Metahuman

Metahumans, commonly shortened as metas and often referred to as super-humans, are individuals who acquired powers and abilities unlike those of normal humans after experiencing mutation of their bodies due to exposure to dark matter. Most obtained their powers after surviving an explosion caused by a malfunction of the STAR Labs particle accelerator on December 11, 1401, releasing a wave of dark matter throughout Central City and other surrounding areas. These people were exposed to the particles and dark matter that altered their genetic, chemical, or even atomic structure, giving them a variety of abilities. Their abilities seem to often relate to what energy or matter the future super-humans were in direct contact with at the time of exposure.

**List of Known Metahumans:** Category:Metahumans

Approximately 2,600 people became metahumans the night of the accelerator explosion. Only certain people became metas as only a handful of people in Central City carried a unique and dormant "meta-gene" that allows the pituitary gland to process dark matter in order to manifest stable abilities. Team Flash later developed a cure for meta abilities that involves suppressing this gene to remove the meta's ability to process dark matter and the powers they gain from it, though they agreed to never use the cure on a metahuman against that individual's will.

Metahumans are represented by a wide spectrum of mutated people, with mental state, physical appearance and physiological specifics unique for each individual. The conditions they were in during the exposure to the mutative element seem to affect how the mutation changes a person. Furthermore, there are dormant metahumans, like Henry Hewitt and Jefferson Jackson, whose powers did not resurface until the connection to the Firestorm Matrix, which either re-enabled their mutative physiology or represented a new mutation altogether. Within the spectrum of metahumans, there have emerged a few specific classes or sub-species that share common traits and powers; speedsters, for example, are metahumans who are connected to the Speed Force and collectively possess speed-based powers. Vibers are another example; metahumans who possess psychic connections to the dimensional energies of reality, allowing them to open breaches to parallel universes at will, generate vibrational energy blasts and possessing powers of retrocognition, clairvoyance, and precognition.

Some powers are actually more of a curse, as they prove damaging to one's heath. Griffin Grey aged every time he used super strength. Clifford DeVoe's brain was leeching all his body's nutrients. Norvock lost half his eyesight. Plastique blew up everything she touched. Blackout had an endless hunger for electricity. Hartley Rathaway's hearing became painfully sensitive. Martin Stein needed to be fused with a compatible second half of the Firestorm Matrix at least once a week to keep from exploding. Ralph Dibny needed a special solution to stabilize his body and his elastic cells make it impossible to perform medical procedures on him. Neil Borman had absolutely no control over his powers that caused his body to emit large quantities of radiation, unintentionally endangering those around him.

Most metahumans mutated after exposure to the dark matter connected to the STAR Labs particle accelerator. Some metahumans acquired their powers through other means, not directly related to being hit by the wave of dark energy after the particle accelerator explosion. Among such metahumans are Eliza Harmon (used Velocity serums to give herself superhuman speed, although she may have been a dormant metahuman prior to that), and Valentina Vostok (used the Operation Svarog version of Firestorm Matrix to become a Soviet Firestorm).

Some metahumans consider themselves separate, or at least different enough from the regular humans to identify as something else. The prime example of such thinking would be members of Zoom's metahuman group, who ushered in the Metapocalypse upon Central City. In the speech before his followers, Zoom depicted humans as the archetypal "Other," claiming that they think that Earth belongs just to them, and inciting the metahumans under his command to take over this world. Characteristically of this group, Killer Frost King Shark, and Reverb were all shown preferring to refer to themselves with their metahuman "names," instead of their original ones.

Interestingly, Hunter Zolomon himself preferred to be called by the name of the man whose identity he stole, Jay Garrick, rather than his own metahuman nickname, or especially his real name.

Because most metahumans use their powers selfishly, like stealing or hurting, even killing innocent people, some people don't think highly of metahumans seeing them as monsters who don't care who they hurt, even those who do not hurt. no one that led some people like Orlin Dwyer, Kristen Kraimer, Grace Gibbons etc to look for ways to get rid of them

There is a wide range of metahuman powers, including everything from time distortion to elemental manipulation. Metahumans who gained their abilities from the dark matter explosion in Central City often have powers influenced by unusual conditions at the time of exposure: Barry Allen was struck by lightning and gained access to the Speed Force, giving off electricity when he runs at superhuman speeds, while Tony Woodward and Joseph Monteleone gained the power to transform into the substance they were immersed in during the explosion (steel and tar, respectively).

Due to their altered physiology, certain metahuman powers affect metahumans differently than normal humans. Likely due to his heightened immune system, Barry Allen had a delayed reaction to Roy Bivolo's rage-inducing powers while a normal person would be impacted immediately. The emotional state of a metahuman also has an influence on their powers; reacting and strengthening when the metahuman is in a state of emotional stress. For example, Caitlin Snow's anger amplified her growing Killer Frost powers, to the point when she was so "drunk on power" that she forgot that this anger initially came from wanting to get rid of those same powers, and instead reveled in them and threatened to kill or harm members of Team Flash; who were her good friends and allies.