Speed is important. From the early myths of Greek and Roman gods, the idea of a superpowered being who can run faster than any man or animal has been in the minds of humans, be it Hermes, Mercury, or Savitr. Humans generally have a lot to do and not much time to do it all in, and so the idea of being able to move faster is a dream many have.
The heroes of the four-color page take that dream and make it into an amazing spectacle of swift grace and fast justice. From the early days of superheroes to today's comics, speedsters have kept pace with the changing times and have often raced ahead of other heroes to lead the way into new ages of fantastic adventures. And while there are hundreds of heroes who have the gift of speed, these are the ones who lead the pack.
10 Lightning: Leader Of The T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Squad Division
Medal of Honor recipient Guy Gilbert was given the opportunity to join the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents and lead their T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Squad division as the hero Lightning, thanks to an electromagnetic suit that makes him 100 times faster than an average human. For Guy, being a superhero has some downsides. His suit not only makes it impossible for people to understand him when he speaks, but it also ages him at an accelerated rate, meaning that every time he put his suit on, Guy gives up years of his life to save others.
9 Whizzer: Gained Superspeed From Mongoose Blood
While the name has been used by a number of heroes in the Marvel Universe over the years, it was Robert Frank who was the first to take on the mantle. While on a trip to Africa with his father, Robert was bitten by a cobra and in order to save his life, Robert's father gave him a transfusion of mongoose blood.
Along with saving Robert's life, the mongoose blood gave him superspeed, turning him into the World War II hero Whizzer. After the war, Whizzer fell on hard times and fell into a long bout of depression that left him an alcoholic and homeless. Whizzer cleaned up his life and returned to heroics for a time, even helping the Avengers on a few missions, but finally retired after a series of heart attacks. For a time, it was believed that Whizzer may have been the father of Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch.
8 Impulse: One Of The First Speedsters Born With Powers
The grandson of the second Flash and born a thousand years in the future, Impulse is one of the first speedsters to be born with his powers, which led to a number of problems for him. From the moment he was born, Bart Allen began to age at an accelerated pace. To ensure his mind grew in tandem with his body, Bart was raised in a virtual reality that could keep up with him right up until his grandmother Iris West learned that the government planned to study her grandson as a weapon. Brought back in time to the age of heroes, Bart was trained by a number of speedsters and has more than proven himself to be worthy of the Flash legacy.
7 Johnny Quick: Got His Powers With A Mathematical Formula
One of the oldest speedsters in comics, Johnny Quick spent most of his career playing second fiddle to Flash. Even in his origin, Johnny Chambers decides to become a superhero because of his admiration for Flash. Unlike his idol, though, Johnny Quick didn't get his powers by inhaling hard water fumes, but by using a mathematical formula - 3X2(9YZ)4A - to connect to the Speed Force.
Johnny Quick is one of the few superheroes to have a complete story. He married fellow hero Liberty Belle and the two had a child, Jesse Chambers, before divorcing. Jesse picked up the Quick mantle, making the Quick name a legacy in the DC Universe.
6 Velocity (Cyberforce): Can Move At 10,000 Miles Per Hour
Enhanced by Cyberdata, sixteen-year-old Carin Taylor gained the ability to run at speeds in excess of 10,000 miles per hour. As part of her cybernetic enhancements, Carin's memory was suppressed to keep her loyal to the corporation, but her powers appeared to be able to overwrite the suppression tactics and Carin started to see flashes of her past life.
After escaping from Cyberdata, Carin joined Cyber Force and became the hero Velocity alongside her sister Cassie Lane - a.k.a. Ballistic. Over the years working with Cyber Force, Velocity has become more confident in her powers and has even gained new abilities.
5 Quicksilver: One Of The Most Famous Speedsters Of Marvel
The most famous speedster in the Marvel Universe, Quicksilver is a character with a past that changes almost as fast as he can run. Once believed to be a mutant, Pietro Maximoff and his sister Wanda - better known as Scarlet Witch - worked alongside Magneto as members of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants before the siblings came to see the light and joined the Avengers. For a time, it was believed that Pietro and Wanda were the children of Magneto, but this has been proven to be false. In fact, neither Pietro nor his sister are actually mutants. The orphaned twins were taken by the High Evolutionary and given powers.
4 Black Racer: Travels The Galaxy On Cosmically Powered Celestial Skis
There are few things that scare the New Gods, but the Black Racer is the scariest thing of all to them. The only being that can truly take the life of a New God, the Black Racer travels the galaxy on two cosmically powered celestial skis that can reach the speed of light.
For a time, the Black Racer was held captive by Darkseid by anchoring it to the body of Sgt. Willie Walker, a paralyzed Vietnam veteran, but in time the Black Racer was able to escape from Darkseid's machinations and is once again free to take the life of any New God, even Darkseid, when the time comes.
3 Jay Garrick: The Very First Comic Speedster Who Set The Standard
The first speedster in comics, as well as being the first Flash, Jay Garrick set the standard that all speedsters would follow. Introduced in 1940, Jay Garrick gained his powers after inhaling hard water fumes and initially used them to impress his college girlfriend Joan Williams before donning a costume and saving her father from criminals.
The first Flash was so fast that he became the first superhero to appear in three different comic books in the same month; Flash Comics, All-Flash Comics, and All-Star Comics. The 1940s hero continues to appear in comics today, recently playing a part in Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's Dark Nights: Death Metal.
2 Barry Allen: An Instant Hit With The Readers
Superhero comics were all but dead for half a decade when Julius Schwartz, Robert Kanigher, and Carmine Infantino used the new DC series Showcase to try and reinvent the Flash. Putting the character in a slick red and yellow costume and making him a police scientist who gains superspeed after being struck by lightning in his lab, the second Flash was an instant hit with readers.
Before long, Barry Allen had his own series, which was used to bring back Jay Garrick and create the concept of the DC Multiverse. Some forty years after he debuted, Barry Allen would die trying to save the Multiverse in Crisis on Infinite Earths, but in time he would outrace death and return to comics.
1 Wally West: The One True Fastest Man Alive
At just twelve-years-old, Wally West found himself gaining super speed just like his idol, the Flash. Becoming Kid Flash, sidekick to the Fastest Man Alive, Wally lived out his dream. In time, Wally became the first sidekick to sadly fulfill their purpose when he took over the mantle of the Flash after Barry Allen's death.
Wally became the first speedster to enter the Speed Force and return, giving him the ability to directly connect with the energy that powered all speedsters in the DC Universe. While he may not be the only Flash running around these days, he is still faster than the others, making him the one, true, Fastest Man Alive.