Turtle (comics)

The Turtle
The Turtle at an advanced age.
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	All Flash #21 (Fall 1941)
Created by	Gardner Fox Martin Naydel
In-story information
Team affiliations	Secret Society of Super Villains

The Turtle is the name of two DC Comics supervillains who were primary enemies of The Flash.

Turtle (Golden Age)

The original Turtle was a 1940s villain who used tricks of slowness in battle with the Golden Age Flash (Jay Garrick), but whose main weapon was slow, deliberate planning. After a few clashes with the Flash, the Turtle faded from the public scene. Years later, the Turtle Man carried on his legacy. After the debut of the third Flash (Wally West) in recent years, the original Turtle returned, now with the younger Turtle Man as his henchman, to take over Keystone City from underground. A final clash with Wally and his allies resulted in the Turtle destroying his own headquarters, and apparently himself with it.

Turtle Man (Silver Age)

The Turtle Man (sometimes calling himself simply the Turtle) was the first gimmicked rogue fought by the second Flash (Barry Allen) and appeared in Central City shortly after Barry's debut as Flash. Originally using his natural slowness as a weapon, such as returning to rob a bank vault later to place people of guard, this Turtle Man was also a scientific genius (and independently wealthy) who created fantastic devices based on slowness. After robbing the bank he painted his shadow on the wall, fooling the Flash into crashing into it. In his first appearance he was captured by the Flash while trying to escape via boat and arrested. This is apparently true both Pre and Post-Crisis. Turtle Man only had a handful of battles with the second Flash. In more recent years, the original Turtle from the 1940s returned and met his "successor". Impressed with the latter's scientific talent, the first Turtle allied himself with him in an attempt to take over Keystone City. A lab accident seriously crippled the Turtle Man during this time. After the third Flash (Wally West) and his allies had found the Turtle's underground headquarters, the original Turtle seemingly killed himself while the younger Turtle Man was taken into custody. Later, the Turtle Man reappeared again, seemingly cured from his severe injuries, and having developed the ability to 'steal' speed, slowing others around him to a crawl no matter how fast they were moving.

During the Infinite Crisis, Turtle was part of the Secret Society of Super Villains led by Alexander Luthor, Jr. (posing as Lex Luthor), using his speed-stealing abilities to negate the power of speedsters and thus make it harder for the heroes to track the Society.

In other media

The Turtle appeared in the Justice League Unlimited episode "Flash and Substance." He made a cameo in the Flash Museum and in the bar where Flash's rogues gallery hang out.

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. Various art scans.
• Hyperborea entry for the Turtle