Edward Clariss, also known as The Rival, was a professor at the university attended by the Golden Age Flash, Jay Garrick. He believed he had recreated the formula that gave Garrick his speed, and would become the arch-nemesis of the first Flash, Jay Garrick. Bitter at the rejection of his claims by the scientific community, Clariss became a criminal, wearing a darker version of the Flash's outfit. His version of the formula, however, proved to be temporary, and he was defeated when it was expended. He reappeared a few months later, and in battling the Flash, reached light speed and vanished.