Superman vs the Flash: Who Won the Man of Steel's Race With Jay Garrick? - CBR - Comic Book Resources

Throughout the history of the DC Universe, Superman has a rather competitive history with nearly every Flash, from Barry Allen to Wally West. In several of their races, The Man of Steel and The Scarlet Speedster have run to determine the title of The Fastest Man Alive.

However, one of their closest races came between Superman and Jay Garrick, the original Flash in DC First: Flash/Superman #1, by Geoff Johns and Rick Burchett.

Superman's races with The Flash have been part of DC history, going all the way back to 1967's Superman #199, by Jim Shooter and Curt Swan. The circumstances vary from race to race, making the outcome quite unpredictable. Sometimes the two heroes find themselves in a tie, while at other times, the victor is quite clear. In 1990, Adventures of Superman #463, by Dan Jurgens, saw The Flash win, while their most recent race in Superman: Up in The Sky #4, by Tom King and Andy Kubert, ceded victory to The Man of Tomorrow. Overall, these races play an important part in challenging the abilities of both Superman and The Flash, while maintaining a friendly rivalry between the heroes.

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After decades of racing Barry and Wally, Superman finally went up against Jay Garrick in 2002's DC First: Flash/Superman. The Man of Steel raced the original Scarlet Speedster thanks to the machinations of Abra Kadabra. The villain had recently broken out of prison, seeking revenge against Wally West.

When Jay and Wally took a trip to Metropolis, Kadabra ambushed them. While Superman arrived to assist his friends, Kadabra ultimately had the heroes right where he wanted them. Wally was cursed by Kadabra, forced to run while aging at a rapid speed. At the same time, Kadabra bestowed a similar aging curse upon an entire captive audience of innocent civilians. Jay and Superman were coerced into racing each other, so that one of them could catch up to Wally.

Of course, whoever reached Wally would have The Flash's curse transferred onto himself. During their race, Jay and Clark argued over who should sacrifice himself to save Wally. Unwilling to place Superman in harm's way, the original Flash used the Speed Force to steal Clark's momentum. Jay added this kinetic energy to his own speed, surpassing Superman and catching up to Wally as they all ran into the 64th century. Naturally, Jay absorbed Wally's curse, aging at a dangerous pace.

Still, Wally and Clark tried to save Jay after his heroic sacrifice. With his telescopic vision, Superman saw that there were microscopic nanites attacking Jay's cells, instead of some magical curse. Wally used his powers to vibrate Jay so that he would become immaterial, while the nanites remained solid. In the meantime, Clark used his heat vision to burn away all of the nanites. The heroes returned to their own time, where they caught Abra Kadabra and freed the audience from Kadabra's nanites. Cut off from his own technology, Kadabra couldn't threaten anyone else.

Ultimately, this race didn't have a definitive outcome. Jay Garrick certainly won, but he technically cheated. Jay's ability to steal Superman's speed comes from the Speed Force, which Superman isn't able to access, revealing an unfair advantage. Still, by stealing Superman's speed and adding it to his own, Jay chose to save Wally rather than race Clark any longer.

This move demonstrated how this race was never about competition, but about saving Wally and countless civilians. Jay mentioned earlier in the story how Kadabra knew that he and Clark were too evenly matched for a decisive victory between one or the other. Perhaps if Jay and Superman got into a legitimate race, where lives weren't at stake, a more clear victor could be determined.

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Nabeel Gaber (351 Articles Published)

Nabeel Gaber is a longtime reader of a plethora of comic books. He's based in Houston, Texas, following all of the latest comic book media from movies to television. Nabeel is a graduate of Trinity University, working now as a freelance comic book features writer. In his spare time, Nabeel enjoys running, improv comedy, and all the comics he can get his hands on!