Godspeed has gone from hero to villain to anti-hero and everything in between, making him one of the Flash’s most unique supporting characters.
DC’s iconic hero, the Flash, has several equally iconic villains, many of whom also have powers based around speed in some capacity. These have included not only several versions of the Reverse Flash, but also other speedsters. While many of these foes are now decades old, one of the most recent evil speedsters debuted as little as five years ago.
Since his first appearance, Godspeed has gone from hero to villain to anti-hero and everything in between, making him one of the Flash’s most unique supporting characters. Having since gone on to appear on the television show, Godspeed and his alter ego are now cemented as pivotal elements of the franchise’s mythos. Here’s the story behind the switching allegiances of Godspeed and how he has both helped and hurt Barry Allen over the years.
Godspeed’s Origin
Godspeed, a.k.a. Augustus Heart was introduced by Joshua Williamson and Carmine di Giandomenico after DC Rebirth. Augustus worked for the Central City Police Department alongside Barry Allen and is fairly cordial with him. Ironically, however, his brother had been killed by a crook that was let go due to the evidence being destroyed by the accident that gave Barry his powers. August gained his own speed powers after being struck by lightning in a confrontation with the terrorist organization known as Black Hole.
Taking on his own costume, Augustus initially helped Barry round up criminals who had also gained access to the Speed Force. Many of these villains ended up dead, relayed to Barry by Augustus as the work of a super fast killer named Godspeed who was also stealing their speed. Barry realized that Augustus was Godspeed, however, and that he decided to take it upon himself to act where he sees the justice system failing. Hoping to steal speed from the others and kill the Flash’s rogues, Godspeed made a duplicate of himself and headed to Iron Heights. Before he could enact his will, however, he was defeated by the Flash and Kid Flash and taken into custody.
Godspeed’s Redemption
During his incarceration, Godspeed seemingly joined up with the Rogues, led by Captain Cold. This was actually a ruse, however, as he was looking into their plan to kill one of their own. He was also instrumental in destroying the machines behind Captain Cold’s absolute-zero energy, helping the Flash and seeking his forgiveness after realizing the error of his previous actions. This change of heart would see the Flash team up with him in order to defeat Gorilla Grodd.
This turn to the side of good seemed to come to an end when Godspeed fought against Barry alongside the villainous Paradox, but this was actually done to confuse the villain. After teaming up with Barry once again, Godspeed was killed by Eobard Thawne, who remarked that the would-be hero will never be remembered as such in the future. Barry swore revenge against the Reverse Flash for his actions, vowing to keep his friend and ally from being forgotten. Upon Thawne’s defeat, a statue of Godpseed was seen in the Flash Museum, proving the villain wrong and showing how, for all of his twists and turns, August Heart was ultimately a hero. His grave would also bear a mysterious lightning streak afterward, suggesting that the speedster had somehow returned from the dead.
His constant switching sides and role as an outright antihero made him fairly unique among the Flash family. Most of the other speedsters are either outright villains or clean-cut heroes, with The Flash being one of the more overtly heroic and morally firm characters in comics. Having someone on their side, at least some of the time, that would so blatantly bend the rules was definitely an interesting addition to the team, even if it didn’t last.
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