Sometimes it takes a great tragedy to truly push a hero beyond their limits—to break them down and make them an even greater super hero. Those that haven't experienced this sort of loss will never become greater than they are. Many heroes had these tragedies happen at a young age or in the early days of their careers. But for those who haven't, one man makes it his duty to break them down in order to make them better, even if he has to force their tragedy himself: Zoom.

Hunter Zolomon's life was riddled by brutal tragedies. As a child, he discovered his father was a serial killer who also murdered Hunter's mother after she tried to stop him. This tragedy inspired Hunter to study psychology and criminology, and to join the FBI; but a miscalculation during a case led to the death of his father-in-law. Then, things took a turn for the truly dark after an attack by Gorilla Grodd left Hunter paralyzed. He begged his friend the Flash to go back in time and prevent the attack from happening—and the Flash refused.

Taking matters into his own hands, Hunter attempted to go back in time himself, leading to an accidental explosion, another tragedy—but one that made him more than what he was. Gaining the ability of perceived super-speed and adopting the name Zoom, Hunter dedicated his life to making sure people experienced their own personal tragedy in order to make them better heroes—starting with the Flash.

Zoom is utterly unlike the Flash and other speedsters, both setting him apart and making him one of the most dangerous and challenging of Flash’s foes. His speed doesn’t come from the Speed Force, but from altering his own relative time, slowing or speeding up the world around him, allowing him to run even faster than the Flash. His warped sense of heroism and villainy has led Zoom to continuously threaten not only those closest to the Flash but also countless heroes throughout the DC Universe. But really, he's just trying to make them better…by any means necessary.