Superboy & Kid Flash Prove Who’s REALLY DC’s Fastest Hero

Superman and The Flash have raced countless times over the years, but when their proteges Superboy and Kid Flash raced, the results were anything but ambiguous. Superboy, otherwise known as Conner Kent, is the hybrid clone of Superman and Lex Luthor. Originally introduced during the “Reign of the Superman” story-line, Conner initially had tactile telekinesis, which allowed him to emulate Superman’s powers such as super strength and flight, as well as move objects with his mind. Later on in his career however, Conner gained kryptonian powers, such as heat vision, enhanced hearing, as well as super speed.

Over the years, Conner had served in both Young Justice and the Teen Titans, alongside fellow teenage hero Bart Allen, Barry Allen’s grandson from the future. Bart had all the powers of a speedster, and though he initially took the name Impulse, he eventually took on the Kid Flash identity. Despite Bart’s occasionally grating personality, both Superboy and Kid Flash became good friends over the years. Naturally, after disaster struck Superboy’s home, Bart Allen would be willing to lend a hand, providing the opportunity to see which of the two was faster.

Related: When Spider-Man Fought Superboy, Who Actually Won?

After the death of Jonathan Kent, Superman’s adoptive father, Conner had been asked by Superman to watch over Smallville and Martha Kent. Alongside Krypto the Superdog, Conner had protected Smallville as Superboy, all while going to Smallville high school as Conner Kent. During one of Conner’s battles against Superman villain Parasite, many small businesses in Smallville were left damaged, while another incident spawned gigantic wild plant-life across all of Smallville. Both of these instances left Smallville in shambles, with many businesses and landowners lacking the finances to recover and rebuild. Conner, looking for a way to help the town he was sworn to protect, turned to his friend Bart Allen in Superboy #5 (2011), and asked if Bart would be willing to assist him, by participating in the first ever Superboy/Kid Flash race. Having seen how fruitful prior Superman/Flash races had been in the past, and wanting to have a fun competition with a friend, Conner believed this to be the best method to raise funds, one that Bart quickly agreed to.

On the day of the race, a gigantic crowd of citizens and superheroes alike gathered to witness the race. The Teen Titans were also in attendance, with the exception of Cassie Sandsmark, Wonder Girl, who had broken up with Conner Kent a few weeks prior.  Before the race commenced, Pete Ross (Clark Kent’s old friend from high school) had announced that the charity race had accepted many donations from wealthy corporations, including Wayne Enterprises, and raised half a million dollars. Mr. Terrific himself mapped out a route for the two participants to run across which involved Superboy and Kid Flash traveling around the globe multiple times, ensuring that the race would not end in a few seconds. Krypto, despite not being an official part of the race, had also decided to follow the two heroes for fun during the event. With the race being monitored by a Justice League satellite, and an eager crowd roaring with cheers, Superboy and Kid Flash officially begin their race.

The race initially seems to be even between Superboy and Kid Flash, with Krypto not far behind them, as they all race through locations such as London, Hawaii, and Toronto. Along the way, to make the race more interesting, the two stopped various crimes as they pass through each destination, facing off against bank robbers, the Royal Flush Gang, and even King Shark. However, despite his best efforts, Superboy finds that he cannot get excited about the race. Kid Flash notices this behavior, and the two stop in Egypt, where Kid Flash and Superboy discuss the latter’s breakup with Wondergirl. Superboy was upset that Cassie did not show up to watch the race, but Bart put his friends mind at ease by assuring him that even if the two heroes were broken up at the moment, that they could always get back together in the future. After some playful banter, the two heroes resume their race, with the two overtaking one another. However, as the finish line drew near, the (literal) underdog of the race, Krypto had overtaken both heroes, and was deemed the victor of the race.

While having super-heroes competing against each other allows fans to debate which hero would emerge victorious, answering the question definitively will sometimes leave fans dissatisfied with the results. By having Krypto emerge victorious in this race, a definite winner emerged while still allowing fans to debate as to who the “real” winner should have been. Krypto emerging as the winner might initially seem like an upset, his kryptonian DNA gives Krypto powers similar to Superman’s, including super-speed. During the race, Krypto was able to keep up with the two teenagers for the most part, despite lagging behind them at times.

Furthermore, both Superboy and Kid Flash spent their time fighting crime during the race, while Krypto committed to the race completely, choosing to save his energy for the end of the race, and ensuring his victory. Fans may never know whether Superboy is faster then Kid Flash, or vice versa, but we can all recognize that Krypto is the fastest between the three of them.