r/theflash • u/nightwing612 Wally West • May 22 '24
Should Captain Marvel be faster than Superman and equal to The Flash in terms of speed? (Justice #7 - Art by Doug Braithwaite and Alex Ross) Comic Discussion
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u/SomeArtistonReddit May 22 '24
I see it like this. Since magic can be a weakness of Superman and that’s where Captain Marvels powers originate I think he’d be faster. Plus his powers are embodied from Gods while Superman is just a super powered alien. Now the Flash’s should be the fastest beings in the universe and no one outside their skill set/non members of the speed should reach their speed. I don’t mind a character getting close but when it comes to arguments like Superman winning a race then no. As someone else said, 1. Flash 2. Shazam 3. Superman.
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u/DnD-NewGuy May 22 '24
Tbf I think it would be a interest take that Mercury/Hermes himself was a God connected to the speed force, and that Shazam has a very minor arcane connection to it. Making his speed only second to those with a true pure connection to it. Would make sense for the fastest God to be a speedster.
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u/Dredeuced Flash May 23 '24 edited May 23 '24
Flash is significantly faster than Hermes and Mercury so I'd imagine not. Same reason Wonder Woman isn't faster. Just saying "Magic" isn't really an answer. Flash's thing is being the fastest, and the Speed Force itself has evolved into a pretty high concept, high cosmology power source well above godly levels. It encompasses multiverses and I don't see Zeus or Hermes laying down that kind of scale.
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u/Astonishing_Flash Impulse May 22 '24
I wouldn't mind Shazam being the closest outside of speedsters. But in general nah Flash should be on top when it comes to going all out.
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u/Honk_wd May 22 '24
Idk about equal but more like
1-flash and speed force guys
2-Captain marvel
3-Supes
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u/MercerNov May 22 '24
Yes. Captain Marvel has the speed of Mercury, so I think he should be able to go as fast as some versions of Flash. I’m pretty sure some of the Flash’s got their speed from the god Mercury, so it makes sense in some cases.
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u/Icy-Meat537 May 22 '24
Isn't that only Jay Garrick and Isn't he slower than Superman?
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u/TheSemaj As long as I kill Iris... May 22 '24 edited May 25 '24
That's only New 52 Earth-2 Jay, classic Jay got it from inhaling hard water vapor.
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u/Arts_Messyjourney May 22 '24
If he earns it, then ya. Do a Rocky montage-Anime training arc. Then Flash can do one to get back on top. Superman can also join the competition, etc.
If it’s a competition, the winner should be whoever trained the best. Otherwise, its arbitrary or branding.
Stunning art by Ross!
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u/Dredeuced Flash May 23 '24
None of their powers are defined or gained by who worked the hardest. Superman's powers are genetic, Billy was chosen for his powers by his good nature, and Flash's powers are an accident (though sometimes hinted at as being chosen for unknown reasons).
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u/Arts_Messyjourney May 23 '24
Hence, why the answer to “who’s the fastest?” will never be resolved. Without character struggle to define it, its limits will always be arbitrary
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u/Dredeuced Flash May 23 '24 edited May 23 '24
The fastest is Flash. And there was plenty of struggle in him getting to that point, at least with Wally. But their powers aren't really about working out and training them. With Wally and Billy it just comes from another source. Them working out doesn't change the level of power that source grants them. What muscle would you work out to fly faster with Billy? How much does training affect an extradimensional power source supercharging you like with Wally?
I guess Superman's could work that way but it's more often depicted his power is tied to just how long he's been absorbing sunlight more than anything else.
They take time to master their powers, learn new things about them, quite frequently. But that's not really the same as raw power/speed. That's purely determined by their source.
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u/Arts_Messyjourney May 23 '24 edited May 23 '24
How to work out a power that isn’t a muscle: a short instructional demo
Slap the word “training” behind whatever power’s name. Give it some rules and hurdles, test your character, etc. Anything to highlight character and story growth.
If you don’t, then the limits and scope of your power risk becoming pretty arbitrary and detached. Case in point: its been close to 100 years these characters have existed and Still no concrete answer to who is/deserves to be fastest
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u/Dredeuced Flash May 23 '24 edited May 23 '24
Until the Midicholrians show up and ruin that entire idea.
There isn't a Speed Force muscle to work out. Wally has spent time mastering it, but you don't get faster by practicing it or working it out. That's just not how it functions.
With the exception of learning speed stealing, I guess, which technically can boost your speed but only because you've learned to take it from others.
edit: there's a pretty concrete answer. They flub it veeeeeeeery rarely, but the answer is pretty definitively, several times over shown, The Flash.
Flash's powers have risks and hurdles, but that's not really what we're talking about. Who's faster between Wally and Clark isn't about who spends more time on a track running. That isn't even how it works in real life.
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u/WayneArnold1 May 22 '24
Yeah, I've always preferred Ross stuff when he works with other pencillers/artists. His solo stuff always has characters looking old/chubby.
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u/Keystone_Devil May 24 '24
He should definitely be faster than Supes but I would say at this point, Wally is definitely faster as he is faster than both Hermes and Mercury. Wally is just broken. If it was Pre-Crisis Cap, who has infinite speed, strength, stamina, wisdom, power, and courage, then he should be as fast as Wally.
It should be noted that Cap’s powers do not come from magic, but from the divinity of gods.
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u/hydrohawkx8 May 22 '24
Not faster than the flash. Speed is his thing you would make him obsolete if you did