Almost everyone knows that The Flash is the Fastest Man Alive. When it comes time for DC to create villains for the hero, it's easy to see the idea of fellow speedsters rising to the forefront. In fact, The Speed Force became so prominent that The Flash TV show had to make a change after a few seasons to keep speedsters from dominating the series.
With almost 80 years of comics to draw from, there were plenty of chances for other villains to take on the Scarlet Speedster. There are many villains who have tried to challenge Flash for the title of Fastest Man Alive over the years.
Updated on May 31, 2022 by Scoot Allan: After a long wait, fans are excitedly preparing for the release of The Flash solo film which is set to explore the DC cinematic multiverse. It will also likely introduce one or more of The Flash's deadliest enemies. He has a wide range of villains, though he's always been challenged by other speedsters over the years. Whether Barry Allen, Wally West, or even Bart Allen were behind the mask, they each developed their own rivalries with deadly DC speedsters.
15 Inertia Was A Clone Of Bart Allen Who Altered Time To Replicate The Speed Of His Nemesis
Inertia is Thaddeus Thawne, the speedster clone of Bart Allen and President Thawne from the 30th Century. He developed his speed very slowly, so Inertia became more calculating. He worked hard to become even smarter than Bart Allen at the time, who developed very fast in comparison.
He was a more recent addition to the rogues' gallery as a nemesis for Bart, making his debut in 1999. His super-speed is achieved through a process called localized chronokinesis, which allows him to alter time to run at speeds rivaling those of speedsters who use the Speed Force. Bart deserved a better shot as The Flash, but Inertia's schemes resulted in his death.
14 The Rival Was Jay Garrick's Dark Opposite Transformed Into Speed Force Energy
The Rival is Edward Clariss, an enemy of Jay Garrick, the first Flash. He gained his speed by attempting to recreate the formula that gave Jay Garrick his speed powers. He became a criminal when people wouldn't accept the claims of his scientific discovery.
However, while Rival's formula worked and gave him super speed that rivaled Garrick it was only temporary. When the formula wore off, his speed disappeared. When he was able to actually hit light speed, he disappeared into the Speed Force. He returned years later as pure speed energy since he spent so much time in the Speed Force.
13 The Mystical Flame Of Cobalt Blue Granted Barry Allen's Lost Twin Brother His Speed
Wally West was shocked to discover that his mentor Barry Allen actually had a twin brother who was taken after he was born. He was raised as Malcolm Thawne and learned of the family's connection to the mystical Blue Flame.
This connection allowed Malcolm to create fiery constructs and steal what he most desired, which usually ended up being the Flash's speed. This allowed him to move at higher speeds than his foes, though that wasn't the only powerful ability granted to him by the Blue Flame.
12 The Tornado Twins From The Future Were Corrupted By The Negative Speed Force
Shortly before Barry Allen sacrificed his life during the Crisis, he fathered twin children named Don and Dawn in the 30th century with Iris West. They inherited their father's speed and grew up to be the heroic Tornado Twins and the parents of young heroes like Bart Allen/Impulse and Jenni Ognatz/XS.
The two were presumed dead after a battle in the future against the alien Dominators. However, it was ultimately revealed that Eobard Thawne had saved them. He used his connection to the Negative Speed Force to corrupt the Tornado Twins so they would join his Legion of Zoom.
11 Amazo Is A Powerful Android Who Has Replicated Flash & The Justice League's Abilities
The immortal mad scientist known as Professor Ivo created the incredibly powerful Amazo android. Amazo could absorb and replicate the abilities and weapons of any character he encountered. His first run-in with the original Justice League upgraded his power set with the abilities of heroes like Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern, and The Flash.
This gave Amazo incredible speed that he used in tandem with his other abilities to become a serious threat. There have been a few different versions of the Amazo android over the years, though most of them retain their baseline collection of League powers that include Flash's super-speed. While he isn't the fastest villain around, he is one of the most dangerous.
10 A Broken Barry Allen Known As Future Flash Raced Back In Time To Kill His Most Dangerous Enemies
Future Flash is a version of Barry Allen from an alternate future who was ravaged with guilt when he couldn't save his Wally West. Due to this tragedy, Barry chose to try to fix all the problems of his past by racing through time. He became an executioner to his rogues' gallery while also trying to fix a ruptured Speed Force by any means possible.
Because this is Barry Allen from a possible future, he has more experience than his younger self. This version also wore a cybernetic suit that enhanced his powers. This version of Barry is the villain of the story with all of the casualties. However, when he attempted to take his own life in the past, he ended up being saved by Wally.
9 Walter West Was An Alternate Version Of Wally Who Became Dark Flash After The Loss Of His Wife
Walter West is an alternate world version of Wally West, but with one major twist. While Wally West was able to save Linda Park's life, Walter was not. As a result, he developed a very dark personality. Instead of being a legitimate superhero who saved people, Walter became Dark Flash and brutally assaulted criminals, severely injuring many of them.
As an alternate version of Wally West, the Dark Flash shared the same speed as his counterpart and was fast enough to be in three places at the same time. Walter was more powerful than Wally when they met, as he had more time to study the Speed Force. Dark Flash and Wally didn't remain enemies for long, and he later joined the Flash Family to help defeat the Legion of Zoom.
8 Savitar Was A Skilled Speed Force Conduit Who Was Greatly Altered For The TV Series
Savitar was one of the worst villains of CW's The Flash, though he was very different than his comic counterpart. In the comic books, Savitar was a very powerful cult leader that ruled over people who worshiped the Speed Force. He had fought just about every version of Flash and was named after the Hindu god of motion.
In the Arrowverse, Savitar was Barry Allen from an alternate future, in which he had no loved ones and became a villain. As a result, he had the same speed and powers as Barry, in much the same way that Dark Flash was an evil version of Wally West.
7 Johnny Quick Was A Speedster From Earth-3 Who Worked With The Crime Syndicate
Not to be confused with the heroic All-Star Squadron member of the same name, Johnny Quick is a super-fast villain from Earth-3. He's a member of the incredibly powerful Crime Syndicate, which is the Justice League's dark opposite.
There have been a few different versions of the villainous Johnny Quick over the years. The most recent version that appeared in the Infinite Frontier era is a superpowered serial killer who used his speed to go on a murder spree. Johnny Quick may not be as fast as The Flash, but he more than makes up for it with his brutality.
6 A Dark Batman Merged With Barry Allen To Gain Super-Speed As The Evil Red Death
When The Batman Who Laughs invaded from the Dark Multiverse, he was joined by a team of multiversal Batmen known as the Dark Knights. Each of the heroes was merged with their Justice League teammates. After the death of another of his sidekicks, Bruce Wayne from Earth-52 strapped Barry Allen to his Cosmic Treadmill-enhanced Batmobile and drove into the Speed Force.
The two merged together to become one of the coolest Batman variants from the Dark Multiverse, Red Death. Barry Allen was still alive in Bruce Wayne's mind, forced to watch the mayhem caused by his powers. Aside from the usual speed abilities, Red Death was also able to create dark Speed Force constructs in the shape of bats that carried negative psionic energy.
5 Black Racer Is A New God And An Aspect Of Death Who Was Once Bonded With The Flash
Black Racer is not just one of the fastest characters in the DC universe, he is also one of the manifestations of Death itself. He was a servant of Darkseid until he was finally freed and combined with Barry Allen. When that happened, he turned on his long-time master.
Black Racer and Flash were finally separated, and it was discovered that the being could merge with any other superpowered lifeform. While that was the origin of the New 52 version, there was also the original Black Racer, who was part of Jack Kirby's New Gods. Black Racer was the fastest being in all of existence, though even he needed help catching some of the speedsters.
4 Hunter Zolomon Used Chronokinesis To Move Time Around Him Before He Became A Speed Force Conduit As Zoom
Hunter Zolomon is better known to the general public as Zoom. In the comics, he is the third man to take the role of Reverse-Flash. He was a former friend of Wally West who became consumed with rage after Gorilla Grodd crippled him. He gained the powers of a speedster after an accident with the Cosmic Treadmill, becoming one of Wally's greatest enemies.
There was also a version of Hunter in the Arrowverse, one of the antagonists for the second season of The Flash. He was from Earth-2 and wanted to be the only speedster in the entire multiverse. When it comes to speed, Hunter could go toe-to-toe with Wally West. At one time in the comics, he was fast enough to stop the Justice League and Titans before they could react to his attack.
3 Godspeed Gained His Powers During A Speed Force Storm That Initially Made Him Faster Than The Flash
August Heart was a detective who worked with Barry Allen. He was also a witness to the accident that gave Barry Allen his powers. August was later struck by lightning in a Speed Force storm. He gained super-speed and became Godspeed, a ruthless vigilante who wanted to achieve vengeance for the death of his brother.
August actually gained so much of the Speed Force that he was faster than even Barry Allen, although he lost much of that power. At one point in his career, Godspeed was so fast that he could actually decapitate someone with just a single punch to the head. Godspeed appeared on The CW series, though the show changed a few things about the character.
2 Eobard Thawne Is Powered By The Negative Speed Force Which Makes Him One Of Flash's Fastest Villains
Eobard Thawne has been known as both Reverse-Flash and Professor Zoom, and he is easily the fastest member of Flash's rogues' gallery and his most dangerous villain. He is from the 25th Century and has an intense hatred for Flash, making it his life goal to destroy Barry Allen. Thawne was the man who murdered Barry's mother and framed his father, leading to the Flashpoint event.
Barry Allen has said that Thawne is faster than both he and Wally West, which makes Thawne one of the fastest villains that the Scarlet Speedster has ever tangled with. Thawne has a powerful connection to the Negative Speed Force which gives him incredible abilities that continue to challenge every version of The Flash.
1 Black Flash Is A Powerful Entity That Manifested To Catch Speedsters Who Try To Outrun Death
While Eobard Thawne is the fastest villain Flash has ever faced, Black Flash is the fastest speedster of all time. This being is Death for anyone who possesses the power of the Speed Force. When he shows up, someone is about to die, as seen in the cases of Barry Allen, Johnny Quick, and Bart Allen.
Black Flash comes for those whose time is up if they can outrun Black Racer. At one time, both Barry Allen and Eobard Thawne took on the role of the Black Flash and gained increases in their speed as a result. The live-action version of Hunter Zolomon became the Black Flash on the TV series as well.