Skip to main content

dc - Is The Flash's physiology faster than normal humans?


Can the Flash do things like build muscle faster than normal (do his muscles grow right after a work-out or meal)? Can he heal faster than normal? Does he have a faster immune system to stop all illness or at least make the flu last 2 minutes or something along those lines?



Answer



As with almost anything related to superheroes, this has been inconsistently portrayed throught the history of the character.


First, we must consider which Flash you are talking about. It also depends on several other factors, notably which version of the character (mainstream comics, New 52, parallel universes, the TV show, the DCAU, etc).


To boil it down, the answer is generally yes, The Flash does do every bodily process faster than a normal human being. How much faster varies (sometimes within the same story!) as does how much control he has over it.


Generally, every version of The Flash heals faster than a normal human (though not so fast as, say, Wolverine). Bruises will be gone within a day or so, cuts and stuff will heal faster, cracked ribs will knit quicker, etc. His body processes toxins at an increased rate, which means he'd have a heck of a time getting drunk and things like drugs and knockout gasses can wear off sooner. That said, he still breathes (most of the time) at a normal human rate, and he can get sick.



Most writers generally explain this as a factor of his powers: his Super Speed isn't always on. He doesn't always move faster than everyone else, and he doesn't always perceive things the way he does when he's moving faster than the speed of sound. His body, by default, is not going that much faster than everyone else is. It does, however, speed up as he does. So if he and Batman are talking when giant metal panels shut them in a room and it fills with knockout gas, Batman will likely wake up first (due to his better constitution and higher body mass) - Flash wasn't going at super speed, so his body wasn't accelerating his metabolic processes.


That said, Flash has never shown any propensity for increased speed at building muscle mass. His physical strength is normal for a fit man of his build. He can bench his own weight and has been shown to be able to carry one or two people at a time.


The Flash can, however, read incredibly fast. Barry Allen and Wally West can read libraries in seconds, though what they learn from those books fades quickly, so it's typically used to find one or two relevant facts (which they then tell to others). Bart Allen, on the other hand, possesses a photographic memory and can (and has) read libraries and retained all the information.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

futurama - How much time is lost in 'Time Keeps on Slippin''

In time Keeps on Slippin' , Farnsworth creates a basketball team which he matures by abusing Chronitons. This leads to time skipping forward by random, but ever increasing amounts. How much time was skipped in this way? Answer Unfortunately, I don't think a good estimate can be made for this, for two reasons: Many of the time skips move forward by an indeterminate amount of time. At one point, the Professor mentions localized regions of space skipping forward much more than others. We then see two young boys on the street below complaining about having to pay social security, only to suddenly become senior citizens and start complaining about wanting their money. Thus, each individual could have experienced a different amount of time skippage.
Post a Comment
Read more

What is Tolkien trying to say in this letter?

In a draft of a letter, later recorded as #246, Tolkien makes a strange statement. I am interested in the first few sentences of the letter, but I will include the remainder for the sake of context. In the 'Mirror of Galadriel', 1381, it appears that Galadriel conceived of herself as capable of wielding the Ring and supplanting the Dark Lord. If so, so also were the other guardians of the Three, especially Elrond . But this is another matter. It was part of the essential deceit of the Ring to fill minds with imaginations of supreme power . But this the Great had well considered and had rejected, as is seen in Elrond's words at the Council. Galadriel's rejection of the temptation was founded upon previous thought and resolve. In any case Elrond or Galadriel would have proceeded in the policy now adopted by Sauron: they would have built up an empire with great and absolutely subservient generals and armies and engines of war, until they could challenge Sauron and destroy ...
Post a Comment
Read more

tolkiens legendarium - Was Galadriel's temptation of Boromir instrumental to his fall?

We know Galadriel tempted the members of the Fellowship, did she tempt Boromir with visions of taking the Ring and saving Gondor? In the books, Boromir willingly accepts the judgement of the council that the Ring should be destroyed, but after the meeting with Celeborn and Galadriel his personality seems to change. Was the temptation offered by Galadriel in some way responsible for Boromir's fall? Answer It's likely, but not certain I believe it is likely Galadriel tempted him with the ring, and in doing so re-ignited a pre-existing idea to take the ring, but to be clear lets break this down into three parts. Boromir at the Council of Elrond Boromir after setting off Boromir after being tempted Boromir at the Council of Elrond Boromir pleas for the ring to go to Minas Tirith, to help Gondor in its defense against Mordor. “ Why should we not think that the Great Ring has come into our hands to serve us in the very hour of need? Wielding it the Free Lords of the Free may surely...
Post a Comment
Read more

harry potter - What is the difference between Diffindo and Sectumsempra?

In the Harry Potter books, Diffindo is called the 'Severing Charm' and it’s most commonly used to cut ropes and the like. However, in the last book Hermione uses it on Ron but misses, creating a 'slash in his jeans' and his knee gets cut, causing him to 'roar in pain'. We've only seen Sectumsempra used once on screen when Harry directly uses it on Malfoy in the sixth book, but there it's mentioned that he is 'waving his wand wildly'. Wouldn't Diffindo, if used in such a fashion also cause a similar effect? Similarly, if it was able to cut Ron, it would also be able to, say, chop off an ear (George's)? In that case, how are these two spells different, except for Sectumsempra seemingly used exclusively to hurt humans? Answer While Diffindo and Sectumsempra both can be countered by other spells, Diffindo is far more easily countered. Reparo, a relatively common spell, can completely reverse its effect when used once. “He pulled the old cop...
Post a Comment
Read more