Turtle (comics)

The original Turtle is a 1940s villain who uses tricks of slowness in battle with the Golden Age Flash (Jay Garrick). His main weapon is slow, deliberate planning. After a few clashes with the Flash, the Turtle fades from the public scene.[2]

Years later, the Turtle Man carries on his legacy. After the debut of the third Flash (Wally West) in recent years, the original Turtle returns, now with the younger Turtle Man as his henchman, to take over Keystone City from underground. A final clash with Wally and his allies results in the Turtle destroying his own headquarters, and apparently himself with it.[3]

The Turtle Man (sometimes simply calling himself "the Turtle") is the first gimmicked Rogue fought by the second Flash (Barry Allen) and appears in Central City shortly after Barry's debut as the Flash. Originally using his natural slowness as a weapon, such as returning to rob a bank vault later to place people off guard, this Turtle Man is also an independently wealthy scientific genius who creates fantastic devices based on slowness. After robbing the bank he paints his shadow on the wall, fooling the Flash into crashing into it. In his first appearance he is captured by the Flash while trying to escape via boat and arrested. This is apparently true both Pre- and Post-Crisis. Turtle Man only has a handful of battles with the second Flash. After some years, the original Turtle from the 1940s returns and meets his "successor". Impressed with the latter's scientific talent, the first Turtle becomes an ally in an attempt to take over Keystone City. A lab accident seriously cripples the Turtle Man during this time. After the third Flash (Wally West) and his allies find the Turtle's underground headquarters, the original Turtle seemingly kills himself while the younger Turtle Man is taken into custody.[3]

Later, the Turtle Man reappears again, seemingly cured from his severe injuries, and having developed the ability to 'steal' speed, slowing down others around him to a crawl no matter how fast they were moving.

During the Infinite Crisis, the Turtle Man is 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.[4]

In Scott Snyder's Justice League series, the Turtle is revised as believing in an opposing energy to the Speed Force, known as the "Still Force". Each time he accessed this power, it aged him. Now a hatchling (described as "The Fourth Generation of his line"), he is finally attuned to the Still Force, and grants Gorilla Grodd (now a member of Lex Luthor's Legion of Doom) total control of it to combat the Flash.[5]

In the pages of "Flash Forward," Jai West is a manifestation of Wally West's fear of not being able to see his family again that was born in the Dark Multiverse. He is the twin brother of Iris West II and was emigrated to Earth 0 by Wally.[6]

In the "Watchmen" sequel "Doomsday Clock," Doctor Manhattan's vision of a possible future says that Jai will become a superhero called Turtle.[7]