Jay Garrick

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Jay Garrick's powers originated when he, then a college student, inhaled hard water vapors while taking a smoke break in his laboratory under Professor Hughes. This accident granted him superhuman speed and agility. His iconic helmet belonged to his father, Joseph, a World War I veteran, which Jay sometimes uses as a weapon or shield. Early stories depicted his identity as public knowledge, though later retcons introduced the concept of him "vibrating" his face to remain unrecognized without a mask. He faced early foes like the Faultless Four and Edward Clariss, who became the Rival after finding the last container of heavy water vapor. Garrick served as the founding chairman of the Justice Society of America, originally based in New York City before being retconned to Keystone City. His aging was slowed by energy from Ian Karkull during a battle against him, allowing Garrick to remain active into the 21st century with a chronological age near 105 despite looking physically around 50.

In Their Own Story

In 1961, Garrick emerged from retirement following a House Un-American Activities Committee investigation in 1951 that forced the JSA's initial stand-down. He met Barry Allen of Earth-One in Flash #123, "Flash of Two Worlds," establishing the concept of parallel universes where Garrick resided on Earth-Two. For most of the 60s and 70s, he made guest appearances before becoming a regular character again in the revived All-Star Comics starting in 1976. During the Crisis on Infinite Earths, all worlds merged, making Keystone City the twin to Central City. In the early 21st century, Garrick acted as a father figure to teammates and the wider superhero community. During Infinite Crisis, he helped wrestle Superboy-Prime into the Speed Force but was left behind when he reached his speed limit. He later claimed that without the Speed Force, his powers were diminished to near sound speed and his aging accelerated.

Reader's Guide

To understand Jay Garrick, one must note his unique origin: inhaling hard water vapor in a lab experiment by Professor Hughes. His costume features a red shirt with a lightning bolt and a winged metal helmet modeled after Mercury. He is a founding member of the Justice Society of America (JSA), serving as its first chairman. Unlike Barry Allen or Wally West, Garrick's early stories did not reference the Speed Force; his powers were initially treated as a result of the water vapor inhalation activating a metagene. His base of operations shifted from New York City to Keystone City, which became invisible and wiped from memory after Crisis on Infinite Earths until rendered visible again. He maintains a close friendship with Green Lantern Alan Scott and later mentored Bart Allen during Max Mercury's disappearance. Garrick's history includes a solo series in All-Flash (1941–1948) and guest spots in Stargirl and The Flash (2023), where he is portrayed by John Wesley Shipp.

Did You Know?

• Jay Garrick first appeared in Flash Comics #1 on November 20, 1939.
• Artist Harry Lampert modeled the character's pose after a dictionary illustration of the god Mercury.
• Garrick's speed was originally granted by inhaling hard water vapor, later retconned to heavy water vapor.
• He served as the first chairman of the Justice Society of America and retired in 1951 due to HUAC investigations.
• During Infinite Crisis, Garrick lost his connection to the Speed Force, reducing his speed to near sound speeds.