Johnny Allen was a high-profile criminal, on the run with his equally criminal girlfriend. Cornered on the roof of Central City STAR Labs, Allen was struck by a bolt of lightning which shattered the roof. The duo fell in the labspace below, with Allen landing amid the chemicals. Something in this incident granted him super-speed, and he went on to become a super-criminal alongside his girlfriend who had been empowered also, while his girlfriend took the name Atomica. The couple joined the Crime Syndicate at some point after this