Fiddler (comics) explained

The Fiddler is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, primarily as an enemy of the first Flash.

Two female incarnations of the Fiddler appear in The Flash, portrayed by Miranda MacDougall and Magda Apanowicz. Additionally, three different incarnations of Fiddler appeared in the first two seasons of Stargirl, portrayed by Timmy Sherrill, Hina Khan, and Max Frantz.

Publication history

Fiddler first appeared in All-Flash #32 (December 1947/January 1948) and was created by Robert Kanigher and Lee Elias.^[1]

Earlier, a character with the same name, though only superficially similar, appeared in multiple Action Comics episodes of the Vigilante (starting with Action Comics #59, April 1943 cover date).

Fictional character biography

Pre-Crisis

The Fiddler is initially a thief who learns the art of snake charming and uses it to create a mind-controlling violin.^{[2] [3]}

Returning to America, the Fiddler becomes an enemy of the Flash. He tricks him into retiring, during which Jay's wife Joan replaces him using special mirrors that create the illusion of speed.^[4]

In "Flash of Two Worlds", the Fiddler is revealed to originate from Earth-Two and joins the "Crime Champions" alongside Shade, the Thinker, Wizard, and Icicle.^[5]

Post-Crisis

In post-Crisis continuity, the Fiddler is Isaac Bowin, a member of the Injustice Society.^{[6] [7]} He is killed in Hawkworld, but later resurfaces. Furthermore, Isaac's heroic future great-grandson Iowa Bowin appears in The Flash 80-Page Giant.^[8]

In Villains United, Fiddler joins the Secret Six before Deadshot kills him for his incompetence.^[9] In Blackest Night, he returns as a Black Lantern.^{[10] [11] [12] [13]}

DC Rebirth

In the DC Rebirth relaunch, Fiddler is permanently resurrected before being killed by Psych.^[14] Eobard Thawne later recruits a past version of him into the Legion of Zoom.^[15]

Powers and abilities

The Fiddler possesses magical abilities that he channels through his violins. The musical vibrations he creates can shatter solid objects, create force-fields and hypnotize others due to the sheer amount of sub-level bass.

He uses violins gimmicked with weapons such as blades and guns. He travels around in his Fiddle Car, which Jay Garrick recognizes by sight.

Other characters named Fiddler

• An unrelated Fiddler with similar abilities was an enemy of Bulletman and Bulletgirl.^[16]
• Prior to Isaac Bowin's debut, a man named Benjamin Bowe operated as Fiddler and was an enemy of Vigilante.^[17]
• In Hawkworld, Neron transforms guitarist Jack Craig into a version of the Fiddler called the Thrasher.

In other media

Television

• A character based on the Fiddler called the Music Master appears in the Justice League two-part episode "Legends", voiced by Udo Kier.^[18] He is a supervillain from an alternate universe and member of the Injustice Guild.
• The Fiddler makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in the Justice League Unlimited episode "Flash and Substance".
• Two female incarnations of the Fiddler appear in The Flash.
  • The first, a genderbent version of Isaac Bowin named Izzy Bowin (portrayed by Miranda MacDougall), appears in the episode "Subject 9" as a country singer and violinist who the Thinker exposed to dark matter, granting her the ability to fire concussive sonic waves. The Flash and the Elongated Man try to protect her from the Thinker, giving her a fiddle with which she can channel her powers through, but the Thinker steals Izzy's body and powers, killing her in the process.
  • The second incarnation, Andrea Wozzeck (portrayed by Magda Apanowicz), appears in the ninth season as a member of the Red Death's Rogues who can manipulate soundwaves through objects that produce sound, such as her fiddle built from Wayne Enterprises technology.
• The Fiddler and his legacy appears in Stargirl.
  • The original Fiddler appears in a photograph depicted in the episode "S.T.R.I.P.E." that identifies him as a member of the Injustice Society of America (ISA), is referenced in the episode "Hourman and Dr. Mid-Nite" as having been an Irish enemy of the Justice Society of America (JSA), and appears in a flashback in the episode "Shiv", portrayed by an uncredited Timmy Sherrill.
  • In the present, his wife Principal Anaya Bowin (portrayed by Hina Khan) takes over his legacy and role within the ISA before being killed by Sportsmaster and Tigress, with her death being covered up as a hunting accident.
  • Fiddler and Anaya's son Isaac Bowin (portrayed by Max Frantz) is depicted as a young musical prodigy and classmate of Courtney Whitmore. In the second season, Isaac joins Injustice Unlimited before being killed by Eclipso.

Miscellaneous

• The Fiddler appears in issue #8 of the Justice League Unlimited tie-in comic book series.
• The Fiddler makes a cameo appearance in Batman: The Brave and the Bold #15.

See also

• List of Flash enemies

Notes and References

1. Book: Cowsill . Alan . Irvine . Alex . Manning . Matthew K. . McAvennie . Michael . Wallace . Daniel . DC Comics Year By Year: A Visual Chronicle . 2019 . DK Publishing . 978-1-4654-8578-6 . 53.
2. Book: Wallace, Dan . Crazy Creations . Dougall . Alastair . The DC Comics Encyclopedia . 92 . . New York . 2008 . 978-0-7566-4119-1 . 213309017.
3. Book: Rovin, Jeff . The Encyclopedia of Supervillains . Facts on File . 1987 . New York . 0-8160-1356-X . 128–129.
4. Flash Comics #93. DC Comics.
5. Book: Cowsill . Alan . Irvine . Alex . Manning . Matthew K. . McAvennie . Michael . Wallace . Daniel . DC Comics Year By Year: A Visual Chronicle . 2010 . DK Publishing . 978-0-7566-6742-9 . 97.
6. Secret Origins #50 (August 1990). DC Comics.
7. Infinity Inc. #35-37 (February–April 1987). DC Comics.
8. The Flash 80-Page Giant #2. DC Comics.
9. Villains United #1 (July 2005). DC Comics.
10. Blackest Night #1 (July 2009). DC Comics.
11. Blackest Night #4 (October 2009). DC Comics.
12. Suicide Squad #67 (January 2010). DC Comics.
13. Secret Six vol. 3 #17-18 (January–February 2010). DC Comics.
14. The Flash vol. 5 #61. DC Comics.
15. The Flash #760. Marvel Comics.
16. Bulletman #11. Fawcett Comics.
17. Action Comics #59. DC Comics.
18. Web site: The Music Master Voice - Justice League (TV Show) . November 17, 2024 . Behind The Voice Actors. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.