There have been several speedsters in the Marvel Universe, such as Quicksilver, Speed Demon, and Speed. But none have compared to DC’s premier speedster, The Flash. Whether it is Barry Allen or Wally West, Flash can do things no other speedster has done before, like travel through time or stop time in its tracks. However, Flash may have some competition from a new Marvel character who seems to possess many of the same abilities that Flash has displayed. And as an added bonus, this mysterious new speedster gets to team up with Spider-Man. WARNING: Spoilers for Giant-Size Amazing Spider-Man #1 below.
The “Rapid Advancements” story in Giant-Size Amazing Spider-Man #1 comes from the creative team of Chip Zdarsky, Cafu, David Curiel, and VC’s Joe Caramagna. The story begins with Spider-Man investigating a building explosion in Jersey. What he finds is an explosion frozen in time, with a figure inside the explosion that can move. During the current-day story, we also get flashbacks to a married father named Roger, whose father works for a group of investors called Blackcourt.
Roger gets a panicked call from his father, so he races to his father’s aid. He arrives at his father’s office to find him injured alongside his partner, Dana. Electro is also there, and Roger is able to tackle him. Roger’s father is holding a pink rectangular object he calls a sample, and when Electro blasts the father with his electric energy, the sample explodes, and time slows down for Roger. It’s important to note that time isn’t frozen for Roger, just moving incredibly slowly. Roger also realizes he’s controlling the movement of time and carries his father to safety.
image credit: marvel comics
Roger communicates with Spider-Man while in the frozen explosion field, sending Spidey to find Dana. She reveals to Spider-Man that she and Earl were working on a way to slow down cancer cells, targeting them with von chronal energy through a serum. When Blackcourt found out one of the possibilities of their research was accelerating time, they moved to sell the technology to weapons manufacturers. Blackcourt are the ones funding Electro to find Earl and Dana.
Roger has been using his power over time to steal medical equipment to help his father. He realizes he’s committing crimes, and with Dana’s suggestion, Roger dons a suit to keep his identity a secret. If Roger looks like a superhero, then maybe people may assume he is one. Another secret is that Earl, Roger’s father, has brain cancer, which is why he was so insistent on finishing the project. So Roger has been stealing the necessary resources to finish it, while also using his powers to slow down the cancer’s progression. But he can only use his power in one place, so when he isn’t with his father, the cancer has a chance to spread.
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When Roger goes to steal the last of the equipment they need, he runs into Electro and some hired guns. Blackcourt has already made a weapon that can speed up time, which counters Roger’s powers. Roger is still slightly faster than the weapon, but when a bullet hits the gas line of the building, Roger is able to contain the explosion, which is where Spider-Man originally enters the story.
Roger opens a tunnel in the explosion to let Spider-Man in, and together they save Electro, who has a piece of rock shrapnel impaled in his chest. Tony Stark offers his help to Roger and Dana, so Roger has already made two friends in the superhero community. Spidey jokes that Roger already has a superhero outfit, so he just needs a name. While he doesn’t get an official codename, they do allude to him being named “Rapid.”
Roger just wants to go back to work and worrying about parent-teacher conferences, but Spider-Man and Tony Stark comment that after entering this lifestyle, it’s hard to just “keep living your life.” Roger even leaves with an official Avengers business card, so that confirms we will be seeing him again at some point in the future.
image credit: dc
‘Rapid has the potential to be a hero in the same vein as The Flash. They both have pretty distinct, cool-looking costumes, and instead of stealing Flash’s signature red color scheme, Marvel uses pink for Rapid’s costume and internal dialogue. Rapid is still learning to use his powers, and they only seem to work with things in his vicinity. Flash gets his power from the Speed Force, though Marvel has yet to confirm if a similar entity exists in its universe.
Rapid can also carve out his own niche separate from Flash or any other speedster before him. Readers can learn about Rapid’s powers right alongside him, and there’s still the Blackcourt investors to learn about as well. Why haven’t we heard about them before now? Why are they hiring criminals like Electro? There is a lot to unravel, and Rapid should be at the center of it.
What did you think about Rapid’s debut in Giant-Size Amazing Spider-Man #1? Let us know in the comments below!
Spider-Man teams up with Rapid, Marvel’s newest speedster, and the comparisons are already starting with DC’s The Flash. Read More