By harnessing the Speed Force, DC Comics’ Flash is the fastest being in comic book history, capable of moving at speeds that defy the laws of reality. In Marvel Comics, such speeds are rarely achievable, with most characters barely able to match the speed of light without the risk of accidentally tearing themselves and the Earth apart. Still, there are a select few in the Marvel Universe who can leave lesser speedsters like Quicksilver in the dust with minimal effort. Many of Marvel’s top speedsters are cosmic heroes who can travel billions of light-years in just a matter of seconds, allowing them to explore and protect the vast universe. These are the characters who could potentially rival DC’s Scarlet Speedster in a race.
Although Marvel Comics doesn’t have the sheer number of powerful speedsters DC Comics has, it still boasts several characters capable of channeling boundless energy to move at incalculable levels of speed.
As an artificial organism designed to be the perfect being, Adam Warlock is a cosmic hero who routinely flies across the universe in short periods of time. On top of possessing such abilities as telepathy, soul manipulation, cosmic awareness, and super-strength, Warlock can fly at impossible speeds. He can move leagues faster than the speed of light and can fly across numerous galaxies in a short span of time. His reaction speed is also incredible, as he’s dodged a point-blank energy blast from the Silver Surfer. As a hero dedicated to protecting the entire universe, he possesses the speed necessary to arrive anywhere in the cosmos that he’s needed at a moment’s notice.
Richard Rider, aka Nova, is a member of the Nova Corps granted access to the incredible cosmic energy known as the Nova Force. Having earned the nickname of the “Human Rocket,” Nova can fly across the galaxy in a matter of minutes, reaching speeds billions, if not trillions, of times faster than light. On Earth, he never moves at his top speed because he fears that the energy output from moving so fast could destroy the entire planet as a side effect. Still, Nova once flew at such incredible speeds that he managed to evacuate an alien planet’s whole population in a few hours when Galactus was consuming their world. With his galaxy-faring speed, Nova could theoretically go head-to-head with the Flash.
The God of Thunder, Thor, can move leagues faster than lightning. With a mighty swing of his hammer, Mjolnir, Thor can launch himself through the air to easily catch up to spaceships moving several times faster than light, and even traverse an entire galaxy nigh-instantly. And when Asgard’s teleporting device, known as Bifrost, is unavailable, Thor can fly between the Nine Realms, — each described as an entire universe — in just a matter of seconds. Additionally, he’s routinely kept pace with fellow powerhouse speedsters, including Gladiator, Sentry, and Silver Surfer. Thor isn’t just one of the strongest Avengers, he’s also one of the fastest.
Few characters can outpace Johnny Blaze, aka Ghost Rider, when he rides his Hell Cycle. With flaming wheels, the Hell Cycle is fueled by Hellfire and the Spirit of Vengeance known as Zarathos. Ghost Rider’s Hell Cycle allows him to easily outpace speedsters like Blur, Quicksilver, and Gladiator. Ghost Rider has even outpaced Mjolnir, making him faster than Thor and multitudes faster than the speed of light. And these feats were in Ghost Rider’s base form. If he were to allow Zarathos to take over, then his power and speed capabilities would skyrocket to unimaginable levels. Although Ghost Rider’s top speed has never been shown, he’s more than proven himself capable of catching up with any sinner in the universe.
With magic, anything is possible. Doctor Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme, frequently uses magic to perform acts that defy the laws of reality. Although Doctor Strange is usually more comfortable simply teleporting to his intended destination, there have been times when he’s used his magic to move at incomprehensible speeds. The best example of this is when Adam Warlock used an Infinity Gem to send him to the edge of the universe. To get back, Doctor Strange cast a spell to launch himself all the way back in a few seconds. To pull off this feat, the Sorcerer Supreme needed to move several quadrillion times faster than light! With just a few enchantments, Doctor Strange could easily rival the Flash in a race.
One of Marvel’s many Superman copycats, Bob Reynolds, aka Sentry, is one of the strongest and fastest heroes in the universe. After injecting a super serum, Sentry became a nigh-unstoppable powerhouse capable of warping reality at the molecular level to perform incomprehensible feats. He’s flown from the Earth to the Sun in a few seconds, effortlessly dodged Thor’s hammer, and has traversed countless light-years in moments. His most impressive feat was when, while fighting Thor, Sentry flew so fast that time and space began to warp around him. Even the God of Thunder became disoriented by how fast Sentry was moving. Although Sentry’s top speed is unknown, his ability to warp reality means that it’s potentially limitless.
Norrin Radd, aka Silver Surfer, spends most of his time flying across the universe on his trusty surfboard. Fueled by the Power Cosmic, the former Herald of Galactus can visit every corner of the Earth in the blink of an eye, traverse millions of light-years in one second, and even reach the edge of the universe in mere moments. He’s often regarded as one of the fastest entities in existence and routinely outpaces Nova, Thor, and other cosmic speedsters. Silver Surfer can also move so fast that he travels through time. With his speed derived from an infinite pool of cosmic energy, the Silver Surfer can definitely hold his own against the Flash.
As the being who directly inspired the creation of the Roman God of Speed, Mercury, Makkari is unbelievably fast. Makkari is a member of the Eternals, an immortal superpowered subspecies of humans. Makkari can traverse the globe numerous times in seconds, has a mind that can process vast amounts of information in nanoseconds, and is able to move at incalculable speeds. Makkari can also move so fast that they generate tachyons, which are hypothetical particles that can move faster than light. With this physics-breaking speed, Makkari bested the Elder of the Universe known as the Runner in a race. Even though Makkari was able to reach the same type of Absolute Speed as the Runner, it was only for an instant and they have yet to replicate this feat.
An amnesiac contender from another universe who participated in the Runner’s Galactic Marathon, Buried Alien, aka FastForward, was an enigma. During the race, as Makkari and the Runner were neck-and-neck, FastForward was in the lead. However, he gave up his top spot to stop other contestants from cheating. While it’s impossible to say if FastForward would have won the race, he still displayed cosmic levels of speed. And not only could he potentially contend with the Scarlet Speedster, but many fans speculate that Buried Alien is none other than the second Flash himself, Barry Allen. Everything from his speed, amnesia, and his yellow-red costume points to the idea that he’s an alternate universe version of the Flash. FastForward disappeared after the race, further enforcing the mystery around him.
An Elder of the Universe, Gilpetperdon, aka the Runner, has spent billions of years perfecting his incalculable levels of speed. This immortal entity channels a portion of the Power Primordial, which is leftover energy that generated the Big Bang. By channeling this energy, the Runner has achieved “Absolute Speed.” As the name suggests, those who achieve Absolute Speed can move at incomprehensible speeds and have no upper limits. The Runner has moved across the entire universe faster than a person can think. He regularly hosts a Galactic Marathon where he races against the fastest beings in the multiverse. Of all the characters in Marvel Comics, the Runner is the only one whose routine infinite speed would make him a match for DC Comics’ Scarlet Speedster.
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