Speed Force

A flowing world of mystery, silver, morphing hyper-dimensional gels. Speed Heaven, the source of my power.

—Wally West

History

Pre-Flashpoint

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.

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.^[1]

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.^[2] Bart Allen volunteered to absorb the entire Speed Force so that he would be fast enough to stop Prime.^[3] 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.^[4]

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.^[5]

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.^[2]

New 52

At present this source of energy remains the same but with a host of different, much broader effects and conceptual attributes. The Speed Force is the representation of reality in motion being the very idea that pushes space and time forward or if tempered properly, backwards at will.^[6]

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 move the world forward acting as its runner to maintain the delicate fabric of existence.^[7]

Due to this function it can become incredibly volatile without an outlet to help expend it's excess motion related forces, 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.^[8] The powers bestowed upon those touched by the force revolve around motion and development ranging to acceleration, time, space, momentum, progression, development even evolution and enlightenment to name a few.

Since The Speed Force causes existence to move forward affecting both the individual and the whole, there have been a great many who came under its influence over the years. Dropping down, absorbing and more often than not discharging a great many abstracts from within its confines of space and time, appearing in the form of wormholes opening up from all across history bestowing its mysterious powers to whoever it came in contact with.

Stretching from the Mayan period to present day bestowing a host of different powers and abilities to a great many individuals long before finding a proper host in the wielder of its light.^[9] Such as the apes of Gorilla City who had 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.^[10]

Individuals changed by The Speed Force can achieve a number of feats dependent on a couple of factors. Such as Speed Energy intake, experience in its usage and exposure to The Speed Forces clairvoyant dimensional space, those who were effected by it have the ability to sense the presence of other recipients of it as well as cloak themselves from each other.^[11]

Powers

Those with access to the Speed Force can use a large number of abilities, usually revolving around speed. Powers vary throughout each Speed Force users. This a list of all powers displayed by Speed Force users in the Pre-Flashpoint and New-52 continuity. Users may only posses some of the following abilities.

Superhuman Speed: Speed Force conduits have one main ability above all else. Conduits are connected to the barrier and accumulation of all Speed known in their universe. These characters immediately understand how to run at superhuman speeds and their bodies instinctively understand how to react at high-speed situations. Older speedsters have a reduced but maxed speed of 770mph which is just below sonic booms allowing them to react to situations without causing civilians undo stress. Speedsters in their prime can travel at much faster speeds such as the max level of recorded aided speed on Earth and even reach the speed of light with enough willpower. It is possible for conduits to travel much faster than the speed of light however such levels require an incredible amount of stress. Speedsters unaccustomed to their max level of speeds may detach themselves from the Speed Force or even become part of the Speed Force by accident.
Superhuman Stamina: Speed Force conduits have to access the Speed Force for a number of different tasks. Most Speedsters use their superhuman speed and react at superhuman speeds; therefore, they must run for extended periods or operate for a large amount of time. Their bodies can handle the stresses of superhuman racing without noticeable distress.
Superhuman Reflexes: Speed Force user's reaction time is enhanced to levels far greater than any normal human being. They are able to easily perceive the movements of other speedsters, and react to danger and events.
Superhuman Agility: Speed Force user's agility, balance, and bodily coordination are heightened to levels greater than any human being. This allows them to easily maneuver when moving at superhuman speeds.
Accelerated Healing/Regeneration: Speed Force conduits are able to recover from and sometimes even regenerate from injuries far faster than any human. Any wear and tear damage to their bodies are almost instantly healed.
Aerokinesis: By running in a circle at a certain speed, Speed Force users are able to create a vortexes with a variety of effects. One effect is pulling the air away from the center in order to suffocate an enemy. Another effect is levitating whoever and whatever was in the center. They can also create powerful gusts of wind by rotating their arms at super-speed.
Centrifugal Force Manipulation: One user of the Force in the New 52, Roscoe Hynes can utilize the rotary effects of directive forces in order to become a living twister, changing the direction of their spin in order to kick up gale force winds that can shift the trajectory of an object in motion.
Chronokinesis: An ability only displayed in the New-52 continuity, some users of the Speed Force are granted the ability to manipulate their personal time-field, giving the effect of super-speed, rather than the ability to run at super-speed.
- Time-Travel: Users of the Speed Force are able to use their speed to break open holes in the fabric of time and space, allowing them to travel throughout time.
- Age Manipulation: One known user in the DCnU was able to manipulate time to control personal time to accelerate or reverse the aging process via tactile contact.
Decelerated Aging: Speed Force conduits have a slowed aging process. This power can be imparted on their most intimate loved ones by extended contact rather than distribution.
Dimensional Travel: Users of the Speed Force are able to use their speed to break open holes in the fabric of time and space, allowing them to travel to other dimensions and realities.
- Spatial-Time Mimicry: One known user in the DCnU can blend within space in order to traverse great distances in an instant in the New 52. They can also physically constitute themselves of Speed Force energy in order to control their own physical dimensions appearing as a flexible 2-D entity.
Electrokinesis: Speed Force conduits bodies generate Speed Force energy that manifests itself as electricity. This Speed Force lightning varies in color from the more common yellow, to red and blue. The lightning's properties are either identical or very similar to common electricity, as it reacts magnetically to metals and can shock people on contact.
- Electro-Blast: Some users of the Speed Force are capable of projecting bolts of lightning from their hands, as well as forcefully discharging a large bursts of lightning from their bodies.
- Electromagnetism: Due to the large amounts of electricity generated from their body, some Speed Force users are able to magnetize and conduct metals near them.
Energy Construct Creation: Certain Speed Force conduits can use the matter generated by their speed to create solid objects such as walls or bridges. This power requires constant concentration and reapplication of the construct for it to remain stable. They can also create costumes by doing this.
Flight: Some Speed Force conduits can rotate their arms and spin their bodies like tops to achieve something of a kind of helicopter flight. However, with practice conduits can even achieve controllable flight if launched at high speeds. Despite their flight abilities they are always faster on their feet.
Increased Perceptions: Speed Force conduits traveling at the speed of sound may miss important events as they run by. The Speed Force grants them enhanced senses that allow them to see, hear, smell, touch and/or taste at an increased speed and understand it as it is processed.
Infinite Mass Punch: Speed Force conduits have an increased level of strength added to their bodies which they can impart in different ways. Certain speedsters can strength each and every move they make however this requires attention and stress for each movement and therefore is almost never used. In most cases conduits can focus the Speed Force's extra-dimensional energies into one massive punch; when used in practiced this punch pushed a metahuman from one continent to another.
Intangibility: By accelerating their molecular frequency to a high enough degree, Speed Force users can make their body intangible and allow projectiles to pass through him.
Phasing: Speed Force conduits can vibrate their molecules so quickly that they can achieve intangibility for short bursts allowing them to phase through objects.
Self-Sustenance: Speed Force conduits travel at incredible speeds which cause their bodies to work overtime. In situations where their bodies may be too fast for them to breathe they may impart on the Speed Force for sustenance. However, this almost always results in the conduits having an increased metabolism at all times requiring them to constantly refill their energy supplies.
Sharing the Force: Certain Speed Force conduits can allow their friends or family members to run along side them at their equaled speeds. Certain conduits who may only have minor access to the Force may achieve full levels of the Force due to the main conduit's association with it.
Speed Force Aura: People who are propelled by the conduits during high speed situations can survive the harsh conditions associated with mach speeds. When the conduit must rescue an individual from a burning building these individuals will be protected while within the aura.
- Superhuman Durability: Due to their body being surrounded by a protective "Speed Force aura", Speed Force user's durability is heightened to immense levels. It protects them from injury from high speed impacts such as punches they delivers and receive from opponents.
Speed Force Absorption: Some users of the Speed Force have been shown to possess the ability to absorb Speed Force energy from other conduits.
Speed Force Sense: Some users of the Speed Force are able to sense the location of other conduits of the Speed Force, and use their connection as a homing beacon.
Steal Speed: Speed Force conduits can steal the accelerated motion or momentum from objects or people to reduce their speed or even virtually stop them. Conduits may also steal the speed from other Speedsters or other fast moving people.
- Atomic Inhibition: By stealing the speed from molecules and atoms around or from within, a speedforce user can make anything immovable, impervious and incredibly dense. Use on a person grants them virtual invulnerability and increased strength while in objects such as thin air, a user can make it solid enough to be touched as well as make it all but unbreakable.
Supercharged Brain Activity: Sometimes neglected by Speedsters who only operate at superhuman speeds and never slow down enough to understand their full potential; Speedsters can access superhuman levels in their brains further than processing information. They can test theories, understand difficult equations and run trial and error in their brains at superhuman speeds. Different conduits access this activity in different ways.
- Speed Mind: By tapping into the Speed Force with their brain, some conduits have the ability to tactically assess and predict the numerous possible and probable outcomes of most any given situation, by playing advanced variable examinations within his head he can simulate a quick pre-play sequence of a number of causes, effects and inevitable outcomes at an accelerated rate.
Vibration Manipulation: Users of the power in the New 52 can control their own molecular motion to a point which they can utilize a slew of different effects, key among them is the ability to emit counter frequency pulses to generate earth quakes. By accelerating their potential energy one can also cause matter to violently explode around themselves.

Notes

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 loss 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.

Speed Force

Contents

History

Pre-Flashpoint

New 52

Powers

Notes

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