As a boy, Roscoe Dillon was fascinated by tops. Dillon became a small time criminal, and while in jail, decided he needed a new, sucessful motif for commiting crimes, so he turned to his love of tops. He created the costumed identity of the Top and learned how to spin himself at unusual speeds just like a Top. Dillon went on to discover that the spinning somehow increased his intelligence and enabled him to devise a wide array of unusual weapons in the form of tops.

The top began to commit daring robberies in Central City, and came to the attention of the Flash(Barry Allen). On a number of occasions, Top teamed up with other members of the Flash's rogues gallery, but always came unstuck against the Scarlet Speedster.

The Top became romantically attached to Lisa Snart, sister of Captain Cold, another member of the rogues gallery. The Top taught Lisa the spinning ability that enabled her to become and ice skating champion.

Eventually, the continual spinning around caused the Top's brain to be affected to the point where he developed mind over matter powers. During an encounter with the Flash, the Flash's super speed vibrations somehow, unwittingly, lethally afected the Top's super powered brain.

Before he died, the Top decided he was going to destroy Central City through a series of powerful bomb explosions. However, with the aid of the Rogues Gallery, the Flash managed to save the City.

Lisa Snart blamed the Flash for the death of her lover, and she took on the persona of the Golden Glider, trying on a number of occasions to avenge Roscoe's death.