The Flash 5 Things The Show Changed About Godspeed (5 Things They Kept The Same)

The Flash: 5 Things The Show Changed About Godspeed (5 Things They Kept The Same)

Contents

Godspeed appears in the recent seasons of The Flash – but how much did the show change from the comics?

You Are Reading :[thien_display_title]

The Flash 5 Things The Show Changed About Godspeed (5 Things They Kept The Same)

Godspeed is a popular new villain in The Flash’s rogues gallery that was introduced during DC’s Rebirth initiative in 2016 that relaunched the DC comics universe for the Nth time.

He was then adapted in the CW’s television show during its fifth season where the speedster’s backstory and introduction were slightly altered to better suit the narrative. While the comic book version of the character was a fan favorite and was well-received by fans, his small-screen version has fallen short of meeting the lofty expectations fans had for the character.

10 Changed: Relationship To Barry Allen

The Flash 5 Things The Show Changed About Godspeed (5 Things They Kept The Same)

In the comics, Godspeed was one of Barry Allen’s best friends named August Heart who was also his partner at the Central City Police Department (CCPD). After he becomes a speedster himself, Barry invites him to join forces in order to stop or rehabilitate their fellow speedsters who use their powers for criminal activities.

On the other hand, the Godspeed in the television show is a speedster from the distant future of 2049 who only knew Barry from the past via The Flash Museum and historical archives.

9 Kept: Costume Design

The Flash 5 Things The Show Changed About Godspeed (5 Things They Kept The Same)

One of the more exciting aspects fans enjoyed about Godspeed’s introduction to the show was the comic book-accurate costume he appeared in. Unlike previous adaptations of villainous speedsters on the show, namely Zoom (Hunter Zolomon) and Savitar, who had drastically re-designed costumes, Godspeed’s suit is pretty much spot-on.

This definitely got fans excited when the teasers for the fifth season first came out, and the costume has been mostly kept intact save for minor changes throughout his appearances on the show.

8 Changed: Source of Power

The Flash 5 Things The Show Changed About Godspeed (5 Things They Kept The Same)

In the comic books, Godspeed gained his superhuman speed after getting struck by lightning from a Speed Force Storm similar to how Barry Allen got his powers.

See also  How PS Now Could Be Better Than Xbox Game Pass

Meanwhile, the show depicted Godspeed’s powers as a result of the combined usage of Eobard Thawne’s tachyon device technology along with the superspeed drug, Velocity-9, that was abused by Hunter Zolomon. Having advanced knowledge in the future, August was able to find a way to regulate and perfect using the two methods in unison.

7 Kept: Speed Siphoning

The Flash 5 Things The Show Changed About Godspeed (5 Things They Kept The Same)

What makes Godspeed such a threat when he was introduced in both depictions was his ability and willingness to steal the speed from other speedsters to the point of killing them.

In the comics, he uses this ability at the cost of great pain to himself and nearly killed himself the first time he tried it. It’s unclear if this is also true for the television version as the Godspeeds who’ve used the ability seem to be duplicates of the original and may or may not experience pain regularly.

6 Changed: Connection To The Speed Force

The Flash 5 Things The Show Changed About Godspeed (5 Things They Kept The Same)

During season 6 of The CW show episode “Death of the Speed Force,” which is partly derived from a comic of the same title, Barry Allen and Wally West discover that the Speed Force has died and their powers are gradually depleting as its used.

In the same way, the comic book Godspeed’s powers are directly linked to the Speed Force, whereas the television show version is not hindered by this limitation because his superspeed is derived through artificial enhancements.

5 Kept: Use of Clones / Duplicates

The Flash 5 Things The Show Changed About Godspeed (5 Things They Kept The Same)

While the exact mechanics of the clones in the television show still remain a mystery, Godspeed’s use of them is consistent with his comic book counterpart.

In the comics, Godspeed clones himself through the Speed Force, effectively being at two places at once. However, prolonged use of this ability causes him pain as the copy will destabilize and remerge with the original. Meanwhile, the television version’s clones don’t seem to be made via the Speed Force but rather through means that have yet to be completely revealed.

4 Changed: Day Job

The Flash 5 Things The Show Changed About Godspeed (5 Things They Kept The Same)

The August Heart of the comic books was Barry’s former detective partner at the CCPD. He had a lot in common with Barry, which made him a trusted ally but August’s tragic turn to villainy was heavily predicated on the idea of abusing his newfound powers as hinted in his statements in the above comic panel.

See also  South Park 8 Best Stan & Cartman Episodes

As for the television version, he finished a biochemistry engineering degree but worked odd jobs as a barista, janitor, inventory technician, and intern at companies he strategically chose in order to access materials and technology to experiment with.

3 Kept: Ethnicity Left Vague

The Flash 5 Things The Show Changed About Godspeed (5 Things They Kept The Same)

Godspeed’s real identity August Heart’s ethnicity is never explicitly mentioned in the comics but it can be inferred due to his skin tone and his brother being named Jorge, which has Spanish or Portuguese roots, that he’s likely of Latin descent.

On the TV show, August’s ethnicity is also left ambiguous but the actor who plays him unmasked, Kindall Charters, is of Native-American descent. Additionally, Godspeed’s voice is provided by Chinese-American actor B.D. Wong, whose acting credits include the Jurassic Park franchise, and Hugo Strange in Gotham.

2 Changed: Motivation For Criminal Activity

The Flash 5 Things The Show Changed About Godspeed (5 Things They Kept The Same)

In the television show, August Heart stole materials to give himself super speed, and his motivations for doing so weren’t explicitly mentioned yet but seemed similar to that of Hunter Zolomon’s, which was to become the “God of Speed.” His most recent drone appearance further lends credence to this notion when the duplicate gave the cryptic message of seeking “infinite velocity” on behalf of a third party.

The Godspeed in the comics, on the other hand, began his criminal career for more nuanced reasons. Initially only seeking vengeance for the mysterious murder of his brother by the Black Hole organization, his goals evolve when he loses trust in the justice system and decides to infamously become judge, jury, and executioner of criminals henceforth and mercilessly kill his brother’s murderer.

1 Kept: Faster Than The Flash

In the comics, Godspeed is a few notches faster than Barry Allen as shown in the above photo where he struggled to keep up with him. The only way Barry was able to stop the villainous speedster was to “short-circuit” both their connections to the Speed Force, which temporarily cuts off their super speed.

Similarly, Barry has yet to claim superior speed over Godspeed in the TV show and has only defeated him (rather his clones so far) with creatively convenient assists from Team Flash.

Link Source : https://www.cbr.com/the-flash-godspeed-comic-series-comparison/

Movies -