DC is home to some of the most physically powerful villains in all of comic books, but as they destroy worlds and generally steal all the spotlight, there are plenty of speedster villains wreaking havoc on the world of DC. When you think of DC, Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman come to mind, but the Flash and his many speedster villains have introduced new and fascinating ideas to comics over the years.

That said, we’re not looking specifically at speedsters as we count down the fastest bad guys in DC. Some of the speediest supervillains in DC aren’t necessarily known for their speed, and we’ve been careful not to look solely at enemies of the Flash for this list.

That means that minor names such as Speed Demon and Lady Savitar make way for various other DC characters. It should be noted that Black Flash and Black Racer will not be considered; the former is more a title than a villain, while the latter is considered a neutral New God. Teleporters are also discounted, but in many cases, these characters have proven to be just as fast as instant teleportation anyway.

Here are the 15 Fastest Supervillains In DC Comics, Ranked.

15. Black Adam

Black Adam in Rage Mode

Black Adam is more of an anti-hero these days, but he is more popularly known as the arch rival of Captain Marvel. His power set has also differed over the years, but if anything has stayed the same, it’s that his strength and speed are near unmatched in the DC universe.

The upper limit of Black Adam’s speed is unknown, but the character, who is set to be played by Dwayne Johnson in an upcoming DCEU title, has racked up some seriously impressive feats. On his quest to challenge the hero who inherited the powers of Shazam, Adam crossed the width of the universe in just 5000 years (which may not sound that impressive, but the DC universe is said to be over 156 billion light years wide).

He has consistently flown at speeds greater than light, matching Superman and generally dominating Captain Marvel, and is not far behind on two legs, running alongside Golden Age Flash Jay Garrick.

14. The Rival

The Rival DC

Our first speedster is the self-proclaimed nemesis of Jay Garrick’s incarnation of the Flash, but it wasn’t always that way. Edward Clariss was a professor who initially idolized the Flash, eventually becoming so obsessed that he created a formula to replicate Jay’s powers. His experiments were mocked by his peers, and he turned to a life of crime, rebranding himself as Jay’s greatest Rival.

The Rival’s speed depends on the Velocity 9 formula, which wears off over time, but repeat doses have marked Clariss as one of the fastest villains Jay’s Flash has ever faced. In a particularly intense chase, the Rival reached light speed himself, vanishing into the Speed Force for 50 years as a result, and returning as a being of pure speed energy.

13. Danny West

Danny West

Driven mad by his abusive childhood, Danny West crippled his father, but when he was abandoned by his older sister (Iris West), Danny sought to reverse time and save their relationship by killing his father for good. Danny was hit by a monorail car powered by a Speed Force battery as he attempted to escape the Rogues, but he still wasn’t granted enough speed to travel back to the past.

Danny took it upon himself to track down speedsters and steal their powers, and with a fully-charged battery, he was finally successful in reversing time. He even beat Barry Allen in a straight race to the past, though Barry eventually convinced him to return his powers. Danny later resurfaces as the Reverse-Flash, though his second run as a speedster was ultimately brief.

12. Cobalt Blue

Flash Rogues Cobalt Blue

Barry Allen’s twin brother and Eobard Thawne’s distant ancestor, baby Malcolm was separated from his parents and offered to the Thawnes by Dr. Gilmore, whose mistake had led to the death of their own child. Malcolm Thawne found Dr. Gilmore years later, killing the doctor for hiding his identity from him, and turned against Barry for leading a life that could have been his.

Malcolm took the name Cobalt Blue, and the mysterious blue flame used by generations of Thawnes allowed him to steal speed from his opponents. He briefly stole Barry’s speed, but lost out when Barry used his own flame against him. After stealing Jay Garrick’s powers, Cobalt was even a match for Wally’s Flash, but was easily beaten after Wally had absorbed enough Speed Force energy.

11. Yuga Khan

Justice League Movie Yuga Khan

Arguably the most powerful of DC’s New Gods, Yuga Khan is most recognizable as the father of feared Justice League villain Darkseid. Darkseid himself can travel at speeds to match Superman, but he bowed in fear when Khan returned to take his place as ruler of Apokolips, where he made life doubly difficult for his subjects.

Khan traveled back to his home planet at speeds far beyond light. Messenger Lar Gand was unable to keep up with him, even with Khan stopping at various planets to consume their life energies, and Gand reaching light speeds of his own. He is fast enough to fly regularly through hyperspace, while he moved at such a speed in his attempts to reach the Source that he actually broke the barriers of reality.

10. Savitar

Savitar

From a New God to the God of Speed, Savitar was a Cold War fighter pilot whose jet was struck by lightning. Believing that he had been granted a divine gift, he renamed himself after Savitr, the Hindu God of Motion, and studied to uncover the secrets of the Speed Force.

Savitar isn’t necessarily the fastest speedster. In fact, the only speedster he has outright overpowered is Johnny Quick, who doesn’t compare to the various Flashes of DC. He is beaten by both Wally West and a resurrected Barry Allen, though he is consistently faster than the pair of them on season three of The Flash, which should count for something.

Ultimately, it’s his unprecedented knowledge of speed allows him access to powers that no other speedster has been able to master. Savitar can conjure force fields, heal instantly, and hand out speed as repayment to his devoted followers.

9. Walter West

Walter West Dark Flash Justice League of America Comic Book

Walter West is an alternate universe version of Wally, whose life exactly mirrored Wally’s until his Linda Park was murdered by Kobra. Walter actually sought guidance from Savitar on his path to revenge, eventually falling in with the God of Motion and learning from him the secrets of the Speed Force. Walter killed his teacher as soon as he had surpassed him, and took up the mantle of Dark Flash.

He defeated Wally in their first match, and even went blow-for-blow with Impulse, Jesse Quick and Max Mercury combined, but he lost the rematch with his current timeline lookalike. Walter’s speed is the benchmark for the rest of this list, given that he and Wally share exactly the same potential and a win apiece.

8. Stayne

Stayne DC Comics

Blind psychologist Josh Saunders was transformed into Takion by Highfather, leader of New Genesis, to represent the Source in the event of his death. Takion’s connection to the Source grants him access to the Speed Force, and though he is not necessarily a speedster, he has speed powers to match the Earth’s Flash. In fact, after becoming a New God, Takion easily overcomes the combined powers of Wally West, Green Lantern, and Captain Atom.

Meanwhile, Darkseid, who planned to destroy the Source Wall, imbued a female human with his own powers to cut Takion off from the Source. He named his creation Stayne, and she serves as a dark opposite to the New God. Stayne is a rarity in DC, but she has proven to have powers equivalent to Takion, and has the potential to take control over the Source and all reality.

7. Ares

Speaking of Highfather, it was Ares who actually killed the leader of the New Gods, turning on him rather than battle Darkseid. Best known these days for his recent appearance in Wonder Woman, where he is portrayed as Diana’s half-brother and arch-nemesis, Ares is the God of War, more commonly associated with immense physical and psychic powers than any affinity for super speed.

After absorbing a huge amount of energy, Ares is often said to have the speed and reflexes to rival Hermes, the fastest of DC’s Olympian gods. Wally West even admits that Hermes has speed far beyond his own, while the Speed Force cannot contain the magic of the Olympians. This means that Ares, at his peak, is likewise faster than Wally’s Flash.

6. Amazo

Amazo, from DC Comics

Designed by mad scientist Dr. Ivo, who sought to preserve his immortality by eliminating the Justice League, Amazo quickly outgrew his primary agenda. The ultimate android weapon abandoned his creator and hunted the Justice League alone. Programmed to mimic the powers of the individual members of the JLA, Amazo - at his most powerful - is a match for the entire original team at the same time.

Amazo has been beaten only by Superman and Batman, though his database had been wiped before he faced off against the latter. The Flash has never fought him alone, but Amazo is proven to be a match for his raw speed. The added bonuses of Superman’s power, Wonder Woman’s skill, and Batman’s tactical mind only improve his reflexes and reaction time.

5. Future Flash

Future Barry tries to kill Barry Allen in The Flash

There have been plenty of future versions of Barry in DC’s long history, but Future Flash is a mantle reserved only for the villainous incarnation, and one that should be very familiar following the third season of The Flash. Serving as The CW’s inspiration for Savitar, Future Flash hails from a timeline in which Wally is killed by Eobard Thawne. Deeply depressed, Barry comes to the decision that he has taken his duties too lightly, and travels back in time to kill the enemies of his past.

He goes on an immediate killing spree upon his arrival in the present, exploding Gorilla Grodd from the inside, leaving Mirror Master to die in an earthquake, and decapitating Danny West’s Reverse-Flash. He makes quick work of Barry and Wally combined, trapping the former in the Speed Force to keep his past self from interfering, and declares himself the new Flash.

4. Eobard Thawne

Eobard Thawne aka Professor Zoom

Eobard Thawne also originates from the future, and for every time Barry Allen overcomes his great rival, an alternate timeline version of Thawne rocks up to surpass him once more. He and Barry are destined to go back and forth for all eternity, but where Thawne has the edge over Barry (and, by the same logic, Future Flash) is the creation of his very own Speed Force.

Driven insane by the fact that he must become the arch nemesis of his childhood hero, Thawne studied the Speed Force intently, eventually developing the Negative Speed Force and traveling back to fulfil his destiny. The Negative Speed Force works differently from the original; Thawne uses it to stop time, freely delete people from existence, and even steal the energy of Barry’s Speed Force, ensuring that he always remains a step ahead.

3. Inertia

Thaddeus Thawne Inertia DC

The rivalry between the Allen and Thawne families does not end with Barry and Eobard. When 30th Century President, Thaddeus Thawne, failed in turning Bart Allen against his own family, he created a clone and gave it his own name. Thaddeus II later took up the name Inertia.

His development was slow, forcing him to take a more calculated approach that later resulted in Bart’s death by the Rogues. Wally avenged his fellow Flash, trapping Inertia in the present day Flash Museum, but he was freed soon after by Hunter Zolomon.

Zoom tries to convince Inertia to take up the mantle of Kid Flash to atone for his sins, but Inertia steals Zoom’s own powers and labels himself Kid Zoom. For a brief time, Inertia has combined speed and time-altering abilities, something neither Zoom or any speedster has ever experienced. He is swiftly outnumbered by the Rogues, but Inertia as Kid Zoom is quite possibly the winner in a battle royale of DC speedsters.

2. Godspeed

Godspeed in DC comics

August Heart, a colleague of Barry’s at the CCPD, is granted super speed when a Speed Force storm erupts over Central City. As August assists Barry in recovering those affected by the storm, he secretly takes up the mantle of Godspeed, and sets about stealing their powers in an attempt to catch his brother’s killer.

As a result of being struck by pure Speed Force energy, August can both sense his fellow speedsters and absorb their powers, which makes his potential effectively limitless. Barry challenges Godspeed when he finally catches on that August killed the suspect in his brother’s murder, but the gap continues to widen as Godspeed steals more and more speed.

Only after enlisting Wally and several of his speedster recruits is Barry able to overcome his most recent villain, but Iron Heights is all that separates Godspeed from a speedy return.

1. Hunter Zolomon

Hunter Zolomon Zoom

Hunter Zolomon might be a controversial pick for the top spot, given that he doesn’t actually possess any speed powers, but this was never a list of pure speedsters. Known more commonly as Zoom, particularly after his stint as the big bad of The Flash’s second season (which takes the character in a different direction altogether), Zolomon has no direct connection to the Speed Force.

Instead, he alters time relative to himself, which gives him the appearance of moving at superhuman speed, when in fact he is simply slowing everything else down. Even if he is technically traveling at entirely human levels of speed, Zoom is able to consistently outrun Wally at his fastest, and not to mention that he has the best reaction time of just about any character in DC.

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Who do you think is the fastest DC supervillain? Let us known in the comments!