The widely popular comedy sci-fi series Rick and Morty has its own version of Flash’s Speed Force from DC Comics, and it is absolutely ridiculous. One of the most beloved characters introduced in Rick and Morty is unarguably Pickle Rick after that version of Rick was introduced in the Rick and Morty season 3 episode titled “Pickle Rick.” While it is assumed that Pickle Rick is literally just Rick but as a pickle, fans learn that this version of Rick actually has access to Rick and Morty’s version of the Speed Force and it’s just as ridiculous as fans should expect.
In Rick and Morty Presents: The Vindicators #1 by J. Torres and CJ Cannon, Rick and Morty have been recruited by the Vindicators to help fight a multiversal villain. When Rick agrees to help, he says he will only do so if he can gather his own team of extraordinarily wacky characters to battle the evil threat. One of his choices is an alternate version of Pickle Rick, one who is his own character and not just a form taken by the original Rick. When Rick brought Pickle Rick on board, he explained to the other members of the team the source of Pickle Rick’s powers and life force, which pulled heavily from the Flash’s Speed Force.
When Morty and the Vindicators follow Rick into a hidden chamber on a distant world, Morty is shocked by lightning as they approach a vat of fluid containing an unknown figure. Rick explains that they are all bearing witness to the rebirth of Pickle Rick in a form that is far more powerful than anyone has ever seen before. This new version of Pickle Rick has access to an energy source known as the Sour Force which gives Pickle Rick the power to move at incredible speed, summon lightning, and even manipulate the timestream. The Sour Force is a clear parody of the Flash’s Speed Force and even references the Flash’s most impactful DC Comics storyline to date: Flashpoint.
DC Comics’ Flashpoint follows the story of Barry Allen as he travels back in time to save his mother by tapping into the cosmically powerful Speed Force. However, after he saves her in the past and awakes back in his present time, he sees that the world changed as a result of his meddling. So, the Flash is forced to go back in time and undo the damage he caused before the world is utterly destroyed. When Rick references Flashpoint while explaining Pickle Rick’s Sour Force, he trails off by basically saying that the time-altering powers of this Speed Force parody is too convoluted to matter. Rick’s comment is a clear jab at Flashpoint while Pickle Rick’s newfound powers are an overall mockery of the Flash’s abilities.
Rick and Morty’s version of Flash’s Speed Force is absolutely ridiculous as it turns the Flash’s godly power into a pickle-themed joke while simultaneously making a one-off character like Pickle Rick way more powerful than fans ever thought possible.