Godspeed and Barry Allen are two speedster characters from DC Comics who possess superhuman speed abilities. Determining which one is faster ultimately comes down to comparing their abilities and speed feats across comic storylines.
Godspeed’s Speed Abilities
Godspeed, also known as August Heart, is a villainous speedster and enemy of Barry Allen. His powers include:
- Superhuman speed – Capable of running at incredible velocities approaching the speed of light.
- Speed force aura – Generates an aura that protects him from air friction and inertia when running at super speeds.
- Enhanced reflexes – Processes information and reacts at high speeds.
- Speed force empathy – Can sense the locations of other speedsters.
- Electricity generation – Can channel the speed force to generate powerful electrical blasts.
In terms of raw speed capacity, Godspeed is considered one of the fastest speedsters in the DC universe. He has showcased his speed in feats like:
- Outracing Flash and Kid Flash simultaneously.
- Generating afterimages of himself to appear in multiple places at once.
- Creating powerful sonic booms just from running.
- Quickly searching the entire city of Central City to find other speedsters.
- Moving so fast he becomes invisible to the naked eye.
Barry Allen’s Speed Abilities
Barry Allen, also known as the Flash, gained connection to the speed force after a particle accelerator explosion. His powers include:
- Superhuman speed – Capable of running at light speed levels.
- Speed force aura – Generates an aura protecting him at high velocities.
- Enhanced cognition – Processes thoughts and information extremely quickly.
- Increased metabolism – Burns calories quickly to maintain energy.
- Accelerated healing – Recovers from injuries at rapid rates.
Barry Allen has accomplished many incredible speed feats including:
- Running faster than the speed of light.
- Vibrating his molecules fast enough to phase through solid objects.
- Generating Infinite Mass Punches packing massive destructive power.
- Creating speed mirages to appear in multiple places.
- Running so fast he can travel through time.
Comparison of Feats
When directly comparing speed feats, both Barry Allen and Godspeed have showcased the capacity to run at light speed levels and access similar speed force abilities. However, Barry has accomplished more extreme feats including:
- Running many times faster than light to enter the Speed Force itself.
- Outracing instant teleportation between planets.
- Covering the distance between coastal cities in microseconds.
Additionally, Barry has leveraged his speed in more varied and innovative ways such as time travel under his own power. While Godspeed’s maximum velocity has never been precisely measured, Barry has consistently demonstrated superior speed through his feats.
Head to Head Races
There have been a few direct races between Barry and Godspeed that provide more evidence:
- In The Flash #63, Barry beats Godspeed in a race across Central City despite Godspeed getting a head start.
- In The Flash Annual #3, Godspeed manages to outrun Barry initially in a sprint but Barry ultimately catches up and overtakes him.
While not definitive, these head to head races suggest Barry has a slight edge in pure speed over Godspeed.
Conclusion
Based on overall speed feats across DC canon, Barry Allen as the Flash has demonstrated faster velocity capabilities compared to Godspeed. Barry has exceeded light speed by larger margins, performed more advanced speed-based techniques, and won direct races against Godspeed. While Godspeed possesses incredible speed, Barry Allen appears faster based on the currently available evidence.