The Quickness(Deceased)

First Appearance: April 17th 1970, @ the Masonopolis World's Fair.

Powers: Extreme Super Speed, Enhanced Senses, Enhanced Reflexes, Enhanced Strength, Time Travel, Kinetic Blasts

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During the summer of 1967 the Cartwright family went on a vacation to the Easter Islands. The family consisted of the parents John and Peggy Cartwright, and their twin boys Barry and Gary, who were both 17.

One afternoon, the two boys had wandered off on their own, when they both heard some strange music coming from afar. They started to follow this phantom music, and eventually they found themselves outside a strange old cave.

Both somewhat mesmerized, they step into the cave and start to make their way into the deep recesses of it's interior. There is no visible light source, and yet an errie glow lights their way. All the while, the strange music is drawing them further.

Suddenly a huge glowing figure of a stylized face appears and starts to talk to the boys.

 

"I have called you two children of Adam here because I have found you to be worthy.  You will be my new agents of order in this chaotic world.I have slept for many millenia, but the choas that has perverted this world has awakened me. Take these rings of power, and bring order to the chaos."

With that, two rings appeared in front of the two brothers. They each took a ring, and they put them on. As soon as the boys had the rings on, they both immediately knew what to do. They both turned the top of their rings while saying, "Faster than fast."

Suddenly they were both transformed into identical figures, except the colours of their costumes were switched. Their bodies grew into more physically perfect versions of themselves, and they were flushed with energy. In a pair of streaks, they blasted out of the cave in a burst of super speed.

Over the next few months the boys worked together fighting crime back home but without the media taking notice. Then something happenned to Barry during an adventure, and he retired before they really got started. (See 'Adventures of Wonder #214') While Barry retired, Gary only took a break, to finish college where he was studying Theatrical Arts. After graduating, he began a career as a stage actor in Masonopolis.

After that, Gary made his big entrance to the world by saving the President of the United States at the Masonopolis World's Fair. With superhuman speed, he managed to take down 30 seperate gunmen all at once. They all were agents of an organization called Serpent. After rounding them all up, he was asked for an interview, and they later started to call him 'The Quickness'.

He later joined the other heroes making waves, and they formed the Golden Guards. They went on many adventures together, including a few through time, as the quickness found he could move so fast that he could vibrate through the time barrier.

He also aquired a large group of villains that actually banded together under the name, Foes of Quickness. They kept him busy when he wasn't with the Guards.

In the 1980s, Gary's brother was killed in a mysterious accident, and he took custody of his nephew. They got along really well, and after seeing what the kid was made of, he decided to bestow the other ring of power on the boy when he reached 18. Unfortunately, life speeded things up.

While sitting at home, they were attacked by a villain from a parallel Earth, and Gary had to reveal his secret. Not only that, but he had the boy put on the ring early and help him. This changed the timeline, and would unknowingly affect both of their futures.

So as the Quickness took his nephew under his heroic wing as Nimble, the world's fastest boy, he managed to grow even closer to the boy. They became known as the two fastest beings on Earth.

During the Nowhere EVent, the Quickness was briefly seen talking to a mysterious figure who came out of a 3rd, yet unknown reality. It was not clear what transpired during this conversation, but ever after that event, the Quickness was much more somber, even distant.

After the now infamous 'Nowhere Event', the Quickness gre more and more determined in his actions, like he knew he was arcing towards something. While he was still warm to his team mates, and his "Kicks Kids", as he called them, he had definitely grown deadly serious at most times.

Then came the day  in 1989 when the entire Golden Guards and Teenage Kicks were battling the Criminal Collective. During the battle, which was much more intense than any they had fought with this group before, the Black Knight managed to connect a powerful blow with his sword on the Quickness' neck as he was racing by. The decapitation was immediate. As teh villain displayed his beserker tendencies, Gary's nephew jumped on teh villain at superspeed, and bludgeoned him to death. So ended the legendary career of the World's Fastest Man, The Quickness.