In the DC Universe, The Flash is the Fastest Man Alive, but there are certainly other non-humanoid creatures that put him through his paces. These include a creature called Krakkl, who was far faster than any mere puff of static. A former friend of Wally West’s, Krakkl was also something of a metatextual joke.
His appearance and powers make it obvious that Krakkl was DC’s answer to the at the time immensely popular Sonic the Hedgehog. This video game industry subvert saw a version of the Blue Blur compete with his feet against the Scarlet Speedster. Here’s how the Fastest Man Alive met the Fastest Thing Alive, and how the latter has since returned.
Who Is Krakkl, DC’s Sonic the Hedgehog?
Created by Mark Millar, Grant Morrison, and Paul Ryan, the energetic Krakkl debuted in The Flash #136 in the "Human Race" story arc. Here, he was introduced as an energy being who Wally West once contacted through radio waves as a child. Not realizing what he was communicating with, Wally simply deemed Krakkl his imaginary friend. Years later, however, dire straits would reveal to Wally that Krakkl’s radio frequency world was indeed real.
As an adult, Wally finally met Krakkl when the fates of both of their worlds’ were put in the balance by the alien Cosmic Gamblers. Krakkl revealed that his form of speed was actually “cheating,” as he drew kinetic energy from the people of his world running. Desperate to save the other’s home planets, Krakkl and Wally devised a plan to save them both. This involved Linda, Wally’s wife, having the people Earth all run, as well.
Unfortunately, this wasn’t enough to make Wally fast enough, forcing Krakkl to sacrifice himself in order for Wally to gain the speed that he needed. Though his friend was gone, Wally spared his people by having the people of Earth turn on their radios, allowing Krakkl’s race to hop over to Earth. Since the reality-rebooting effects of both the New 52 and DC Rebirth, however, Krakkl has been restored to life, even helping Max Mercury and other heroes in the Flash Family against the evil Professor Zoom.
How is Krakkl Similar to Sonic?
Given the time period of Krakkl’s debut (the late ‘90s), not to mention his blue coloration, spiky appearance, and speed, it’s kind of hard to not compare Krakkl to Sonic the Hedgehog. After all, Sonic was at the time one of gaming’s hottest commodities, and his success was instrumental in making Sega a fierce rival to Nintendo’s dominance of the video game industry. Since both of their powers involve speed, it made sense to feature “Sonic” having a race with The Flash and prove who was faster. Of course, DC got the last laugh by mentioning that Krakkl’s speed was done through cheating. Other similarities include the fact that both Sonic and Wally West generally have wisecracking, “too cool for school” attitudes, at least compared to dull Barry Allen.
Krakkl’s only recent revival likely stems not only from his Pre-Flashpoint death but also Sonic’s own fall from grace. The late ‘90s was the last time Sonic was a huge name in gaming, so the in-joke of his “being” in the DC Universe wasn’t as relevant anymore. Krakkl's design even resembles the updated Sonic design that had been then recently introduced in Sonic Adventure. Nevertheless, he’s back now via DC Rebirth, and with Wally West as the Flash again, he may even team up with his old friend for a Speed Force sonic boom. This is coupled with Sonic's resurgence in popularity, both in the world of video games and in TV shows and movies, as well, so there's no telling where his DC counterpart will run to next.