The 10 Fastest DC Characters Who Don’t Have the Speed Force

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The Flash is arguably the most famous and quickest speedster in comic books, powered by a mysterious energy source called the Speed Force. This force connects all members of the Flash family – like Barry Allen and Wally West – allowing them incredible speed. However, the Speed Force isn’t the only way to achieve super speed in the DC Universe. Many heroes and villains can move almost as fast as the Flash, and some can even keep up with or surpass him.

Although Barry Allen and Wally West are known as the fastest people in the DC Universe, many DC Comics characters can challenge speedsters without using the Speed Force itself.

10) Martian Manhunter

J’onn J’onzz, better known as Martian Manhunter, has incredible superpowers, but his speed often gets underestimated. Thanks to his Martian biology, he can travel across vast distances in space incredibly quickly – many times faster than the speed of light. He can circle the globe in seconds and travel between Mars and Earth in just minutes. He consistently matches the speed of other fast heroes like Superman, Wonder Woman, and the Flash, even when they’re moving at blinding speeds. While the Flash is still the fastest, Martian Manhunter is easily one of the DC Universe’s quickest heroes.

9) Doctor Fate

As a huge DC fan, I’m always fascinated by the power levels of different heroes, and Doctor Fate is seriously up there! He’s basically DC’s Sorcerer Supreme, and his magic is off the charts. What’s really incredible is where his power comes from – this ancient helmet called the Helmet of Fate. It’s not just a helmet though, it actually contains the soul of this being called Nabu. Apparently, at one point, the helmet moved so fast – they even said ‘the velocity of God’ – that it reached the edge of the universe in a single year! That’s way faster than light, obviously. When Kent Nelson wears the helmet, he can tap into that same incredible speed. So, he doesn’t have the Speed Force like the Flash, but honestly, with the Helmet of Fate, I think Doctor Fate could definitely keep up with those speedsters.

8) Lightray

Solis, also known as Lightray, is a powerful New God from the planet New Genesis. He’s incredibly fast, and his speed lives up to his reputation. Lightray regularly travels faster than the speed of light, letting him cross the universe in mere seconds. For example, he can fly from Earth to the Sun in just one minute – much faster than light itself, which takes eight minutes to make the same journey. Perhaps his most impressive feat is circling the massive planet Apokolips, which is larger than entire galaxies, thousands of times in under a day.

7) Green Lantern

As a huge comic book fan, I’ve always been amazed by Hal Jordan. People often say he has one of the strongest wills out there, and you really see that in how he uses his Green Lantern ring – he pushes it further than anyone else. Like all Lanterns, he can zip across the universe in an instant, but one story really stands out. He raced Lightray, a New God, and built a jet construct to keep up. It was incredible! He flew so fast the jet was almost torn apart, but he forced it to hold together and go even faster. He actually got to the point where his construct was nearly tapping into the Speed Force! In the end, he beat Lightray, proving that sheer willpower can overcome even a god-like being. It’s a testament to just how powerful Hal Jordan truly is.

6) Shazam

Billy Batson becomes the superhero Shazam by saying the word “Shazam,” gaining powers from figures in ancient mythology, including Mercury, the Roman God of Speed. This gives Shazam incredible speed, allowing him to move faster than lightning and keep up with incredibly fast heroes like Superman and Wonder Woman. He’s even raced around the world with Wally West at speeds many times faster than light, and proven to be quicker than some speedsters like Kid Flash. Thanks to Mercury’s power, Shazam is undoubtedly one of the fastest heroes in the DC Universe.

5) Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman is incredibly powerful and fast, a gift from her godly family. She’s proven her abilities by defeating even the fastest villains – she once beat Zoom while blindfolded and outraced a mind-controlled Superman to the Sun in just 20 seconds. However, her most amazing feat came during a battle with the Shattered God, an ancient being broken into countless pieces. This deity tried to reform by pulling its fragments together from across the universe, but Wonder Woman used her bracelets to intercept every single piece before it could reconnect. Blocking thousands of fragments, each traveling faster than light, at the same time is a truly remarkable display of power.

4) Cheetah

Cheetah, also known as Barbara Minerva, is surprisingly one of the fastest villains in the DC Universe. Her greatest strength against Wonder Woman is her incredible speed, allowing her to move so quickly Wonder Woman can’t even follow. She’s even fast enough to occasionally keep up with and surprise the Flash, attacking him with her dangerous claws. The villain Zoom once pointed out that because Cheetah’s powers come from magic, her speed has virtually no limit.

3) Darkseid

Darkseid, the powerful and terrifying ruler of Apokolips, is considered the ultimate villain across the entire DC Multiverse. He’s strong enough to fight even the most powerful heroes, like Superman, and incredibly fast despite his massive, rocky appearance. He can react in a fraction of a second, so quickly that Superman couldn’t even follow his movements once when Darkseid grabbed him. In one amazing feat, Darkseid traveled to the very edge of the universe, the Source Wall, in just seconds – moving at an unbelievable speed many times faster than light (a speed with 72 zeroes after it!).

2) Black Racer

The Black Racer is arguably the most terrifying of the New Gods. He is death, relentlessly fulfilling his role as a grim reaper. Traveling the universe at incredible speed with his cosmic skis, no one can escape him for long. When he targets a member of the Flash family, they’re forced to run for their lives, pushing their speed to the absolute limit just to avoid his deadly grasp. He’s even come close to capturing Barry Allen several times, but outside forces always intervened, preventing him from claiming the Scarlet Speedster’s soul.

1) Superman

When it comes to speed, Superman is one of the few heroes who can rival the Flash and his connection to the Speed Force. Superman has demonstrated incredible speed feats, like quickly reassembling the moon after it was destroyed, traveling to the edge of the universe in seconds, and even moving so fast that he warps space and slows time around him. Before a major story change (known as Crisis), he was even shown flying so fast he broke the rules of physics and threatened the boundaries of the entire DC Multiverse! While the Flash (both Barry and Wally) can be faster at their absolute peak, Superman remains one of the fastest characters in DC Comics.

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2025-10-21 17:14