10 Fastest DC Heroes Who Aren’t The Flash, Ranked

The Flash is the Fastest Man Alive. Four heroes have strapped on the lightning symbol and raced to save the day with this title, and countless others have run alongside them as the Flash Family. This coalition of heroes can move faster than light and outrun death. Once, Barry even claimed that he could perceive events that take place in less than an attosecond, which is how long it takes light to move between atoms. The Flash Family is connected to the Speed Force, the living embodiment of motion itself, which grants them the incredible powers they have. However, they are far from the only DC characters that are quick on their feet.

Today, we’re going to take a look at the ten fastest DC heroes who aren’t the Flash or, to keep things interesting, connected to the Speed Force. This list will only concern itself with the fastest heroes who aren’t related to the Flash Family in any way. While nobody on this list can top the Flash, and some can’t even hold a candle to Impulse or Kid Flash, the people who’ve earned a spot on this list are more than quick enough to save the day before you even realize what’s going on. So, without further ado, let’s list some swift heroes.

10) The Ray

This spot goes to Raymond Terrill, although it could just as easily be given to his father, the original Ray. Regardless of which man takes the crown, the Ray can absorb, redirect, and transform into light. This means that he’s able to propel himself through the air at the speed of light itself, making him incredibly fast. Naturally, if this were the real world, lightspeed travel would be the absolute peak that anyone would be able to achieve. However, considering this is a world of flying men and alien technology, Ray’s speed is the baseline that everyone else on this list far surpasses.

9) Apollo

Originally a hero of the Wildstorm Universe, Apollo is very much a Superman pastiche, able to absorb solar energy to become impossibly strong and fast. While not matching the Man of Steel in either regard, he’s shown that he can keep up with him. His original incarnation could only circle the world in under thirty seconds, well below the speed of light, but the newest version of the character can dodge blows from Mongul and match Superman in terms of movement. He might not have the feats to be placed higher on this list, but Apollo certainly deserves a mention of some kind.

8) Takion

Takion is easily one of DC’s most forgotten characters. He was introduced in 1996, possibly the worst year ever to introduce a comic book character, as Highfather’s successor. He has a direct connection to the Source, the primordial light from which the DC Multiverse was crafted. This connection grants him incredible powers, from near omnipotence to energy control and super speed. He’s literally named after tachyons, which are particles hypothesized to travel faster than light. However, while he most certainly is fast, able to avoid attacks from Wally West, he lacks the deep bag of feats that everyone else here does. Takion is probably faster than most other people on this list, but as we’ve never seen it, the highest I can rank him is eight.

7) Supergirl

The Woman of Steel is far less of a knock-off than our ninth-place entry, considering she is an actual Kryptonian. That means that she has all of a Kryptonian’s incredible powers, which definitely include incalcuable speed. She regularly crosses global distances before people have a chance to blink, and has raced to the edge of the universe and back more times than I can count. Supergirl is so fast that she’s able to break through the barrier of time itself and move freely from era to era. She’s not quite as fast as her cousin, although she’s made the case that she has the potential to be plenty of times, and definitely is on his level.

6) Martian Manhunter

Martian Manhunter might not be as popular as the rest of his Justice League friends, but he’s easily one of their most powerful. His powers make him a physical match for Superman in every way, including the Kryptonian’s incredible speed. Martian Manhunter can at least keep up with anyone in the universe, and once, when Supergirl flew off to fight an evil duplicate of herself, Martian Manhunter was the only hero able to catch up with them. His speed goes underrated, but he is, without a doubt, one of the fastest heroes there will ever be.

5) Green Lantern

The Green Lantern Power Ring allows its wielder to do anything they have the willpower to enforce, and that includes moving far, far faster than they have any right to. Ring-bearers regularly travel faster than light while in space, manipulating subspace to speed them up as they travel between solar systems like it’s a bus trip. The greatest speed feat came from Hal Jordan, when he pushed his ring beyond its limiters to catch up to the New God Lightray, who was ferrying Highfather across the universe, fleeing Darkseid’s Omega Rays. Hal traveled so fast he nearly caused a Speed Force singularity, breaking into the energy field and creating a speed-black hole. 

4) Lightray

Lightray is the New God of Hope and Joy, whose powers manifest themselves as the ability to fly as fast as life itself. He is the New Gods’ resident speedster, regularly matching his swiftness against the embodiment of death, Black Racer. Black Racer is one of the avatars of death that is capable of keeping up with, though not catching, the Flash, and Lightray has been fleeing the Black Racer his entire life. Even when Hal caught up to Lightray, he was exhausted and dragging Highfather behind him, which just goes to show how fast Lightray is on his own. 

3) Shazam

Also known as the Captain, Billy Batson is blessed with the powers of six divine beings. The “S” in his magic word stands for the Speed of Mercury, the Roman god of messages who possessed superspeed. With this power, Shazam can keep up with and even surpass plenty of speedsters, as while they are fast mortals, his speed is that of the gods. He can match the Flash, and although he’s never caught him in the official canon, he’s more than shown that he is capable of surpassing every limit set in front of him.

2) Wonder Woman

While Billy’s power is that of a god, Wonder Woman’s own divine speed has surpassed even the god who gifted it to her. Everyone knows that Diana regularly deflects swarms of bullets with her bracers, but her true speed is shown when she battles her archenemy, the Cheetah. Barbara Minerva’s curse made her quick enough to outpace the gods, and after being trained by Zoom, she even beat Wally West in a speed contest in Wonder Woman (1987) #214. While Diana isn’t as fast as Cheetah, she can fight her and other speedsters like Reverse-Flash, which shows that she’s at least in the ballpark. That might not be enough to match them, but in the frozen world the Flashes live in, she’s still moving.

1) Superman

Naturally, the fastest hero not connected to the Speed Force is the Man of Tomorrow. His speed is regularly compared to the various Flashes, and while the Scarlet Speedster is the true winner of their races, the fact that they feel the need to compete at all proves everything it needs to. Some of Superman’s best speed feats include beating the Flash in a race in Superman: Up in the Sky #4, breaking the bounds of reality in DC Comics Presents #29, and moving, albeit slowly, during the “One Minute War” storyline. Superman might not be able to catch up to the Flash, but if the Speed Force weren’t around, then he is the person to call when you need to go fast.

So there we have the ten fastest DC characters who aren’t connected to the Speed Force. Which other speedy characters do you think should top this list? Leave a Comment below and join the conversation in the ComicBook Forum!

10 Fastest Characters in Marvel Comics Who Could Rival the Flash