Summary
- The Marvel Universe is home to many incredibly fast characters – but while speed is a byproduct of some heroes powers, for others, it is what they were built for.
- From long-time Marvel speedsters like Quicksilver, to unexpected entries like his sister Wanda, to newer characters such as Quick and Blur, Marvel’s fastest characters can reach startling levels of superhuman speed.
- Fast-moving characters are a force to be reckoned with in the Marvel Universe, as they can not only move faster than most characters can think, they have the ability to warp space and time itself.
The Marvel Universe plays host to dozens of quick-thinking speedsters capable of traveling at mind-bending speeds. They can accomplish more in the blink of an eye than others manage in days or even years, and “impossible” is barely a word in their vocabulary when they leave most of the world in the dust. Among all Marvel’s fastest heroes, some still edge ahead of the rest.
Below are Marvel’s top ten speedsters, featuring several long-time characters who have managed to stay ahead of the competition, as well as some more contemporary creations. Other heroes and villains have possessed striking speed over the years and would have made the cut but may be less active in the current Marvel landscape, leaving room for some new faces in the ranks.
With that in mind, the Marvel Universe is ever-changing, and some newly introduced characters (like Spider-Man’s Hightail) could earn future spots once their powers are better defined.
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10 Quick (Loolo Marshall), The Fastest Being Still Living
Introduced: X-Men Red #6 – Written By Al Ewing; Art By Stefano Caselli
Originally a minor character, Loolo Marshall took the title of the “fastest being still living” in the Sins of Sinister event that turned the world on its head. Many heroes were either forced into becoming villains or were gone altogether, leaving newer faces to save the world. Though Quick’s speed isn’t quantified with a number, earning that title means surpassing others like Quicksilver and Northstar, or simply surviving longer.
Without an exhaustive list of the fallen or corrupted, it’s hard to say exactly where Loolo falls on the scale, yet the young Arakki mutant proved to be brutally fast, as she worked with Storm’s new Brotherhood to take down Sinister Chimeras. In a world where Marvel’s other speedsters are still alive, Loolo might not be able to win the race, but she could likely hold her own.
9 Speed (Tommy Shepherd), Breaking the Speed of Sound
Introduced: Young Avengers #10 – Written By Allan Heinberg; Art By Jim Cheung
Tommy Shepherd, also known as Speed, inherited his gift – and several physical features – from his uncle, Quicksilver. Though he was introduced as a baby, he later joined the Young Avengers and adopted the codename “Speed”. He can currently reach supersonic speeds approaching 800mph and vibrate through solid objects, and he has repeatedly alluded to the fact that he’ll get faster with age.
Based on that, he’s likely nowhere near the top of his game yet. Most recently, Tommy appeared alongside his uncle in the Scarlet Witch & Quicksilver miniseries, battling the Wizard’s Frightful Four Hundred, where even Pietro admitted that his nephew turned the tides. Given more future opportunities to shine, Tommy could develop his abilities extensively enough to surpass his uncle and secure a higher place on this list.
8 Aurora (Jeanne-Marie Beaubier), Once Capable of Light-Speed Travel
Introduced: The Uncanny X-Men #120 – Written By Chris Claremont; Art By John Byrne
Aurora (Jeanne-Marie Beaubier) is #8 and the twin sister of fellow speedster and photokinetic, Northstar. Though her speed doesn’t quite match that of her brother’s, she was previously capable of traveling at near-light speed before her powers were significantly diminished due to molecular tampering. With her current abilities clocking in at closer to the speed of sound, she’s no longer able to outpace several other speedsters.
During mutantkind’s war with Orchis, Aurora worked alongside her brother and the two made quick work of part of Victor Creed’s “Sabreteeth” army after they went after her love interest, Akihiro, and other mutants. She may not be as fast as she once was, but she’s still a formidable opponent. There’s always a chance that she’ll be restored to her full power – and her brother’s equal – in the future.
7 Hermes, Quicker Than Any Olympian
Introduced: Thor #129 – Written By Stan Lee; Art By Jack Kirby
Gods and super speed are often intertwined, and Hermes clocks in as the fastest of the Olympian Gods and Goddesses and #7 on the speedster charts. The messenger god’s top speeds come in between Mach 4 and Mach 5, and he pairs the ability with incredible speed of flight, durability, reflexes, and other deity-worthy perks. After the Olympians were killed by Nyx, however, Hermes was reborn as a corrupted and violent version of himself that put him in conflict with Starlord and the Guardians of the Galaxy.
Following a battle with Moondragon, Hermes became trapped inside Groot’s mind and could not escape, thanks to Groot being beyond conventional language. Hermes’ considerable speed is currently of no use in a mindscape, but any future escape could return him to his former ultra-fast glory.
6 Quicksilver (Pietro Maximoff), Marvel’s Premiere Speedster
Introduced: The Uncanny X-Men #4 – Written By Stan Lee; Art By Jack Kirby
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Pietro Maximoff is Marvel’s most identifiable speedster, and he routinely pushes the limits of his powers: generally, he’s capable of getting to Mach 10 with ease and masters tasks in seconds that would take others a lifetime. Many other heroes on this list possess secondary abilities, but Quicksilver remains one of the more “pure” speedsters around, and his entire life is built around it, rendering him a shell of a person on any occasion he has lost his powers.
While he’s currently part of Captain America’s crew in Uncanny Avengers, a recent encounter with the Wizard and a strange deity hinted that he and his twin sister could possess powers beyond their comprehension. Though Pietro has been a Marvel staple for decades, there is still plenty of room for him to run faster and further.
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5 Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff), Heir to the Runner
Introduced: The Uncanny X-Men #4 – Written By Stan Lee; Art By Jack Kirby
Scarlet Witch may be a surprising entry on the list Marvel’s fastest heroes. Though Wanda hasn’t suddenly copied her twin brother’s abilities, she learned to take advantage of certain magic in the universe. By using skin cells from the Runner, an Eternal who is sometimes regarded as the fastest being in the universe – though he lost in a race to the #1 entry – she was able to harness his speed and undergo an entire battle with Agatha Harkness in “the space between two breaths.“
Wanda tells Darcy that using the skin cells grants an incalculably fast metabolism, too, and they’re not short in supply. Theoretically, that means Scarlet Witch has access to the Runner’s power anytime she chooses. Although her true ability is magical in nature, she’s proven that she can turn that into incomprehensible speed at will.
4 Northstar (Jean-Paul Beaubier), Faster Than The Speed Of Light
Introduced: The Uncanny X-Men #120 – Written By Chris Claremont; Art By John Byrne
Northstar, Aurora’s twin brother, is the fastest mutant alive: in a conversation with Tommy Shepherd, he claimed his peak velocity was 189,299mps. That means Northstar is capable of reaching light speeds, making him one of the few beings alive to accomplish such a feat. Unfortunately, taking advantage of that possibility would end his life. Even though Jean-Paul could technically reach that mind-shattering speed, his body isn’t built to withstand it, and it would pull him apart.
There is also an additional risk to the environment, rendering it a literal world-shattering feat. Currently, Jean-Paul is capable of astonishing speed on par with some cosmic-level beings, but he can’t fully tap into that potential. If he ever develops the durability and control necessary to harness it, he would be unstoppable. Until then, he’s still the best of his species.
3 Prisa-38, The Post-Human Master of Speed
Introduced: Children of the Vault #1 – Written By Deniz Camp; Art By Luca Maresca
Prisa-38 is one of the post-humans known as the Children of the Vault, who are continuously evolving into more advanced versions of themselves.That means thousands of years of perfecting her speed, with the latest “version” achieving near light speeds with no damage to herself or the environment – something other speedsters like Northstar have yet to master.
Rapid evolution means #3’s Prisa-38 was able to rescue 43,000 people one-by-one from an earthquake, and that was only a taste of her abilities. She has mastered time and speed to the point that she can accelerate specific points in space to age millions of years in seconds, allowing her to overcome threats like singularity bullets. After a failed takeover attempt, the Children are locked away again, but if and when they return, Prisa will be faster than even before.
2 Blur (Stanley Stewart), Running Out of Sync With Time
Introduced: Avengers #85 – Written By Roy Thomas & Len Wein; Art By John Buscema
Stanley Stewart, aka Blur, was first introduced under another name, the Whizzer, and has undergone several changes since his introduction, including the origin of his powers. The current Blur gained his powers from the demon, Mephisto, and has many feats under his belt. When racing the Quicksilver of his universe, he defeated Pietro so thoroughly that it cost the other speedster his life.
Additionally, Blur achieves such high speeds that he’s able to time travel by vibrating out of sync with himself and time. Unfortunately for Stewart, his abilities may have been affected when that Squadron Supreme’s universe crumbled. His recent top speeds, including the extraordinary ability to reach faster-than-light travel, are still impressive. Should he reach them again, he would easily surpass many of Marvel’s other speedsters.
1 Makkari, The Fastest Eternal
Introduced: The Eternals #5 – Written & Illustrated By Jack Kirby
Marvel’s top speedster is the Eternal known as Makkari. Originally, the speedster (who has used numerous appearances and codenames over the years) had a host of other powers, as all Eternals do, but chose to sacrifice a great deal to further increase their speed. Furthermore, their powers were affected by their death and regeneration while acting as the Dreaming Celestial’s prophet.
Despite all the difficulties Makarri has endured, their top speeds are absolutely mind-bending and more than earned the top spot on this list. The Eternal’s speed exceeds standard measurements to the point of pushing Makkari out of sync with the universe, meaning they move faster than light. At their greatest, Makkari came out victorious in a race against the Runner by becoming speed itself – a concept other Marvel speedsters can only dream of.
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