The Flash is the fastest character in DC Comics — but pinning down an exact number is harder than it sounds. Different versions of the Scarlet Speedster hit wildly different top speeds across comics, TV, and film. We broke down every major speed feat to give you the definitive answer on just how fast the Flash is when he really cuts loose.
Key Takeaways
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Wally West holds the all-time speed record at an estimated 13 trillion times the speed of light, achieved during a city-wide evacuation in JLA #89.
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Barry Allen's top TV speed was approximately 670.6 million miles per hour in The Flash Season 6.
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The Flash consistently beats even Superman in races — DC Comics confirmed Barry lets Superman win out of politeness.
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The Speed Force is the key difference between DC's Flash and every other fast character in fiction.
The Flash: How Fast Can He Run?
The Flash can run 13 trillion times faster than the speed of light — that's approximately 2.5 quintillion miles per second according to comic book calculations.
Unlike Superman or Wonder Woman (whose powers are inborn), Barry Allen's superhuman abilities come from the Speed Force. This extradimensional energy field serves as the source of all speedster powers. This cosmic force allows him to:
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Travel across dimensions and universes
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Create time remnants (temporal duplicates)
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Harness kinetic energy manipulation
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Phase through solid matter
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Time travel and alter reality
In The CW's The Flash series starring Grant Gustin, Barry Allen gained his powers after being struck by a bolt of lightning while working in the Central City Police Department's crime lab, granting him super speed, accelerated thinking, and quantum computer-level computational abilities.
What Is The Top Speed Of The Flash?
Comics: The Fastest Flash Feats Ever Recorded
Wally West holds the record for the fastest speed ever achieved. In JLA #89, the former Kid Flash had to evacuate 532,000 people in half a microsecond from a nuclear explosion, requiring him to travel 17.5 million miles at 13 trillion times the speed of light.
Key speedster hierarchy in DC Comics:
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Wally West — Fastest Flash, with direct Speed Force connection
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Barry Allen — Original Flash, can access the Speed Force via tachyon device enhancement
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Jay Garrick — Golden Age Flash, shares Speed Force connection
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Reverse Flash (Eobard Thawne) — Barry's nemesis with comparable speeds [1]
Movies: DCEU Flash Speed Measurements
In 2017's Justice League, Ezra Miller's Flash demonstrated speeds of Mach 28 (approximately 21,400 miles per hour), which surpassed Superman's recorded Mach 27.5 in the same film.
The 2023 Flash movie explored time travel capabilities, though specific speed measurements weren't provided for the theatrical release.
If you're a collector who appreciates both versions of the Scarlet Speedster, the DC Comics 2 Flashes Chibi Keychain is a fun nod to the Barry-and-Wally legacy.
In What Episode Has The Flash Run Fastest?
Season 6, Episode 1, "Into the Void," featured Barry Allen's fastest recorded TV speed — approximately 670.6 million miles per hour (Mach 874,031) — sustained for over 30 seconds to escape a black hole's immense gravity. The Flash's top speed in the Arrowverse remains that Season 6 benchmark, and Grant Gustin's Barry Allen never surpassed it across the remaining seasons.
Barry Allen's Speed Progression by Season
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Season |
Top Speed |
Context |
|---|---|---|
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Season 1 |
Over 700 mph |
Broke the sound barrier, stopped an F5 tornado |
|
Season 2 |
2,532 mph |
Battling Eliza Harmon (Trajectory) |
|
Season 3 |
~Mach 13 |
Racing Savitar, a god-like speedster |
|
Season 4 |
120 million mph |
Post-Speed Force imprisonment |
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Season 5 |
8.3 million mph |
Season focused on Barry's daughter Nora West-Allen |
|
Season 6 |
670.6 million mph |
Black hole escape |
|
Season 8 |
Not officially clocked |
Barry evacuated two bullet trains in twelve seconds |
|
Season 9 |
8.3 million mph |
Without external energy sources |
In Season 1 of the Grant Gustin TV show, Barry broke the sound barrier for the first time, developed a supersonic punch to defeat Tony Woodward, and even traveled through time after clocking over 1,500 miles per hour. Each season focused on Barry learning new tricks — from throwing lightning in Season 2 to phasing through solid matter by Season 3.
One thing longtime fans will notice: Barry's speed resets almost every season. He'll dodge lightning in one episode and then struggle against a street-level villain in the next episode. The fan community often calls this "speedster amnesia," and it largely comes down to different writers and directors handling individual episodes rather than maintaining a consistent speed benchmark. Throughout the series, Barry's wife Iris West remained the emotional anchor while the speed of the Flash continued to climb.
The Season 9 number might look like a step backward, but it reflects Barry running purely on his own reserves without tapping into additional Speed Force energy — which makes it an interesting baseline for Barry Allen's natural abilities. Grant Gustin's portrayal across all nine seasons gave fans hope that Barry could always find a way to run faster when it mattered most.
You can also check out our top The Flash gift ideas here.
How Does The Flash Compare to Other Speedsters?
The Flash vs. Sonic the Hedgehog
The Flash would easily outrun Sonic in any race scenario. While Sonic's top speed involves outrunning a black hole (requiring approximately 186,000 miles per hour), Barry regularly travels at light speed millions of times over. Sonic is fast by video game standards, but the Speed Force puts the Flash in a completely different tier.
The Flash vs. Superman
The Flash is faster than Superman — and it's not particularly close. DC Comics has confirmed that Barry would often let Superman win races out of politeness. When Superman tried to keep up with Barry Allen, Jay Garrick, and Wally West simultaneously, he was left far behind. Superman can achieve speeds of Mach 27.5, but he can only keep up with the Flash for a short time before falling behind.
Their rivalry has played out across multiple comics issues since Superman #199 in 1967, and the Flash has beaten Superman in races multiple times. The answer is always the same — the Flash is faster when Barry actually tries.
For fans who love seeing DC icons side by side, the The Flash and Batman Chibi Keychain captures that same World's Finest energy.
The Flash vs. Quicksilver
The Flash vastly outpaces Marvel's Quicksilver. In the comics, Quicksilver's mutant abilities max out around Mach 4–5 (approximately 3,000–4,000 miles per hour). The MCU version from X-Men: Days of Future Past appears significantly faster based on the kitchen slow-motion sequence, but even those implied speeds don't come close to Flash's speed at cosmic-level velocities. The Speed Force gives the Flash access to powers that simply don't exist in Marvel's framework — Barry Allen is capable of feats Quicksilver can't even approach.
Can The Flash Outrun Light?
Yes — and it's not even close. The Flash regularly exceeds the speed of light. The Speed Force lets Barry bypass Einstein's theoretical speed limit entirely, traveling at about 1.75 quintillion miles per second at peak performance. For context, light travels at 186,000 miles per second. The Flash is the fastest character in the mainstream DC Universe by a wide margin.
Wally West has gone even further, outrunning instantaneous teleportation across the entire universe in The Flash vol. 2 #108–111 (a storyline called "The Human Race"). That feat puts the Flash's speed beyond any conventional measurement — he's not just fast; he's operating at a level where normal physics stops applying.
The DC Super Powers 5-Inch Action Figure captures the character's classic look in all his Speed Force glory — a solid shelf piece for anyone who appreciates the OG design.
FAQs
Did Flash Beat Superman in a Race?
Yes, the Flash has beaten Superman multiple times. Their first race took place in Superman #199 in 1967, and they've raced several times since across comics, cartoons, and film. The comics consistently confirm the Flash is faster — Barry Allen, Wally West, and even Jay Garrick have all outrun Superman when it actually mattered.
Who Is the Fastest Flash?
Wally West is considered the fastest Flash. The Flash War storyline confirmed that Wally maintains a constant connection to the Speed Force, giving him an edge over Barry Allen. His 13-trillion-times-light-speed evacuation feat, his race against death itself, and his ability to outrun instantaneous teleportation all put him in a class of his own among other speedsters.
Barry Allen generates the Speed Force and theoretically has limitless potential, but based on documented feats, Wally is the undisputed fastest man alive.
How Fast Is The Flash in Season 9?
In Season 9 of the Grant Gustin TV show, the Flash can run up to 8.3 million miles per hour without accessing additional Speed Force energy sources. That's a lower number than Barry's Season 6 peak, but it represents his natural speed ceiling without external boosts.
How Fast Can The Flash Run per Second?
At maximum velocity, Wally West can travel approximately 2.5 quintillion miles per second — faster than the speed of light by a factor of trillions. Barry Allen's peak documented speed is lower, but still far exceeds the speed of light. In the CW series, Barry's top per-second speed during the black hole escape works out to roughly 186 million miles per second.
On a Final Note
The Flash remains the fastest man alive in DC Comics, capable of outrunning Superman, traversing dimensions, and escaping death itself. From Barry Allen breaking the sound barrier in Season 1 to Wally West running 13 trillion times the speed of light in the comics, the Flash's speed has always been the stuff of legend.
Whether you're building a collection around your favorite DC speedster or just looking for a fun way to rep the Flash, gear like the Hybrid Metal Figuration Action Figure, the Flash Chibi Character Metal Keychain, or the Super Speed Coaster Bottle Opener all make solid additions. The more you grab, the more you save — check out our Buy More, Save More deals and stack your Flash collection for less.
Ready to add some Flash speed to your collection? Check out our The Flash merchandise featuring everything from action figures to collectibles celebrating the Fastest Man Alive.
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