The Flash is the fastest man alive, but Superman is no slouch when it comes to super-speed. If DC’s two fastest heroes went neck-and-neck, who would be faster?
There’s a long-running joke that the Justice League exists to just replicate Superman’s powers and that he doesn’t really need his super pals. It’s the pitfalls of having one character with so many powers.
The caveat is usually that the individual Leaguers are not necessarily stronger, but more skilled than Superman at their individual power. That’s a bit hard to quantify, though, when trying to compare Superman to Green Lantern or Aquaman.
Not so with The Flash. The Scarlet Speedster and the Man of Steel have raced each other many times across comics, animation, and even on film. The answer of who is faster is usually intentionally vague, but thanks to a pivotal comic book moment, there is an accepted, definitive answer.
A history of Superman vs The Flash races
Historically, Superman and The Flash have raced throughout the years for a variety of circumstances. The very first race was in 1967’s Superman #199.
The premise for the first race is the two are asked to compete against each other to help the UN raise funds for an under-developed nations program, which the two heroes are more than happy to do. However, gamblers attempt to manipulate betting on the race, so the two make sure to cross the finish line simultaneously, thus screwing over the gamblers and avoiding having to answer who was the faster of the two.
Over the years, the two would have multiple races, and the winner would often vary depending on circumstances. Most of the races end in a tie or with extenuating circumstances preventing a clear win. In terms of outright victories, the two are almost neck and neck, with Superman winning one race and The Flash winning two, but there’s always just enough doubt cast to make the answer definitive.
Is Superman faster than The Flash?
For the real answer to whether Superman or The Flash is faster, we’ve got to journey back to just before the Flashpoint event. In the original continuity, Barry Allen returned from death and set about reestablishing himself in The Flash: Rebirth.
Believing death is calling him back and killing other speedsters in the process, Barry is resigned to throw himself back into the Speed Force. Superman arrives to talk him down and is quick to tell Barry that running is pointless; after all, Superman won some of those races. The Flash rightfully points out that those races were for charity and leaves the Man of Steel in the dust.
These days it’s pretty well accepted that while Superman can get close at top speed, The Flash is significantly faster than Superman. There’s even a hierarchy among the various Flashes, with Jay Garrick being the slowest. As of the Knight Terrors event, it seems that the current Flash, Wally West, could potentially be faster than Barry, but Barry still has better control over his speed.
