6

Zoom wants the Flash's speed, so he needs to catch the Flash and rip his speed.

But, as was implied in many episodes he cannot steal someone's speed if they are dead.

So why is Zoom sending metahumans to kill the Flash?

Improve this question

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
6

He isn't

Killing Barry isn't Zoom's goal1; it's worth noting that, once Barry actually makes it to Earth-22, Zoom is very unhappy at two of his underlings taking out their frustrations on the Flash:

[Deathstorm and Reverb are kicking the bejeezus out of Barry]

Killer Frost: Stop, both of you! Zoom wanted him alive. You know what Zoom will do if you don't obey him.

[Zoom appears and kills Deathstorm]

Zoom: That. [he rounds on Reverb] What did I say you should do if you encountered a speedster? Leave him unharmed. Does this look unharmed to you?

The Flash Season 2 Episode 13: "Welcome to Earth-2"

Zoom's actual goal is to develop Barry's abilities even more, by pitting him against all of these powerful adversaries.

Earth-2's Harrison Wells makes this observation in "Running to Stand Still", and Zoom confirms it:

Wells: I know why you keep sending villain after villain from our Earth to this one. You want Barry to get faster. You want him to get stronger. You want him to become more powerful, more full of Speed Force. You're fattening him up like a Christmas goose.

Zoom: The more power he has, the more I can take

The Flash Season 2 Episode 9: "Running to Stand Still"

Telling his underlings to kill the Flash ensures that they'll put maximum effort into their task, and being in mortal danger is the ultimate incentive for Barry to push beyond his limits. It's win-win for Zoom.

1 I mean, it sort of is, but there's an intermediate step that's rather important

2 Since the title of the episode is "Welcome to Earth-2", I spoil this with zero shame. I will, however, try to avoid some of the other spoilers from the episodes

Improve this answer
4
  • Great catch. There's also the... (reading updated post)... yeap, that Earth 2 conversation with the Doppelgangers
    – Oak
    Commented Feb 24, 2016 at 23:40
  • Essentially, Flash is gray to Zoom at the moment, so he needs Flash to level up until he's actually worth XP.
    – Liesmith
    Commented Feb 25, 2016 at 12:14
  • @Jason Baker thank you for your amazing research and explanation, it bazzled me that they tried to kill him, now I know what Zoom is/was trying too do!
    – Dakpan
    Commented Feb 26, 2016 at 9:10
  • From this week's episode ("Trajectory" in Season 2), we know why Zoom wants Barry to be faster. I don't give more details to avoid spoiler.
    – Taladris
    Commented Mar 24, 2016 at 7:44
-1

The reason for sending metahumans to Earth Prime (Earth One) is to distract Team Flash. The more metahumans and the more powerful they are, the faster Barry is going to want and try to be to stop them. Zoom's goal is to get Barry to work harder and get faster so he can steel his speed to keep from dying.

Improve this answer
1
  • Whilst this may be true it doesn't add anything onto the previous answer from ~5 years ago which also includes the quote which confirms this. As mentioned on your other answer as well this would be better if you included the quote to back this up in the answer itself. You may also want to take the tour and read How to Answer to learn a bit about the site as this is a question and answer site not a typical discussion forum. As such it is expected if people are answering, especially if a lot later, answers add something and are backed up and not just repeat what's already been said.
    – TheLethalCarrot ♦
    Commented Jan 20, 2021 at 14:32

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.