Despite DC writer Joshua Williamson recently providing assurance of the Flash being faster than Superman in the comics, debate will forever rage on when it comes to who would reach the finish line first in a race. For the most part, those of us familiar with the source material often concede to the Scarlet Speedster being superior to the Man of Steel in that respect, but there exist those who won’t have any of it.
Believe it or not, Kevin Smith is one to wave the Kryptonian flag in this instance. Having directed various episodes of both The Flash and Supergirl in the past, you’d think he possesses the ability to remain objective.
To begin his argument, the fan favorite filmmaker first cited that we must consider every incarnation of these characters when debating the subject, which he laid out on an episode of his Fat Man on Batman podcast:
“My argument would always lean toward, if we’re talking about Superman and you’re including every incarnation of Superman, that includes Superman from Richard Donner’s Superman, who somehow has the ability to say so f-ckin’ fast, backwards, that he can turn back time…If they’re having a race, he’s allowed to fly? It’s not just feet? If Superman’s standing next to Flash, by the time Flash asks the question, ‘Let’s race to see who’s fastest,’ Superman’s like, ‘I beat you 10 seconds ago.’ He’s so f-ckin’ fast.”
Actually, he makes some very good points there. In addition to those, Smith hammered it home with what followed:
“Flash has the ability to run so fast he can travel through time and dimensions as well. Hmm…here, on the TV show, at least, and probably in a lot of Flash comics, there’s always this trope of, ‘I’ve gotta get faster. If only you were fast enough, Barry.’ Nobody ever says to Superman, ‘If only you were more super.’…The Barry from TV is always not fast enough. He’ll never be fast ‘enough’ until they get to the last season, and it’ll be, ‘My god, Barry, you did it.’ And then credits,…So, if we’re including every incarnation of the character, then Superman can travel through time, just like Flash, but Flash always needs to be somehow faster, so I give Superman the edge.”
While the Justice League movie merely teased the idea of these two icons competing in a race during its mid-credits scene, the outcome is left to our imagination. This forces me to wonder if the next Arrowverse crossover will do likewise, yet give us a clear victor. Don’t forget, Tyler Hoechlin’s set to return as Big Blue during said event, so anything’s possible.
Speaking of which, the crossover in question will kickoff on on Sunday, December 9 with The Flash. Then, the adventure will continue on Monday, December 10 over on Arrow before wrapping up on Tuesday, December 11 on Supergirl.
