.gif)
Top (comics)
Encyclopedia
The Top is a fictional character
, a supervillain
in the DC Universe
. One of the earliest members of the Silver Age Flash's
"Rogues' Gallery", the character debuted in The Flash #122 (August 1961).
s into a criminal persona. Roscoe taught himself how to spin around fast enough to deflect bullets and produce other semi-useful effects. The Top soon discovers that the spinning somehow increased his intelligence as well, allowing him to create a variety of trick tops. He tried to blackmail the world with an Atomic Top that would destroy half the world when it slowed down and imprisoned the Flash inside it, but the Flash vibrated out of it and sent it into space. His unique gimmick and moderate success in crime soon makes him a respected member of the Flash's rogues gallery. He dates Golden Glider
, Captain Cold
's sister, while coaching her on ice skating. Eventually, the Top develops immense psionic powers, as years of spinning moves dormant brain cells to the outer areas of his brain, endowing him with mental powers. Unfortunately, the newly activated brain cells are destroyed by close proximity to the Flash's superspeed vibrations. The Top dies within days from the injuries sustained by his brain, but not before he plants a series of powerful bombs to destroy Central City as a final revenge. In addition, he prepared a recording explaining his terminal condition and scheme to spitefully challenge his comrades to attempt to find and defuse the explosives which must be done by gathering them all and stacking them on top of each other, knowing that The Flash would surely stop at least one of the attempts and doom the city. Knowing that the superhero would never believe them if they tried to warn him of the crisis, the Rogues desperately attempt to find the bombs despite his unwitting opposition. Fortunately, the Flash eventually realizes the situation and aids in stopping the scheme in time.
When Barry Allen's parents were in a car accident, Dillon's spirit is somehow able to take possession of the vacant body of his father, Henry. Realizing who Barry Allen is, he, along with Golden Glider
, plot to kill the Flash and take over his body. He fails when he tries to take over the Flash's body while he is alive, leaving Henry's spirit to repossess his body.
Watchtower and asks Zatanna
to alter his mind to make him a hero. It works at first, but Dillon is soon driven insane with guilt for all the trouble he has caused. His villainous nature comes into conflict with the spell Zatanna put on him, driving him mad. During that time, he uses his mental powers to "fix" the other rogues by implementing mental programs to make them reform. Some of them are able to reject the programming altogether, such as Captain Cold, Weather Wizard
, and Captain Boomerang
, while others, including Pied Piper
, Heat Wave
, and the original Trickster
, either seemed to remain under the programming or truly reformed, at least until Dillon revealed his reprogramming.
Dillon apparently returns to his villainous ways after inhabiting a new body, one of Senator Thomas O'Neill, a vice-presidential nominee. He plans to become President
by setting Piper up to assassinate his running-mate after they win, but is stopped by the new Flash, Wally West
. Dillon was imprisoned after this, causing him to become more disoriented and insane than before. His "mind-over-matter" powers evolve to where Top can induce vertigo in others.
During the events of Identity Crisis, Wally receives a note from Barry about what he did to the Top's mind and asks him to restore his mind back to its original state. With Zatanna, he manages to find Top behind an old toy factory and repair his mind. Now sane, the Top tells them about his "fixing" of the rogues and swears to remove the mental programming and return them back to their villainous ways.
While Captain Cold and his rogues are warring against Trickster and the reformed rogues, the Top appears with his set of rogues consisting of Plunder, Murmur
, Tar Pit
, Girder, and Double Down, having altered their brains. He removes his programming from Piper and Trickster (Although Wally is apparently able to return Piper to his better nature by reminding his friend of his secret identity). After removing Heat Wave's programming, he stands in front of Cold and declares himself the new leader of the rogues and has his group of reprogrammed rogues attack Flash. Captain Cold flash-freezes Top and shatters his body in retaliation for manipulating the rogues' minds and setting them against one another, grimly informing Top that his superior cultural and culinary knowledge didn't make him better than the rest of the Rogues.
. Later, he joins his fellow Black Lantern Rogues in an attack on Iron Heights
prison.
called The Renegades. While the Renegades attempt to arrest Barry for a future crime, Top abandons his team to help Barry, attempting to prevent the events that lead to Barry's accusation. Once he convinces Barry to let him help, it appears as though he is actually framing Barry for a crime he committed. It is subsequently revealed that the Top was actually attempting to prevent Barry from investigating previous 'cold cases' in order to leave an innocent man in jail, as the man who actually committed the crime is an ancestor of the future Top; the future Top spent his whole life training to join the Renegades, but the organisation will not allow members in if anyone in their families- no matter how far back- has a criminal record, prompting the Top to set up events to ensure that his ancestor stays out of prison so that he can achieve his 'dream'. Informing the Top that he cannot be a hero under the circumstances he is trying to set up- particularly since he could have just tried to stop his ancestor committing the crime in the first place instead-, Barry destroys his suit by vibrating inside the Top's body and destroying the suit from the inside, subsequently leaving him for the Renegades to take back to their future.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
, a supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
in the DC Universe
DC Universe
The DC Universe is the shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place. The fictional characters Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are well-known superheroes from this universe. Note that in context, "DC Universe" is usually used to refer to the main DC continuity...
. One of the earliest members of the Silver Age Flash's
Flash (comics)
The Flash is a name shared by several fictional comic book superheroes from the DC Comics universe. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in Flash Comics #1 ....
"Rogues' Gallery", the character debuted in The Flash #122 (August 1961).
Fictional character biography
Roscoe Dillon is a small-time crook who turns his childhood obsession with topTop
A top is a toy that can be spun on an axis, balancing on a point. This motion is produced in the most simple forms of top by twirling the stem using the fingers. More sophisticated tops are spun by by holding the axis firmly while pulling a string or twisting a stick or pushing an auger as shown...
s into a criminal persona. Roscoe taught himself how to spin around fast enough to deflect bullets and produce other semi-useful effects. The Top soon discovers that the spinning somehow increased his intelligence as well, allowing him to create a variety of trick tops. He tried to blackmail the world with an Atomic Top that would destroy half the world when it slowed down and imprisoned the Flash inside it, but the Flash vibrated out of it and sent it into space. His unique gimmick and moderate success in crime soon makes him a respected member of the Flash's rogues gallery. He dates Golden Glider
Golden Glider
The Golden Glider is a DC Comics supervillain, the sister of Captain Cold and an enemy of The Flash. She first appeared in Flash #250 and was murdered in Flash vol.2 #113...
, Captain Cold
Captain Cold
Captain Cold, real name Leonard Snart, is a comic book villain created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino as one of the archenemies of Flash. He is a leader of the Rogues...
's sister, while coaching her on ice skating. Eventually, the Top develops immense psionic powers, as years of spinning moves dormant brain cells to the outer areas of his brain, endowing him with mental powers. Unfortunately, the newly activated brain cells are destroyed by close proximity to the Flash's superspeed vibrations. The Top dies within days from the injuries sustained by his brain, but not before he plants a series of powerful bombs to destroy Central City as a final revenge. In addition, he prepared a recording explaining his terminal condition and scheme to spitefully challenge his comrades to attempt to find and defuse the explosives which must be done by gathering them all and stacking them on top of each other, knowing that The Flash would surely stop at least one of the attempts and doom the city. Knowing that the superhero would never believe them if they tried to warn him of the crisis, the Rogues desperately attempt to find the bombs despite his unwitting opposition. Fortunately, the Flash eventually realizes the situation and aids in stopping the scheme in time.
When Barry Allen's parents were in a car accident, Dillon's spirit is somehow able to take possession of the vacant body of his father, Henry. Realizing who Barry Allen is, he, along with Golden Glider
Golden Glider
The Golden Glider is a DC Comics supervillain, the sister of Captain Cold and an enemy of The Flash. She first appeared in Flash #250 and was murdered in Flash vol.2 #113...
, plot to kill the Flash and take over his body. He fails when he tries to take over the Flash's body while he is alive, leaving Henry's spirit to repossess his body.
Brainwashing
About a week after, Roscoe takes possession of another comatose body and begins wreaking havoc with anyone Barry Allen knew. The final straw comes when he digs up the grave of Iris Allen (who was dead at the time). After knocking him out, Barry takes Dillon to the Justice LeagueJustice League
The Justice League, also called the Justice League of America or JLA, is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by DC Comics....
Watchtower and asks Zatanna
Zatanna
Zatanna Zatara is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Murphy Anderson, Zatanna first appeared in Hawkman vol. 1 #4...
to alter his mind to make him a hero. It works at first, but Dillon is soon driven insane with guilt for all the trouble he has caused. His villainous nature comes into conflict with the spell Zatanna put on him, driving him mad. During that time, he uses his mental powers to "fix" the other rogues by implementing mental programs to make them reform. Some of them are able to reject the programming altogether, such as Captain Cold, Weather Wizard
Weather Wizard
Weather Wizard is a fictional DC Comics supervillain. The Weather Wizard first appeared in Flash #110 .- Early life :...
, and Captain Boomerang
Captain Boomerang
Captain Boomerang is a fictional character in the . A supervillain traditionally portrayed as an enemy of the Flash...
, while others, including Pied Piper
Pied Piper (comics)
Pied Piper is a fictional character in the DC Universe. He first appeared in the pages of The Flash #106 .-Fictional character biography:...
, Heat Wave
Heat Wave (comics)
Heat Wave is a fictional villain in the DC Universe and a primary foe of the Flash.-Fictional character biography:Born on a farm outside Central City, Mick Rory became fascinated with fire, as a child. This fascination turned into an obsession and one night, he set his family's home ablaze...
, and the original Trickster
Trickster (comics)
The Trickster is the name of two fictional characters, DC Comics supervillains that are both enemies of the Flash. The original Trickster first appeared in Flash #113 , while the second debuted in Flash #183 .-James Jesse:The original Trickster is a practical joker and conman whose favorite...
, either seemed to remain under the programming or truly reformed, at least until Dillon revealed his reprogramming.
Dillon apparently returns to his villainous ways after inhabiting a new body, one of Senator Thomas O'Neill, a vice-presidential nominee. He plans to become President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
by setting Piper up to assassinate his running-mate after they win, but is stopped by the new Flash, Wally West
Wally West
The Flash is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. He is the first Kid Flash and the third Flash....
. Dillon was imprisoned after this, causing him to become more disoriented and insane than before. His "mind-over-matter" powers evolve to where Top can induce vertigo in others.
During the events of Identity Crisis, Wally receives a note from Barry about what he did to the Top's mind and asks him to restore his mind back to its original state. With Zatanna, he manages to find Top behind an old toy factory and repair his mind. Now sane, the Top tells them about his "fixing" of the rogues and swears to remove the mental programming and return them back to their villainous ways.
While Captain Cold and his rogues are warring against Trickster and the reformed rogues, the Top appears with his set of rogues consisting of Plunder, Murmur
Murmur (DC Comics)
Murmur is a supervillain in the DC Comics universe. He is one of the new Rogues to threaten the Flash, first appearing in the prestige format one-shot The Flash: Iron Heights .-Fictional character biography:...
, Tar Pit
Tar Pit (comics)
Tar Pit is a fictional supervillain in the DC Comics and one of the new rogues of the current Flash .-Fictional character biography:...
, Girder, and Double Down, having altered their brains. He removes his programming from Piper and Trickster (Although Wally is apparently able to return Piper to his better nature by reminding his friend of his secret identity). After removing Heat Wave's programming, he stands in front of Cold and declares himself the new leader of the rogues and has his group of reprogrammed rogues attack Flash. Captain Cold flash-freezes Top and shatters his body in retaliation for manipulating the rogues' minds and setting them against one another, grimly informing Top that his superior cultural and culinary knowledge didn't make him better than the rest of the Rogues.
Blackest Night
In Blackest Night #1, the Top's grave is approached by a black ringBlack Lantern Corps
The Black Lantern Corps is a fictional organization of revenants appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The group is composed of deceased fictional characters that seek to eliminate all life from the DC Universe.-Publication history:...
. Later, he joins his fellow Black Lantern Rogues in an attack on Iron Heights
Iron Heights
Iron Heights Penitentiary is a fictional setting in the , a maximum-security prison which houses the many Flash rogues and superhuman criminals of Keystone City and Central City when captured...
prison.
The Flash (Vol. 3)
A futuristic version of The Top, calling himself Top, appears as part of a group of police officers from the 25th century modeled after the present day RoguesRogues (comics)
Some of the enemies of the comic book superhero the Flash, led by Captain Cold, constitute a loose criminal association who refer to themselves as the Rogues, disdaining the use of the term "supervillain" or "super-criminal"....
called The Renegades. While the Renegades attempt to arrest Barry for a future crime, Top abandons his team to help Barry, attempting to prevent the events that lead to Barry's accusation. Once he convinces Barry to let him help, it appears as though he is actually framing Barry for a crime he committed. It is subsequently revealed that the Top was actually attempting to prevent Barry from investigating previous 'cold cases' in order to leave an innocent man in jail, as the man who actually committed the crime is an ancestor of the future Top; the future Top spent his whole life training to join the Renegades, but the organisation will not allow members in if anyone in their families- no matter how far back- has a criminal record, prompting the Top to set up events to ensure that his ancestor stays out of prison so that he can achieve his 'dream'. Informing the Top that he cannot be a hero under the circumstances he is trying to set up- particularly since he could have just tried to stop his ancestor committing the crime in the first place instead-, Barry destroys his suit by vibrating inside the Top's body and destroying the suit from the inside, subsequently leaving him for the Renegades to take back to their future.
Powers and abilities
The Top is able to spin at incredible speeds. The spinning for some reason also gave him increased intelligence. The Top’s spinning eventually gives him powerful telekinetic and telepathic powers due to the stimulation of his brain cells. Since his soul returned from hell, he has developed a new mental ability that allows him to induce severe disorientation and vertigo in his victims. The Top also uses spinning tops with gimmicks to them such as glue, explosives, oil and gases. He once built a massive "Atomic grenade top" that could have destroyed half of the world.Television
- In Justice League UnlimitedJustice League UnlimitedJustice League Unlimited is an American animated television series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Comics universe, and specifically based on the Justice League superhero team, it is a direct sequel to the...
, Top appears as a member of the Secret SocietySecret Society of Super VillainsThe Secret Society of Super Villains is a group of comic book supervillains that exist in the DC Universe...
. He makes a cameo entering a bar with Weather Wizard before Flash's enemies attack the Flash MuseumFlash MuseumThe Flash Museum is a fictional museum that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The museum is dedicated to the superheroes sharing the alias of the Flash, with its primary focus on Barry Allen...
in episode "Flash and Substance". A statue of Top can also be seen in the background during the battle.
- The Top appears in Batman: The Brave and the BoldBatman: The Brave and the BoldBatman: The Brave and the Bold is an American animated television series based in part on the DC Comics series The Brave and the Bold which features two or more super heroes coming together to solve a crime or foil a super villain...
episode "Return of the Fearsome Fangs". Top is captured by BatmanBatmanBatman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
after a bank robbery only for the hero to be contacted by the spirit of his old master Wong Fei. Top later appears as an inmate of Blackgate PrisonBlackgate PenitentiaryBlackgate Penitentiary is a fictional prison depicted in the DC Universe, traditionally located on a small island in the Gotham Bay, Gotham City...
in "Night of the Huntress". In "Aquaman's Outrageous Adventure," AquamanAquamanAquaman is a fictional superhero who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, the character debuted in More Fun Comics #73 . Initially a backup feature in DC's anthology titles, Aquaman later starred in several volumes of a solo title...
sees Top fighting Red TornadoRed TornadoRed Tornado is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the DC Comics universe. He first appeared in Justice League of America #64 , and was created by Gardner Fox and Dick Dillin.-Publication history:...
as he drives by. Red Tornado manages to defeat Top.
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.
- Crimson Lightning - An online index to the comic book adventures of the Flash.