With the domination of superhero movies over the past decade, it has given us character after character and hero after hero to root for. Many have similar powers, or at least share common attributes in terms of what makes them incredibly uncommon. Take speedsters, for example — both the MCU and DCU have them: from Quicksilver, the original mutant molded into a lab experiment for the Avengers storyline, to The Flash, who has had different versions portrayed in multiple franchises, to Makkari, the newest speedster from Eternals. Even some heroes like Superman and Black Adam have the power of super-speed on their side, which gives us some epic scenes to see in theaters.
Now, there are the classic super-speed scenes where we see in real-time how fast the characters are going. There is, however, also the twist we have seen crop up in more recent superhero movies: when the world around the characters goes in slow-motion, and we see what the characters see as they run. Here are some of the best slow-motion speedster scenes in all the latest superhero movies.
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5 Car Crash — Zack Snyder’s Justice League
Warner Bros.
The re-release of the DCU film, Justice League, with the cut from the original director Zack Snyder, brought a plethora of brand-new scenes, one of them being an epic introduction to the Star City hero, The Flash, also known as Barry Allen. In this slow-motion scene, Barry is so late to work (one of the ironies of being the fastest man alive), he bumps into the beautiful Iris West leaving his workplace, and they share a moment, gazing into each other’s eyes. As Barry rambles to the shop owner, Iris gets into her car and, instantly, chaos ensues, and she gets into a life-ending car crash. The world around her slows as she is thrown from the vehicle, and The Flash begins to run. Electricity buzzes around him and he moves so quickly in real time that his feet burst out of his shoes, and he crashes through the glass like water. Rose Bett’s song “Song to the Siren” plays as Barry saves Iris from death and makes sure to get back to the shop so nothing is too suspicious, all in a slow-motion scene that happens in mere seconds.
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4 Superman Returns — Justice League
In the theatrically released version of Justice League, Superman is risen from the dead by Aquaman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, and Cyborg, AKA the members of the Justice League. After thinking they failed, he is awoken and stands before them, clearly not the same alien who was put into the ground. After fear takes hold, Cyborg shoots Superman. As a result, a battle begins where the Justice League is clearly not winning. With Wonder Woman in his hands, and Cyborg and Aquaman trying to fight him, Superman does not flinch. The Flash then runs around him — and in somewhat of a shocking twist, we see Superman’s eyes follow him. Throwing everyone away, we get a battle between Superman and The Flash before the rest of the Justice League even hits the ground. It’s another very fun use of slow-motion to show the heroes speed.
3 Paint it Black — Black Adam
In Black Adam, starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, we get a very exciting introduction to the character. Whether this movie was received well by critics or fans doesn’t really matter: the power reveal from Black Adam deserves the hype. It begins with a subtle melody of the Rolling Stones hit song “Paint It Black.” Then, there’s an explosion, and the world slows as Black Adam emerges, ready to destroy everyone in sight. We finally get to what his powers are, which seem to consist of everything. Bullets ricochet off his chest, and bombs explode around him.
2 Sweet Dreams — X-Men: Apocalypse
20th Century Studios
The second edition of the King of Slow Motion Speedster scenes is in X-Men: Apocalypse. In this scene, the world slows: a bee hovers over a flower, seemingly still, and a passing car filled with young X-Men is making its way back to the X-Mansion. Quicksilver, the mutant speedster, approaches Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters. He drops the Twinkie from his hands and approaches the school, only to notice that it is moments away from exploding. With “Sweet Dreams” playing in the background, Quicksilver dashes to the rescue and saves every single person inside the X-Mansion — minus Havoc — and deposits them onto the lawn, truly showcasing how fast he is.
1 Time in a Bottle — X-Men: Days of Future Past
The best slow-motion speedster scene is possibly the progenitor of this technique. In X-Men: Days of Future Past, Quicksilver does his thing once more. In the midst of a gunfight, he slips on his headphones and listens to “Time in a Bottle,” while he floats around the kitchen of the maximum security prison. He rearranges bullets, situates people to punch each other or themselves, and even runs through spilling soup. It’s one of the coolest uses of slow-motion, and once again, shows how incredibly fast the character really is.
