TheFlashis one of DC’s most iconic superheroes, with multiple characters inheriting the mantle over the years to carry on the legacy. However, there are more Flashes than the average reader may think scattered throughout DC’s continuity, andtheir speed might even rival the Flash everyone knows and loves.
Across its continuity, DC features many heroes who have held the Flash mantle. They aren’t limited to one universe or timeline, either; there’sa vast multiversebeyond Earth-0, the main universe of the comics, and certain worlds have their own Flash. Some of these Flashes have traditional super-speed, while others have unique powers that set them apart.Every Flash has the speed it takes to live up to the title, despite their differences - but only one can be the fastest of all.
Creators
Mark Waid and Paul Pelletier
Sela Allen is a future descendant of Barry Allen and daughter of the Flash before her. She was attacked by Cobalt Blue, who slowed her nervous system and left her stuck in permanent slow motion. Her father, in an effort to save her, exposed her tothe Speed Force.
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Rather than saving Sela,the Speed Force transformed her into a living manifestation of its powerwhile her physical body continued to heal. While Sela doesn’t have many feats to her name yet, she has the potential for greatness thanks to her strong connection to the Speed Force.
Mark Waid and Mike Parobeck
A historian from the future, John Fox’s life was changed when a villain named Mota laid waste to his city. John managed to travel back in time in hopes of recruiting help in the fight against Mota, and although this was unsuccessful,John’s time travel journey gave him super-speed.
Upon returning to his time, John defeated Mota by sending him to the end of the universe. This feat is notable, butJohn’s weaker connection to the Speed Forceand inability to time travel without assistance prevent him from keeping up with other Flashes across the multiverse.
Brett Booth, Ron Frenz, Robert Venditti, and Van Jensen
This variant of Wallace West, one of Iris West’s nephews, is the Flash in a potential future for the main DC Universe duringthe New 52 era. When Barry Allen traveled to the future and was forced to battle his future self, Wallace arrived in his striking Flash suit to help fight the sinister future variant of Barry.
Wallace shows promise as the Flash.
Wallace brieflyheld his own in a super-speed battle against Barry, proving he’s faster than the average Flash. However, the fight didn’t last long and he ended up being defeated by Barry. Despite his loss, Wallace shows promise as the Flash.
Dan Jurgens, Gary Frank, and Todd Dezago
Lia Nelson was created forTangent Comics, a DC Comics imprint from the ’90s that was centered on creating new characters bearing the same names as existing DC heroes. This version of the Flash ismade of light and able to manipulate light energy, setting her apart from most other Flashes across DC’s continuity.
Lia’s powers allow her to move at the speed of light, among other powerful abilities. She’s certainly one of the faster beings in the multiverse, but Flashes who can move faster than lightspeed can manage to outpace her.
Gardner Fox and Harry Lampert
The Flash who started it all,Jay Garrick deserves acknowledgmentas one of DC’s fastest Flashes. He’s shown that he can run at the speed of light and beyond, keeping pace even with speedsters faster than him.
Jay Garrick fans should check out his recent miniseries,Jay Garrick: The Flashby Jeremy Adams and Diego Olortegui, available in a collected edition September 17th, 2024 from DC Comics.
Along with originating the Flash mantle, Jay alsoinvented the Flash’s iconic ability to vibrate fast enough to pass through objects. This is no small feat, and shows just how fast Jay is able to move. Jay may be getting up there in years, but he’s still worthy of the Flash name, and he’s shown no sign of slowing down any time soon.
Stan Lee and Kevin Maguire
Stan Lee’sJust Imagine…line of comics reinvented different DC characters as he would have written them, and one of the heroes he created for this line was Mary Maxwell, the Flash. Mary received her super-speed after being injected with hummingbird DNA, a departure from the usual Speed Force origin.
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With her powers, Mary onceran so fast that she actually caught up to herself, and she also traveled through time after reaching a high enough velocity. Though her appearances are few and far between, she’s already secured herself a spot alongside the best of the best.
Mark Waid and Mike Wieringo
Bart Allen currentlyuses the Impulse mantle, but back in the early 2000s, he became the Flash after Wally West vanished during the Infinite Crisis event. Though his time as the Flash didn’t last long, Bart has displayed through his feats that he deserved the title.
Bart Allen also served as the second Kid Flash during the Geoff Johns' run onTeen Titans- a role he eventually shed when he returned to DC continuity after DC Rebirth.
Bart hasoutrun a black hole, moving faster than light to do so, and he’s the only speedster who retains the knowledge he gains when reading and learning at super-speed. If Bart ever gets another chance to be Flash in DC’s future, he’s more than capable of being the best Flash to ever do it.
Joshua Williamson and Carmine Di Giandomenico
Avery Ho’s world turned upside down one day when a Speed Force storm hit Central City. She was struck by lightning, which gave her super-speed.Barry Allen helped her learn to control her newfound abilities, and since then she’s forged her own path as a speedster.
Along with Wallace West, Avery co-starred in the recentSpeed Forceminiseries byJarrett Williams,Daniele Di Nicuolo, andGeorge Kambadais, availble October 1st, 2024 in a collected edition from DC Comics.
Avery has become the Flash of Chinaand a member of the Justice League of China alongsideKong Kenan, the Superman of China, who she beat in a race. Outrunning a Kryptonian is an incredible feat, solidifying Avery’s status among the fastest Flashes in DC’s continuity.
Eleonora Carlini and Ivan Cohen
Jess Chambers originated on Earth-11 before migrating to a future version of Earth-0. In DC’s Future State timeline, they visit Earth-0 to warn the heroes of a threat. Ultimately, they decided to stick around and join the Justice League as the new Flash alongside other legacy heroes from the future.
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Jess iscapable of multiversal travelby, upon detecting the frequencies of parallel worlds, using their immense super-speed to run fast enough to traverse between universes. This skill elevates Jess' powers to a cosmic level most other Flashes can only dream of achieving.
Mark Waid and Alex Ross
The version of Wally West featured inKingdom Comeis a far cry from the Wally West in the main DC Universe. On Earth-22, Wally is constantly running. He’s reached an incalculable speed that allows him to be in many places at once, and in doing so, he’s made his city crime-free by stopping every crime simultaneously as it happens.
Because he’s always in so many places at once, Wally isin a perpetual state of motion, hence why he’s depicted as a red blur. This feat makes Earth-22’s Wally one of the fastest Flashes DC’s continuity has to offer.
