Flash vs. Quicksilver: Who Is Faster? (& Who Would in a Fight?)

When it comes to the superheroes associated with speed in both Marvel and DC comics, two superhero names often come up, Quicksilver and Flash. Both Quicksilver and Flash are known for their unimaginable speeds and specially enhanced physiologies adapted to it. However, the eternal question remains, who between them is faster and, in turn, more powerful? Many characters in the DC comics held the mantle of Flash, but only one Quicksilver in Marvel. Due to that, we’ve decided to compare Pietro Maximoff to the fastest speedster alive, Wally West. Now, without further ado, when it comes to a battle and a race between Flash and Quicksilver, who is faster, and who would win in a fight?

Flash is unimaginably faster than Quicksilver due to having basically infinite speed at his disposal. Flash, due to his incredible speed, has a vast array of additional powers and abilities at his disposal that he can utilize to generate powerful and destructive forces. Quicksilver’s body is perfectly adapted for speed due to his mutant gene, but he doesn’t have the connection to Speed Force, which is something unique to DC and allows DC speedsters to achieve mind-boggling speeds. Flash would both outrun Quicksilver and defeat him in a battle.

Now that we know that Flash is the ultimately faster character than Quicksilver, it’s time to analyze why and what makes him stand out when compared to other speedsters in the Marvel universe that come nowhere near his speed.

Flash vs. Quicksilver: Who is faster?

Flash is much faster than Quicksilver, but before we give you the complete answer, we should perhaps discuss the origin of speed-related powers concerning Wally West and Pietro.

First, Pietro, aka Quicksilver, is a mutant with the so-called “speed physiology.” His body is adapted to high-speed running. His cardiovascular and respiratory systems are much more efficient, allowing him to metabolize an estimated 95% of food calories and constantly expel waste products. His body also possesses enhanced joints, tendons, and bones that enable him to withstand the dynamic shocks of his superhuman speed.

On the other hand, Wally West is the conduit of Speed Force, which is the key to his infinite speed and the fact that he is much faster than Quicksilver. Without going into too much detail, you should know that the Speed Force is one of the Seven Forces of the Universe. It is the essence of kinetic energy in the Universe, and most of DC’s speedsters are connected to it. This allows them to reach mind-boggling speeds and outrun light several times. Speed Force is likewise often described as the cosmic force that pushes space and time forward.

In fact, Marvel doesn’t have the equivalent of the Speed Force, which is why Quicksilver can’t ever be faster than Flash. Quicksilver is not even the fastest character in the Marvel Universe, as there are plenty of other both superheroes and villains that are able to reach speeds unimaginable to Pietro.

Speed comparison

Quicksilver was initially capable of running at speeds of 175 miles per hour for up to four hours before needing to rest. His powers of acceleration enable him to perform various feats, such as dodging machine gun fire, creating cyclone-like gusts of wind, and even running across oceans and up the sides of buildings with ease.

After Isotope E upgraded his powers, Quicksilver can easily reach high supersonic speeds of Mach 4 to Mach 5 and is resistant to friction, reduced oxygen, and impact while moving at super-speeds.

There is one “feat” in the comics that Pietro can move at speeds faster than light, but it was later disproven due to the editor’s error, so Pietro’s biggest feat isn’t even canon.

On the other side, we have Wally West, who is the fastest man alive; no, he is the fastest being in existence as, at one point, he was faster than thought, faster than Speed Force itself. Flash is faster than instant teleportation, and he can easily outrun the Universe’s expansion.

Wally West once ran until the end of time to outrun Black Flash. And I think this is enough to witness how truly fast Flash is. His speed is incomprehensible and cannot be measured up to or compared to anything we know. It’s truly indescribable how something can move faster than “now,” but Wally West did it.

Due to everything written, it’s obvious that Quicksilver is much slower than Flash. Once again, it’s important to mention that Quicksilver is frequently outpaced by the characters such as Thor, Sentry, Silver Surfer, and other cosmic entities in Marvel Universe.

Quicksilver vs. Flash: Who would win in a fight?

Due to the impossible speeds he can reach, Wally West has many secondary abilities that he can utilize for destructive purposes. Wally West has aerokinetic abilities that allow him to create strong vortexes or even pull oxygen from a certain area by running fast enough. His electrokinetic abilities allow him to create and utilize electric energy to create strong lightning bolts that break even the Green Lantern constructs.

Even though Speed Force is primarily energy associated with movement, Wally has such mastery of it he can utilize it to create solid objects that rival those of Green Lanterns. Overall, The Flash is among the most powerful superheroes in DC Universe, and even though Quicksilver is powerful as well, his abilities don’t come anywhere near those that Wally can throw at him. In a battle between Flash and Quicksilver, Flash would win.