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TheDC Comics Universeis filled with mystical power , super - powered beings , and scientifically advanced alien species . Even with these infinite wonders , one of the most subtle , seek - after , powerful , and occult elements remainsthe all - muscular Anti - Life Equation . Introduced by the legendary comics creator Jack Kirby in 1971 , as part ofhis multi - title spanningFourth Worldseries , the Anti - Life Equation has been sought after by some of the DC Universe ’s most powerful and diabolical villain , most notably the ill-famed New God and master of the war world Apokolips , Darkseid .
The Anti - Life Equation wasfirst postulate by Darkseid himselfsome 300 years in the past ; after making physical contact with the Martians , Darkseid learned that their entire philosophy revolved around the " Life equating " , which is synonymous with free will . If a Life Equation exists , so goes Darkseid ’s logical system , then the opposite must also exist . The Anti - Life Equation saps its sentient prey of liberal will , eclipse them , and also imparts reality - twist power , as well as territorial dominion over living and death . Within the pages ofForever People#5 , the name is derived as such , " if someone possesses absolute dominance over you — you’re not really animated . "
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Darkseid ’s compulsion over the Equationhas brought his attention to Earthon more than one occasion , each clip in hunting of bits and pieces of the Equation , which had been scattered throughout the totality of human subconsciousness . One such possessor of the Anti - Life Equation was " Billion Dollar " Bates , a rotund , obscenely wealthy businessman who had used the Equation to subvert the will of his challenger and become unusually robust and powerful . He was baffle by the Forever People and was subsequently vote down by his own militia during a ritual meant to transmit his will across the major planet . Darkseid , who had been follow Bate ’s movements , then attempted to reacquire the par by clone Bates .
While Bates was abide with full noesis of the Equation , he was badly - equip to exploit it , using it to earn riches rather than cosmic great power , shortsightedness that did n’t sit well with Darkseid , who would continue attacking Earth in search of the Equation . Several Earth - bound heroes fuck some , if not all , of the Equation , include the New God Mister Miracle , who has the will not to yield to it ( and is one of the few citizenry capable to not be tempted by it ) ; Teen Titan Empress also acknowledge part of the Equation , which allows her circumscribed ascendancy of the mind of some foe . Such unsuspecting drug user included the Flash enemy , Pied Piper , who uses it unknowingly to control his victims
The entire Equationhas been utilized a few timesthroughout the history of the DC Universe . During theDeath Of The New Godsstoryline , Mister Miracle — driven increasingly mad by Big Barda ’s death — uses the Equation , eventually becoming ghost with finding the killer of the New Gods . Though he himself kick the bucket , he discovers that the Equation is the moody half of the all - potent entity , the Source , from which all vitality and life in the universe derives . The next most prominent use of the Equation was duringFinal Crisis : Darkseid , having finally acquired the full Equation , uses it to attack Earth , enslave billions ( including several superheroes ) , and attempt to remake Earth as a New Apokolips . Most latterly , the crossover storylineDCeasedwas adjust in a realness where the Anti - Life Equation transform most of the DC Universe into zombie spirit .
The Equation itself is represented thus : loneliness + alienation + fear + despair + self - worth ÷ mockery ÷ condemnation ÷ misconceive x guilty conscience x shame x failure x mind n = y where y = trust and n = folly , love = lie , life story = last , self = dark side . The convention is unremarkably depicted as a series of fiery , floating glyphs in an alien language , although speaking the Equation out loud allow Darkseid to asseverate his will and assure on others , although several heroes ( such as the aforementioned Mister Miracle ; younger superhero Static ; and the Flash , utilizing the Speed Force ) can negate or master the effect of the Equation . What once begin as a theorized concept has since grown intoone of the most powerful formulasin DC Comics , and , when wielded , provides the ultra - powerfulDarkseidnear - omnipotent tycoon , and the DC Universesome of its most classic story .
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