Last updated on August 9th, 2021 at 10:16 pm
Across the DC and Marvel universe are a host of superheroes that have superhuman and sometimes godly speed. Some of these heroes even break the speed of light, and not just the speed of sound.
Therefore, listing down the fastest superheroes of all time is no easy task.
Many of these heroes have appeared in comic books, movies, and series of their own, and some guest star in other shows, as you’ll see as you read along.
These heroes are listed based on their current power output and top achievable speed. Some may tie in terms of speed, in which case, a bit of popularity and strength will be taken into consideration when placing them.
Some of these heroes will be familiar to some of you, dear readers, like Superman, the rest of the Super Family, speedsters like The Flash, and Silver Surfer. Some may be new (or not). Regardless, take note that when we’re talking about speed, it’s not just their ability to run super fast, but to move super fast. Hence, there will be heroes here who are fliers and not runners. But I get ahead of myself.
Many other characters made their debut on non-CW shows, some in comics, and some in movies. This list covers their character powers and their speed.
If you like listicles like this one, here are a few more I think you might like:
- The Most Popular Superheroes of All Time
- Top 5 Physically Strongest Superheroes of All Time
- Top 10 Most Powerful Superheroes with No Powers
Of course we’ve also done a handful of “Most Powerful” and “Most Popular” for other series and superhero shows and movies, so if you’d like to check those out you can visit our other listicles here.
For this article, I searched through several websites like CBR, Ranker, Screen Rant, Whut Culture, to name a few and each website had a different set of characters who made their list. As with any list ranking the top characters, the law of averages is your best bet. So, I tallied which characters came up the most and made a list from there. Take note, as each heroes’ respective story arcs develop, the characters here may change. Who knows? But for now, here’s a look at the Fastest Superheroes of All Time.
As always, leave your comments below if you were expecting other characters!
FASTEST SUPERHEROES OF ALL TIME
Number Fifteen: Iris West II (Impulse)
Universe: DC
Hero or Villain: Hero
Starting off our list of The Fastest Superheroes of All Time we have the daughter of Wally West and Linda Park – Iris West II!
I guess Iris West’s namesake has to live up to her legacy, huh?
Not much is known about the speed capabilities of Wally’s daughter, except that she is able to harness the speed force despite being so young. Although she places 12th in this list, she may well exceed her father’s speeds as she gets older.
Impulse at SHJ:
NO WORKOUT AVAILABLE..YET
Number Fourteen: Jesse Quick (Jesse Chambers)
Universe: DC
Hero or Villain: Hero
Coming in at number fourteen on the list of the fastest superhero characters of all time is Jesse Quick!
Jesse Quick is our second speedster to make this list, and if any of you know anything about speedsters, they are ridiculously fast – regardless of how their got their speed – be it from a met-cocoon or a bolt of lightning.
Jesse is the daughter of Harry Wells from Earth-2, and got her speed thanks to an accident with a dark matter cloud while visiting with her dad on Earth-1.
And not surprisingly, we have a handful of other speedsters still left to see on this list…
Jesse Quick at SHJ:
Number Thirteen: Max Mercury
Universe: DC
Hero or Villain: Hero
At number thirteen among the fastest superhero characters of all time is our third speedster – Max Mercury.
Max Mercury is the oldest speedster in the Flash family, and has trained both Bart Allen and Wally West. He has also aided Jay Garrick and Barry Allen in defeating several villains, including Savitar and Jay’s nemesis, the speedster villain Rival.
Max Mercury at SHJ:
NO WORKOUT AVAILABLE…YET
Number Twelve: Superboy (Kon-El)
Universe: DC
Hero or Villain: Hero
Next up among our fastest superhero characters of all time is Superboy, aka Kon-El (or Connor Kent in Smallville)!
Superboy is the genetic creation of C.A.D.M.U.S. Laboratories, and is the clone of Superman. While initially under the influence of Lex Luthor (who he shares half of his genetic makeup with – crazy, right?!) he later decides to be under the tutelage of Clark Kent, and even takes up Clark’s adoptive last name, Kent.
Superboy coming in at twelve on this list can be expected as he has exhibited some extent of super speed like Superman. He is also a member of the Teen Titans, and has appeared in shows like Young Justice and most recently, DC’s live-action Titans.
Superboy at SHJ:
Number Eleven: Aurora (Jeanne-Marie Baubier)
Universe: Marvel
Hero or Villain: Hero
In eleventh place on this list is our first Marvel superhero with super speed – a X-Man and former member of Canada’s super team Alpha Flight – Aurora.
Aurora is the twin sister of Northstar, and like her twin, exhibits superhuman stamina and enhanced speed. One reason why she isn’t higher up on this list is because as of yet, she has no definite control of her abilities and sometimes ends up in places she doesn’t want to be. Nonetheless, the fact she can break the sound barrier is enough to earn her spot on this list.
Aurora at SHJ:
NO WORKOUT AVAILABLE…YET
Number Ten: Quicksilver (Pietro Maximoff)
Universe: Marvel
Hero or Villain: Hero
In tenth place on the list of fastest superheroes of all time is Marvel’s version of The Flash – Quicksilver!
Quicksilver (in the comics) is the son of Magneto, and the twin brother of Scarlet Witch. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Quicksilver is referred to as a ‘miracle’ and not a mutant (possibly because of copyright issues with Fox). Portrayed by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Quicksilver zoomed into the silver screen in Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron.
“What? You didn’t see that coming?”
However, it wasn’t the first time that his character appeared. In X-Men Days of Future Past, Charles Xavier and Wolverine enlist the help of Peter (portrayed by Evan Peters) who is capable of speaking, thinking, and moving a supersonic speeds.
Quicksilver at SHJ:
Aaron Taylor Johnson Workout Routine
Number Nine: Kid Flash (Bart Allen)
Universe: Marvel
Hero or Villain: Hero
In ninth place on this list is our fourth speedster from the Flash Family – and it’s none other than Barry’s future son, Bart Allen. In CW’s The Flash, Bart is played by Jordan Fisher and goes by the name Impulse.
However, in the comics, he later changes his name to Kid Flash. In Young Justice, Bart takes the Kid Flash name after the original Kid Flash, Wally West, retires to live a civilian life with Artemis Crock. Like most of the Flash family, Bart is capable of superhuman speed – and has clocked 7,000 miles in 6 seconds according to his fandom page.
Kid Flash at SHJ:
Number Eight: Supergirl/Power Girl (Kara Zor-El/Kara Danvers)
Universe: DC
Hero or Villain: Hero
In our eighth spot on the fastest superheroes of all time, we have the Girl of Steel – Kara Zor-El of Krypton. As Superman’s cousin, Kara shares much of the same abilities as The Man of Steel. The only reason that she places here is because in terms of super speed (at least in the comics), Clark is much faster than her thanks to his many years absorbing yellow sun radiation. Regardless, Supergirl(Earth-1) or Power Girl (Earth-2) is on this list because she is much faster than other female heroes in both the Marvel and DC universes.
Supergirl at SHJ:
Melissa Benoist Workout Routine
Number Seven: Shazam (Billy Batson)
Universe: DC
Hero or Villain: Hero
Coming in at number seven on this list, we have the living embodiment of the strength of Hercules, the speed of Mercury, and the wisdom of Solomon – Shazam! While his human alter ego Billy Batson leaves a lot to be desired, once Billy utters the words ‘SHAZAM’, he is transformed into the champion of the wizard he is named after – and has all his abilities of flight, super strength, lightning powers, and of course – super speed.
What we’re focusing on however, is his super speed. While in flight, Shazam is capable of speeds reaching Mach 10 or 2 miles per second. I’m having trouble even reaching 1 mile in under 5 minutes. He’s so fast that in New 52’s Future’s End, Shazam was able to make people believe he was Superman – just by wearing an outfit with an S and a helmet to cover his true identity.
Shazam at SHJ:
Shazam Inspired Circuit Workout
Number Six: Makkari
Universe: Marvel
Hero or Villain: Hero
Just Missing the top 5 is one of Marvel’s gods of speed – because you can’t just have one – Makkari. Makkari is a member of The Eternals, a group of aliens who have lived on Earth for centuries and have mostly been observers of the evolution of mankind. While the other Eternals have enhanced speed as well, Makkari has channeled all his energy into getting faster, at the expense of his other abilities.
Because he’s been hyper-focused on achieving faster speeds, his body has accumulated a lot of fatigue and he can no longer run as fast as he used to. Stay tuned because we will (hopefully) get to see a glimpse of Makkari in Marvel’s Eternals – out (supposedly) this October. Fingers crossed!
Makkari at SHJ:
NO WORKOUT AVAILABLE…YET
Number Five: The Flash II (Barry Allen)
Universe: DC
Hero or Villain: Hero
At number five on our list is the second hero to don the Flash name – Barry Allen. Barry was a forensic scientist who was hit with lightning while working on some dangerous chemicals. As a result of his experience, Barry was connected to the Speed Force, granting him superhuman speed. He has used his speed to battle his gallery of rogues and keep his world safe – even joining the Justice League as a founding member during his tenure as a hero.
The Flash II at SHJ:
The Flash-Inspired Jump Rope Workout Routine
Number Four: Superman (Kal-El/Clark Kent)
Universe: DC
Hero or Villain: Hero
At number four on our list of fastest superheroes of all time is The Man of Steel himself – Superman! When he debuted in Action Comics #1 in 1938, the Man of Steel was described as being “faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.”
Superman is a Kryptonian, an alien from the dead planet of Krypton. On Krypton, Kal-El would not have had any super powers. However, on Earth, exposed to the radiation of a yellow sun, he has gained super powers such as flight, super speed, super strength, heat and x-ray vision and super hearing. Superman is easily one of the fastest heroes of the DC Multiverse, however, he’s not the fastest of them all.
Superman at SHJ:
Superman-Inspired Jump Rope Workout Routine
Number Three: The Flash III (Wally West)
Universe: DC
Hero or Villain: Hero
In our Top 3 of the fastest superheroes of all time we have the third speedster to take on the name of The Flash, Wally West. Wally was initially Kid Flash in the comics, but he later outgrew the name and later on carried the torch of Barry Allen as the newest Flash. While it’s said that Barry Allen was the first to gain access to the Speed Force, Wally has spent most of his adult life studying it, and learning from the Speed Force. Thus, he is capable of feats of speed that even Barry was unable to do in his prime. He is confirmed by DC to be the fastest character in the entire DC Multiverse.
The Flash III at SHJ:
Hagoromo Inspired Workout Routine
Number Two: Silver Surfer (Norrin Radd)
Universe: Marvel
Hero or Villain: Hero
At number two in our list of fastest superheroes of all time, we have a former heralds of Galactus, Norrin Radd aka Silver Surfer. The Silver Surfer is able to move a faster-than-light speeds courtesy of his connection to the Power Cosmic – which he has access to being a former Herald of Galactus. He’s so fast that even the Human Torch who can achieve supersonic speeds in flight had trouble catching up to him.
As he is no longer a Herald, he roams the stars in the hopes that his journey will lead him back to his homeworld and reunite him with his family. Silver Surfer made his first and only live-action appearance in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, which unfortunately, didn’t do too well in cinemas.
Silver Surfer at SHJ:
NO WORKOUT AVAILABLE…YET
Number One: Runner (Gilpetperdon Earth-616)
Universe: Marvel
Hero or Villain: Hero
At our number one spot, we have a pretty obscure character. Runner is one of the Elders of the Universe, a race of beings that have existed for millennia and were survivors in one of the earliest known galaxies created after the Big Bang. He is obsessed with speed – and his ultimate aim is to be able to be the first to see the entire universe and all it has to offer. He regularly holds his Galactic Marathon – a race that pits the fastest heroes and beings from across the multiverse. This race has included heroes like Makkari, Monica Rambeau, Silver Surfer, to name a few contenders.
Runner at SHJ:
NO WORKOUT AVAILABLE…YET
AND – that’s a wrap.
But I’d also love to hear who YOU think should be on this list!
The Fastest Characters of All Time (Runner Ups):
- Jay Garrick (Earth-2 Flash)
- Eobard Thawne
- Nova
- Sentry
Don’t forget to comment your thoughts below.
As always, remember that all these routines should be paired with our Nutrition Pillars; and you can even check out our article on The Top Diets Used Among Celebrities as well.
If you want to step it up a notch on top of these workouts then you can also check out our Superhero Academy and Superhuman System as well.
Now get out there and begin unleashing your inner superhuman!
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Until next time,
Timmy
SHJ’s Aqualad
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