Speed Force

The Flash in the Speed Force in Flash: The Fastest Man Alive v1 #1.

The Speed Force is a concept that features in DC Comics.

History

Origin

The Speed Force was an extradimensional energy force that was known to empower speedsters. One account held that the power of the Speed Force was the same as the Godwave that was formed following the destruction of the Third World of the Old Gods. (Genesis v1#2) Another held that the Speed Force was created by Barry Allen in the modern age when he was struck by lightning and that it spiralled to encompass every dimension, universe and era. (The Flash: Rebirth v1 #4) In 1838, it was known to had empowered Max Crandall where he became a hero known at the time as Windrunner. Several years later, it called to him and wanted him to join the Speed Force as other speedsters had done before him but he suffered a moment of hesitation causing him to be catapulted into the year 1891. After then, he made a number of attempts to reconnect to the lightning but each time got sent to a different era where he was given a new superhero identity. (Flash v2 #97) Many years ago, the Edward Clariss’s superspeed was returned to him and he escaped prison with Jay Garrick pursuing him. However, the Rival began to accelerate faster and faster until he seemingly ran himself out of existence. In reality, Clariss was trapped within the Speed Force where he remained for the next 50 years. (JSA v1 #16)

On the planet Savoth, the alien inhabitants had developed a deep understanding of the Speed Force with universities being built for its study. A scientist by the name of Gorflack later built a Speed Force cannon to defend his world from alien invaders. However, use of the device instead brought Jay Garrick to Savoth who helped protect the world. For his help, Gorflack gave Garrick a lightning shaped piece of solidified Speed Force that he along with his successors could use to transport to Savoth. (Flash v2 #233)

In reality, Allen joined the Speed Force where he shed his identity where he became completely lost with his sense of individuality vanishing. (The Flash: Rebirth v1 #1) It was believed that after his 'death' that he became privy to the nature of the Speed Force. Afterwards, Wally West sought to understand the nature of his super-speed with him consulting with Johnny Quick and Max Mercury that offered their own ways of using their powers. However, Max was the one that revealed the existence of an energy force that was tapped into by speedsters. (Flash v2 #91)

Gorbzil Mammit used helmet like devices in order to instill the Speed Force into four gorillas that fought Max Mercury. He also made use of an anti-Speed Force device in an attempt to defeat Bart Allen but was stopped when a power cut shut off the machine. (Legends of the DC Universe v1 #19)

During a battle with Extant, the time-manipulating villain went into the timestream and deleted the moment Jay Garrick became empowered by the Speed Force to be the Flash. This turned him into an ordinary human in the fight and thus powerless to fight the supervillain. (JSA v1 #13) Johnny Sorrow as part of his machinations against the Justice Society freed the Rival from the Speed Force on the condition that he kill Jay Garrick with this being a task that Clariss gladly accepted. (JSA v1 #16)

During the battle against Superboy-Prime, a number of speedsters attempted to defeat him by shunting him into the Speed Force. A number of long departed speedsters aided in dragging him into that dimension. Jay Garrick later commented that he felt that the Speed Force was gone. (Infinite Crisis v1 #4)

Around this time, the Black Flash was killed with his remains left in Fallville on Earth. Barry Allen when he used his super-speed inadvertently served as a portal allowing for Savitar to be freed but after touching the Flash his body disintegrated to dust. In this time, a Speed Surge erupted affecting many of the Speed Force users causing them to experience a Speed Seizure. Whilst investigating, Barry and Wally went to investigate where they uncovered the body of the Black Flash when they were attacked by Christina Alexandrova who was angry at her master Savitar's death. Her body began to disintegrate after she was touched by Barry Allen with Wally West concluding that his predecessor had been transformed into the new Black Flash. (The Flash: Rebirth v1 #2)

In the 25th century, study of the Speed Force outside of the Flash Museum was illegal and grounds for arrest by the Science Police. (Flash v3 #8)

In Dark Tomorrow, an alternate future was created when Impulse and Carol Bucklen travelled to the 30th century. Once there, Bucklen began studying the Speed Force and a way of imparting it on normal humans o accelerate their metabolism, improve health and confer speed powers to everyone on Earth. Carol's early tests were successful with Earthgov President Thawne abusing this development to create an army of speedster soldiers known as the Hyperguard to enforce his rule. A side effect of the process, however, led to a complete physical and mental breakdown of the subjects with this future being averted by Impulse. (Impulse v1 #73-75)

Post-Flashpoint

Following the Flashpoint, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events. It was said to be one component of an all-powerful Forever Force that consisted of four cosmic Forces of creation which included the Speed Force, the Strength Force, the Sage Force and the Still Force. However, these forces were not working in unison to aid the Multiverse with one another but rather were opposed to each other. They each battled the other in order to survive and take control of the Forever Force. It was said that the last time the Forces were at war with one another that it almost tore the Multiverse apart. At some point, a Speed Force avatar banished to defeat their three other rivals and banished their powers beyond the Force Barrier. (The Flash v5 #63) This source of energy has existed since the beginning of time, acting as a 3-D projection detailing past, present and future events of both reality and all those touched by the Speed Force. Throughout history the force has sought to reach out and alter those with its wondrous gifts, usually in the form of trans-dimensional plasma storms. It does this as a means to finding the one worthy to expend the built up energy it creates as it pushes time forward, acting as its runner to maintain the delicate fabric of existence. (The Flash v4 #13) The Speed Force can become incredibly volatile without an outlet to help expend its excess energy, often snatching people, places and things from across the eras into the Speed Force dimension, as well as depositing some of it or affecting anything and everything within it's immediate vicinity in odd ways whenever it built up to critical mass. (The Flash v4 #2)

It was claimed that the Speed Force had long sought a person that was worthy of its power. Long ago, it was responsible for wiping out the ancient Mayan civilization, had struck gorillas where it sped their minds to give them heightened intelligence who built Gorilla City and snatched people that were trapped within it. (Flash v4 #9) The apes of Gorilla City who had studied the Speed Force for centuries, been accelerated to the point they unlocked a higher consciousness from within after a lost civilization was destroyed by it, enabling the increase of their mental capacity and ingenuity, growing into psychic powers coming with age and the viewing of the past, present and constantly shifting futures as well as traversing known history. Snatching a man out of time trapping him within its dimension giving him abilities over centrifugal force and hurricane winds, bestowing others with a myriad of other physics-bending powers and abilities before finally finding its proper vessel in Barry Allen after suffering a lab accident. (The Flash v4 #0)

Doctor Elias Darwin concluded that the use of the Speed Force by the Flash caused tears in the fabric of space and time with him seeking to destroy it to prevent future destruction. (Flash v4 #5) During a battle with Captain Cold, the Flash used his superspeed to save Patty Spivot but in the process created a wormhole that dragged Iris West along with others into the Speed Force. (The Flash v4 #7) In desperation, he followed her into a world within the Speed Force where he was beset upon by Turbine who wanted to escape being trapped within the realm. (The Flash v4 #8)

As a result of Darwin Elias's monorail crash, a puncture came into the Speed Force that broke it. Following that moment, various beings that utilized the Speed Force such as Daniel West, Barry Allen, Gorilla Grodd and others led to a widening of the tear with reality bleeding out. Twenty years in the future, a version of Barry Allen saw the damage that this rupture created and decided to go back in time to eliminate himself as the release of the Speed Force from his past self could heal the damage. He was stopped by a future version of Wally West who died trying to save the past version of Barry Allen but not before passing his power to him. This led to the past version of Barry Allen being sent elsewhere as the rupture in the Speed Force healed and leaving the future Flash trapped in the modern day. (Flash v4 #35)

William Selkirk first discovered the existence of the Speed Force in legends around the world when he studied his doctorate at Oxford. He attempted to publish his findings but was derided by his peers causing him to devote his fortune to finding proof of its existence. His travels led him to the Utah Salt Flats where he discovered a tear into the Speed Force where Selkirk got dragged into it. After passing through, he got trapped within the otherworldly realm of the Speed Force that held various beings from across the timeline that were trapped within its confines. (Flash v4 #38)

At some point, a treaty was made between A.R.G.U.S., S.T.A.R. Labs and the Justice League that made any research of the Speed Force off-limits. (The Flash: Rebirth v2 #1)

In an effort to stop Godspeed, Flash drained the Speed Force from those that gained speedster powers from the Speed Force Storm and channelled it into himself along with Wallace West. (The Flash v5 #7) Captain Cold later examined the technology of the Black Hole group and used it to create a Cold Gun that tapped into the Speed Force. He used this enhanced weapon against the Flash where it disrupted the Speed Force within the Flash preventing him from vibrating through the ice generated by it. (The Flash v5 #17)

Deathstroke as part of a plan to save his son, stole the Speed Force from Wally West and attempted to go back in time to save Grant from dying. In the process, Slade became trapped in the Speed Force leading to Wally West II seeking to save him and with the two teams of Titans they managed to bring him back to Earth. (Teen Titans Annual v6 #1)

Black Hole later allied themselves with the Ninth Circle in creating a Speed Force battery to siphon that was built in a cave at the Cascade Range in Washington. This battery was affecting the local wildlife causing them to experience surges of Speed Force derived super-speed until Green Arrow and the Flash stopped the activity. (Green Arrow v6 #26) After the Source Wall was ruptured, there were fluctuations in the Speed Force that resulted in random moments when the Flash lost his powers. (Justice League v4 #2)

In an effort to free his children, Wally West convinced Barry Allen for them to both use their speed to break the Speed Force to retrieve the kids as he believed them trapped behind it. However, this was a trick orchestrated by Hunter Zolomon who used them to break the Force Barrier to empower him with new abilities which he intended to use to change the world according to his vision. (The Flash v5 #49) When the new Forces were released, they came to eat away at the Speed Force itself causing it to experience a slow death and this saw it releasing the Black Flash to serve an anti-body where it sought to eliminate the wielders of the new Forces. During this time, Speed Force users experienced a notable drop in their abilities until the Sage Force wielder Psyche was killed where it grew stronger by eliminating one of the wielders. (The Flash v5 #79)

After his body was taken over by Eobard Thawne, Barry Allen came to encounter the preserved essences of Max Mercury and Jesse Quick who had been saved from the reality changing effects of the Flashpoint but were trapped within the Speed Force. The two looked to help Barry regain control of his body with Max tutoring him a better control of his abilities in order to shake off Eobard's possession of his body. Inertia who was also trapped there attempted to stop Barry as his grandfather had promised to let him take over Impulse's body in turn but he was easily stopped by Barry Allen. (The Flash v1 #760)

Overview

The Speed Force was stated as being an infinite realm of velocity that feeds all motion in the universe. (JLA v1 #82) It was claimed that the Speed Force was the life blood of time itself. (Flash Annual v4 #3) As an extradimensional lightning, all speedsters had access to it that appeared as a storm of never-ending lightning. (The Flash: Rebirth v1 #1) The Speed Force was the source of their hyper-velocity abilities of speedsters. (JLA v1 #40) It was also described as being an absolute barrier with those running two fast being lost inside of it. (JSA v1 #20) The Speed Force was more than a fuel source for speedsters with it reacting to the state of mind. (Flash: Rebirth v1 #3) Travelling at the speed of light allowed a person to enter into the Speed Force but they could become trapped in there. (Teen Titans Annual v6 #1) When approaching the speed of light, a Speed Force user created time rifts whereby objects or people could be sucked into the vortex and displaced anywhere in the timeline. (Flash v4 #5)

Certain speedsters could tap into the Speed Force and use it to create constructs. This involved using pure Speed Force that was condensed into three dimensional space. It could be fashioned into a suit that could support its user if they were injured and also release its energy to other speedsters to recharge their own reserves. Such speedcostumes were an aerodynamic blur around their user that felt warm and alive with the speedster able to feel its surface. It could adapt to wind resistance and friction to the point that it could be classed as being alien technology from the Speed dimension where it was a machine that was worn by its user. The speedsuits were said to be air-conditioned and responded to the thoughts of the bearer. The costume was capable of calculating and adapting its form in order to protect the wearer. If damaged, it could take seconds for the suit to reform over its user. (The Flash v2 #132)

Conduits to the Speed Force afforded the user a range of abilities including:

• Infinite Mass Punch : an ability used by Wally West whereby using the Speed Field and accelerating towards approaching lightspeed, the speedster body's mass began to increase towards infinity with them being able to strike with an incredibly powerful punch able to send powerful superhumans flying across continents. (JLA v1 #3) Thus, the faster they went the more mass they generated until they reached lightspeed whereupon their fists could strike with the force of a white dwarf star. (Flash v2 #148)
• Speed-Mind : increases the speed of thought allowing the user to calculate outcomes and see potential paths for the future. (Flash v4 #16)
• Speed-Talk : a wielder was able to lock their speed with another speedster creating a moment that was frozen allowing the two to speak to one another whilst time seemingly stopped around them with it appearing as a quick screech to outsiders. (The Flash v5 #12)

By channelling the Speed Force, a speedster could sense things that were disrupting space-time. (Nightwing v4 #21)

Though it was the source of their energy, there was danger of a speedster when tapping into the power of the Speed Force. Upon merging with it, they began to lose their memories and sense of self as they became one with it. Their body began to breakdown and was transformed into pure kinetic energy that served as fuel for the next generation of speedsters. (DC Universe: Rebirth v1 #1) The Speed Force was known to send an alluring call to its speedsters that made them travel faster and faster until they could reach that dimension. At that point, they felt the urge of surrendering to the field and pass on to the light on the other side with it typically said that such journeys was one-way trips. A moment of hesitation could see a speedster, however, being catapulted to a different moment in history. (Flash v2 #97)

Within the Speed Force was a veritable world and during the time there was a rip in it all manner of beings, animals and technology slipped into it to occupy the lands of the Nexus. (Flash v4 #36) This was referred to as the Savage World which had been created when various speedsters and time-travelers weakened the Speed Force membrane, resulted in a steadily widening rupture in it that literally leaked out time. (Flash v4 #35) There were numerous patches and islands within this dimension that obeyed different rules such as one where time did not follow the standard laws. Such areas were bathed in eternal sunlight and occupants did not age though neither could they have children. (Flash v4 #37) The Black Flash was said to serve as a kind of anti-body within the Speed Force who eliminated threats to it. (The Flash v5 #79) The 'Big Bang' of the Speed Force was a place referred to as the Starting Line that was a pure force o creation that connected the Speed Force to time and space. (The Flash v1 #760)

The Negative Speed Force was chaotic by nature with it being contained through the control of the users emotions. (The Flash v5 #32) In contrast to it, there were three additional cosmic Forces that existed as counterparts to the Speed Force with each having their own respective abilities. These included the Strength Force, the Sage Force and the Still Force all of whom were part of the cosmic foundation of the Multiverse. However, the four Forces were not working in unison with one another but rather they were rivals that sought to survive and defeat the others for control of the Forever Force. (The Flash v5 #63)

Users

• Barry Allen :
• Wally West :
• Jay Garrick :
• Bart Allen :
• Edward Clariss :
• Eobard Thawne :
• Savitar :
• Daniel West :
• Wallace West :
• Roscoe Hynes : black male who came to be a Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Air Force's 99th Flying Pursuit Squadron who became lost in the Speed Force in 1944. Trapped in the Speed Force, he survived over the years where he sought to return to Earth with exposure to this world giving him powers allowing him to spin at high speeds. (The Flash v4 #8)
• Magali : a Nahuatl woman who lived in 1520 that gained powers allowing her to heal or kill with a touch with her being saved from Spanish Conquistadores by Professor Zoom who recruited her as part of a team to hunt Barry Allen. (Flash Annual v4 #4)
• Xolani : a Zulu male who lived in 1883 that gained the power to fold his body as well as teleport leading to him being known as the Folded Man that used to steal diamonds until white men killed his wife whereupon he was recruited by Professor Zoom to be part of his hunting down to eliminate Barry Allen. (Flash Annual v4 #4)
• Human Block : a Maori woman who lived in 1957 that gained the power to speed the molecules on her skin to make them invulnerable whereupon she was recruited by Professor Zoom into his Barry Allen hunting team. (Flash Annual v4 #4)
• Roscoe : a white Oklahoman orphan in 1982 who gained the power to create tornados around himself after which he got recruited by Professor Zoom to be part of his Barry Allen Flash hunting team. (Flash Annual v4 #4)
• August Heart : a male detective at the Central City Police Department that was hit by a Speed Force storm making him into a speedster that the Flash attempted to train to be a superhero. (The Flash v5 #2)
• Meena Dhawan :

Notes

• The Speed Force was created by Mark Waid and Mike Wieringo where it made its first appearance in Flash v2 #91 (June, 1994).
• On Comicsalliance, the Ask Chris section spoke to creator Mark Waid about the concept of the Speed Force where he said, "It really was just a matter of trying to unify the powers. Barry and Wally's origins were identical, but Jay ostensibly got his speed by inhaling "hard water," a.k.a. "ice." I never really thought of it as "mystical" in any real sense, just scientific --- or as scientific as you can get when you're talking about what happens on the other side of lightspeed (which was my original pitch, an idea that to this day I can remember its exact moment of birth)."
• Writer Scott Snyder commented in an interview about his Justice League run that following the damage to the Source Wall that new cosmic aspects of the Multiverse were revealed and that, "Barry Allen discovers there's a Still Force within the Speed Force, and more like that."

Alternate Versions

• In JLA v1 #9 (1997), the Key used a psycho-virus to put the Justice League into a dream state where they imagined separate worlds from reality. The dream of the Flash Wally West had him becoming a speedster after he was bequeathed a ring from the dying New God Fastbak that allowed him to access the Speed Source. This ring created a condensed hyperdimensional gel around him making him a manifestation of the Speed Source making him the Flash of this dream world. The dream reality experienced by Wally West thus merged the Source with the Speed Force.
• In Elseworld's Flashpoint (2000), it was mentioned as a field of accelerated energy that some considered heaven. Its existence was long ago discovered by the religious scientists of Mars who had a key that was able to open the way into that realm. A chief priest sought to achieve a higher state of being for both himself and his world causing him to cut the key into this dimension. The resultant subspace wormhole generated an unexpected anomaly creating a flashpoint even that killed all life on the planet. Only the priest's acolyte survived who was the Martian that remained on his world where the key remained buried for many years. By the modern age, Mars was subject to an expedition from Earth led by Barry Allen's Allen Industries and Vandal Savage's Immortality, Inc. This led to the uncovering of the key that was found by Wally West who died from the encounter though he was cloned by Savage in an effort to learn more about the abilities given by the relic. The key was recovered by Savage who sought to unleash its power until he was defeated by Barry Allen who disappeared into the otherworldly heavenly realm.
• In Dark Nights: Metal v1 (2017), an alternate version of the world designated as Earth-52 was shown in the Dark Multiverse. On this world, Batman lost many more of his loved ones and as he grew older he believed he would only fail unless he acquired the power of the Speed Force. This saw him attack the Flash where he defeated the speedster and strapped him on his Batmobile that used designs from the Cosmic Treadmill in an effort to give him the Speed Force. The act merged their bodies transforming Batman into the Red Death where he used his new super-speed to brutally kill villains on his world. However, the nature of his world meant that it was going to disappear into the Multiverse but the Batman Who Laughs recruited the Red Death to join him alongside their master Barbatos as they attacked the prime Earth.

In other media

Television

• In Justice League Unlimited, the Speed Force was shown in the shared continuity setting of the DC Animated Universe in the episode "Divided We Fall". During the battle with the merged Brainiac/Lex Luthor, Flash was the only member of the Justice League not defeated. He seemingly runs from the battlefield but in actuality was traveling at near light speed levels in order to deal tremendously powerful strikes to the supervillain. After numerous of such blows, Luthor was stripped of his Brainiac components that were destroyed making Lex a normal human again. However, the use of his powers threatened to draw him into a Speed Force until the rest of the Justice League managed to pull him out before he was lost forever.
• In The Flash, the Speed Force was mentioned as part of the backstory in the 2014 live-action series. Eobard Thawne's cells were depleted of the Speed Force after he jumped back in time where he attempted to kill a young Barry Allen. In "The Runaway Dinosaur", Barry Allen ended up in communion with the Speed Force who stated that they had been there since the creation of reality during the Big Bang and they will be there at the end of the universe. In "The Present", Jay Garrick described the Speed Force as eternity itself with it being an endless void of time and energy. In the future, the Flash was responsible for imprisoning the speedster Savitar in the Speed Force that served as his prison where he sought to free himself in the modern day. In the show's fifth season, a Negative Speed Force was shown to had been created by Eobard Thawne that utilised negative emotions by a speedster to tap into its power.
• In Justice League Action, the Speed Force was mentioned in the animated television series in the episode "Race Against Crime". It was described as an otherdimensional source that controlled time and speed which was responsible for giving the Flash his powers. Chronos helped Lex Luthor leech part of it to empower a suit which the latter used to give him control over speed and time. Superman managed to generate some speed energy that he imparted on the Flash allowing the speedster to break through the time barrier that Luthor created to wall himself in S.T.A.R. Labs.

Films

• In Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, the Speed Force was mentioned as being the source of energy for those using superspeed and allowed them to bend the laws of physics to run fast. It afforded them the power also to heal themselves from injuries with Barry Allen gaining this power from a mixture of chemicals and being struck by lightning. His arch-nemesis Professor Zoom replicated this event to give himself such powers as well. Allen used the Speed Force to break the time-barrier to save his mother but this created an alternate timeline that saw the world devastated by the Amazon-Atlantean war. Flash attempted to revert back to the original timeline but Zoom had pursued him where he siphoned the Speed Force from him to prevent him from breaking the time barrier again. However, the Flashpoint Batman killed Zoom allowing the Flash to change history once again.
• In Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay, the Speed Force appeared in the setting of the animated film. It was shown that Zoom had used its power to survive his death in the Flashpoint Paradox but he had only delayed his demise as he emerged in the new universe. He retained a fatal gunshot wound to his head and he was slowly dying as a result with the Speed Force slowly leaving him which meant the more he used it the closer he got to his demise. To ensure his survival, he sought to acquire the 'Get Out of Hell Free' card that allowed anyone that died to escape going to Hell and instead arrive in Heaven. Zoom was only able to use limited bursts of the Speed Force before it drained completely but despite his efforts he failed and he was killed by Deadshot.
• In Justice League, the Speed Force was referenced in the 2017 live-action film set in the DC Extended Universe. It was described as a dimensional energy with the ability to manipulate time and allowed a person to travel at super-speed. After being struck by lightning, Barry Allen became imbued with the Speed Force allowing him to become a superhero speedster called the Flash.

Video games

• In DC Universe Online, the Speed Force was related to the Paradox Wave and the Paradox Reapers that were created due to the disturbance in the timeline created by arrival of Future Lex Luthor and Future Batman.
• In Infinite Crisis, it was mentioned in the setting of the MOBA video game with it being part of the Flash's power set where he stacked Speed Force abilities that amplified his attacks.
• In Injustice 2, the Speed Force was mentioned in dialogue during the video game setting with Flash and Reverse-Flash both being wielders of its power.
• In DC: Unchained, the Speed Force was shown in the setting of the mobile video game. Whilst at super-speed, the Flash witnessed visions of the future shown to him of the Speed Force that saw the forces of Apokolips attacking Earth where he informed the Justice League of the coming threat.

Appearances

• The Flash v2: (1994)
• JLA v1:
• The Flash v4:
• The Flash Annual v4:
• The Flash v5:
• The Flash v1:

External Links

• DC Database Entry
• DC Guide Entry
• Comicvine Entry
• Wikipedia Entry

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