and date of first appearance):

Modern Age Flash enemies

In the Modern Age, the graphic novel ''The Flash:

Iron Heights This page lists the locations in the DC Universe, the shared universe setting of DC Comics. Sites Arrowcave The Arrowcave is the former base of operations of the Green Arrow and Speedy. Avernus Cemetery Avernus Cemetery is a hidden burial gro ...

'' introduced new characters, many of whom would later become a new band of Rogues under the leadership of the crime lord

Blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...

. Some writers revamped classic Rogues, reinventing them through stories such as ''

Underworld Unleashed ''Underworld Unleashed'' was a multi-title American comic book crossover event released by DC Comics in 1995. The main theme of ''Underworld Unleashed'' involved the new ruler of Hell, a demon-lord named Neron, offering first many of the DC Un ...

'', the ''Rogue War'', or solo stories, while others reinvented a Rogue through new characters inheriting the identities. While criminals, the Rogues have been shown to have certain codes of honor about their behavior (such as refusing to kill women or children) and have even stated that they will ''not'' kill speedsters.''Blackest Night: The Flash'' #3 (April 2010)

Blacksmith's Rogues

The following are members of Blacksmith's incarnation of the Rogues:

Related teams

The New Rogues

The New Rogues appear in "

Gotham Underground ''Gotham Underground'' is a nine-issue limited series from DC Comics, written by Frank Tieri, with art by Jim Califiore. The series looked at the repercussions of ''Countdown to Final Crisis'' and focuses on the Batman Family banding together to ...

", formed and led by the

Penguin Penguins are a group of aquatic flightless birds from the family Spheniscidae () of the order Sphenisciformes (). They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere. Only one species, the Galápagos penguin, is equatorial, with a sm ...

and consisting of Chill, the Mirror Man, Mr. Magic, and the

Weather Witch Drury Walker Trane Walker Amanda Waller Bill Walsh Warhawk Warhawk (Rex Stewart) is a fictional character created for the DC Animated Universe, voiced by Peter Onorati. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a s ...

. Additionally,

Dick Grayson Richard John "Dick" Grayson is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with Batman, Teen Titans and Justice League. Created by writer Bill Finger and artist Bob Kane, he first appeared in ' ...

works undercover within the group as Freddie Dinardo / Burn. The New Rogues reappear in ''

Final Crisis "Final Crisis" is a crossover storyline that appeared in comic books published by DC Comics in 2008, primarily the seven-issue miniseries of the same name written by Grant Morrison. Originally DC announced the project as being illustrated solely ...

: Rogues' Revenge'', with

Libra Libra generally refers to: * Libra (constellation), a constellation * Libra (astrology), an astrological sign based on the star constellation Libra may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Libra'' (novel), a 1988 novel by Don DeLillo Musi ...

recruiting them and a new Burn to help him force the original Rogues to join the

Secret Society A secret society is an organization about which the activities, events, inner functioning, or membership are concealed. The society may or may not attempt to conceal its existence. The term usually excludes covert groups, such as intelligence ag ...

. After capturing Captain Cold's father however, the Rogues kill the New Rogues.

The Renegades

A futuristic iteration of the Rogues called the Renegades appear in ''The Flash'' (vol. 3). This version of the group are police officers and members of the "

Reverse-Flash The Reverse-Flash is a name used by several supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Each iteration of the character serves as a foil and an enemy of the Flash. Characters Edward Clariss Edward Clariss (also k ...

Task Force" from the 25th century, led by Commander Cold and consisting of Heatstroke, Mirror Monarch, Weather Warlock, Trixster, and the Top. Following their debut, the Renegades make further appearances in ''The Flash'' (vol. 5) Annual #1 and ''The Flash'' #761.

Collected editions

Other versions

* An alternate timeline iteration of the Rogues appear in the '' Flashpoint'' tie-in ''Flashpoint: Citizen Cold'', led by

and consisting of

Tar Pit Tar pits, sometimes referred to as asphalt pits, are large Bitumen, asphalt deposits. They form in the presence of petroleum, which is created when decayed organic matter is subjected to pressure underground. If this crude oil seeps upward via ...

, and

Fallout Nuclear fallout is residual radioactive material that is created by the reactions producing a nuclear explosion. It is initially present in the radioactive cloud created by the explosion, and "falls out" of the cloud as it is moved by the ...

. Additionally, the

Trixter Trixter is an American glam metal band formed in 1983 in Paramus, New Jersey. The band gained popularity in the early 1990s with hits like "Give It To Me Good" that peaked at sixty-five on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1990 and "One In A Million". ...

serves as a double agent working to sabotage them on behalf of their enemy

Citizen Cold Citizenship is a membership and allegiance to a sovereign state. Though citizenship is often conflated with nationality in today's English-speaking world, international law does not usually use the term ''citizenship'' to refer to nationality; ...

In other media

Television

* The Rogues appear in the ''

Justice League Unlimited ''Justice League Unlimited'' (''JLU'') is an American superhero animated series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation with DC Comics in season 3 and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Universe, and ...

'' episode "Flash and Substance", consisting of Captain Cold, Mirror Master, Captain Boomerang, and the Trickster. * The Rogues appear in the '' Batman: The Brave and the Bold'' episode "Requiem for a Scarlet Speedster!", consisting of Captain Cold, Heat Wave, and Weather Wizard. * Several incarnations of the Rogues appear in ''

The Flash The Flash is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1 (cover date, cover-dated Jan ...

''. ** The first incarnation appears in the

first First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

and second seasons, consisting of

, and

. ** In the fifth season,

Silver Ghost The Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost name refers both to a car model and one specific car from that series. Originally named the " 40/50 h.p." the chassis was first made at Royce's Manchester works, with production moving to Derby in July 1908, a ...

intends to form the Young Rogues and recruits

. However, the latter abandons her in Bolivia and forms the Young Rogues with

Bug-Eyed Bandit Bug-Eyed Bandit is the name of two supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. An original incarnation of the Bug-Eyed Bandit appears in the Arrowverse series ''The Flash (2014 TV series), The Flash'' and ''Arrow (TV se ...

Rag Doll A rag doll is a doll made from scraps of fabric. They are one of the oldest children's toys in existence. Today, many rag dolls are commercially produced to mimic aspects of the original home-made dolls, such as simple features, soft cloth bodies, ...

, and XS. ** The second incarnation appears in the ninth season, formed by the Red Death and consisting of Captain Boomerang,

Fiddler A fiddle is a bowed string musical instrument, most often a violin or a bass. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including classical music. Although in many cases violins and fiddles are essentially syno ...

, Murmur,

, and

. This version of the group wields equipment based on

Wayne Enterprises Wayne Enterprises, also known as Wayne Corporation, Waynecorp, Wayne Industries, Wayne Technologies and Waynetech, is a fictional company appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with the superhero Batm ...

designs. *** Additionally, the

forms his own Rogues in the hopes of reforming them and combating the Red Death; recruiting

Goldface G.I. Robot G'nort Walker Gabriel Charlotte Gage-Radcliffe Galactic Golem The Galactic Golem is a solar-powered creature created by Lex Luthor who is an enemy of Superman. Creator Len Wein said that he created the Golem "because I needed ...

, Hotness, and Chillblaine. Though Chillblaine temporarily defects to the Red Death, the Flash appeals to his better nature.

Film

The Rogues appear in '' Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox'', consisting of Captain Cold, Heat Wave, Captain Boomerang, the Top, and Mirror Master.

Video games

* The Rogues appear as bosses in '' Batman: The Brave and the Bold – The Videogame'', consisting of Captain Cold, Heat Wave, and Weather Wizard. * The Rogues appear as sub-bosses in ''

DC Universe Online ''DC Universe Online'' (''DCUO'') is a free-to-play massively multiplayer online game set in the fictional universe of DC Comics. Developed by Dimensional Ink Games and co-published by Daybreak Game Company and WB Games, the game was initiall ...

''. * The Rogues appear in ''

Lego DC Super-Villains ''Lego DC Super-Villains'' is a Lego-themed action-adventure platform video game developed by Traveller's Tales. The fourth installment in the ''Lego Batman'' series of games, it is a spin-off that focuses entirely on villains of the DC Univers ...

'', consisting of Captain Cold, Heat Wave, Mirror Master, and Captain Boomerang. This version of the group are members of the

Legion of Doom The Legion of Doom is a group of supervillains who originated in '' Challenge of the Superfriends'', an animated series from Hanna-Barbera based on DC Comics' Justice League. The Legion of Doom has since been incorporated into the main DC Univers ...

Miscellaneous

The Rogues appear in the '' Injustice: Gods Among Us'' prequel comic, led by Mirror Master and consisting of Golden Glider, Heat Wave, and Weather Wizard. Additionally, Captain Cold is said to be in hiding while Trickster appears as a former member. The Rogues are initially incarcerated until

Plastic Man Plastic Man (Patrick "Eel" O'Brian) is a superhero featured in American comic books first appearing in ''Police Comics'' #1, originally published by Quality Comics and later acquired by DC Comics. Created by cartoonist Jack Cole (artist), Jack Co ...

breaks them out to help Batman's Insurgency defeat Superman and his Regime. Despite their being criminals, Batman accepts them because they also follow a no-kill rule.''Injustice: Gods Among Us Year Five'' #1 (December 2015). DC Comics. Throughout their time with the Insurgency, the Rogues carry out attacks on Regime bases until they are attacked by

Bizarro Bizarro () is a supervillain or anti-hero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Otto Binder and artist George Papp as a "mirror image" of Superman, and first appeared in ''Superboy (comic bo ...

, who kills Heat Wave and Weather Wizard. Trickster, who was watching over them, arrives to distract Bizarro so Mirror Master and Glider can escape. The surviving Rogues later hold a memorial for their fallen teammates.

References

External links

Alan Kistler's Profile On: The Flash
A detailed analysis of the history of the Flash by comic book historian Alan Kistler. Covers information all the way from Jay Garrick to Barry Allen to today, as well as discussions on the various villains and Rogues who fought the Flash.
Crimson Lightning
An online index to the comic book adventures of the Flash. {{Justice League characters DC Comics supervillain teams Flash (comics) characters Lists of DC Comics characters Characters created by Carmine Infantino Characters created by John Broome