# Is the Flash bored most of the time? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 21, 2010, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-flash-bored-most-of-the-time/525874 "2010-01-21T18:47:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2010, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-flash-bored-most-of-the-time/525874/21 "2010-01-22T12:34:40Z")
> [@Tengu](#): > > Except that that’s neither how the Flashes’ powers work, nor in character for any of them. > > Even if Jay’s powers did work like that (and until recently he couldn’t do better than the speed of sound, so his perceptions wouldn’t be that fast), he’d never complain. > > Barry was the most laid back guy ever. If his perceptions and attention span were permanently sped up, he’d be as hyperactive as a squirrel on crack. (Like Bart can be.) And never late for anything. > > Wally’s the Flash under whose tenure the Speed Force reveal happened, making it pretty seriously explicit that he can turn off the powers (or have them turned off). > > Bart positively revelled in the fact that he could speed up his perception (enough to read the entire San Francisco Public Library collection in an hour). Back in the day, before the “Speed Force” was invented, I remember reading an essay that explained Flash’s speed as being a local temporal effect. Basically he is able to slow time down for himself, so that he can in effect move faster than anything. (I suppose he visualizes/ implements the effect by running as fast as he can.) The other 98% of his time he spends a little slower than everyone else, so as not to get out of sync between personal duration l time and universal duration time, thus avoiding the old “The Girl, The Gold Watch and Everything” rapid aging issue. And that explains why Barry Allen is Mr Mellow, and always late for everything. ---
**Author:** ![Satchmo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/satchmo/32/4223_2.png) [@Satchmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satchmo)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2010, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-flash-bored-most-of-the-time/525874/22 "2010-01-22T19:55:27Z")
I was fascinated by the Flash in “Kingdom Come”. He had retreated from humanity, focusing on Central City and never stopping. Nothing bad ever happens in Central City, no crime, no accidents. Just a red blur that is everywhere and nowhere. Seems like he found something to fill the time. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2010, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-flash-bored-most-of-the-time/525874/23 "2010-01-22T22:41:45Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > I have this very vague memory that in one of the comic books, he said he couldn’t go to movies as he saw each frame as a still photo. I remember a Wally West issue where he was sitting in a theater, and he was disoriented when he unexpectedly snapped into high-speed mode and the movie froze. He eventually noticed that something was pressing against the back of his neck, and reached behind his head to see what it was. Well, it was a bullet; turned out that some psycho in the back had started shooting up the theater. He then looked around and saw other bullets hanging in the air, and he collected them before they hit anyone. ---
**Author:** ![CutterJohn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/91b2a8/32.png) [@CutterJohn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CutterJohn)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2010, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-flash-bored-most-of-the-time/525874/24 "2010-01-23T18:00:47Z")
> [@Push\_You\_Down](#): > > Peter David gave the first real and best insight into Quicksilver in issue #87(?) of X-Factor. The team is sent to a psychiatrist after the events of the latest crossover. > > He’s a jerk because his entire life is like being stuck behind someone who doesn’t know how to use an ATM or someone paying for groceries with handfuls of change. I remember that comic, and most specifically the quicksilver portion. I always thought it would be a pretty cool power, but when he described his day to day life, it was horrid. ---
**Author:** ![AndyPolley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@AndyPolley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndyPolley)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-flash-bored-most-of-the-time/525874/25 "2010-01-25T14:35:57Z")
> [@Push\_You\_Down](#): > > He’s a jerk because his entire life is like being stuck behind someone who doesn’t know how to use an ATM or someone paying for groceries with handfuls of change. Peter David brought some great insight to Quicksilver in that run. I remember an issue where Quicksilver was banging on a piano and everyone in the room was covering their ears & complaining. After a few panels of cacophony, delicate and beautiful notes of music start coming from the piano. Commenting on the loveliness of the music, one of the members of the team asks “What was that noise before?” and QS simply responds, “Learning.” Of course, Strong Guy was the best under Peter David…and #1 Fan was truly horrific. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-flash-bored-most-of-the-time/525874/26 "2010-01-25T16:11:19Z")
> [@wedgehed](#): > > Did Supes ever get it on with Wonder Woman? > [@runner pat](#): > > He tried but the Invisible Man was in the way. Do I feel more sorry for a very surprised Superman or for a very sore Invisible Man? ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-flash-bored-most-of-the-time/525874/27 "2010-01-25T16:19:10Z")
I recall some of the Flash comics and he was always running. Did he ever swim real fast too? If he’s going to circle the globe, he’d have to cross oceans somehow. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-flash-bored-most-of-the-time/525874/28 "2010-01-25T16:25:40Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Did he ever swim real fast too? If he’s going to circle the globe, he’d have to cross oceans somehow. He runs fast enough that he can stay on top of the water - he’s so fast the surface tension doesn’t get a chance to break. ---
**Author:** ![ShaunTheMaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dec6dc/32.png) [@ShaunTheMaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShaunTheMaun)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2018, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-flash-bored-most-of-the-time/525874/29 "2018-08-17T03:09:17Z")
Have any of you considered that the Flash considers the world so quickly that he got tired of being bored a long time ago, like just after he got his powers. He kind of adapted to knowing everything so quickly. It must have just gotten natural to wait for something to happen. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2018, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-flash-bored-most-of-the-time/525874/30 "2018-08-17T16:31:32Z")
If Flash used his power consistently he’d be able to defeat any villain in 1 second. Maybe this is the reason why he doesn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2018, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-flash-bored-most-of-the-time/525874/31 "2018-08-17T16:43:44Z")
I always thought it would be interesting to have a guy who has the superpower of superspeed. But he does it by changing the flow of time. And he’s a 46 year old middle aged schlub. So sure, he could run across the continent in five minutes, but it would be just as hard and take him just as long from his point of view as it would be for any other middle aged guy to run 3000 miles. They always show super-speedsters running like crazy, it would be funny to have a super-speedster who can barely manage a fast jog without getting winded. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2018, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-flash-bored-most-of-the-time/525874/32 "2018-08-17T18:59:05Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > I always thought it would be interesting to have a guy who has the superpower of superspeed. But he does it by changing the flow of time. And he’s a 46 year old middle aged schlub. So sure, he could run across the continent in five minutes, but it would be just as hard and take him just as long from his point of view as it would be for any other middle aged guy to run 3000 miles. They always show super-speedsters running like crazy, it would be funny to have a super-speedster who can barely manage a fast jog without getting winded. [Sentry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sentry_(Robert_Reynolds)) maybe? Speed isn’t his defining characteristic, but his “powers ostensibly derive from a Super Soldier- serum that “moves his molecules an instant ahead of the current timeline”.” Pretty divisive character, as I understand it, so YInterestMV. ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2018, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-flash-bored-most-of-the-time/525874/33 "2018-08-17T22:16:32Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > I always thought it would be interesting to have a guy who has the superpower of superspeed. But he does it by changing the flow of time. And he’s a 46 year old middle aged schlub. So sure, he could run across the continent in five minutes, but it would be just as hard and take him just as long from his point of view as it would be for any other middle aged guy to run 3000 miles. They always show super-speedsters running like crazy, it would be funny to have a super-speedster who can barely manage a fast jog without getting winded. In the series of novels _Wearing the Cap_e, there’s a character who can enter “hypertime”- basically, he speeds up his own perception of time relative to the rest of the universe, so much so that the world is standing still, and he can take other people or objects into hypertime with him. He’s a normal human, otherwise, so he uses a motorcycle to get around while the world is stopped. He’d be able to go around the world in an instant, but it would take him, subjectively, just as long as it would take a normal person. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2018, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-flash-bored-most-of-the-time/525874/34 "2018-08-18T18:29:36Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > I always thought it would be interesting to have a guy who has the superpower of superspeed. But he does it by changing the flow of time. And he’s a 46 year old middle aged schlub. So sure, he could run across the continent in five minutes, but it would be just as hard and take him just as long from his point of view as it would be for any other middle aged guy to run 3000 miles. They always show super-speedsters running like crazy, it would be funny to have a super-speedster who can barely manage a fast jog without getting winded. There was a story that ran in one of the old comic book review magazines where this fat nerd gets the power to fly from aliens in exchange for his comic book collection. He starts out as a fat schlub but the side effect of his powers make him fairly fit by the end of the story. ---
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2018, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-flash-bored-most-of-the-time/525874/35 "2018-08-18T20:37:09Z")
> [@Lightnin](#): > > In the series of novels _Wearing the Cap_e, there’s a character who can enter “hypertime”- basically, he speeds up his own perception of time relative to the rest of the universe, so much so that the world is standing still, and he can take other people or objects into hypertime with him. He’s a normal human, otherwise, so he uses a motorcycle to get around while the world is stopped. PS Power’s _Infected_ series has someone similar except time stops completely. To them, he crosses the country instantly to stop a bomb; to him, he spent months riding a bicycle across country, alone. ---
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Alex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atomic_alex/32/175_2.png) [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2018, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-flash-bored-most-of-the-time/525874/36 "2018-08-18T20:41:16Z")
I asked a similar question to this fairly recently: [https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=804133](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=804133) The general answer was that ‘it depends’ but it doesn’t seem to take long from The Flash’s own perspective. But then the first panel in this page contradicts this: [https://comicnewbies.files.wordpress.com/](https://comicnewbies.files.wordpress.com/) 2014/02/flash-cant-be-bad-cop-0.jpg (broke the link because I don’t know if that site is safe or not) where he says that although to Green Lantern he could clean up the city in seconds from his own perspective it would take The Flash hours. So I guess like most things comic-book its inconsistent and depends on who is writing the story that day. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-flash-bored-most-of-the-time/525874.md?page=1)