The 10 Fastest DC Characters Who Don’t Have the Speed Force

The Flash is easily the most recognizable and fastest speedster in comic book history, thanks to the cosmic energy known as the Speed Force. Barry Allen, Wally West, and all other members of the Flash Family can move so fast because of their connection to the Speed Force, which is the source of all motion in existence. Still, not everyone in the DC Universe needs the Speed Force to be fast. There are plenty of heroes and villains who, despite not having a connection to the Speed Force, can move nearly as fast as the Flash. Some are even capable of catching up to the Scarlet Speedster and the rest of the Flash Family.

While Barry Allen and Wally West are the undisputed fastest beings in the DC Multiverse, there are still many characters in DC Comics who can contend with Speed Force users without having to rely on the cosmic energy source.

10) Martian Manhunter

J’onn J’onzz, aka Martian Manhunter, is a superhero with a laundry list of superpowers, but his super-speed is often unfairly overlooked. With his Martian physiology, Martian Manhunter is capable of rapid-fire interstellar travel, flying several times faster than the speed of light. He has traveled around the Earth multiple times in a matter of seconds, zooming between Mars and Earth in minutes. He routinely keeps pace with Superman, Wonder Woman, and even Barry Allen when they move at faster-than-thought speeds. While he may not be able to beat Flash in a race, Martian Manhunter more than holds his own as one of the fastest superheroes in the DC Universe.

9) Doctor Fate

Kent Nelson, aka Doctor Fate, is the Sorcerer Supreme of DC Comics, using his magic to perform incredible feats that defy the laws of physics. Doctor Fate draws most of his power from the Helmet of Fate, which holds the soul of the Lord of Order, Nabu. The Helmet of Fate once moved so fast that it reached “the velocity of God,” which allowed him to travel to the edge of the universe in just a year. This feat would require the Helmet to move many times faster than light. When Kent dons the Helmet, he can reach similar speeds. So, while Kent does lack the Speed Force, it’s clear that, with the Helmet of Fate, he can give the Speed Force speedsters a run for their money.

8) Lightray

Solis, aka Lightray, is a New God from the peaceful planet of New Genesis, where he prides himself on being one of his people’s fastest warriors. Lightray’s feats certainly back up that claim. Lightray routinely reaches speeds that far exceed the speed of light, allowing him to traverse the universe in seconds. Lightray can fly from the Earth to the Sun in a minute, which is especially impressive because it takes eight minutes for light to travel from the Sun to the Earth. Lightray’s most remarkable feat is when he flew around Apokolips, a planet that dwarfs galaxies, thousands of times over in less than a day.

7) Green Lantern

Hal Jordan is considered by many to have one of the strongest willpowers in existence, which he uses to push his Green Lantern ring far beyond its normal limits. Like all Green Lanterns, Hal can travel to the edge of the universe in a few seconds. His most impressive feat, though, is when he partook in an intergalactic race against Lightray. Constructing a jet to keep up with Lightray, Hal was able to fly so fast his construct nearly broke apart from the speed, but he willed it to keep going faster. He managed to make his jet so fast that it nearly tapped into the Speed Force. By the end, Hal managed to beat Lightray in the race, proving that even a New God can’t contend with his indomitable willpower.

6) Shazam

When Billy Batson utters the word “Shazam,” he transforms into an adult superhero, wielding the powers of legendary figures from ancient mythology. One of those figures was none other than Mercury, the Roman God of Speed. Shazam uses Mercury’s speed to travel faster than lightning, regularly keeping pace with heroes like Superman and Wonder Woman. Shazam has even managed to match Wally West in a race around the world, moving many times faster than the speed of light. Shazam is also shown to be faster than some Speed Force users, like the current Kid Flash, Wallace West. No doubt, endowed with the speed of Mercury, Shazam is easily one of the fastest heroes DC Comics has to offer.

5) Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman is one of the strongest and fastest heroes on the planet, thanks to her divine heritage. Wonder Woman has defeated the speedster Zoom while blindfolded and outpaced a brainwashed Superman, racing from Earth to the Sun in just 20 seconds. Her most impressive feat, though, is when she battled the Shattered God, a primordial being that was broken into countless pieces. When fighting Wonder Woman, the deity attempted to reassemble himself by summoning the thousands of fragments, which were scattered across the universe. To stop this from happening, Wonder Woman used her bracelets to block every single fragment before they could reach him. To block thousands of tiny fragments simultaneously, each moving leagues faster than the speed of light, is astounding.

4) Cheetah

Although Barbara Minerva, aka Cheetah, may not seem like it at first glance, she is by far one of the fastest villains in DC Comics. Cheetah’s main advantage against her nemesis, Wonder Woman, has always been her superior speed. She uses her super speed and agility to move faster than Wonder Woman can see. Cheetah’s speed and reflexes have even allowed her at times to keep up with the Flash and catch him by surprise. In these instances, Cheetah can deliver deadly blows on the Scarlet Speedster with her razor-sharp claws. The supervillain Zoom even stated once that, since Cheetah’s powers are mystical in nature, her potential top speed is practically limitless.

3) Darkseid

The New God of Evil and the Lord of Apokolips, Darkseid, is the big bad of the entire DC Multiverse, with the capability to contend with the strongest and fastest heroes in existence. Despite looking like a giant monster made of solid rock, Darkseid moves with such speed that he can react down to the microsecond. He also once grabbed Superman by the neck so quickly that not even the Man of Steel with his super-senses could track the villain’s movements. Perhaps in his most staggering display of speed, Darkseid reached the Source Wall, which rests at the edge of the universe, in just a few seconds – traveling at several duodecillion times the speed of light (that’s 72 zeroes!).

2) Black Racer

Of all the New Gods, the Black Racer is easily one of the most feared. This New God is the embodiment of death itself, carrying out his duties as a grim reaper relentlessly. With his cosmic skis allowing him to travel the universe in a fraction of a second, none can evade his fatal touch for long. Whenever the Black Racer targets a member of the Flash Family, they are forced to run for their lives, using every ounce of their speed just to stay out of the New God’s deadly reach. Even more impressive, the Black Racer nearly caught up to Barry Allen on several occasions, but only outside interference prevented him from collecting the Scarlet Speedster’s soul.

1) Superman

If there’s anyone who can contend with the Flash and his connection to the Speed Force, it’s Superman. Some of Superman’s most impressive feats of speed include rebuilding the moon, which was reduced to tiny pieces or rubble, in less than a day; flying to the edge of the universe in mere seconds; and, flying so fast that space bends around him and time slows down in proximity to him. And considering his Pre-Crisis feats, Superman has flown so fast that he shattered the laws of physics, breaking the bonds of infinity that contain the infinite DC Multiverse! Although both Barry and Wally surpass Superman at their peak, the Man of Steel still ranks among the fastest beings in DC Comics.

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