Can the Flash run faster than light?

Question

While trying to find out who was faster, Superman or the Flash (the answer is the Flash), I found out that the Flash can travel back and forth through time on occasion.

Does that mean that the Flash can travel faster than light?

What is the limit to the Flash's speed?

@Stark07 I dunno, I see the "speed force" against them in the other answers — user2813274, May 27 '15 at 13:28
the effects in the what-if question are because of the interaction of the FTL ball. The speed force negates any such interactions. That is Flash doesn't kill people by instantaneously catching/picking them up at super speed. — Stark07, May 27 '15 at 13:35

score 28 · Accepted Answer · edited Aug 14 '19 at 13:16

28

Depends on which Flash we're talking about here, but the short answer is yes he can. The 2 main modern Flashes, Barry Allen and Wally West are both capable of running faster than light. They run into issues running so fast though, as they start to brush up against the Speed Force.

edited Aug 14 '19 at 13:16

TheLethalCarrot

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answered Sep 30 '11 at 19:09

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I wonder which fundamental forces the Speed Force is made of, lol. – OghmaOsiris Mar 11 '13 at 14:46
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So. You're telling me the Force is against them? My next question just might be "Are the modern Flashes Sith?" – Major Stackings Jul 06 '14 at 23:51
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Pretty sure that the Speed Force is made up of donuts, because the more donuts I eat the slower I get =( – Patrick Hughes Jul 07 '14 at 01:14
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@PatrickHughes Given the speed of the flash's metabolism, I don't think it would slow them down as much as it would you. – Andreas Jul 07 '14 at 08:44

score 1 · Answer 2 · edited Aug 14 '19 at 13:14

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The Flash did run as fast as light before but nearly got sucked into the speed force. It was Shayera Hol (Hawkgirl) who first found the wormhole and asked 6 other members to help pull the Flash OUT of the speed force!

edited Aug 14 '19 at 13:14

TheLethalCarrot

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answered Dec 15 '13 at 02:53

Jon Gronty

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Which comic was that in? – DVK-on-Ahch-To Dec 15 '13 at 03:37
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@DVK I believe he's referring to the Justice League Unlimited cartoon, specifically the episode "Divided We Fall", however it's not stated that he's actually traveling faster than light, merely that he's "never gone that fast before, and can never do that again unless he wants to be pulled into the Speed Force forever" – Monty129 Dec 15 '13 at 15:54
I think it's the one where he runs around the world to punch Braniac/Luthor. It was great to see him use his real super move finally ! – King of NES Aug 14 '19 at 13:42

score -1 · Answer 3 · edited Aug 14 '19 at 13:15

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In one of the Flash, he was saving people in Japan or something... and to save them all he ran 13 trillion times the speed of light (apparently).

Also, Barry Allen as the Flash died saving the world, he ran so fast that he actually died. Furthermore, Barry Allen achieved coming back to Earth, and when he did, he was so fast that when ever he ran, he killed other speedsters.

edited Aug 14 '19 at 13:15

TheLethalCarrot

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answered Nov 21 '15 at 17:30

Michael Johnson

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A citeable issue number or two would really help out here. – phantom42 Nov 21 '15 at 17:38
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Running at 13 trillion times the speed of light would get him to Japan some time last year, surely… – Janus Bahs Jacquet Feb 03 '16 at 19:26

score -3 · Answer 4 · edited Aug 14 '19 at 13:13

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Superman can go 15.75 times the speed of light, which is over 10 billion (the speed of light is 670 million mph) mph and Flash beat him pretty bad in a race so way over 10 billion mph.

Answer: Way faster than the speed of light!

edited Aug 14 '19 at 13:13

TheLethalCarrot

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answered Aug 31 '15 at 21:14

TonyWill

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Welcome to SF&F:SE! Do you have any references that can support this answer? – kjw Aug 31 '15 at 21:34

score -3 · Answer 5 · answered Nov 18 '15 at 03:53

It's easy, the clear winner here is The Flash. I mean when you talk about something called the speed force, no other DC superhero has this kind of power to posses and it sounds pretty darn amazing. If you compare to superman, I mean he needs to go through just basic flight - flies in the air breaking the laws of physics. Yeah, yeah we get the point. So thanks to Albert Einstein's theory about relativity, it is said that the faster you move, it is slower for time to pass for you - or something. General relativity is just basic relativity; different kinds of angles you see from a perspective of different observers. But with special relativity, it's more focused on the speed of light where things get more complicated. So, Barry Allen just broke the law of Relativity and he going faster than the speed of light can make time slow down for him way faster.

This seems to focus on The Flash v Superman, which A- was already solved and B- is not the question. — Meat Trademark, Nov 18 '15 at 04:24

Can the Flash run faster than light?

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