Barry Allen may be one of the greatest heroes in the DC Universe, but he's not the only person tapping into the power of the Speed Force. That concept was central to the second season of The CW's wildly popular TV series, and the same looks to be true for the upcomign third season (which kicks off on October 4). Now that Barry has breached the barriers between dimensions, an entire multiverse of speedster heroes and villains has been unlocked. Season 3 will feature the debut of speedster villain Savitar and feature Wally West in costume for the first time.

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Barry Allen

Jay Garrick

Reverse-Flash

Wally West

Max Mercury

But don't worry if you're having trouble separating your Kid Flashes and Reverse-Flashes. We've put together a guide that breaks down all the major speedster characters (albeit not all of them - there's a ton!) in the DCU and how they fit into Barry Allen's increasingly colorful world.Showcase #4 (1956)While neither the first nor the last of DC's many speedster heroes, Barry Allen is easily the most iconic. His debut in 1956 is credited with helping to usher in the Silver Age of comics. A forensic scientist with a chronic habit of being late for everything, Barry gained his speed powers when he was struck by a bolt of lightning. He quickly developed a reputation as one of the most beloved heroes in the DC Universe, with the residents of Central City even building a museum in his honor.Barry remained the main speedster in DC's comics up until his heroic death in 1985's Crisis on Infinite Earths. For several decades after Barry remained a source of inspiration for other speedsters like Wally West. However, he finally returned to the world of the living in 2008's Final Crisis. Since then, Barry has reclaimed his title as the Fastest Man Alive. DC's New 52 reboot has since changed continuity so that Barry is and always has been the Flash of his world.Barry also tends to be the focal point in the various multimedia Flash spinoffs. He's hit a new level of popularity over the last couple years thanks to Grant Gustin's portrayal in CW's The Flash, and his star power has only increased since making his (admittedly brief) big screen debut in Batman v Superman (played by Ezra Miller). We'll next see Miller's Barry Allen in 2017's The Justice League, before the character moves onto his own solo movie.Flash Comics #1 (1940)The original Flash debuted 16 years before Barry Allen at the height of the Golden Age of comics. Jay Garrick gained his speed not from a lightning bolt, but from inhaling "heavy water" vapors in a college laboratory. After a brief stint as a football star, Jay turned his speed to fighting crime and defending the innocent. He also became a founding member of the Justice Society of America.DC turned heads in 1961 with the release of The Flash #123, a comic that teamed up Jay and Barry for the first time and established the idea of a larger DC multiverse. where each variation of Earth had its own heroes. Since then, Jay has either been depicted as Barry's alternate universe counterpart or an elder statesman hero who inspired him, depending on the state of DC's continuity at the time.Jay played a big part in Season 2 of the Flash (played by Teddy Sears), where he was introduced as the brave but de-powered defender of Earth-2. However, the show had plenty of Garrick-related twists to throw at readers over the course of the season, proving that nearly everything they thought they knew about the character was a lie. Suffice it to say that the real Jay Garrick didn't make his presence known until the Season 2 finale (played by John Wesley Shipp). Much to Barry's chagrin, this Jay bears more than a passing resemblance to his recently deceased father.The Flash Vol. 1 #139 (1963)Whether you call him Professor Zoom or Reverse-Flash, Eobard Thawne is undoubtedly one of the Flash's greatest foes. He's like a dark mirror of the speedster hero, right down to the yellow costume and red lightning. He's every bit as fast as heroes like Barry Allen, yet he's also skilled at travelling through time and altering the course of history to his advantage.The irony is that Thawne once considered himself Barry Allen's greatest fan. He was driven insane after travelling back in time to meet his idol and discovering that he was destined to become the Flash's greatest enemy. Thawne has returned to menace the various members of the Flash family again and again over the years. Thanks to his love of time travel, the threat of the Reverse-Flash can never truly be put to rest.Two versions of Reverse-Flash have been introduced in DC's New 52 universe. The villain now calling himself Reverse-Flash is actually Daniel West (brother to Iris). Thawne has more recently emerged in this rebooted universe, but he's back to calling himself Professor Zoom.Fans of the TV series certainly know Reverse-Flash well at this point, as he was the central villain of the first season (played mainly by Tom Cavanagh) and continues to crop up occasionally. Viewers can even look forward to this villain joining the ranks of the Legion of Doom in Season 2 of DC's Legends of Tomorrow.The Flash #110 (1959)Of DC's many speedsters, Wally West is the one hero who managed to eclipse Barry Allen's popularity for a time. The nephew of Barry's main squeeze, Iris West, Wally was first introduced as a teenage sidekick to Barry. As Kid Flash, Wally made a name for himself as one of the perennial members of the Teen Titans. However, the death of his uncle Barry in Crisis on Infinite Earths forced Wally to grow up and assume the mantle of the Flash proper.Wally established himself as a worthy successor to Barry over the next couple decades. Writers like Geoff Johns established Wally as a working class hero and a family man. Wally also received a huge boost from starring in the Justice League animated series. For many fans who were reading the Flash comic or watching Justice League at the time, Wally is still the Flash.Wally was heavily re-imagined as part of DC's New 52 reboot, being recast as an African American teenager in the process. However, thanks to DC Universe Rebirth #1, the old Wally West has returned from his Speed Force exile, meaning there are now two speedsters in the DCU who share the same name. The original Wally is now leader of the Titans, while the younger Wally is learning the ropes of being a speedster.Wally made his debut on Season 2 of The Flash (played by Keiynan Lonsdale), where he was established as Iris' estranged brother rather than nephew. While Wally had yet to don a Flash costume by the end of Season 2, it appears that the Season 3 premiere will quickly change that National Comics #5 (1940)Max Mercury originally appeared as a hero named Quicksilver, Quality Comics' answer to rival DC's popular Flash comic. The character was mostly forgotten for the next 50 years until writer Mark Waid revamped him and made him a part of the Flash mythology. With Marvel already staking a claim on the concept of a speedster hero named Quicksilver, Waid transformed the character into Max Mercury instead.Max is interesting among DC's various speedsters in that his ties to the Speed Force are mystical rather than scientific. He was originally a 19th Century US Cavalry scout who became sympathetic to the plight of the Native Americans. After a dying shaman granted him the power of speed, Max became known as Windrunner. His attempts to understand the Speed Force have caused Max to repeatedly travel through time. Now in the present, he's taken up the mantle of Max Mercury and proudly races alongside the likes of Barry Allen and Wally West.Max has pretty much been dormant since DC's New 52 reboot. However, with the Flash TV series tapping into the multiverse concept, don't be surprised if he eventually makes his live-action debut.