Dark Matter

• Real Name: Fred Fleming
• Known Relatives: Unnamed parents (deceased)
• Occupation: CEO of Curfew Cosmetics
• Base of Operations: Central City, Missouri
• First Appearance: Legends of the DC Universe #15 (1999)

The Englewood Project was a top-secret effort, based at Central City’s Lannister Labs, to harness the energy of dark matter *. Two researchers, a married couple, were caught in an energy leak. They survived, and their son was born normal... but both died of a rare disease a few years later, leaving Frederick an orphan.

25 years later, Fred Fleming developed the power to generate intense heat. Still blaming his parents’ fellow researchers for their death, he began tracking them down and killing them with his new-found power. The first killing attracted the attention of police scientist Barry Allen, who spotted unusual signs of melting at the site of what looked at first like a car accident. He was able to keep Allen off the case by buying off chief Hinchman, but Allen pursued him another way—as the Flash. Dark Matter killed three more people before the Flash caught up with him. He has not been seen since, and can be assumed to be in prison.