August Heart is the former detective partner of Barry Allen. August was the only witness to Barry's accident, that turned him into the Flash. While going after a criminal organization called the Black Hole, August was struck by lightning during a Speed Force storm in Central City. He became the Flash's "partner", but in secret, August became the ruthless vigilante known as Godspeed and got his revenge on who he suspected to be his brother's killer.[1]
History
Early Life
August Heart was a police officer for the Central City Police Department and close friend of Barry Allen. Heart's brother Jorge was also a cop in the department.
One day, Jorge was shot dead while on patrol. August was devastated by his brother's death and pursued justice. Though there were no witnesses of the crime, evidence collected by the department lead to the arrest of a career criminal named Billy Parks.
However, before Parks' trial could go to court, the evidence against him was destroyed when Barry Allen's forensics lab was struck by lightning. Barry went into a coma (and later gained superspeed from the incident), but, without proper evidence, the case was dropped. Heart was distraught, feeling his brother's killer had gone free.
Vigilantism
Years later, Barry Allen was now the Flash, and August continued to work in the CCPD.
Around the time of Wally West's reappearance, August was investigating a case where important technology was stolen from S.T.A.R. Labs by a a shady organization. August recognized the group's symbol, connected to his brother's murder, and became reckless with his investigation. Blowing his cover, August was shot at by Black Hole operatives, but, due to the group's experiments on the Speed Force, they had simultaneously created a Speed Force storm that struck August with a bolt of lightning, giving him superspeed. August was fast enough to catch the oncoming bullets and subdue his attackers.
August was eager to become a vigilante like the Flash and, designing his own costume, helped the hero track down all the other people affected by the Speed Force storm. The two met Dr. Meena Dhawan, a new speedster who had created a Speed Force training center to help the new speedsters control their powers.
Around this time, while the Flash and Meena recruited new speedsters together, August was apparently critically injured by a new masked speedster calling himself "Godspeed". According to August, Godspeed had killed a number of recruits to siphon their speed, but he wasn't able to stop him.
Godspeed Revealed
August recovered and continued to aid the Flash and the new heroes in defeating Dr. Carver, the leader of Black Hole, and trying to uncover the mystery of Godspeed. Eventually, the villain became sloppy when Barry realized one of his victims was Billy Parks - Jorge Heart's supposed killer. Barry pieced together that August was Godspeed.
Barry confronted him with the information, and August confessed. He admitted that he had given up on the justice system since his brother's killer had gone free and, with his newfound power, had the ability to become judge, jury, and executioner. August realized after he had gotten his powers that he also had the ability to steal other speedsters' speed. Though for a time he could only do it by killing them, he practiced his skill to be able to do it non-lethally as well. With his new godlike speed, August was able to move so fast as to create a duplicate of himself at any given time, allowing him to give the illusion that he and Godspeed were different people.
After a brief fight, Barry realized that August had become to fast to fight and was forced to retreat when the villain was distracted. In the lead up to the penultimate confrontation, Flash called on the new speedsters to donate their Speed Force connection to him so he could be fast enough to stand a chance against Godspeed. They did so, and Barry tracked down Godspeed for a rematch.
Ready to battle once again, August set his sights on Iron Heights Penitentiary, ready to do what he claimed the Flash was too weak to do - kill his enemies, including Eobard Thawne. However, the new Kid Flash intervened during the final fight and helped the Flash finally take down Godspeed. August was imprisoned in Iron Heights like any other criminal.
Reformation
While imprisoned in Iron Heights, August became a member of the Rogues, in order to secretly investigate their plan of killing Turbine. After Captain Cold had used absolute-zero energy to gain the upper hand against the Flash, August shut down the machines giving off the energy, allowing Flash to defeat Cold. August later told Barry that while in Iron Heights, he had realized what he had done as Godspeed was wrong, and that all he wanted was Barry's forgiveness.[2]
Perfect Storm
While Central City was being attacked by Grodd and his forces, Barry Allen became desperate and asked August for help and freed him from Iron Heights.[3] August agrees and runs off to help fight a mind controlled Meena, much to the surprise of Kid Flash and Avery Ho, who are working with Barry to defeat Grodd. After the two share their displeasures with enlisting August, Meena engages in a battle with Godspeed. Grodd eventually manages to gain control of August, along with Kid Flash, Avery Ho and Wally.[4] He and the rest of the mind controlled Flash Family fight Barry, until Barry manages to reverse all of Grodd's mind control effects by removing Grodd's connection to the speed force, effectively "curing" him.[5] After defeating Grodd with the help of the newly formed Flash Family, August disappears into the Speed Force, telling Barry, "he was right about him."[6]
The Flash vs Godspeed
Godspeed returns to Iris's workplace in order to tell Barry not to chase after new villain Paradox, knowing this would make him do the opposite. He and Barry race, while Barry questions August on what exactly he knows about Paradox. August manages to dodge all these questions, leading Barry right to Paradox, in exchange for the knowledge on who killed his brother. Paradox orders August to kill the Flash, and a battle ensues.[7] August recounts a story to Barry about a time he saved his life years prior, he had seen the Flash as a hero, but August tells Barry he was wrong about his viewpoint and continues to fight. Barry tries to de-escalate the fight by trying to convince August that Paradox won't tell him what he wants to know, but this only further provokes August. August tells Barry that Paradox has shown him the future, so Barry runs over to Paradox to see exactly what he's shown August. After Paradox reveals his plan against the Flash, Godspeed reveals he was a double agent to gain Paradox's trust and assists Barry in fighting Paradox head-on.[8]
Death and Resurrection
After stopping Paradox, August is killed by the Reverse Flash [9]. Thawne tells a dead Godspeed that no one will remember him and he has seen their future where neither of them have a statue in the Flash Museum. Devastated by Thawne's actions, Barry vows to kill Thawne. Later, Barry visits August's grave to pay his respects.[10] However, when Barry defeats Thawne and resets him he visits the 25th Century where a section of the Flash Museum is dedicated to Godspeed.
In the present, the markings on August's grave are blurred out by a streak of yellow lightning, showing that Godspeed is alive and will be known enough to be immortalized in the Flash Museum along with the other Flashes in the future.[11]
One-Minute War
Following the arrival of the Fraction, an interdimensional empire that used the Speed Force to plunder various worlds, Godspeed began stalking a small group of three Fraction soldiers called Theta Squad as they used their super speed to inspect a mansion. After Theta Squad split up, August killed two of them before going after the remaining soldier, whom he chose to leave alive so that the Fraction would know that Godspeed was after them.[12]
Powers and Abilities
Powers
- Speed Force Conduit: After being struck by a bolt of lightning during a Speed Force storm in Central City, August gained a connection to the Speed Force, a mysterious cosmic force that pushes time and space itself forward. As it does this, the Speed Force creates excess energy that builds up and needs to be released. August, along with all speedsters connected to the Force, acts as a release valve for the Speed Force. When August uses his powers, he taps into that built up energy.[13] Godspeed is highly creative when it comes to the Speed Force, as he was able to figure out how to steal speed from other speedsters, create constructs, and be in two places at once, all things that even Barry Allen couldn't figure out how to do at the time.[1]
- Superhuman Speed: Godspeed is able to run at incredible superhuman speeds, on par with Barry Allen. He had initially absorbed so much Speed Force that he had become even faster than Barry.[14] Though this excess power was eventually taken back by Flash and Kid Flash.[15]
- Superhuman Stamina: Godspeed's body can handle the stress of moving at superhuman speeds without getting tired or weak.[14]
- Superhuman Agility: Godspeed's agility, balance, and bodily coordination are enhanced to superhuman levels. This allows him to easily maneuver while moving at superhuman speed.[14]
- Superhuman Reflexes: Godspeed's reflexes are enhanced to superhuman levels, allowing him to easily react to danger and events.[16]
- Superhuman Strength: Godspeed can use his speed to boost his natural strength. The faster he accelerates towards lightspeed, the more his mass increases, greatly enhancing the force behind his punches. August's speed allows him to generate so much force to the point that he was able to decapitate a man with a single punch, as well as knock a man out with a poke of his finger.[17] Even when not moving at super speed, Godspeed was strong enough to effortlessly lift and dangle a grown man with one hand.[17]
- Speed Force Aura: Godspeed's body is surrounded by a Speed Force Aura, or "friction cushion" - a bubble of space-time accelerated to his same velocity. This aura allows Godspeed to breathe and hear sounds while moving at immense speeds, as well as protects him and anyone who he is running with from the rigorous effects of using his speed, including friction, airborne particulate matter, kinetic impacts, G-Force and the like.[14]
- Superhuman Durability: Thanks to his protective Speed Force aura, Godspeed is capable of resisting tremendous kinetic impact forces that could easily crush or kill a human, without suffering any serious external or internal injuries.[14]
- Accelerated Healing: Godspeed can heal much faster than any regular human, due to his Speed Force Aura accelerating space-time around him, closing his wounds almost instantly.[16]
- Dimensional Travel: With the aid of his Speed Force gauntlet, Godspeed is able to instantly enter and exit the Speed Force with ease.[17]
- Electrokinesis: Godspeed can generate and manipulate the electrical energy that he draws from the Speed Force. This Speed Force lightning emanates off of him, especially when moving at superhuman speed.[18]
- Electro-Blast: Godspeed is able to project powerful arcs of Speed Force lightning.[19]
- Energy Construct Creation: By focusing, Godspeed can use the Speed Force to create solid energy constructs, which he used to compose his costume.[1]
- Healing: Godspeed is capable of healing other conduits of the Speed Force, through physical contact of his Speed Force energy.[14]
- Speed Force Absorption: By interlocking energy currents, Godspeed can drain away the Speed Force, or Negative Speed Force, from others whose DNA has not completely bonded to it[18], or other energy sources such as a Speed Force storm.[6] Unless the Speed Force is taken willfully from a speedster, the speedster will be killed with the loss of their powers.[17]
- Enhanced Senses: The Speed Force grants Godspeed enhanced senses that allow him to perceive the world at a rate attuned his reaction speed.[14]
- Molecular Acceleration: Godspeed is able to accelerate his own molecules, as well as the molecules of others for various uses.[17]
- Intangibility: Godspeed can become intangible by vibrating his body on a molecular level, allowing objects to pass directly through him.[20] He can also vibrate other people at his own frequency, making them intangible, which allowed him to merge them with a wall.[17]
- Phasing: By vibrating his molecules on an atomic level, and by doing so at just the right frequency, Godspeed can allow himself to become momentarily intangible, and phase through objects.[18]
- Speed Scout: (Formerly) By "dividing his Speed Force", Godspeed was able to clone himself, thus being able to be in two places at once. He claims he is able to do this because he is much faster than the Flash.[1] If he keeps the copy around too long, the Speed Force causes him pain, the copy will then destabilize and the Speed Force will be sent back to the original.[17] He apparently lost this ability after his powers were stolen and returned during Absolute Power.[21]
- Time Travel: In conjunction with a Cosmic Treadmill, August is capable of using his speed to jump into the timestream and travel throughout it.[22]
- Vortex Creations: August is able to create strong vortexes of wind by rotating his arms at super-speed.[14]
Abilities
- Criminology
- Genius Level Intellect
- Deception: August was able to deceive the everyone at S.T.A.R Labs and even Barry Allen himself by acting as the Flash's partner.[1]
- Firearms
- Hand-to-Hand Combat (Basic)[1][23]
- Interrogation[17]
- Investigation
Weaknesses
- Power Instability: If August keeps a clone active for too long, the Speed Force pains him and recombines him with his clones. Stealing another speedster's speed also pains him, though a great deal more than his cloning, as he mentioned that the first time he tried it, it nearly killed him.[17]
Paraphernalia
Equipment
- Speed Force Gauntlet: Godspeed wears a gauntlet that used to belong to an unnamed speedster, capable of collecting samples of Speed Force from other speedsters, as well as allow him to enter and exit the Speed Force at will.[19]
Trivia
- August has murdered children in the past in order to get faster.[24][1][25]
- According to Joshua Williamson's Top 10 Speedster Rankings[26] released after The Flash (Volume 5) #50, Godspeed is currently the 8th fastest person in the DC Universe. According to the ranking:
- "When August first got his powers, he was maybe faster than Barry Allen, but Barry and Wallace siphoned the speed he stole from them. Now that his powers are more in check, Godspeed needs redemption if he's ever going to tap into his true speed."
- Joshua Williamson revealed that August and his brother Jorge's mother is white and their father is Latino. Their last name was originally Corazón but it was changed to Heart when they came to Central City.[27]
Related
- 51 Appearances of August Heart (Prime Earth)
- 41 Images featuring August Heart (Prime Earth)
- 8 Quotations by or about August Heart (Prime Earth)
- Character Gallery: August Heart (Prime Earth)
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 The Flash (Volume 5) #6
- ↑ The Flash (Volume 5) #38
- ↑ The Flash (Volume 5) #41
- ↑ The Flash (Volume 5) #42
- ↑ The Flash (Volume 5) #43
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 The Flash (Volume 5) #44
- ↑ The Flash #750
- ↑ The Flash #751
- ↑ The Flash #755
- ↑ The Flash #756
- ↑ The Flash #762
- ↑ The Flash: One-Minute War Special #1
- ↑ The Flash (Volume 4) #8
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 14.6 14.7 The Flash (Volume 5) #2
- ↑ The Flash (Volume 5) #8
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 The Flash (Volume 5) #4
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4 17.5 17.6 17.7 17.8 The Flash (Volume 5) #7
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 The Flash (Volume 5) #3
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 The Flash Annual (Volume 5) #2
- ↑ The Flash (Volume 5) #5
- ↑ The Flash (Volume 6) #14
- ↑ The Flash #753
- ↑ The Flash (Volume 5) #32
- ↑ The Flash (Volume 5) #5
- ↑ The Flash (Volume 5) #7
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ [2]
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