When it comes to DC Comics, the power of super speed almost always tied into the Speed Force. Of course, the Speed Force is an energy field that gives all "speedsters" their abilities. This includes every version of The Flash as well as a number of their villains, such as Godspeed and Savitar. However, that is only when the heroes and villains are "speedsters."
Super speed is not a superpower limited only to the Speed Force. Those are likely the fastest characters in the DC Universe. However, other characters have the power of super speed who have nothing to do with the Speed Force. Here are the 10 fastest characters in DC Comics that don't rely on the Speed Force.
10 SUPERMAN
Superman has his powers thanks to the yellow sun over the Earth. Like all Kryptonians, he has superpowers under that sun, and that includes just about any power a writer needs him to have. He has super strength, flight, x-ray and heat vision, invulnerability, and the ability of super speed.
One of the biggest question fans has debated for years concerned who would win a race between Superman and Flash. It was the cover of a comic at one time and was also a post-credit scene from the Justice League movie. While Superman is fast, and Flash would likely win the race, Superman is right up there with him as one of the fastest men alive.
9 SUPERGIRL
While Superman is one of the fastest men alive, he isn't the fastest character outside the Speed Force. See, his cousin Kara is faster than he is and Supergirl might be the fastest person alive outside the Speed Force.
Both the comic books and the <emSupergirltelevision series shows that Supergirl is faster than Superman. This pretty much makes it a fact across the entire DC Universe. While she is more inexperienced, she is older and was in stasis longer than her cousin. She has the potential to be more powerful than Superman in every way -- including super speed.
8 SHAZAM!
Shazam! is a no-brainer. He is just like Superman, except with his powers given to him by the Gods. The "M" in Shazam! stands for Mercury, and for those unfamiliar with the Greek Gods, Mercury offers Shazam! the power of super speed.
By using Mercury's speed, Shazam! can move at superhuman speeds that are comparable to even The Flash. Shazam! can also fly at supersonic speeds and in outer space, he can move at sub-light speeds. He was even faster in the pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths comics where he could fly faster than the speed of light.
7 WONDER WOMAN
Wonder Woman is right up there with Superman as one of the most powerful characters on Earth, and she is also right up there with him when it comes to speed. All of Diana's powers come from Divine Empowerment, which was given to her by the Gods of Olympus when she left Themyscira for the world of men.
Everyone asks if Superman can beat The Flash in a race, but Wally West admitted Wonder Woman is fast enough to keep up with him a regular cruising speed. This makes Wonder Woman one of the DC Universe's fastest characters who doesn't rely on the Speed Force. However, she can't keep up with Flash when he is at top speed.
6 CHEETAH
One of Wonder Woman's top enemies is Cheetah. Before she became Cheetah, Barbara Minerva was an archeologist who was a close friend of Wonder Woman. Sadly, after the plant god Urkartaga captured her and gave her the powers of the Cheetah, she believed Diana abandoned her and became a fierce enemy.
Cheetah has the Cheetah Hybridized Physiology, which, similar to Spider-Man, gives her the powers of a real cheetah on a massive level. This includes superhuman speed. She is actually one of the fastest beings in DC Comics who doesn't rely on the Speed Force and is fast enough to have cut the Flash.
5 BLACK RACER
The Black Racer is sometimes considered a speedster, but he does not rely on the Speed Force for his super speed. Instead, Black Racer is the manifestation of Death and is always running. Because people can never outrun death, that means that nothing is faster than Black Racer and he will catch you one day.
According to the New Earth version of Black Racer, which at that time was in the corporeal form of a paralyzed Vietnam soldier named Willie Walker, there is no being in existence that is faster than Black Racer. He is also fast enough to race through time and space.
4 POWER GIRL
If Supergirl is actually faster than Superman, which was shown in both the comic books and TV shows on The CW, then Power Girl is also in the conversation. Power Girl is Kara Zor-El from Earth-2, so she is Superman's cousin from another world. As a Kryptonian, her powers also come from the yellow sun.
Power Girl can move at superhuman speeds by using her sheer force of will. This allows her to move fast enough to catch bullets, and also move from one point to another in almost no time at all. She is at least on par with Superman and Supergirl.
3 AQUAMAN
Many people mistakenly think that Aquaman's powers are limited to the water. While everything he can do is amplified when he is in the water, that does not mean that he is only superhuman in the water. Of course, in the water, there might not be a bring alive that can move as fast as Aquaman underwater.
This is due to his Atlantean Hybridized Physiology. With that in mind, he is also superpowered on land, his body impervious to bullets, his strength on the level of Superman, and his speed on land faster than mere mortals. He is superhumanly fast while running and unbeatable while swimming.
2 WONDER GIRL
Cassi Sandsmark received her powers in a similar manner as Wonder Woman. However, there was one thing holding her back in the start. As the granddaughter of Zeus, he had control over her and limited her abilities and powers. She lost her powers when Zeus left the mortal realm, but Ares gave her powers back, and without Zeus in control, she became more powerful than ever.
That upped the levels of her strength, durability, and more. It also increased her super speed, which was already blazingly fast. Just like Wonder Woman, Wonder Girl can move at superhuman, supersonic speeds, making her one of DC Comic's fastest characters.
1 BLACK ADAM
Black Adam has powers that are almost identical to those of Shazam! Unlike Shazam!, who was a child given the powers of the Gods, Black Adam was an Egyptian slave who received the powers and then turned evil and used the powers for nefarious purposes.
Unlike Shazam, who received his powers based on the Greek Gods, Black Adam received the powers of the Egyptian deities. One of these gods was Horus, the God of the sky. With his powers, Black Adam can fly at hyper-speed, making him one of the fastest beings in existence that does not need the Speed Force to gain these powers.