- For the Earth-2 speedster who stole his name and alter-ego, see Hunter Zolomon.
- "We're not gods, we're men. Who for what ever reason, have been given extraordinary abilities."
- — Jay to Barry Allen
Jay Garrick is a veteran speedster from Earth-3 and a vigilante known as The Flash, stylized as the Crimson Comet. Jay was found by Hunter Zolomon, a meta-human speedster from Earth-2, and held prisoner forced to wear an iron mask that dampened his powers. His name and mantle as the Flash were taken by Hunter to carry out facades as part of a plan to inspire false hope in Central City. After being rescued by Team Flash, Jay found his way back to Earth Three with the help of Harry and Jesse. Despite Hunter's deception, Jay took his helmet so he can make the symbol of hope his own. Jay Garrick would work with Barry Allen, the Flash of Earth-1, in his fight against the speedster known as Savitar. He subsequently sacrificed himself and took Wally's place in the Speed Force prison after Wally was tricked into freeing Savitar, thereby taking his place in said prison. Thanks to Cisco Ramon, he was later freed from the Speed Force, returning and aiding Team Flash in Savitar's final defeat. Barry later voluntarily took his place in the Speed Force, as the Speed Force prison had become unstable without an occupant.
Jay would go on to remain as the Flash for another year until 2391 when a mission to help save Barry's Central City made him realize that it was time for him to retire and train a new Flash on his Earth to take over for him.
At some point, Jay met and married Joan Williams after feeling a special connection with her.
After the events of the Anti-Monitor Crisis, Jay and Joan were restored on Earth-Prime and they began living in Keystone City.
In a potential future, he is affectionately known as Uncle Jay to the West-Allen children and acted as a mentor to Barry's son, Bart Allen. At some point in this potential future, Jay was killed by Godspeed in front of Bart, causing Bart to seek revenge.
Biography[]
Original multiverse[]
Early life[]
Little is known of his early life though given his surname is Garrick rather than Allen, like his Earth One doppelgänger, it's implied that Jay's father never played a role in his upbringing.
Activities as the Flash[]
At some point, Jay Garrick was given the power of superhuman speed through connection to the Speed Force. He began helping the public as a hero known as The Flash. Jay also witnessed a personal tragedy at some point in his life and traveled back in time to stop it occurring, but only succeeded in making the situation worse. Sometime after this Jay learned to live with the consequences of his decision and decided to never use time travel for personal reasons ever again. During the course of his heroic adventures, he was found by Hunter Zolomon/Zoom, an evil speedster from another Earth. Wishing to steal Jay's speed as a cure from the deadly side-effects of the Velocity serums he overdosed on, Zoom defeated Jay in a titanic confrontation but was unable to devise a way to take Jay's speed and instead resorted to imprisoning him on his own Earth within his base of operations. Hunter also put an iron mask on Jay with a dampener in order to suppress his speed. Following this, Hunter was bored of always playing the villain and wanted to have fun playing the hero, and he took Jay's name and identity upon his own Earth to give people false hope under his heroic persona, only to take it away from them as his alter-ego and true personality Zoom.
Helping Barry Allen[]
Jay while being held captive by Zoom
He was eventually joined by Jesse Wells, and later, speedster Barry Allen, the Flash of Earth One. He attempted to continually knock on the glass. Barry soon realized that he was trying to communicate, but Jesse urged him to let it go. Barry and Jesse eventually realized he was not using Morse code, but a 5x5 tap code commonly used by POWs. The two began to work together and started to decipher his message. Barry and Jesse discovered the first part of his message spells J-A-Y as in Jay Garrick, when Barry stated that "Jay" was alive, but not with them, believing Hunter was Jay, and in response, Jay became distressed. Just as Barry got Jay to calm down enough to try to explain what he meant, Zoom ran in and warned Jay not to talk to them again. Jay watched in distress as Zoom pummeled Barry.
Eventually, Barry and Jesse were rescued by their friends, but before they could help Jay, Zoom arrived and endangered them all. While Killer Frost pinned down Zoom to allow Barry and the others to escape, Barry promised the man that he would return to rescue him. When Zoom returned to his lair with his deceased time remnant, Jay was suddenly horrified by his return.
New inmates[]
Jay encountered a new temporary inmate, Wally West, who was asking where he was. He attempted to use the same tap code, but Wally didn't understand it. Zoom then spoke to the new prisoner, before speeding off and taking Wally with him, leaving him alone once more.
Caitlin Snow had an encounter with Jay while he was tapping the glass, but was cut off by her doppelgänger noticing her. Killer Frost said if she could get her powers to work through the wall the first thing she would do would be shutting him up. Caitlin then asked who he was but Killer Frost said she didn't know. She concluded that Zoom must've needed him due to him being there. He later witnessed Zoom murdering Killer Frost.
Finally escaping Zoom[]
Jay wearing Zoom's helmet for the first time
After Joe was taken prisoner and imprisoned on Earth Two by Hunter, following a botched attempt to stop him without Barry, Hunter revealed Jay's identity to Joe and the circumstances of his capture. After Zoom's defeat Jay was rescued and taken to Earth One where Cisco and Harry removed the mask. However Jay was confused as to why they all looked shocked towards him, especially Barry. After reclaiming his uniform and destroying the mask he noticed Hunter's helmet. Harry explained what it was supposed to stand for and Jay decided to claim the helmet for himself and inspire the hope it was meant to. After thanking the team for his rescue Jay transported Harry and Jesse back to Earth Two through the breach with the promise of helping him find his way back to Earth Three.
Consequences of time travel[]
Jay greets Barry in 1998
During his stay on Earth-2 Harry informed Jay, still confused as to why Barry was especially shocked to see him, that Jay's Earth One doppelgänger was Henry Allen, Barry's deceased father. He also told him that Barry's mother was murdered when he was 11 by the Reverse-Flash. Fearing Barry's inexperience may lead him to time traveling to forge a better life for himself, Jay kept an eye on Barry. His suspicions proved correct, as before Jay could return to Barry's dimension, the younger speedster decided to undo Nora's death, and created the Flashpoint timeline, before having Eobard Thawne restore the event, creating yet another altered timeline. After Barry discovered some horrifying changes to reality, Barry attempted to go back and alter time yet again. This time however, Jay intercepted him in the Speed Force, pulling the young speedster out and landing them both in 1998. Taking Barry to a diner, Jay had a heart-to-heart talk with Barry. He revealed he is aware he is the late Henry's doppelganger, Jay offered his sympathies, and explained how he understood Barry's reasons for wanting to save his parents. However, Jay stressed the consequences of time travel and that once an event is altered, it cannot be restored to exactly as it was before. Jay told Barry that he would need to learn how to live with the consequences of his actions and keep moving forward. Barry, though frustrated, eventually agreed as both Jay and Barry returned to their homes.
Joining forces with Barry Allen[]
Jay faces the Trickster of Earth-3
His job done, Jay returned to Earth Three and resumed his Flash activities. One day, while foiling a bank robbery by The Trickster, Jay received some unexpected aid from Barry Allen, who asked Jay for his help in defeating Savitar. Jay returned with Barry to Earth One and enlightened him on the history of Savitar. Barry went to do some extensive research but found nothing. Jay instead prompted him to go and spend time with his loved ones until something came up. That evening, Team Flash tracked the Philosopher's Stone's energy signature and pinpointed Alchemy's location. Jay and Barry sped over to stop him only to be confronted by Savitar himself. While Barry dealt with Alchemy, Jay took on Savitar but was completely outmatched by the metallic speedster, who viciously pummeled, threw around and beat down the elder speedster all across Central City, before finally coming to a stop in an alley. As Jay lay broken and defeated on the ground, Savitar angrily told Garrick that this was not his fight and unsheathed his gauntlet blade to kill him. Garrick was saved however when Barry sealed the Philosopher's Stone back in its chest, causing Savitar to disappear into thin air, leaving Garrick safe but badly hurt.
Savitar vs Barry and Jay
Jay recuperated in the S.T.A.R. Labs infirmary while Team Flash worked on stopping Savitar and Alchemy. When Savitar reappeared, Jay tried to get up to help Barry but was too badly hurt to do so, paving the way for Wally West to do so instead. After Savitar was sent away again, Team Flash searched for a way to get rid of the Philosopher's Stone altogether to prevent Savitar from ever returning. Jay suggested throwing the chest and the stone into the Speed Force and theorized that if Barry ran directly behind him with the chest, he could siphon off some of Jay's speed and achieve the momentum needed to open a portal despite the interference from the Stone. The plan was successful but had the unforeseen side-effect of blasting Barry into the future, where he witnessed Iris die at the hands of Savitar. Realizing what had happened, Jay tracked Barry down, pulled him back into the Speed Force and returned him to the present. Barry was hysterical over what he'd seen, but Jay calmed him down. Following this, Jay returned to Earth-3.
Imprisonment in the Speed Force[]
Jay saves Barry in the Speed Force
A while after his return to his home, Jay was contacted by Vibe who informed him that Barry had become trapped in the Speed Force in his efforts to rescue Wally West from Savitar's prison. Jay immediately entered the Speed Force and found Barry being confronted by a Speed Force avatar in the form of Leonard Snart, whom Jay promptly hurled away with a speed-tackle. The avatar however countered with a blast from its Cold Gun, snidely declaring that Garrick was getting slow in his 'Golden Age'. As the avatar fired again, Barry grabbed Garrick's helmet and deflected the blast, causing the avatar to stand down. He and Barry then entered West's prison and gently escorted him out. Jay however did not follow, instead choosing to take Wally's place despite Barry begging him not to. Handing over his helmet for use as a life-line to Vibe, Jay calmly acknowledged that for the time being, his race was over. He then encouraged Barry to save Iris and stop Savitar once and for all. Barry tearfully promised to return the helmet and save Jay one day, bid the elder speedster farewell and left with Wally, leaving Jay to relive the worst moment of his life over and over.
Jay gives Barry his helmet after deciding to stay in the Speed Force
Barry and Wally leave as Jay stays behind in the Speed Force
Garrick remained in the Speed Force prison for an indeterminable amount of time due to the nature of time within it but his mind remained whole and sound. Finally, he suddenly and unwittingly freed from the Speed Force prison by Killer Frost and Savitar, themselves having been tricked Cisco Ramon, who had altered the Speed Force Bazooka into a skeleton key. Jay super-speeded out of the portal, swatting aside Savitar as he did so and took up position alongside the arriving Team Flash, accepting his trademark helmet back from Barry. While Gypsy and Vibe dealt with Frost, Jay joined Barry and Wally in a high-speed pursuit of Savitar through a forest but was brought down with the others by a lightning attack from Savitar. Jay recovered just in time to witness Savitar's death and erasing at the hands of Barry and Iris.
Completely free once more, Jay stayed on to attend the funeral of H.R. Wells, during which a Speed Force storm threatened Central City and Earth One, during which another portal opened in front of the group. Barry Allen realized that he had to take Savitar's place in the Speed Force as penance for his actions. As Barry bade farewell to his family and friends, Jay instead chose to look on stoically and say nothing as Barry Allen stepped into the Speed Force and vanished. Following this, Jay returned to Earth-3 allowing Jesse to return to Earth-2.
Averting a nuclear explosion[]
Jay arrived on Earth-1 after Jesse Quick brought him over because a nuclear bomb was going off. Jay was surprised to learn that Barry was able to interact with non-speedsters when in "Flashtime", calling it "a hell of a new trick" as didn't know how Barry was able to do that. Jay refused to send the bomb into the Speed Force after Barry mentioned Harry suggested that is what he should do. He explained that not only would that risk destroying the Speed Force forever but also every speedster throughout space, time and the multiverse would lose their speed instantly. Jay argued that Harry didn't know anything about the Speed Force and that no one really knew about its nature and that the Speed Force was an essential part of the multiverse and no one knew what the consequences of destroying it would be.
Focusing on the bomb itself, Jay explained in nuclear fission enormous energy is created by a chain reaction of atoms splitting and releasing neutrons, making it nearly impossible to reverse the process. Theoretically stability could be restored by offsetting the loss of mass by nuclear fusion. Another more promising method would be to cool it down.
With Killer Frost's help, the speedster team attempted to cool down the bomb. As Frost attempted it, she got hotter reducing the effectiveness of the abilities.
Barry Allen and Jesse Wells after Jay Garrick exits Flashtime
The speedster team then attempted to throw three lightning bolts at the bomb thus producing nuclear fusion by exposing it to an amount of energy equal to the quantity it was giving off. However, Jay wasn't able to. He wasn't used to using his speed for long periods. He became fatigued, stating that his legs not working as they once did due to age. Apologizing for not being able to help Barry and Jesse much further, Jay was forced to exit "Flashtime".
Eventually, Barry caused a Speed Force storm to stop the bomb. Jay said it was time for the "Crimson Comet" to return to Earth-3. He gave credit to Iris for her part in the solution. The experience had drained Jay's glucose level and Caitlin recommended rest. Jay admitted that he would do nothing but rest. He had been at the hero game for a long time. After his experience with the bomb, he considered doing something new, starting with training someone to take over his duties as the Flash.
Impending crisis[]
Jay and Joan on Earth-1
Jay had an assistant called Joan Williams, with whom he fell in love. He recruited her to help him to cope with his depleting Speed Force energy and, at some point, they got married.
Since he predicted that a crisis was coming, Jay studied different Earths alongside Joan. When Barry Allen went to Earth-3 to see if Jay could help him heal from an antimatter injury, Jay introduced his wife Joan to him and explained how they met. They found a way to project Barry's consciousness into the future to see what was going to happen after the latter told Jay what he wanted to do to prepare for the crisis, in which Barry supposedly died. Later, Jay and Joan sent his apartment on Earth-1.
Anti-Monitor Crisis[]
During the Anti-Monitor Crisis, Jay was present on Earth-3 when it was hit by a wave of antimatter, killing him. He was restored a month later, after the Paragons and the Spectre created a new universe.
New multiverse[]
After they were restored on Earth-Prime, Jay and Joan began living in Keystone City. Jay's body began getting older and at points he needed to use a cane in order to walk.
The Godspeed war[]
Jay, Barry, Nora, and Bart surrounded by a group of Godspeed clones
After forty days, Jay's Speed Force saturation increased and his powers were restored just in time for him to help Barry with an army of Godspeed clones that were attacking Central City. However, just as Jay suited up, a group of Godspeed clones showed up and kidnapped him so they could lure Bart Allen into a trap due to the close relationship that Bart and Jay form in the future.
The group of Godspeed clones that kidnaped Jay began to feed off of his speed, leaving him with nothing left when Bart showed up at the cathedral where he was being held. Bart was then attacked in the cathedral by the Godspeeds while Jay was unconscious, when Barry and his daughter Nora West-Allen arrived to help. Jay then woke up and helped Barry get Bart out of there after Cisco Ramon arrived and trapped the Godspeed clones in a synthetic entropy trap. Jay later helped Barry project his consciousness into August Heart's mind.
Since Team Flash needed all of the help that it could get in order to stop the Godspeed war, Barry called in the Speed Force. The Speed Force then restored Jay's Speed Force energy so he could be at full strength when fighting the Godspeed clones. During the fight with the Godspeed clones, Jay charged his helmet with a surge of Speed Force energy before throwing it to a group of Godspeed clones, knocking them all out. After failing to stop the Godspeed army, Barry decided to give Godspeed the organic speed that he wanted. While Barry faced the recently recharged Godspeed, Jay warned Barry that because Godspeed had organic speed and just reabsorbed all his clones, he might be faster than Barry. At one point during Barry's fight with Godspeed, Bart was about to join the fight but Jay managed to calm Bart down, telling him to trust Barry. After Godspeed's defeat, Jay attended Barry and Iris' vow renewal ceremony alongside his wife Joan. During the ceremony, Joan suggested that they renew their vows and Jay told her he would marry her again in a heartbeat.
Erased future[]
In an erased future, by the year of 2449, Jay became a well-known figure and superhero on Earth-1.
Possible future[]
- "Bart, sometimes you got to take a risk. Sometimes you have to go with your gut... and is it impulsive? Maybe. But sometimes it's right."
- — Bart quoting his mentor
In a possible future, Jay was one of Bart Allen's speedster mentors along with his father Barry and his uncle Wally. According to Bart, Jay was the only one who saw his impulsiveness as strength and not as a not as a weakness, claiming that sometimes you have to take risks. Jay and Bart formed a close relationship to the point where Bart called him "Uncle Jay". Jay was later killed by Godspeed in front of Bart by the year of 2449, which traumatized Bart and made him see Godspeed just as his father saw Eobard Thawne, as an arch-nemesis.
Personality[]
- "It's just that all feels so hopeless."
"It never is, I promise you that." - — Nora West-Allen and Jay Garrick
Jay showed himself to be a good-natured and kind man. He shares many traits with his Earth One counterpart, Henry Allen, including his kind nature, his admiration for Barry Allen, his intelligence, and his ability to control his temper even when having undergone a terrible ordeal. He also showed himself to be a humble man as well, respectfully calling Barry by their shared name, Flash, displaying his deference to the Earth One speedster who saved his life, and acknowledging him as an equal and hero.
He was not without his need to display his anger, using his vibrating hand to split the speed-dampening mask that Zoom had used on him in half. Jay was also capable of appreciating poetic justice and irony, taking up Hunter's helmet as it was originally a symbol of hope on Earth Two as explained by Harrison Wells, and Jay smiled, taking it with him and adding it to his uniform, hoping to make a symbol for justice back home. He also did this partly out of revenge against Hunter for stealing his identity, and also as a memento of this adventure.
Jay has been shown to care for Barry after learning of his past and that he is his father's deceased doppelganger and has kept an eye on him, fearing he may make a mistake out of grief. Rightly assumed Jay intercepted Barry when he attempted to alter time yet again and Jay had a heart-to-heart talk with him on the consequences of time travel, revealing he made the same mistake himself once. This allows Barry to realize the timeline will never be the same as it once was and allows Barry to move on with his life, his current life.
Since interacting more with Barry, he has grown noticeably closer and protective of Barry, like his Earth One counterpart. Given Jay's knowledge of being Henry Allen's doppelgänger, he likely has begun to see Barry as a surrogate son and genuinely caring for his well-being, becoming somewhat protective of him. He has become somewhat of a mentor to his and taken him on as a student in the ways of being a speedster. Given his seniority and presumably decades of experienced, Barry tends to defer to Jay's personal expertise on the Speed Force and vigilantism. He certainly seems keen on giving Barry the benefit of his knowledge without the detriment of his personal mistakes.
Jay is held in high regard by the younger speedsters of Earths One and Two in particular who see him as an almost elder-statesman speedster role-model for his great wisdom and experience and is frequently consulted by them for advice on opponents, training in mastering their powers or enlisting his help on important missions.
In Bart's version of the future, Jay had taken a much more open view to impulsive actions; knowing that sometimes that following one's gut choice is better than the logical one.
Powers and abilities[]
Jay using his speed to travel through the breach
Powers[]
- Speed Force connection/Meta-human physiology: Jay possesses a natural connection to the Speed Force, allowing him to perform physical feats well-beyond normal human capabilities. Despite his relatively advanced age, Jay's conditioning is similar to the much younger Barry's, able to continue battling for long durations.
- Accelerated healing factor: As a speedster, Jay's cells are capable of regenerating at an accelerated rate, allowing him to heal rapidly from injuries and resist disease.
- Bodily vibration: Jay has the ability to vibrate his cells and overall parts of his body on command for various effects, as shown when he vibrated his hand to split the iron mask that was put on him by Zoom, destroying it. He had enough control of this ability to break only a piece of a mug to demonstrate how time was changed it could not be truly turned back the way it was.
- Electrokinesis: Jay produces orange electricity from his body when he taps into the Speed Force highlighting his natural, unaltered connection to it.
- Superhuman agility: Jay possesses far greater balance and bodily coordination than a normal human, allowing him to easily maneuver while moving at superhuman speeds.
- Superhuman durability: Jay possesses far greater resilience and stamina than humanly possible (especially considering his older age), allowing him to easily withstand extreme exertion and impact forces, allowing him to easily survive with being savagely thrown around and beaten about by Savitar with only minor injuries.
- Superhuman perception: Jay is easily capable of visually keeping up with and perceiving the movements and actions of other speedsters when they are moving at super-speed.
- Superhuman reflexes: Jay's reaction time is augmented to superhuman levels, allowing him to react to danger and events far faster than normal humans.
- Superhuman speed: Jay is able to run at phenomenal superhuman speeds, as shown when he ran through a breach back to Earth-2 with Harry and Jesse. He was fast enough to intercept Barry in the Speed Force when he tried to change the timeline again. Despite his immense speed, Jay Garrick was swiftly defeated by Savitar.
- Interdimensional travel: Through the opening of a dimensional breach, Jay is able to push through the fabric of reality with his super-speed, letting him travel to different dimensions.
- Superhuman momentum: Jay is able to generate great amounts of physical force through kinetic energy, simulating superhuman strength, notably allowing him to grab Barry while he was time traveling, and yank him out into 1998, causing Barry to be sent flying through the air and into a truck when he appeared. He was also able to send Savitar tumbling across the floor by striking him at super-speed, while the latter was freed from the Speed Force and was caught by surprise.
- Time travel: Jay has proven to be adept regarding time travel, capable of intertwining between the past, present, and future at will. Jay has told Barry that he is able to travel through time as he has done it before, and has proven to be highly proficient in this ability, to where he can intercept other speedsters attempting to time travel through the Speed Force, and pull them from different points in time. He also seems to be aware what time he arrives at when time traveling, as he told Barry that they were in the 1990s, possibly from bringing themselves to that time on his own. In addition, Jay seems capable of locating where other speedsters are in time as he found Barry Allen, who was five months in the future, and pulled him back to the present after Barry had been there for only a few minutes.
- Superhuman stamina: Jay is able to withstand the stress of moving at superhuman speeds, without showing signs of weakness or fatigue. However, due to Jay's old age, he does not have as much stamina as he used to.
Abilities[]
- Genius-level intellect: Jay has shown to have knowledge of the 5 by 5 tap code as he used it to communicate with Barry Allen and Jesse Wells when the mask Zoom had locked onto Jay's head prevented him from talking. Jay is also an exceptional scientist and engineer, working in a personal lab. He was noted by Gideon to be the foremost expert on antimatter, a substance that no member of Team Flash had knowledge of, proven by how he effortlessly realized Barry's wound was hit by a pure dose of antimatter, which he noted would have killed him had it not been for his speed-healing. He was also able to analyze that antimatter signatures have been occurring over multiple Earths. Jay also developed a device called the neural hyper-collider and knew he could not use it but Barry could and that it would be able to project his consciousness past the antimatter wall of the speed force. Being a veteran speedster, Jay has extensive knowledge of the Speed Force and its capabilities, such as how to send objects into the dimension itself to keep them from being found by anyone. Jay also possesses a great deal of knowledge about the Speed Force's lore, legends, and the culture of Speedsters.
Weaknesses[]
- Power-dampening tech: When Jay was held captive by Zoom, he had a mask locked onto his face, equipped with a dampener that kept Jay from using his powers.
Former weaknesses[]
- Diminished performance: Jay, being much older than many of his contemporaries, suffers from diminishing physical capabilities, being unable to use his powers for as long, or as strenuously as younger speedsters, eventually leading him to retire from active duty. After the Speed Force was restored by Barry and Iris West-Allen, Jay regained much of his speed, with Joan Williams noting that the Speed Force saturation in his body had gone zero to one hundred percent in forty days.
Equipment[]
Original multiverse[]
Jay Garrick as the Flash of Earth-3
- The Flash suit: Jay wears a protective suit as his superhero alter-ego, The Flash. It is similar to Hunter Zolomon's Flash suit but when he stole his identity, Hunter switched up the colors and designs of the suit when he stole Jay's identity.
- Helmet: The helmet, originally from Hunter Zolomon, now belongs to Jay Garrick. After the defeat of Zoom, Jay got his suit back and decided to wear Hunter's helmet as it originally symbolized hope to the people of Earth-2 and as a bit of revenge for stealing his identity.
- Interdimensional extrapolator: Jay has one of these devices, presumably given to him by Cisco Ramon.
Former equipment[]
- Speed-dampening mask: During his imprisonment, Jay was forced to wear an iron full-faced mask that not only prevented him from speaking but also temporarily severed his connection to the Speed Force. After the combined efforts of Harry and Cisco removed it on Earth-1, Jay took great pride in destroying it, saying he never wanted to see it again.
New multiverse[]
- The Flash suit: Jay wears a protective suit as his superhero alter-ego, The Flash.
- Helmet: Jay wears a protective helmet as his superhero alter-ego, The Flash. He can also use the helmet in battle, such as when he used it to knock out a group of Godspeed clones.