How Fast Can Superman Run?

Most everyone has heard that Superman is faster than a speeding bullet. He can fly incredibly fast, and he possesses superhuman strength. He can move more quickly than the speed of light and sound and can basically defy gravity. But just how fast can Superman run?

Superman can move at a speed of at least 186,000 miles per second. This breaks down to more than 7,000,000 mph. But he can move even faster if needed. He can break light and sound barriers outside of the Earth’s atmosphere. His reaction time is less than one attosecond or 1 x 10-18th of a second. 

You may have already known that Superman is swift, but you may not know all the details concerning his speed. In this article, I will cover what Superman is faster than, how fast he can move around the world if anything is more rapid than Superman, and whether he can use the Speed Force. 

What (or Who) Is Superman Faster Than?

Frankly, Superman has infinite speed. But to help you understand his speed, here are some speed comparisons for you to consider:

• Cheetahs are the quickest animals on land and can run up to 70 mph
• Nascar cars race at speeds just over 200 mph
• The Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ has a max speed of 300 mph
• The top speed of the Bugatti Bolide is 310 mph
• The Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut has a top speed of 330 mph
• The minimum speed for a conventional rocket is 17,000 mph, with the ability to go up to 36,500 mph
• Light travels at 670,615,200 mph
• Superman can travel faster than the Silver Surfer (as long as he doesn’t time warp)
• Superman is faster than Thor
• Superman can travel over 80,000 times faster than Wonder Woman

How Fast Can Superman Make It Around the World?

Superman can circle the Earth in less than a second at his maximum speed. The exact times and rates will depend on which version of Superman you are looking at. 

In Zach Snyder’s Justice League, Superman flew from sea level to the Earth’s atmosphere in eight seconds. In the 1978 Superman film, it takes Superman eight seconds to fly counter-rotationally around the Earth. 

A comic book version of Superman flew from the planet Vega to planet Earth, a distance of 25 light-years, in about 10-15 minutes. Superman flew around Earth’s entire atmosphere in two months in another comic book. This means he did not just circle the Earth but encompassed the whole atmosphere of the Earth, which is difficult for the human mind to comprehend. 

Furthermore, not only can Superman fly around the Earth, he can fly around the Earth fast enough counter-rotationally to reverse the orbit of the Earth, thus turning back time. When he did this, he was moving at approximately 660,000,000 mph, which is 98 percent of the speed of light. 

Is Anyone (or Anything) Faster than Superman?

So we know that Superman is super fast, and we have looked at the things and superheroes that Superman could outrun or outfly. But is anyone or anything faster than Superman? Let’s look at some superheroes that are as fast as or faster than the Man of Steel. 

Supergirl

Clark’s super cousin, Kara, is stronger than him, which she has proven numerous times when they have tied up with each other. However, the two are pretty much equal when it comes to speed. 

Shazam 

Shazam’s powers, including superspeed, are magic-based, whereas Superman has supernatural abilities. Therefore, it is likely that Shazam is at least as fast as if not faster than Superman. 

The Flash

Where Superman is known for his many superpowers and abilities, the Flash is known for one: his speed. But is he faster than The Last Son of Krypton? The Flash can run through time and space. Superman is at his peak speed outside of the Earth’s atmosphere, but his speed is nothing to laugh at on Earth either. 

Superman can keep up pace with the Flash relatively well, but when the two go head to head, the Flash is faster than Superman at the end of the day. Out of nine races, the Flash beat Superman five times. Three of the races resulted in a tie, and Superman beat him only once. 

Can Superman Use the Speed Force?

The speed force is the energy field that gives speedsters their power. While Superman does have superspeed, he is not considered a speedster and has not ever used the speed force. 

Having come from a planet with a red sun, Superman gains power the longer he is exposed to Earth’s yellow sun. This is where he gets his speed and other forces from. However, he can also move faster and is stronger outside the Earth’s atmosphere, so he can save up the power he gets from the sun and prolong its use. 

Superman does have the receptors needed to tap into the power of the Speed Force should he need to, but he has not needed to and therefore has not used them.