The Flash Vs. Superman: Who’s Actually Faster? : MoviesLiveNews

6 min readJun 13, 2023

Comics are full of big questions about which heroes are better and in what ways. One of the oldest of these is the simplest — who is faster: Superman or the Flash? They’re easily the two fastest characters in DC Comics, and in comics in general. Each of them has pulled off some blistering feats of speed in their day, and multiple comics have showcased races between them.

It’s a question with no real definitive answer, as many questions about fictional characters are, but fans can look at the evidence presented and make inferences. When analyzing each hero’s strengths and weaknesses, fans can determine whether the Fastest Man Alive could outrun the Metropolis Marvel or if the Man of Steel would fly circles around the Scarlet Speedster.

Updated on une 9th, 2023 by David Harth: This article has been updated to reflect CBR’s current publishing style.

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3 Superman

Superman Flies

One of the simplest ways to figure out who’s faster is to look at their method of travel. The Flash runs on the ground and Superman flies above it. This can make a vast difference. Flight has always been a much faster method of travel for a multitude of reasons. One of the biggest is the fact Superman can avoid obstacles more easily.

In the sky, there’s little for Superman to avoid, and he can gain speed much quicker than a runner can. On top of that, Superman can utilize parabolic courses, allowing him to take advantage of the Earth’s curvature, which is something that the Flash can’t do.

Superman Can Travel At Superluminal Speeds

Superman is known throughout the galaxy. There are a couple of reasons for this, but the most significant is that he’s saved many of its residents personally. The only way that was possible is by crossing the light speed barrier much more easily than most people suspect.

Superman can cross galaxies in short order when he needs to and, in space, he can hit speeds that are physically impossible by just about everyone. He’s traveled throughout the universe as easily and quickly as most people drive to the corner store.

Superman’s Super-Senses Let Him Pick The Best Route

Logistics are as important to speed as anything else. Superman’s flight is helpful in this race, but his super senses are an even bigger factor. On the surface, the super-senses don’t seem that important to Superman’s speed. Looking deeper, it’s clear they’re crucial.

Superman can map out his course thousands or millions of miles in advance, an achievement the Flash can’t match. Superman can locate everyone around him because of his hearing and can see farther than nearly any person on Earth. He can pick a route that allows him to move as fast as possible with the least amount of fuss.

Superman’s Villains Are Also Fast

The Flash’s foes are known for being quick, but Superman has dealt with speedy villains as well. Whether it’s by their reflexes or their actual speed, Superman has been tested by foes just as fast as he is, if not faster. Still, Superman has always proven to be a match for these enemies.

Kryptonians like Zod or Superboy-Prime have tested Superman’s speed in ways that no other enemy has been able to. His enemies have forced him to push his skills to the next level, proving just how fast Clark Kent can be.

Superman Doesn’t Need A Fancy Force To Be Fast

The Flashes are powered by the Speed Force, which is a blessing and a curse. It gives them the ability to break the laws of physics, but it’s also temperamental and dangerous. The Speed Force isn’t the end-all, be-all when it comes to fast heroes. Plenty of Leaguers are fast without it, and Superman is among the fastest.

The Man of Steel’s powers have some limits and weaknesses as well, but Superman’s speed is an integral part of his abilities. He may not match some of the Flash’s feats, but often that’s about nuance, not speed.

2 The Flash

Obstacles Are Meaningless To The Flash

While flying through the air has its advantages, the Flash can make up for lost time because of his ancillary powers. Obstacles are a perfect example. Superman doesn’t have to worry about them at all, but neither does the Flash. He perceives things much faster because of the Speed Force and isn’t restrained by normal laws of physics, so he can turn instantly.

If he can’t avoid an obstacle, The Flash can just vibrate through it. Flash has a lot of options to use in these cases and they allow him to overcome the disadvantages of land travel. Even in a city, Flash can reach amazing speeds in no time at all.

The Flash Can Break Through The Time And Multiversal Barriers

While it’s not as common, the Flash can break the light speed barrier, although not every Scarlet Speedster has pulled this off. However, the fastest Flashes, like Barry Allen and Wally West, have achieved something Superman hasn’t been able to since the Silver Age: travel through time and the multiverse unaided.

Barry Allen was the first person to cross the multiversal barrier and invented the Cosmic Treadmill, which made it easier for Flashes to use their speed for multiversal journeys and time travel. Superman can’t use the Cosmic Treadmill to do either, and the fastest Flashes don’t even need it.

The Flash Faces Faster Enemies

The Flash is used to using speed in multiple ways, including battling the fastest enemies imaginable. Not every Flash villain is a speedster, but his opponents who have superspeed are often just as skilled with their powers as the Scarlet Speedster. Reverse-Flash, Zoom, Savitar, Inertia, Godspeed, and more are all extremely fast, and Flashes have beat all of them.

The Flashes know how to deal with enemies who can match their speed. Some villains like Zoom even boast speed-based abilities that make them superior. Yet, the Flashes have everything they need to prevail in their superheroic DNA. A Flash learns to think fast and many of their fights are races against time. As they become better heroes and gain more experience, they inevitably become faster.

The Fastest Justice Leaguers Are Always Flashes

The Justice League counts the greatest heroes ever in its ranks. Each hero has their place in the team, and they trust the others to do their jobs. The Justice League has some speedsters, but even Green Lanterns, who travel the cosmos on a regular basis, know the person wearing the lightning is the fastest.

There’s a reason the League leaves the speedy jobs up to the Flashes; they’re uniquely suited to it. Sure, other members of the team are quick, but none of them can outpace the Scarlet Speedster.

The Fastest Human Ever Is Wally West

There have been many Flashes, but Wally West is the fastest, and possibly the best. Barry Allen may have introduced the Speed Force, and other speedsters may have discovered its existence earlier, like Max Mercury, but none proved as powerful or as fast as Wally.

Wally West has pulled off feats the other speedsters believed impossible. Superman has watched Wally grow as a hero and raced him several times. Wally has always won these contests. He’s the current Flash, so if it came down to it, Wally would definitely win the race.

1 The Verdict:

The Flash Takes It

While not every Flash could beat Superman in a no-holds-barred race, the main Flashes — Barry Allen and Wally West — have both beaten Superman in several contests of speed. The Speed Force is a potent power source, allowing them to break the laws of physics in ways that Superman just can’t.

Superman is faster than a speeding bullet, but the Flash is speed personified. The Man of Steel’s advantages are meaningless before the Flash’s speed specialization.

NEXT:10 Best Flash Comics Starring The Whole Flash Family

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