Superman's speed impressed comic book movie fans when he debuted in his 2025 solo film; the son of Krypton quickly established himself as the fastest hero in James Gunn's DC Universe. However, DC Studios unveiled another hero who can almost keep pace with him. This is especially impressive given the numerous speed feats Superman has already pulled off in the DCU, which appear nearly impossible for any other hero to replicate.
DC Studios introduced Earth's other Green Lantern, Hal Jordan, when Lanterns premiered on August 16. In the most recent installment of the HBO Max series, Kyle Chandler's Jordan delivered another impressive display of speed, expanding his already considerable list of feats. These accomplishments have attracted comparisons to Superman, as Hal inches closer to matching the Kryptonian.
In Lanterns' premiere episode, Hal received a distress message from the backup consciousness stored in his ring and immediately left a Coast City taco stand, disappearing behind the clouds in seconds. He reached Rushville, Nebraska, a trip of well over 1,000 miles, early enough to sit on a football field's bleachers for six hours while John Stewart traveled to the same location by commercial plane. This was Hal's first proper display of superhuman speed, but he took things up a notch in the second episode.
In Episode 2, after Stewart briefed him on the Manhunter threat, Hal suited up at the Rushville motel and raced into space in roughly 10 seconds. For context, the edge of space is about 62 miles above Earth. Hal covered that distance before most people finish buttoning their shirts, putting his atmospheric exit velocity at around 20,000 miles per hour.
Episode 4 then put Hal's most impressive feat yet on display. While Poorna Jagannathan's Zoe was leaving the motel after visiting Stewart, a drone attack from space struck her vehicle, leaving it in flames. Hal flew into space, destroyed the drone satellite, and brought it back to Earth within seconds.
How do these feats compare to David Corenswet's Superman? It is worth revisiting Clark Kent's accomplishments. After being defeated by the Hammer of Boravia, he traveled from Metropolis to the Fortress of Solitude in Antarctica in just three minutes. In the DCU, Metropolis is situated in Delaware, which means Superman covered about 9,000 miles in 180 seconds.
To illustrate how insane that is, the math equates to 3,000 miles per minute, nearly Mach 235 (or 235 times the speed of sound). What makes it even more incredible is that he was gravely injured while doing it. So where does this leave Hal? As amazing as his speed is, he's still behind Superman.
How Do Superman & Hal Jordan's Speeds Compare in the Comics?
Since these are comic book characters, it would be a disservice not to explore their feats on the page alongside the live-action ones. Is Hal anywhere near as fast as Clark in the comics? The Green Lantern's most impressive speed feat happened in Green Lantern Corps #28, where he pursued Lightray, a New God of New Genesis and one of the fastest DC characters ever written.
To make himself faster, Hal built a jet construct and pushed his ring to its absolute limit, flying so fast that he nearly entered the Speed Force. That's remarkable, given that the Speed Force is the cosmic energy field speedsters like the Flash operate in.
Hal is good friends with Barry Allen, so he probably learned a thing or two from him. He also went after the Reverse-Flash at one point and managed to catch him with the help of a construct. Reverse-Flash is one of the fastest entities in the comics, so Jordan pulling that off is remarkable. He also kept up with another speedster, the Parallax-influenced version of the Flash, who had full access to the Speed Force. How do these compare with Superman? On the page, the Man of Steel has plenty of magnificent speed achievements.
He is so quick that his speed has been split into two categories: his speed in the atmosphere and in the vacuum of space. In the atmosphere, Superman is fast but holds back because his shockwaves can tear the air apart, igniting it. However, when in a vacuum, all bets are off. He has broken the light barrier on multiple occasions, answering distress calls from other solar systems.
Superman has also raced the Flash multiple times in the comics, first for charity in Superman #199 and again in The Flash #175, with both contests ending in deliberate ties. Years later, The Flash: Rebirth #3 gave fans the definitive answer. When Superman claimed their old races proved he could keep up, Barry Allen replied, "Those were for charity, Clark," and left him in the dust. It's also worth noting that Superman's speed doesn't really have a set limit.
His powers in the comics are essentially broken, as he can push himself to infinite velocities. So it's safe to conclude that Superman is faster than Jordan on the page as well. The only characters who outpace him are those who wield the Speed Force. Although his speed is infinite, speedsters like the Flash can manipulate the Speed Force itself and pull off virtually impossible feats.
Will Superman Remain the Fastest Character in the DCU?
There are a decent number of comic characters faster than Superman who have yet to arrive in the DCU, which makes the Man of Steel the fastest for now. And he might reign for a while, since Gunn doesn't seem keen on introducing the Flash or other speedsters currently. Also, the 2023 Flash film, which bombed, is still fresh in DC fans' minds, so it's unlikely the character will return in this continuity anytime soon.
However, Tom King's Mister Miracle TV series is introducing Darkseid and the New Gods, who could pose a genuine challenge to Superman in terms of speed. Darkseid himself isn't faster, but New Gods like Lightray of New Genesis can move at the speed of light, which would give Superman a run for his money.
Additionally, Gunn is currently working on a Wonder Woman movie, though it's hard to say how soon it will arrive. The Amazon princess is incredibly fast herself and has kept up with both Superman and the Flash in the comics. Her arrival could come sooner, however, if rumors that Adria Arjona is playing Diana in the Superman sequel, 2027's Man of Tomorrow, rather than Maxima, prove true.
Geraldo Amartey is a writer at The Direct. He joined the team in 2025, bringing with him four years of experience covering entertainment news, pop culture, and fan-favorite franchises for sites like YEN, Briefly and Tuko.
