The name of the game on The CW comic book series numerous speedy heroes and villains show up in Central City.
From the fastest beings on multiple Earths to men that are fast enough to travel between them via the Speed Force, the characters on this DC Comics show live the title of the fastest of the fast.
Updated on July 31st, 2021 by George Chrysostomou: Barry Allen may still be the Fastest Man Alive but there have been a variety of speedsters brought into The CW's Flash since the rankings were last calculated. Many of these new speedsters are incredibly agile and surprisingly fast, either relying on the Speed Force or perhaps some other method of increasing their velocity. Not all of these speedsters have morally just intentions though.
Edward Clariss
When Barry Allen finally made the move to save his mother's life and prevent her murder at the hands of Reverse-Flash, he created the Flashpoint timeline. In that timeline, Edward Clariss was the rival to the Wally West of that world.
Unlike Wally, Clariss was a bad guy who just wanted to be bad. He wasn't quite as fast as Wally, who was still new as a hero, so since he was a step below a brand-new speedster, he ranks pretty low. Barry was able to beat him with almost no effort, despite starting to lose his powers in the Flashpoint timeline.
Eliza Harmon
Before Jesse Quick, Eliza Harman was the only female speedster in The Flash TV world. Unlike the speedsters who got their powers from the Speed Force, Harman got her powers from the drug Velocity-9, which had the side effect of giving her a split personality.
While she seemed faster than Barry Allen while on the drugs, he was able to just run faster and faster to catch up to her. It should also be noted that, at this time, Flash was still not as fast as Zoom. When she decided she needed to up her speed, she thought more drugs would help but then ended up disintegrating, proving she had a top-level she could never sur.
Iris West-Allen
The first time Iris West-Allen suited up as a speedster it was after she was briefly gifted powers from Barry Allen. Their DNA swap essentially meant that for a short period of time Iris actually had a link to the Speed Force. She was a little inexperienced though.
Since she had the powers of Barry Allen in theory she should have been one of the fastest speedsters in existence. She didn't get to have enough time with the Speed Force though, meaning she never got to unleash her full potential. The raw power alone means she's faster than a few other Speedsters though.
Wally West
In the comics, Wally West was the second Flash after Barry Allen died saving the world in Crisis on Infinite Earths. In The CW version of Flash, Wally West was a very different character. Here, he was Joe West's son from his estranged wife who loved street racing and was obsessed with speed.
Wally wanted more than anything to become a speedster, too, especially after Jesse Wells gained her powers. He got his powers and soon proved that he was even faster than Barry Allen when he first gained his powers. This means that, over time, Wally West could sur Barry for speed but he isn't there yet as the family competition continues.
Jesse Wells
Jesse Wells received her powers when she was hit by a pulse of dark matter when Barry Allen was trying to get his powers back. Taking on the name Jesse Quick, she is the daughter of Harrison Wells from Earth-2. She is not only very powerful but Harrison said that she is smarter than he is, which is very impressive.
She beat Wally West in a race, so she is clearly quicker than he is. She also held her own against Savitar, which was impressive as well. As the main Flash on her Earth, Jesse can run over Mach 2 in speed and should get faster with more experience.
Bart West-Allen
As the son of Barry and Iris, Bart West-Allen inherited his father's speed skills. Running around as the heroic Impulse, the name very much matches his recklessness and attitude. Regardless his risks tend to pay off and he has a promising future ahead of him.
The link to the Speed Force aside, the raw power within Impulse is impressive. It's a level of ability that has also been seen in Bart's sister and he has demonstrated his impressive agility and fast reflexes in a number of dangerous situations. Impulse is missing the necessary experience though.
Nora West-Allen
Nora West-Allen also contains the sheer power of her father and brother, as well as a constant link to the Speed Force. She's demonstrated that she's clever enough and powerful enough to time travel and utilize the Negative Speed Force as well. Her experiences have taught her a great deal.
The character ultimately has a little bit more time to learn than Impulse meaning she is slightly faster and able to use her speedster skills in a more efficient way. She's very much still learning though and has been outmatched by some significant runners already.
August Heart
There have been so many Godspeeds at varying speeds that it's difficult to work out how fast they really are. One of the first versions of the character actually managed to outrun Barry Allen, but August Heart's obsession with having speed means he is tapping into a variety of methods to become a speedster.
This unreliable cocktail of Velocity, other such drugs, the Speed Force, and a range of other methods means that his speed can be slightly less than it needs to be at times. While not always having the raw power, his technique is pretty flawless helping the speedster rise up the ranks.
Jay Garrick
Jay Garrick is the Flash from Earth-3 and served as a mentor figure for Barry Allen. He is the doppelganger of Henry Allen, which is really cool since actor John Wesley Shipp portrayed Flash on the old '90s television show before taking the role of Barry's dad on this CW series.
Jay was very fast and actually caught up with Barry Allen to pull him out of the timestream when he tried to undo the Flashpoint changes. He was also able to keep up with Salizar, although he lost that fight. He is slower than Zoom, though, who beat and imprisoned him on his own Earth.
Hunter Zolomon
Hunter Zolomon was one of the scariest villains on Flash when he showed up as Zoom. This is the Earth-2 version of Hunter — a serial killer who was given super-speed by the S.T.A.R. Labs particle accelerator explosion. After becoming known as the Speed Demon, he artificially increased his speed until he was able to break the dimensional barrier.
In season two he betrayed the team, fooling them for weeks, and beat Barry so badly that he left him paralyzed meaning that it seemed no one was stronger. He also stole Barry's speed and became the fastest man alive. Even when Barry got his powers back, Zoom was faster. However, the one problem was that Barry could naturally increase his speed and Zoom couldn't, so that is how he ended up falling short.
