The Flash is the fastest being in the DC Universe. While we might discuss on and on about who is faster among the members of the Flash Family, we fail to notice that there are other universes out there with much faster versions of the Flash. It is time we take a look at some of the Gods and Goddesses of Speed.
Sela Allen
Sela Allen is a citizen of Central City in the 23rd Century. She initially had no super powers. After the villainous Cobalt Blue attacked and paralyzed her, Sela’s body was affected gravely. She was forced to perceive time at a millionth of a second, much slower than a regular human being. In order to cure her of her illness, Sela’s father tried to use the energy of the Speed Force to cure her. It ended up permanently locking her consciousness in a body that was basically a vessel made out of pure Speed Force. Sela has the power of super human speed but she seldom uses her blazing speeds to fight super villains. Instead she prefers staying back and coordinating with the other speedsters. Sela also uses her Speed Force connection to enhance the powers of other speedsters.
Red Racer
Red Racer is the Flash and the avatar of the Speed Force of the alternate reality Earth 36. He was created by Grant Morrison in his Multiversity story arc. Red Racer is the counterpart of the Flash within Justice 9, a Justice League like superhero group of the same reality. The group is led by the super human Opti-Man, who is in turn modeled after Superman. The Red Racer identifies himself as gay and has a team mate and boyfriend called Flashlight. The Red Racer is a huge comic book geek and nerd. He was one of the first heroes to opt for becoming a member of the House of Heroes. One of his greatest feats was making a machine that would have taken the Justice League thousands of years in a matter of minutes. Unfortunately, that was also the reason of his death.
John Fox
John Fox was originally supposed to be a substitute for Wally West. His job was to protect Keystone City when Wally was not around to do the same. John Fox is a historian who lives in the 23rd Century. A group of villains attacked his home and he was forced to use a time machine to travel back in time and recruit the help of the Flash. The Time Travel was not successful but the tachyons from the machine gave him the ability to manipulate the flow of time around his body, effectively giving him super speed. John was later hunted down by speed force powered robots called Speed Metal. He used his speed force powers to go to the DC One Million time line where he assists the superheroes of the Future fight evil.
Johnny Quick
Johnny Quick is the Flash of Earth Three, the reality which the infamous Crime Syndicate belongs to. The Crime Syndicate of America is an evil version of the Justice League. Ultra Man, Power Woman, Owl Man, Johnny Quick, Grid – all represent evil versions of Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, the flash, and Cyborg. Johnny Quick was initially slower than the Flash of Earth Prime. But after developing a special helmet that intensified his connection to the Speed Force, he became way faster than Barry Allen could ever be.
Flash Beyond
In the world of Batman Beyond, the heroes of the DC Universe no longer exist. A new generation of heroes have taken over the mantle of crime-fighting. Like Terry McGinnis has taken over for Bruce Wayne as the new Batman, Danica Williams has taken over for Barry Allen as the new Flash Beyond. Danica’s connection to the Speed Force is said to be stronger than any Flash that came before her. As a result, she can actually communicate with each and every version of the Flash in history. While fighting a villain known as mind-slide, Danica absorbed the powers of Jay Garrick, Bart Allen, and Wally West to become one of the fastest beings in existence. She has also raced and defeated Superman in a race.
Dark Flash
Walter West is a parallel universe Flash whose life mirrored that of Wally West. After a super villain killed his wife, Walter went mad with rage and became a brutal enforcer. Walter traveled to Earth Prime to take over the life of Wally West and start things with a blank slate. He came dangerously close to achieving what he had hoped for. He is also one of the strongest speed force conduits ever seen in the DC Universe.
Black Flash
Black Flash is the God of Death for the Speedsters. Every speedster is supposed to assimilate with the Speed Force after his or her death. If a Speedster decides not to agree to that rule, the Black Flash is sent to deal with the problem. The Black Flash’s connection to the Speed Force and death is still unexplained. He is fast enough and powerful enough to be feared by speedsters all across the Multi Verse. Some claim that he exists to protect the natural order of things by taking down speedsters who can outrun Death itself.
Future Flash
The Future Flash was a darker version of Barry Allen 20 years into the future. After witnessing the death of Wally West and wrought with guilt, Barry Allen decided to travel back in time with his Speed Force powers and summarily execute all the enemies he thought were directly or indirectly responsible for Wally West’s death. He eventually comes head to head with the present day Barry Allen. Wally West also arrives to help stop this dark version of the Flash. Future Flash easily takes them both down. It is then that we see a twist in the tale – it was the Future Flash’s actions that would eventually lead to the death of Wally West 20 years later.
Kingdom Come Flash
Wallace West is the Flash of Mark Waid’s Kingdom Come story arc. He is officially the fastest version of the Flash in history. Wallace has run faster than any Flash, gaining the ability to be at every place at once. Wallace has the power of omniscience, can travel to other universes, is one with the speed force, and has unrivaled speed. He is the one true God of all Speedsters that ever were, are and will be.
