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Quote1 There is not a decimal, a fraction, an infinitesimal variable beyond my thoughts... beyond my mind! Quote2
Clifford DeVoe src

Professor Clifford DeVoe, also known as the Thinker, was a genius inventor who fought Team Flash using his Thinking Cap.

Origins

DeVoe was originally a South African professor at University of Oxford, where he met the engineer Marlize Malan. Eventually, they fell in love, got married and moved to Central City, where DeVoe became a professor at Central City University and met his co-worker Mina Chaytan. Clifford and Marlize then developed a plan of "enlightenment", in which they aimed to upgrade the "delivery system" of knowledge and change the way people think. Marlize created a "Thinking Cap" to amplify DeVoe's intelligence by using the dark matter energy from the S.T.A.R. Labs particle accelerator.

When the particle accelerator exploded on the night of December 11, 2013, DeVoe was affected by dark matter released from the explosion, wich altered his DNA cells and transformed him into a metahuman known as "The Thinker". The dark matter in DeVoe's brain increased his intelligence, but caused his body to begin to deteriorate, so his wife built a Hoverchair that could tempt his body. So over the next three years, Clifford and Marlize hatched a plan to create twelve metahumans with specific powers so that DeVoe could get his body back and accomplish the enlightenment, also creating the Samuroid robots to get Team Flash's attention and free Barry Allen from the Speed Force.

Facing The Flash

When Barry escaped the Speed Force, the dark matter energy released transformed the twelve individuals into metahumans; Neil Borman, Izzy Bowin, Mina Chaytan, Ramsey Deacon, Ralph Dibny, Edwin Gauss, Matthew Kim, Dominic Lanse, Janet Petty, Sylbert Rundine, Becky Sharpe, and The Weeper.

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The Thinker as Dominic Lanse

DeVoe waited for the Flash to arrest the new meta criminals in Iron Heights so he could ally with Amunet Black and buy the meta psychic Dominic Lanse. DeVoe then transferred his consciousness into the young man's body and blamed Barry Allen for his "death", but eventually Barry was acquitted of the charges when Ralph Dibny used his elastic powers to disguise himself as DeVoe and deceive the court. Eventually, DeVoe managed to steal all of the metas' powers and possess the bodies of Becky Sharpe, Izzy Bowin, and Edwin Gauss, until he invaded the S.T.A.R. Labs with his wife and possessed Ralph Dibny's body. After some abusive behavior towards Marlize, she left him and stole his Hoverchair.

During the enlightenment, Ralph managed to control his body again and DeVoe passed his consciousness to the Hoverchair, but Marlize destroyed his consciousness by pulling a key part out of the chair. Before it was deactivated, DeVoe released the Enlightenment satellites, causing them to crash into Central City and thereby creating the serial killer Cicada and several meta-techs.

Powers

Abilities

Weaknesses

  • Restricted Mobility (Formerly): DeVoe's superhuman intellect causes great strain to the rest of his body in a manner similar to ALS, causing his body to deteriorate and rendering him unable to walk. DeVoe managed to rid himself of this weakness by transferring his mind into Dominic Lanse, and then into Ralph's.
  • Power Instability: (Formerly) The dark matter that gives his powers also steal his health, and each time Devoe takes a new body and absorbs its power, his life decrease even faster. But now, with the body of Ralph, he can concentrate even more dark matter than his originals targets' body had without physical problems.

Equipment

Transportation

  • Hoverchair:
    The Thinker's Hoverchair 001

    The Thinker's Hoverchair

    The Hoverchair is a vehicle created by Marlize DeVoe when Clifford's body began to deteriorate. The chair allowed The Thinker to travel through dimensions at will, fly, and transfer the subconscious of the Thinker into metahumans and gain their abilities by forcing helmets from the chair's tentacles onto the metas. The Hoverchair was also equipped with some technological equipment that can create force-fields and holographic projections. After Marlize steals the chair and DeVoe's defeat, it remains in the Starchives of the S.T.A.R. Labs, until it became the Flash Museum in the future and the chair was put on display in the Hall of Villains.[4][5]
  • Wheelchair (Formerly)


  • This version of the character is exclusive to the continuity of the television series The Flash and is an adaptation of Clifford DeVoe/the Thinker. The original character was created by Gardner Fox and Everett E. Hibbard and first appeared in All-Flash #12.
  • Clifford DeVoe/The Thinker was portrayed by Neil Sandilands in his original body, by Kendrick Sampson after he takes over the body of Dominic Lanse and by Sugar Lyn Beard after he takes over the body of Becky Sharpe. After he takes over the body of Izzy Bowin, he is portrayed by Miranda MacDougall, and after he takes over the body of Edwin Gauss he is portrayed by Arturo Del Puerto. After he takes over the body of Ralph Dibny, he is briefly portrayed by Hartley Sawyer, and then shape-shifts back to his original appearance, once again being portrayed by Neil Sandilands.
  • Clifford DeVoe was born on May 8, 1975.[6]

Related

Footnotes


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DC Bullet 2024

Flash Villain(s)
This character, team, or organization, is or was primarily an enemy of any or all of the various incarnations of the Flash. This template will categorize articles that include it into the category "Flash Villains."

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