The Speed Force is a vaguely defined extra-dimensional energy force from which speedsters in the DC Comics universe draw their enhanced abilities. The Speed Force not only gives the energy that gives them the powers but also connects them other speedsters through their abilities (It allows them to hear the names of other speedsters).
Characters connected to the Speed Force[]
- Bart Allen - Bart can easily run and or exercise at speeds that greatly exceeds the speed of light itself, making him the fastest being by far, other than Jay Garrick, in the world. He is much faster than Clark, which was shown in three times. Bart can exceed a Kryptonian's top speed simply by light jogging. (Run,Justice, Haunted).
- Jay Garrick - Jay can easily run and or exercise at speeds that greatly exceeds the speed of light itself, making him one of the fastest entities, other than Bart Allen, in the world.
- Black Flash - The Black Flash, being a manifestation of death to those connected to the Speed Force, can easily reach Bart Allen's level of super speed.
- Clark Kent - Clark was connected to the Speed Force thanks to a containment suit created by S.T.A.R. Labs to collect speed energy and reach Bart's speed level, but lost this capacity when Bart absorbed his Speed Force energy, eliminated the radiation tag and he took off the containment suit. It can be assumed that Clark's speed was further increased after unlocking his power of flight and can now reach lightspeeds while flying. (Finale and Haunted)
- Barry Allen - a man connected to the Speed Force. Bart Allen and Jay Garrick heard his name in their heads, when their powers first activated. The extent of Barry's Speed Force abilities are unknown. (Haunted)
- Wally West - a man connected to the Speed Force. Bart Allen and Jay Garrick heard his name in their heads, when their powers first activated. The extent of Wally's Speed Force abilities are unknown. (Haunted)
- Max Mercury - a person connected to the Speed Force. Bart Allen and Jay Garrick heard Max's name in their heads, when their powers first activated. The extent of Max's Speed Force abilities are unknown. (Haunted)
- Unnamed male Speedster - a man connected to the Speed Force. Running at super speed, this man (along with two other speedsters) approached Bart Allen, informing him how to defeat the Black Flash. According to Bart, Clark will meet him one day. This man's identity is unknown. It is unknown if he is Barry Allen, Wally West or Max Mercury, or another speedster. (Haunted)
- Unnamed male Speedster - a man connected to the Speed Force. Running at super speed, this man (along with two other speedsters) approached Bart Allen, informing him how to defeat the Black Flash. According to Bart, Clark will meet him one day. This man's identity is unknown. It is unknown if he is Barry Allen, Wally West or Max Mercury, or another speedster. (Haunted)
- Unnamed female Speedster - a woman connected to the Speed Force. Running at super speed, this woman (along with two men) approached Bart Allen, informing him how to defeat the Black Flash. According to Bart, Clark will meet her one day. This woman's identity is unknown. (Haunted)
Powers and Abilities[]
Most speedsters received the powers from the Speed Force, (Bart was in an mysterious accident involving a bright flash of light, some cases it was Black Flash utilizing the Speed Force to create "Speed Storms" in order find someone who can handle it and create a New Speedster). In turn, they could move at incredible speeds and having improved super fast reflexes.
- Super speed: Bart's chief ability is that he can run, exercise, react, or move his body at overwhelming speeds; he can run and sprint at superhuman speeds. Bart Allen can run faster than lightspeed, so he can run on water, catch bullets in his hand, pass through objects and is faster than Clark Kent, even when he was younger Clark still couldn't catch him when he was jogging backwards. (Run, Justice, Doomsday,Haunted). When they raced, Bart initially held back and let Clark believe that catching Bart might be doable. After jogging backwards for a while with a smile on his face he finally let loose and accelerated to such a velocity that even Clark could only perceive him as a flash of light. In fact, based on the outcome of Clark Kent's past attempts to "catch" him, it's clear that Bart is much faster than a fully-powered Kryptonian in its prime, and it is likely that Bart's top speed relative to Clark, is comparable to Clark's top speed relative to the average human, and possibly even faster. When Clark uses his speed Bart almost perceives him in slow motion. The Black Flash can also move and perceive on the same level of superhuman speed as Bart Allen. This makes it faster than a mature super-powered Kryptonian.Jay Garrick revealed that he received his powers and he " woke up with lightning in my veins" he revealed his limit back then was 400 miles was the fastest he could go at the time while The Toyman reported in his files to Captain Cold that Impulse can run near lightspeed(186,282 miles per second). (Prophecy, Haunted).
- Super stamina: Bart can run and exercise for a very long periods of time without getting too tired. However, this endurance is far from unlimited, and running too long can overtax his body to the extent of nosebleeds(although Bart admitted at the time he thought his speed had a limit but the first time he pushed his body to go faster than he ever did and officially connected to the Speed Force). His durability is enhanced, but he's still as vulnerable to common weapons, such as tasers and side arms, as an non-powered human. (Justice)
- Intangibility: According to Toyman's files, Bart can move fast enough to pass through solid objects. (Prophecy) [picture needed] This ability was later shown when one of the Brain and Monsieur Mallah's monkeys hits Impulse so hard it sends Bart flying at a wall but he was able to move fast enough to vibrate through the wall before crashing into it.(Haunted)
- Super metabolism : Bart can consume vast quantities of food without gaining weight. This is and because he burns off the food considerably faster then normal people due to the speed he runs, meaning he also needs to eat more than other people to keep himself from being fatigued. (Run, Justice, Haunted) It is revealed by Jay Garrick and Bart Allen that a person has to have a certain metabolism in order to handle the speed force energy. (Haunted)
- Speed Lend/Steal - Bart and Clark (through the use of his containment suit) were able to absorb the Speed Force energy that Black Flash used on people and in turn was able to allow them go faster than they ever had before. (Haunted)
Vulnerabilities[]
Although Bart is a metahuman and can run at incredible speeds, he isn't invincible as he doesn't possess any invulnerability and can be hurt by humans, tasers, and electrocution. This is evident when he tried to steal LuthorCorp information regarding Level 33.1 and was tricked and knocked unconscious by an electric charge.
Also, when he uses his ability too long, his nose begins to bleed and when he is severely depleted of energy and is unable to use his super speed which is shown in the episode Justice, although it is revealed in Haunted that this is because he was pushed into running faster than he had ever imagined by Lex's torture, and it was the first time he had tapped into the Speed Force and caught a first glimpse of the Black Flash. Jay Garrick reveals that the speed force energy burns up a person's metabolism one way or another with the Black Flash acting as a debt collector of sorts feeding on the Speedsters. He is also shown to have a supercharged metabolism that requires an abnormally high caloric intake shown again in Justice.
Early History[]
A common points between speedsters such as Bart and Jay is the moment there is a flash of light or some kind of accident (in some cases the Black Flash use "Speed Storms" which in actuality bits and pieces of the Speed Force out into the world hoping to find someone who is "built" to handle the energy and thus creating a new speedster), that is when they wake up with lightning coursing their veins and the ability to move faster than the speed of light. They also see the names of other people who are also connected to the Speed Force binding them to the other speedsters. In the case of some people such as Bart they cannot remember anything from before the accident when they gain their abilities.
Season Four[]
- "It's Bart. Not that it matters because I'll be a thousand miles away before you can even blink." - Bart to Clark, Run
In 2004, Bart worked with a fence named Hanison, although Hanison often cheated Bart out of the stolen goods' true value. Bart happened to be in Metropolis when Jonathan Kent was about to get run over by a drunk driver. Before Clark Kent could rescue him, Bart rescued Jonathan at super-speed but also stole his wallet.
Clark tracked his father's credit cards and located the hotel room in which Bart was staying.Jay Garrick (alongside Wally West and Barry Allen) was one of the aliases used by Bart Allen during his career as a courier and petty thief. (Later Bart explains he doesn't know why he did it, and that all he knows is that, after a flash of light, he woke up with his abilities along with the names of Garrick, West, and Barry just appearing in his head.)Bart said to Clark, "I'll be a thousand miles away before you can even blink," and Clark replied, "I don't know, I can blink pretty fast." They had a "race" in which they seemed to be almost evenly matched in speed until Bart took off over the water, while Clark hesitantly stopped at the water's edge. Bart was amazed to find another person with super powers, just as Clark was to find someone with powers who was not from Smallville.
Bart and Clark bonded (Bart even took to his friends, flirting with Chloe), but they argued because Clark tried to make Bart believe that stealing for any purpose was wrong. Bart believed that he only stole to buy food and shelter, and that he wasn't harming anybody because the company canceled the illegitimate charges. Later, he followed Clark to the Luthor Mansion where Lex Luthor showed Clark a valuable Russian manuscript.
Bart later returned to the mansion and stole the manuscript while Clark was reading it, and took it to Hanison, where Lex tracked it down. Hanison was willing to kill Bart over the manuscript but Clark saved him. Bart wanted to make a getaway with it, even after Clark asked him if he still thought that his thefts hurt no one, but was reminded of Clark's warning that he should use his gift nobly. In the end, he returned the manuscript and left Smallville to find other special people like himself and Clark. As they parted ways, Bart demonstrated vast super speed, during which he outran Clark.
Season Six[]
- "Back then I needed a super kick in butt and you laid it on me and ever since then there's been no more stealing for this gringo I swear." - Bart to Clark, Justice
Two years later, Oliver Queen found Bart stealing a meal in Star City. Oliver believed Bart was a good kid, but just needed a little direction and offered him a job. Bart joined Oliver's group of heroes, and Oliver gave him the codename "Impulse" for his impulsive nature. Bart traveled to Mexico to infiltrate a LuthorCorp facility for Oliver.
He returned to Metropolis in time to save Chloe Sullivan from getting shot by Dr. Caselli. Bart then got back in touch with Clark after a small race. He told Clark that he had really learned what he tried to teach him, and declared that he had quit stealing. Clark soon learned that Bart had in fact stolen information from LuthorCorp, but Bart did not tell him that he was working for Oliver.
Bart left to do another job for Oliver, but fell into a trap set up by Lex Luthor. Lex put him in a chamber and forced him to run at super-speed or risk being electrocuted until he agreed to talk. It is later revealed that after he was pushed into running faster than he had ever imagined by Lex's torture, it was the first time he had tapped into the Speed Force. That was also the moment he caught a first glimpse of a terrifying dark creature, running parallel to him just on the other side of the cage he was trapped in. Clark rescued him from the cage, while also unknowingly saving him from the creature as well. After this, Clark was incapacitated by refined Kryptonite.
Oliver donned his Green Arrow garb and, along with his other team members Cyborg and Aquaman, infiltrated the lab, saved Clark and Bart, and blew up the facility. Bart left with the "Justice League" and continued working to stop other 33.1 facilities around the world.
Season Eight[]
When Clark and Lex disappeared from the arctic in the Fortress of Solitude, Bart and Victor Stone searched the entire southern hemisphere for them and found nothing. Later, Oliver mentioned that Clark went on a JL mission with Bart in Keystone City and he is seen along with A.C., Victor, and Dinah on Chloe's computer screens in the Isis Foundation.
Bart and Dinah were called to the Kent Barn to help Clark and Oliver battle Doomsday, Bart brought schematics of the Geothermal LuthorCorp facility for Clark to help him with his plan to defeat Doomsday. Clark explained that they had a tunnel that was a mile deep under earth and he planned to bury Doomsday there before the tunnel was destroyed. He then gave Bart the Black Kryptonite and explained that it would separate Davis Bloome from Doomsday.
Even though the two learned that Oliver killed Lex Luthor, Bart still sided with Oliver to take Doomsday down for good. Clark was at his desk when Black Canary told him via audio message that they had located Chloe and Davis and he used his super-hearing to find them. He super sped off and found their car with Black Canary and Impulse waiting for him. They told him that they're doing it for him when Green Arrow shot him with a Kryptonite dart. Clark collapsed and told them they're making a mistake.
Chloe awoke at the Geothermal facility to find Green Arrow, Impulse and Black Canary standing over an unconscious Davis. Bart told her he knocked them both out at super-speed and they brought them here. She realized they wanted to kill Davis and she noticed the Black kryptonite in Bart's bag, and when the league tried to get rid of Davis, Bart was punched out by Davis in mid transformation. Chloe used the black kryptonite on Davis, splitting him from Doomsday. A fight presumably took place, when Clark arrived they were all down and when he was going after Doomsday he asked the league if he could still trust them.
After Clark trapped Doomsday under Earth's surface, Bart attended the funeral of Jimmy Olsen to pay his respects. Following the funeral, Chloe told Clark at the new Watchtower base, that Bart, Dinah and Oliver were all missing.
Season Nine[]
Although never actually shown on-screen, when Oliver Queen somehow survived being hit by a truck while sitting helplessly in a car, Bart was later credited with saving him, as Chloe orchestrated the entire thing to turn Oliver back to being the Green Arrow.
Black and white footage of Jay Garrick was found, together with his criminal record, by Clark Kent and Chloe Sullivan, in 2010.
Later Jay's winged WWI helmet, was showed in a display case at the JSA Brownstone. After Icicle was brought down, for having murdered Sylvester Pemberton, Wesley Dodds and Kent Nelson, Carter Hall tracked Jay down with the intention of reunite the Society, but is later revealed that the man refused the offer.
He was later framed by a government agency and charged for fraud and resisting arrest. Jay and the rest of his JSA teammates were arrested in their civilian identities and sent to jail. Neither Jay nor anyone else in the group was convicted due to a massive lack of evidence and was later released. Unfortunately the arrests caused the JSA to split up and go into retirement. The Government proceeds to break his leg and his refusal to have his leg repaired as a means to incapacitate his Super speed abilities to prevent the "Speed Demon" from haunting him which caused him to move down to a house in the middle of Utah.
Later, Clark told Chloe that Bart was in Metropolis and offered her to hang out with him to take a break from being Watchtower.
The government agency Checkmate wanted to know the locations of the Justice League members, including Bart, but John Jones managed to erase the memories of the agent of the organization - Amanda Waller.
When the Kandorians threatened Earth, Clark was giving his speech about sacrificing himself. Bart was listening on the far left screen in Watchtower.
Season Ten[]
When Lois came to Watchtower, Bart was seen on a monitor.
After Hawkman sacrificed his life to save Lois Lane from the villainous Slade Wilson, all Justice League members were present at a funeral service held in Carter's home country of Egypt, led by Stargirl. He was then left unconscious along with everybody else when a mysterious pyramid rose from the ground emitting a bright light.
He along with the rest of the heroes would held captive by the VRA, but would be freed, thanks to Chloe Sullivan and the Suicide Squad.
It's been discovered that the Toyman was handing out assignments or missions to the super-villain group, the Marionette Ventures, so they can eliminate each member of the Justice League. Captain Cold was assigned Bart Allen.
Season Eleven[]
Out in the streets of Metropolis, a Dr. Jones who wants to be called Psimon is looking for Lex, whose Project Ares has apparently given the diminutive doctor his purple skin, an oversized and glowing-through-his-skull brain and some kind of indeterminate psycho-molecular power. Psimon is not convinced a peaceful resolution to this situation is possible and shoots a purple blast at Lex, whom Superman saves and proceeds to returns to finish with Psimon, who proves to be able to act more quickly than Superman thanks to his enhanced synaptic firing. As he tries to capture Psimon, the criminal's telepathic abilities allow him to "feel" Superman's moves before he makes them and counteract them. Moving faster than thought, Bart arrives to help his old friend. The speedster, sporting a new costume, proves too quick for Psimon and is able to punch him into submission. To celebrate, Impulse speeds ice cream cones into the hands of all the nearby citizens, including Superman.
Out in the ocean, Clark and Bart race each other above the water. Bart comments on Clark running slower than he used to, which Clark attributes to now having the ability to fly as well. Clark makes a wager that he can fly faster than Bart can run with the loser paying for lunch. As the two rocket over the coast of Cameroon, a young woman watches from a distance.
Clark arrives in Mumbai, India, assuming that he has beaten Bart. As children swarm him for an autograph, he finds that Bart was not only there first but is playing a game of soccer with some of the locals. Later, as they share food, Clark describes how he can't return to his life as Clark Kent and must remain Superman for the time being due to Lex's irradiation ploy. Research from S.T.A.R. Labs has revealed that his healing ability from the rays of the sun is slowly curing the radiation. Bart suggests he fly into the sun to speed up the process and burn the rest of it away, but Clark tells him that Emil is not sure they could stop the process from eventually turn him into raw energy if he tried it.
Though he is happy to spend some time with Bart, Clark points out that it's not really the speedster's style and asks if something is wrong. Bart deflects by saying he had to get a glimpse of Clark in a costume. A moment of appreciation between the two is broken up by a call from Chloe at Watchtower. She tells them that a situation with art thieves in Paris has arisen and, as they don't have any agents in Europe as of yet, they are the two closest to respond. They make another wager over who can get there first. Bart gives Clark a head start and his friend bolts into the sky. As he prepares to run, Bart hears an ominous voice call his name. He looks around but sees nothing but the locals. Tapping into the Speed Force, he runs after the Man of Steel. At the Musée du Louvre in Paris, Superman and Impulse arrive to help the French police with a chaotic scene, baffled at the threat art thieves are presenting. Suddenly, a huge explosion racks the front of the museum. Out of the rubble runs Monsieur Mallah, a giant gorilla carrying the Mona Lisa. In a container slung around Mallah's back is the brain of the scientist who increased Mallah's intelligence to genius levels. The two lead a gang of monkeys and apes stealing art.
As Impulse attends to the smaller primates, Superman turns his attention to Mallah and the Brain. The Brain can speak through the container and Superman asks if he is Mallah's. Brain explains that they are lovers and helped each other escape from the experimentation that led to their current states. They plan to sell the stolen art to fund and form their own nation. Mallah pulls a gun and fires at the crowd.
Impulse runs to catch some of the bullets but sees there are too many. He taps into the Speed Force to move faster and is able to stop all of the projectiles. Using the Force, though, brings on the mysterious voice again. In Speed Time, Bart sees a dark creature run out of the Force that he's seen before, telling him that "It is time." The creature bolts toward Bart, reaching out to grab him.
Meanwhile, Superman uppercuts Mallah off of his feet, knocking him out. He turns to find the other monkeys and apes massing toward him. Winding his arms up and bringing his hands together in a superclap, Clark uses the force and the sound of the clap to upend all of the primates and knock them unconscious.
Clark finds a tired and scared Bart on his knees, muttering that "it" almost got him. Looking around the scene, Clark asks what Bart is talking about. Realizing the creature is nowhere to be found—and wanting to keep the secret to himself—Bart tells his friend it was nothing.
Flying over the Atlantic, Clark carries Bart, who told him about the creature, refusing to let him use superspeed to avoid being captured by it in the Speed Force. Bart then mentions this "Speed Demon" or "Black Racer" has always waited for him at every turn when he used his superspeed, after which he explains in detail what really happened years ago during the time he was captured by Lex. With the creature always present ever since, Clark asks why Bart wanted a race to India in the first place. Bart admits that, since Clark is the only one who can come close to keeping pace with him, he hoped that by the two going so fast and Clark not seeing the demon, he could prove it was all in his head. Clark assures his friend that he's not crazy. He states that they need to devise a way for Clark to be able to face the creature.
At S.T.A.R. Labs, Emil Hamilton meets with his staff to discuss two problems before them: one, assisting Superman in finding a way to help Impulse with the dark creature; and two, aiding Watchtower in retrieving the technology that LexCorp used to transfer Hank Henshaw's consciousness from his charred and crippled body into one of the H.E.D. drones. Emil states he will address the technology issue and assigns the others to Impulse's case.The scientists at S.T.A.R. Labs set Bart and Clark up for a speed assessment. As Bart chats up a lovely blonde scientist, Emil asks Clark how he's able to be so jovial. Clark answers that Bart probably welcomes any distraction from being chased by the creature as long as he has. With everything set, Bart wonders how Clark will manage to match his speed, considering he runs a lot faster than Clark. Emil explains that the treadmills they are using for the assessment had been specially designed with a frictionless engine assembly when they began testing Clark's abilities. This will allow Bart to run as fast as he can while Clark's treadmill will accelerate him towards Bart's speed. They all hope that if they can get Clark fast enough, he can witness the creature as well.
As they run, Clark encourages Bart to go full speed, insisting that he has his friend's back. With approval, Bart taps into the Speed Force and runs so fast that he causes the treadmill and the monitoring equipment to explode. As Clark falls to the floor, while in the Speed Force, the horrible creature towers over him, chastising his speed as "not pure." Outside of the force, Bart asks Clark if he was able to see the demon. Now knowing what he is dealing with, Clark assures his friend that he will find a way to save him.
Later, on the roof of the Daily Planet, Lois shows Clark pictures of the LexCorp employee, Fritz, who was thrown into a wall and superspeed aged to death at the ruins of LuthorCorp's abandoned Ridge Facility. She shows him pictures of other incidents of it occurring over the past five years. She says that these "speed storms" have popped up in Keystone City, Mexico, Miami, and islands in the Pacific Ocean, and have been increasing in frequency. Clark immediately recognizes each as places Bart has been and that the storms are chasing him like the dark creature. Clark worries that he won't be able to find a way to help Bart when Lois points out that he should consult someone else who has run as fast as Bart before, which leads Clark and Bart visit the JSA Brownstone, being tended to by a Mrs. Hunkel. She lets them past the security measures and Clark takes Bart into the museum honoring the members of the Justice Society of America. Bart recalls that this was Carter Hall's group but wonders how any of the artifacts will help them with his problem with the "speed demon." Clark explains they are there to begin a search for the first hero to break the sound barrier on foot, Jay Garrick.
Clark and Bart walk the white plains of Utah until they come upon an isolated house. An old voice asks if he can help them and Bart reveals they are looking for Jay Garrick. The man at the end of the voice steps from the house and identifies himself as Garrick.
At Garrick's house, the old man chastises Bart for stealing his identity. He asks him he did it and Bart admits that he doesn't know. He also reveals that he doesn't remember anything of his life previous to waking up with his abilities, just that there was a flash of light and the names of Garrick, Wally West, and Barry Allen just appeared in his head. Clark explains to Garrick the plan Carter Hall had of resurrecting the Justice Society of America with the help of the new, younger heroes. He asks for the elder's help.
Garrick suggests Bart talk to his old teammate, Pieter Cross, instead. Impatient, Bart asks what the old man knows about the "Black Racer." The elder speedster tells them his leg was broken when the federal government tried rounding up the JSA and he never wanted it repaired. When Clark attempts to ask why he would never want to run fast again, Bart correctly guesses that he's seen the demon. Garrick admits to it and explains exactly what is occurring to Bart happened to him. Clark mentions the speed storms and Garrick says it's the racer calling Bart out. Bart asks how the old man survived it and Garrick reiterates that he just stopped running. Bart adamantly refuses that option and the elder tells him the only other option is to die.
As the speed storm crackles in Utah, Clark tries to reason with Jay Garrick that there must be another option to help Bart. Garrick asserts that there is no choice in the matter and that by using the Speed Force, the demon is there to collect the debt. Clark asks why there were no records of speed storms while Garrick was with the JSA. The old man surmises that Bart is so fast that it has made the creature hungry and desperate. Picking up on the thought, Clark reasons that it is sending out the speed storms to try to create a new speedster to take on as its prey. Bart realizes that the biology of the speedsters is special and that's why so many have died in the attempts.
Bart asks Garrick how many speedsters there are. The old man gives a mealy answer about not being the first and Bart not being the last. Bart confronts him about not having raced the demon himself to stop to have possibly stopped it, and Garrick denounces their abilities as a curse. Clark offers that curses can be blessings if they don't let their powers control their lives. Garrick likens Clark to Carter Hall and Bart jumps on the moment to call him out for not having stayed in touch with his team, mentioning that even though he didn't know Carter he still attended his funeral. The old man owns up to not being proud of how he acted, but it's not good enough for Bart. Riled up, he starts tapping into the Speed Force before Clark manages to stop him.
Clark fields communication from Chloe at Watchtower. He asks how she is and she tells him she's coping. She alerts him to a speed storm brewing in Las Vegas, a huge one that isn't slowing down and many dying. Clark relays the message to Bart, who tries running off on his own. Clark grabs him and Bart argues that the racer is waiting for him there and is calling to him. Clark tells Chloe that they didn't come up with a solution. She responds that S.T.A.R. Labs might have something. Patched to Emil Hamilton, the doctor explains they took the concept of sending Clark into the sun to remove his irradiation to fashion a containment suit. He states that they modified the suit to collect speed energy and that Clark might be able to use it to constantly move fast enough to confront the demon.
The scientists at S.T.A.R. fire a pod into the atmosphere and it quickly rockets its way to the young heroes' location in Utah. The pod opens to reveal the new suit, a black and silver affair with a glowing S-Shield. Clark quickly puts on the suit and speeds to the massive storm in Las Vegas. Boldly, Clark proclaims to the demon that it's "time for round two." While Superman was busy saving people in Las Vegas and take down Black Flash, Jay Garrick gives Bart some advice before he goes off to join the fight.Bart, who is running faster than he's ever run before, around and around the world, gathering up the speed from every speed force outbreak. At one point, he seems to have three speedster who want to talk with him, but they are not identified.
Meanwhile, in Las Vegas, Superman continues to fight the Black Flash, who Clark tells that the speedster. Just as Black Flash seems to be gaining the upper hand just as Bart arrives, prepared at last for the final showdown and his reckoning with the speed force.Black Flash, finally satisfied that Bart arrive getting to feed on "Pure" speed. Clark then rush to take Clark out of the fight and proceeds to absorb the Speed Force out of Clark's containment suit. Clark tries to talk Bart out of taking on the Black Flash with Impulse revealed that the speedsters he met with told him that he was the only one who can take him down. Bart then confides in Clark that he never been alone, and then rushes to take down Black Flash. Clark then proceeds to try to catch up and help Bart.
Bart rushes to Black Flash with Clark trying to convince him to slow down. They both flashback to back when they first met as teenagers back on the barn. Bart, who thanks Clark for looking out for him. He says he's going to explore the world, and invites Clark to come. Clark asks him to stay, and Bart slyly says he'd consider it... if Clark can catch him. The two superspeed down the roads of Smallville, but Bart easily leaves Clark in the dust. Black Flash then tells Bart it is finally time to feed and Bart agrees and proceeds to give him all of his speed saying a final "Smell you Later" to Black Flash. There is soon a big Speed Force explosion that took out both Bart and Black Flash out leaving a giant lightning bolt in the desert with Clark mourning and forced to tell Watchtower that Impulse is gone. Sometime later at the JSA Brownstone, Clark and Jay look at the first Impulse Suit in the glass case. Jay Garrick feels somber about what happened saying Bart did what he should have done a long time ago. Clark tells Jay that everything end no matter what and Bart would have never stopped running, as long as you're running towards something. Abigail Hunkel and Emil came in to pay their respects. After Abigail and Jay left to get some tea and leave Clark and Emil to talk. Emil reveals that the speed force Bart exposed Clark too might have had an unforeseen effect.
Lois sits at their apartment asking Clark if their going to hold a funeral like they did for Carter. Clark replies he will also build a statue for Bart. He then asks if he found anything about Lex with Lois saying considering how the night has went it's pretty much a win and she'll tell him after his next flyby. Clark replies he doesn't think he will be doing that anymore. Then there is a knock on the door and as Lois opens it, there is Clark in his glasses and suit and tie simply saying "Honey, I'm home". As they embrace Lois wonders how is this possible, with Clark replying thanks to Bart's speed, the radiation is removed. Lois then tells his get back into the suit because they have work to do. She, Superman and Green Arrow later head to LexCorp Plaza where they not only confront Lex but also are able to remove Tess Mercer's consciousnesses from his mind and download into Watchtower's software and made her a hologram.
Appearances[]
- Season Four: Run (referenced only)
- Season Eleven: Haunted
Trivia[]
In the comics[]
The Speed Force is an energy field that grants all speedsters their power. Several speedsters have merged with it, including Barry Allen, Johnny Quick, and Max Mercury.The Speed Force is a vaguely defined extra-dimensional energy force from which most, but not all, superspeed-powered heroes in the DC Comics universe draw their enhanced abilities. For example, the multiple heroes named the Flash (Jay Garrick, Barry Allen, Wally West, and Bart Allen), Johnny Quick, Jesse Quick/Liberty Belle, XS, the Tornado Twins, and Max Mercury all draw their powers from the Speed Force. The Speed Force is also seen as a physical space to which speedsters can travel. Max Mercury traveled through time as a result of his efforts to enter the Speed Force and ended up several decades into the future every time he made an attempt. Bart Allen could control the Speed Force and could "commune" with the spirits in the Speed Force through meditation.
When speedsters die, they become one with the Speed Force, as it is an afterlife for them.Max Mercury's own spirit is trapped inside following his possession by The Rival.To physically enter the realm that the Speed Force has developed into, individuals need to reach a speed that exceeds beyond the speed of sound, light and time. Once entering the realm, individuals run the risk of becoming one with the energy due to their speed. Individuals need a "lightning rod" to ground themselves with their original realities in order to ensure their return from the Speed Force.
Scientists on the planet Savoth had a deep understanding of the Speed Force and there were many universities devoted to its study. One of these scientists, Gorflack, built a Speed Force cannon to defend his planet from a force of alien invaders. Instead of performing its intended purpose, it brought Jay Garrick, the first Flash, to Savoth. After Garrick helped drive away the invaders, Gorflack gave him a lightning-shaped piece of solidified Speed Force which he and his successors could use to transport to Savoth.
While fighting Superboy-Prime, Wally was nearly swept into the Speed Force. Wanting to see his family one last time, he visited his wife Linda and twin children. However, Linda was holding the Speed Force fragment and the entire family was swept off to Savoth. Bart Allen volunteered to absorb the entire Speed Force so that he would be fast enough to stop Prime. After this crisis had been averted, Bart found that his new connection to the Speed Force threatened to kill him. He refused to use his powers for a year. It wasn't until Tina McGee and Valerie Perez of S.T.A.R. Labs were able to modify a Flash costume to contain his abilities that he was able to return to action as the fourth Flash.
Shortly thereafter, Inertia; who had lost his connection to the Speed Force when Bart absorbed it, was forced to use Velocity 9 to maintain his super-speed. Inertia built a machine in Los Angeles which was designed to transfer the Speed Force from Bart to himself. However, the machine also threatened to cause an explosion which would have resulted in the deaths of millions. Bart sacrificed himself distracting Inertia and a group of Rogues while Valerie shut it down.
The deactivation of the machine caused a disruption in the Speed Force which not only resulted in Wally West and his family being transported back to Earth from their stay on Savoth, but also restored powers to all speedsters.
The sole survivor of the alien invasion forces that had attacked Savoth decades prior was sent back to his home dimension in a Speed Force explosion which resulted in a rapid evolution of his species. His descendants targeted the Flashes' solidified fragment of Speed Force and invaded Keystone City to avenge their defeat on Savoth. Wally destroyed the fragment to send them back.
Those with access to the Speed Force can use a large number of abilities, usually revolving around speed, including: Superhuman Speed, Superhuman Endurance, Increased Perceptions, Accelerated Healing, Decelerated Aging, Speed Force Aura, Supercharged Brain Activity, Vortex Creation, Phasing, Steal Speed, etc.
During the events of Infinite Crisis, most of the speedsters in the DC Universe combined their powers to push Superboy-Prime into the Speed Force. Aided by Max Mercury, Barry Allen, and Johnny Quick from within the Speed Force, several Flashes vanished in the attempt; and, according to Jay Garrick, the Speed Force itself was gone.Bart Allen, dressed as the Flash, later appeared in Tokyo to warn that the speedsters could not hold Superboy-Prime, and corroborated Jay Garrick's claim that the Speed Force no longer existed.
One year after the end of Infinite Crisis, the Speed Force was still believed to be missing, and Jay Garrick was the sole Flash due to his metagene compensating for the loss of the Speed Force. However, it was soon revealed that the Speed Force still existed. The Speed Force was now unstable and Bart was afraid it would kill him. According to tests run by S.T.A.R. Labs, the entirety of the Speed Force was now within Bart, who was now the only person who could use it. Despite this, Owen Mercer, Bart's half-brother, still displayed occasional access to the Speed Force before and after Bart's death, which caused his body to generate a "background bio-electric field."
When Bart died, Wally West reclaimed the mantle as the Flash and freely used the Speed Force at will. Wally's return had prevented Bart from accessing the Speed Force, inadvertently causing his death. With the Speed Force released from Bart, Jay Garrick could again go beyond the speed of sound (as he was limited to before), and Jesse Chambers' speed returned. In The Flash: Rebirth #4, Max Mercury revealed to Barry Allen that the Speed Force was created by Allen, himself, when he became the Silver Age Flash; adding that, "When [Allen runs, he generates] the kinetic wall between the present and the time barrier. It's an electrical energy that exists in every dimension, every universe, and every era. It touches every part of reality. It contains the knowledge of every place and time. The Speed Force is the all-encompassing Flash Fact."
The Speed Force had been seen in the future a number of times. A future Flash, Blaine Allen, was struck by a dilemma. His son, Jace, was infected with a virus by a future Cobalt Blue. Unlike many others in the Allen family, Jace was not gifted with superspeed by the Speed Force and his metabolism would not be able to handle it. Blaine removed all speed from all of the molecules on Petrus, effectively freezing the planet. Cobalt Blue pointed out that she liked the idea. "No one dies that way, it’s true...but no one lives either." He thought this over and decided to take Jace to the Speed Force. As he ran Jace to the Speed Force, he was sucked in instead.
The Speed Force is usually depicted as lightning and blurs of yellow and red. This is because the Speed Force is used mostly by Flash's throughout DC history and these are their symbols and colors.Different conduits throughout the multiverse excel in different Speed Force -related abilities, and it furthermore has differing effects on all of its users. Some examples being the original Flash, Jay Garrick's decelerated aging as opposed to Bart Allen's over-accelerated aging process. Others examples being how the Tornado Twins excel in using their speed to create high velocity whirlwinds that allow them to take flight, while Bart Allen has shown the ability to divide himself into multiple physical selves. Lady Flash, who is the keeper of the Speed Force in Earth-33, casts electrokinetic blasts that are capable of temporarily draining the movement of her target. And as the third Flash, Wally West learns how to manifest his costume at will, being created purely from the solidified Speed Force. Prior to the lose of his connection to the Speed Force, Jai West's super-speed could temporarily accelerate the growth of his muscles, giving the child super-strength. Notably, there is also the Negative Speed Force, which as the name suggests, negates and opposes the average Speed Force energy. Professor Zoom (and apparently Black Flash) are users of this super-speed that manifests as red electricity.
Wally West's near absorption into the Speed Force in the Justice League Unlimited episode Divided We Fall was similar to the death of Barry Allen, Wally's uncle and predecessor as the Flash, when he destroyed antimatter cannon created by the Anti-Monitor during the First Crisis by running around it and causing it to explode.
The Speed Force serves as the primary measure of velocity in the DC Universe. It is usually referred to in terms of different barriers: The Sound barrier, Light barrier, Time Barrier, Dimensional Barrier, and finally the Speed Force Barrier. It introduced several "new" powers to Flash and other Speed Force-powered persons. Some of these powers had previously existed during the DC Silver Age, but were later explained as manifestations of the Speed Force.The Speed Force only exists in the DC Multiverse; when Wally travelled to the Marvel Universe in JLA/Avengers, he was powerless in the other world, requiring Steel to create a 'battery pack' that allowed Wally to absorb Speed Force energy in the DC Universe to give him a supply that he could use in the other world.
The Speed Force can be used to various effect including limited to time travel, faster-than-light travel, speed duplicates, constructs using Speed Force energy, faster healing and speed stealing or lending. It also provides speedsters the ability to function at unnatural speeds without the laws of physics stopping them. Those within the Speed Force are protected heat or bearing the brunt of impacts at any speed they travel. It also lets them breathe, receive stimuli (sight, hearing, etc.), and avoid completely destroying themselves and the world around them as they move. It can even be used to hold enemies indefinitely.
Here is a list of abilities granted by the Speed Force:
- Infinite Mass Punch - When The Flash begins traveling near light speed he gains the relative mass of such a great speed allowing him to strike with blows with the force of "a white dwarf star."
- Speed Lend/Steal - His most useful new power, Wally West could "rob" objects of their kinetic energy and, for example, stop bullets in flight or convert a supervillain to a statue and use the "stolen" kinetic energy to accelerate his movement. He could similarly lend his speed to objects or allies, enabling them to temporarily travel almost as fast as himself.
- Accelerated Healing - Using the Speed Force to accelerate his healing factor, Wally West could heal from deadly injuries, without aging. While he was in the Justice League Of America, Wally could use this power to heal his other team members by accelerating their healing factors without aging them.
- Constructs - Wally West made the discovery that if he concentrated he could create solid energy constructs using the Speed Force. He has used this ability to protect against disease, create pockets for holding items, and to compose a bullet-proof costume.
- Shield - Exhibited by Savitar, whose Speed Force mastery allows him to reflect objects away from himself.
- Flight - Exhibited by Johnny Quick and his daughter Jesse Quick.
- ESP - Used by Max Mercury, whose strong connection with the Speed Force allows him to detect the motion of any object around the world and also to perceive another speedsters. Wally West also exhibited a this ability to perceive Linda across time and space.
- Total Recall - Bart Allen as the Flash used this ability to remember everything he reads using his super-speed. He is the only speedster to show this ability.
- Speed Scouts - The only speedster to use this ability, Bart Allen can create duplicates of himself using the Speed Force that, using the Speed Force's timeless nature, can travel forwards and backwards through time, manipulating objects or merging their consciousness with Bart's, informing him of their actions. Once, when a Speed Scout was killed, Bart fell into a coma and has never used this ability since.
- Speed control - Traveling at any speed one believes they can move at.
- Negate Anti-Life Equation - Not yet explained, but it is seen in Final Crisis #4 when Barry Allen kissed his wife, who was under the control of Anti-Life, and the Speed Force surrounded her and she regained her free will.
- Muscle growth - Exhibited by Jai West, who has the power to speed up the growth of his muscles, temporarily giving him super strength, but causing him to be exhausted after a short time.
- Intangibility/Self-molecular control - Exhibited by Barry Allen, Bart Allen, and Iris West. Their total control of kinetic energy at a molecular level allows them to match the vibrational frequency needed to travel easily into and through solid matter. Wally West has this ability, too, but with less control, so solid matter usually explodes when coming in contact with him. When Bart Allen internalized the Speed Force into himself, he too showed difficulty with this ability, melting matter if not concentrating enough. Iris' control is as effortless as Barry's, but unlike his, it is somewhat unstable. As an offensive ability, it can be used to scramble one's molecular structure to the point of literal disintegration.
Despite its power, the Speed Force proved to be a weakness when Wally West was pitted against Brother Grimm, a sorcerer with the power to sense other dimensions; as well as being able to find the regular universe from his pocket dimension, Grimm can also sense the energies of the Speed Force, with the result that Wally must restrict himself to normal speed when fighting Grimm or Grimm will be able to sense his moves and counter them.
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See also[]
- Haunted
- Justice
- Bart Allen/Impulse
- Jay Garrick/The Flash
- Black Flash/Speed Demon/Black Racer
- Super Speed
External links[]
- Speed Force on Wikipedia
- Speed Force on DC database
- Speed Force on Wikia DC Animated Universe
- Speed Force on The Flash Wikia
- Speed Force on DC Universe Online Wikia
- Speed Force on ComicVine
- The Speed Force on Flash: Those who ride the lightning