Max Mercury, also known as
Max Crandall, was a scout for the U.S. in the
early 1800s. When he discovered the plan to ambush the local
Blackfoot clan,
the shaman gave him
super speed, so he could get there quickly, but died in the process. Max ran to the battle and disarmed both the
Americans and the
Indians, and was given the name
Awehota ("
Windrunner"). A few years later, he felt the need to faster than he had ever run before, being called in by the "
speed force." However, he hesistated and was
flung far into the future.
Over the years, he did this a number of times, until he finally landed
in the present day, where he lives with his
daughter Helen and trains
Bart Allen, a
speedster from the
future who fights crime as "
Impulse." Widely reguarded as the
zen master of speed,
speedsters often go to him for advice.
Sources
http://www.dccomics.com/features/theflash/bios/bio5.html
http://www.hyperborea.org/flash/max.html