August Heart is the 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
Lightning Strikes Twice
August's brother, Jorge was murdered by a career criminal and his killer was let free due to insubstantial evidence and the destruction of said evidence when Barry and his lab were struck by lightning. When August confronts the Black Hole, a group who had stolen a van containing equipment from S.T.A.R. Labs, he recognizes their symbol which was spray-painted near his brother's crime scene. August is shot at but before the bullet could hit him or Barry can save him, August is struck by lightning from a Speed Force storm. Now a speedster, August knocks out his shooter. After Barry reveals himself to be the Flash, August creates his own costume and becomes Barry's partner, also wishing to use his powers to solve his brother's murder. After defeating Black Hole, they witness another Speed Force storm strike more citizens, turning them into Speedsters. August helps Barry round up any new speedsters who use their newfound powers as criminals. The two meet Dr. Meena Dhawan, a new speedster who has helped create a Speed Force training center to help the new speedsters control their powers. When Barry and Meena return after recruiting more speedsters, they find an injured August who tells them that a new speedster called Godspeed killed the speedster criminals and took their speed.
A recovered August brings two of the recruits with him in order to storm the Speed Force Storm-infused Dr. Carver. After Barry and Meena's 'day off', Godspeed arrives at the training center where he is confronted by Meena. As Avery Ho, one of the speedster recruits, escapes to get the Flash, Godspeed kills Meena and two of the recruits and takes their speed. When Godspeed kills Billy Parks, the main suspect in August's brother's murder, Barry realizes that August is Godspeed. Barry confronts him and August reveals that he is indeed Godspeed and had given up on the justice system, deciding to become judge, jury, and executioner, killing his brother's murderer. August reveals that when he was near the speedster criminals, he could feel the Speed Force within them connecting with him. He decided to take their powers from them, resulting in their deaths and August being injured. After realizing that it was possibly to siphon another speedster's speed without killing them (evident when he, Barry, Meena, and two recruits took Dr. Carver's speed), August tried it again on Meena and the two recruits. However, it garnered the same results as the first time. With his increased speed, August reveals he can create a double or himself and be at two places at once, a feat that is limited and takes a physical toll on him. Barry uses this to his advantage and escapes. August proceeds to interrogate the other Black Hole members about his brother's death but kills them all when he receives no information. When the speedster recruits safely give their speed to Barry and Wally to stop Godspeed, August arrives and is able to take Avery's speed. Barry chases after Godspeed who reveals that he'll head to Iron Heights and do the one thing Barry couldn't, kill his enemies, including Eobard Thawne. However, the new Kid Flash intervenes and helps the Flash in taking down Godspeed, who is later incarcerated in Iron Heights Prison.
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 utilized 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 Iron Heights.[3]
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.[4] 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. He had initially absorbed so much Speed Force that he had become even faster than the Flash.[5] Though this excess power was eventually taken back by Flash and Kid Flash.[6] 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 mere poke.[7]
- Superhuman Stamina: Godspeed's body can handle the stress of moving at superhuman speeds without getting tired or weak.[5]
- 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.[5]
- Superhuman Reflexes: Godspeed's reflexes are enhanced to superhuman levels, allowing him to easily react to danger and events.[8]
- Superhuman Strength: Godspeed possesses sufficiently enhanced strength. He was strong enough to effortlessly lift and dangle a grown man with one hand, high above his head.[7]
- Speed Force Aura: Barry explained that a speedsters body is surrounded by a "friction cushion" which provides light protection from the nastier elements of their speed.[5]
- Superhuman Durability: Godspeed's durability is enhanced to levels greater than any normal human. This is due to the Speed Force supplying him with a "friction cushion".[5]
- Accelerated Healing: Like all conduits of the Speed Force, August is capable of regenerating from injuries much faster than any normal human.[8]
- Dimensional Travel: With the aid of his Speed Force gauntlet, Godspeed is able to instantly enter and exit the Speed Force with ease.[7]
- Electrokinesis: As a conduit of the Speed Force, Godspeed's body generates large amounts of the electrical energy that he draws from the Speed Force. This Speed Force lightning emanates off of him, especially when moving at superhuman speed.[9]
- Electro-Blast: Godspeed is able to project powerful arcs of Speed Force lightning.[10]
- Healing: Godspeed is capable of healing other conduits of the Speed Force, through physical contact of his Speed Force energy.[5]
- 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[9], or other energy sources such as a Speed Force storm.[11] Unless the Speed Force is taken willfully from a speedster, the speedster will be killed with the loss of their powers.[7]
- Energy Construct Creation: By focusing, Godspeed can use the Speed Force to create solid energy constructs, which he used to compose his costume.[1]
- Enhanced Senses: Speed Force conduits traveling at the speed of sound may miss important events as they run by. The Speed Force grants Godspeed enhanced senses that allow him to perceive the world at a rate attuned his reaction speed.[5]
- Molecular Acceleration: Godspeed is able to accelerate his own molecules, as well as the molecules of others for various uses.[7]
- Intangibility: Godspeed can become intangible by vibrating his body on a molecular level, allowing objects to pass directly through him.[12] He can also vibrate other people at his own frequency, making them intangible, which allowed him to merge them with a wall.[7]
- 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.[9]
- Speed Scout: By "dividing his Speed Force", Godspeed is 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.[7]
- Time Travel: In conjunction with a Cosmic Treadmill, August is capable of using his speed to jump into the timestream and travel throughout it.[13]
- Vortex Creations: August is able to create strong vortexes of wind by rotating his arms at super-speed.[5]
Abilities
- Criminology
- 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][14]
- Interrogation[7]
- 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. [7]
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.[10]
Trivia
- According to a Official Top 10 Speedster Rankings[15] 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."
Related
- 47 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)
External Links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 The Flash (Volume 5) #6
- ↑ The Flash (Volume 5) #38
- ↑ The Flash (Volume 5) #41
- ↑ The Flash (Volume 4) #8
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 The Flash (Volume 5) #2
- ↑ The Flash (Volume 5) #8
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 7.8 The Flash (Volume 5) #7
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 The Flash (Volume 5) #4
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 The Flash (Volume 5) #3
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 The Flash Annual (Volume 5) #2
- ↑ The Flash (Volume 5) #44
- ↑ The Flash (Volume 5) #5
- ↑ The Flash #753
- ↑ The Flash (Volume 5) #32
- ↑ [1]
  This character is or was an incarnation of or an ally of The Flash, and a member of the Flash Family of speedsters. This template will automatically categorize articles that include it into the "Flash Family members" category. |
 Rogues Gallery |
 Flash Villain(s) |