Superhuman Speed

"Not that that matters, cause I'll be a thousand miles away before you can even blink."

Superhuman Speed is the power to react as well as run at velocities surpassing what is physically possible for a human. On a basic level, super-speed allows the user to move with such force that they appear as a blur of motion. At its height, it allows them to break the sound barrier.

Kryptonians[]

Kryptonian super speed manifests almost instantly after exposure to an environment under a yellow sun. Kryptonians can move any part of their body extremely fast, to the point where everything around them freezes. Clark can use his speed to run up buildings, as proven in Lexmas, and Kent.

The Kryptonian machine computer program called Brainiac is capable of using super speed. Davis Bloome is also capable of this ability.

Speedsters[]

The Flashes, through the connection to the Speed Force, which is a realm created by any kinetic motion in the universe, can run at the speed of light. The Black Flash is a manifestation of death and can run faster than the speed of dark.

Atlanteans[]

Atlanteans can swim at super speed, at some point becoming able to swim at speeds that greatly exceeds the sound barrier. Atlanteans can swim much faster than Kryptonians.

Martians[]

Martians can move at hyper-sonic speed, leaving a jet stream of red in their wake. Martian Manhunter was able to fly from space to Lionel's office and stop Clark from killing Lionel, and fly into the sun in seconds. It's unknown how fast adult Martians can run, but it at least greatly exceeds the sound barrier.

Characters with Super Speed[]

Kryptonians

"That's the thing about Clark Kent: he's not always there when you want him... but he's always there when you need him."

— Lana Lang ^Shimmer

Clark Kent - This ability first manifested when he was younger but displayed heightened reflexes after the Kents picked him up from the cornfield. Clark can move and or react at speeds that far exceed the speed of sound barrier whether it is on land or underwater. Clark through accelerated vision perceives the entire world frozen. As Superman, Clark can run and fly at super-speed, with him being able to now match Impulse's cruising speed while flying. Before Clark fully embraced his destiny and became Superman, Clark was amazed by how fast his future-self was, as his speed when flying is far greater than his speed while running.
- Clark Luthor - Clark Luthor can move at extremely fast speeds that greatly exceeds the sound barrier.
- Kal-El - Kal-El can fly at extreme velocities.
Kara Kent - Kara can move and or react at speeds that far exceed the sound barrier whether it is on land or underwater.
Jor-El - Jor-El was able to run and or exercise at speeds that greatly exceeded the sound barrier.
Zor-El - Zor-El was able to run and or exercise at speeds that greatly exceeded the sound barrier.
General Zod - Zod, by possessing a human's body, could run and or exercise at speeds that greatly exceeded the sound barrier. He is shown to be faster than an adolescent Clark.
Faora - Faora, by possessing a human's body, could run and or exercise at speeds that greatly exceeded the sound barrier.
Raya - Raya was able to run and or exercise at speeds that greatly exceeded the sound barrier.
Disciples of Zod - They both were able to run and or exercise at speeds that greatly exceeded the sound barrier.
Davis Bloome - Davis could, much like Clark Kent, move with superhuman speed.
Alia - Alia can run and or exercise at speeds that greatly exceeds the sound barrier.
Major Zod - Major Zod can run and or exercise at speeds that greatly exceeds the sound barrier. He is shown to be as fast as an adult Clark.
Lex Luthor (temporarily) - He had nanites inside him and possessed Zod's powers, allowing him to run faster than the speed of sound.

Half-Kryptonian

Conner Kent - Conner, because he has half of Clark's Kryptonian DNA, can run and exercise at extreme superhuman speeds that exceeds the sound barrier, although he isn't nearly as fast as Clark and/or a full Kryptonian.

Aliens

Aldar - Aldar seemed capable of superhuman speed..
Baern - Baern, by possessing a Human's body, could run at speeds that greatly exceeded the sound barrier.
Bizarro - Bizarro, after replicating some of Clark Kent's DNA strands, could run and or exercise at speeds that greatly exceeded the sound barrier.
Maxima - Maxima, much like Kryptonians, can run with superhuman speed.
Martian Manhunter - John, as a Martian, can run at hyper-sonic speeds.

Metahumans

Meteor Infected

Greg Arkin - Greg can vanish and reappear somewhere else in the blink of an eye, although he is not nearly as fast as Kryptonians.
Emily Dinsmore - Emily's kryptonite-inspired physiology meant that she could run at great super-sonic speeds that rivalled the capabilities of a teenage Clark Kent.
Randy Klein -
Rudy Jones - Rudy could move in super speed after absorbing Clark's powers.

Temporarily Metahuman

Eric Summers - Eric, after he gets Clark's abilities through a power swap, could move at speeds that greatly exceeded the sound barrier.
Jeremiah Holdsclaw - Jeremiah, while holding the Starblade, could run faster than humans and proved to be as fast as Kryptonians.
Jonathan Kent - Jonathan gained Jor-El's speed to retrieve Clark and bring him home.
Lana Lang - Lana wore a specialized nano-suit that granted the wearer extraordinary powers, including super speed.

Other

Bart Allen - Due to his connection to the Speed Force, Bart once reaching his potential, is capable of moving in excess of the speed of light. Even when he was younger, Bart was still faster than Clark, as shown in both "Run" and "Justice". Even when Clark becomes Superman and unlocks the ability to fly, which greatly improves his speed, Bart still easily beats him in a race from the ocean to Mumbai, India in Season 11, Volume 3.
Wes Keenan - Gained super speed likely from the genetic material of Bart Allen as a part of Project Ares.
Arthur Curry - Arthur, while underwater, can run along the sea floor, swim, or exercise at speeds that greatly exceeds the sound barrier.
Arthur Curry's mother - Arthur said his mom was highly skilled in swimming at super speed.
Mera - Mera, while underwater, can run along the sea floor, swim, or exercise at speeds that greatly exceeds the sound barrier.
Lindsay Harrison - Lindsay, through Jor-El, was able to run and or exercise at speeds that greatly exceeded the sound barrier.
Jay Garrick - Jay can easily run and or exercise at speeds that greatly exceeds the speed of light itself, making him one of the fastest entities, other than Bart Allen and the Black Flash, in the world.
Jor-El - Jor-El's spirit can possess a person and, while inside them, run faster than the speed of sound.
Black Flash - The Black Flash, being a manifestation of death to those connected to the Speed Force, can easily reach Bart Allen's level of superspeed.

Technology

Brainiac - Brainiac, as a Kryptonian machine, can move and react so fast, that he can basically be at multiple places simultaneously. He could do this even when possessing Chloe Sullivan's body.

Quotes[]

Clark: Where exactly did you find the body?

Chloe: Just up the road about a quarter-mile. (Clark super speeds away) Well, I guess I'll meet you there.

Season Six, Wither

(Clark runs away at super speed)

Chloe: Do you ever get used to that?

Martha: Not really.

Season Six, Prototype

Bart: None of that matters cause I'll be a thousand miles before you could even blink.

Clark: I don't know, I can blink pretty fast.

Season Four, Run

(Clark super speeds while on the phone with Lois)

Lois: What was that whooshing sound?

Clark: Nothing... I, uh, just had the truck window open.

Season Nine, Warrior

In The Comics[]

In the comics, super speed, or heightened speed, is a common ability amongst speedsters and depending on the entity, the potential capacity of this ability will vary greatly. Superman can move and exercise at speeds that greatly exceeds that of the speed of light itself and currently, he is so fast that he won't even leave a streak behind him, unless he isn't using this ability to its fullest. He can also reverse the rotation of Earth to turn back the cordial of time by flying extremely fast around the Earth. The Flash can move extremely fast, to the point where he outclasses Superman in races most of the time, though sometimes, they break a tie with one another. He can also reset time with his speed. J'onn J'onzz can also move very fast and has hyper reflexes. Darkseid possess enhanced speed compared to humans, but compared to speedsters, he is slow, although he sometimes surprises Superman by quickly appearing behind him.

Notes[]

When Clark is at super speed and the world is moving at normal speed, producers refer to his perspective as "Clark time".
As a kind of artistic expression, it can be noted that every character with super speed has a different color flash behind them. sometimes independent on the color of their attire. Clark Kent emitted a yellow and white aura in his younger years, a blue aura as the Red-Blue Blur then as the Blur, he emitted a black aura. Kara has red and blue, white in her first appearance, Bart Allen has a red streak, Zod in Lex's body has orange, Lana has a faint purple aura in Wrath and a burning orange aura in Power, Raya has yellow, Maxima has green, Bizarro and Brainiac had black, Doomsday has dark gray, Alia has white, Stephen Swift has gold, Major Zod has white/yellow.
It should be noted that, as the series progressed, so did Clark's speed. Starting in Season 1, he was considerably faster than humans, however he did not excrete an aura. In Season 2, a whiz of wind echoed from his construct. In Season 3 aura pulsations are finally released.
It seems that characters that are faster than others get their aura pulsation before them.
The two instances of fastest super speed was in the episodes Hereafter when Future Superman transcended at Hyperspeed and in Run when Bart ran at light speed.