Equus (comics)

Infobox comics character
character_name = Equus


imagesize = 240
converted = y
caption = Cover of "Superman" #206, Equus' first appearance.
Art by Jim Lee and Scott Williams
full_name =
publisher = DC Comics
debut = "Superman" #206 (August 2004)
creators = Brian Azzarello
Jim Lee
alliances =
aliases =
powers = Cybernetics Razor sharp claws superhuman strength
cat = super
subcat = DC Comics
villain = y
sortkey = PAGENAME

Equus is a fictional comic book supervillain, a cyborg mercenary in the DC Comics universe who serves as an opponent of Superman. Created by writer Brian Azzarello and artist Jim Lee, he first appeared in "Superman" #206 (August 2004), which was published in June 2004 as part of the "" storyline.

Fictional character biography

Equus first appeared in the third issue of the year-long "" storyline that ran in "Superman" in 2004 and early 2005. A prototype for the OMAC Project,cite web
last = MacIntosh
first = Bruce
url=http://www.comicon.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php/ubb/get_topic/f/36/t/006683.html
title=WHO COUNTS IN COUNTDOWN? Episode #35
publisher=comicon.com
accessdate=2008-03-21] he came into conflict with Superman when the superhero discovered that "The Vanishing", an event in which one million people completely disappeared from the face of the Earth (including his wife, Lois Lane), was traced to an unspecified country in the Middle East. Investigating, Superman intervened in a civil war by using his speed to snatch all the guns from a group of men fighting one another. The fighting continued however, and in his continued quest to put an end to it, Superman confronted Equus, a large, monstrous, cybernetically enhanced humanoid creature whose claws were actually capable of piercing Superman's skin. General Nox, the leader of the rebels, put an end to the fight between the two beings, telling Superman that his side had won the war, and showing him that the people outside the palace where Superman and Equus had fought were now cheering Nox's name.

Although Superman initially stood down, he later appeared before Nox, who had captured an advanced-looking device from the deposed regime, which his lieutenant informed him was, according to the confession of a minister of that regime, the weapon that was responsible for The Vanishing. Although still operational, it had no accuracy, functioning like a shotgun. Superman then appeared, demanding to know of the weapon's origins, and when Nox informed him that the former king had intended to use it against Nox, and that the King was to be executed, along with more than a dozen other members of the king's regime, Superman intervened, feeling that the condemned men deserved a trial, again coming to blows with Equus, who carried out the execution. During the fight, Superman ripped the claws right out of Equus' right arm, and seemingly defeated him. Superman then returned to Nox's palace, confronting him with the question of what he intended to do with the weapon, but Equus also showed up, and ignored Nox's orders to stand down, saying that he was not being paid by him. Nox reminded him that Equus was there to aid him, but Equus brushed Nox aside, and attacked Superman. Superman was less forgiving in this rematch, using his X-ray and microscopic visions to learn much about Equus' enhancements, and physically disabling much of their exterior components. Equus escaped by manipulating the weapon, causing not only himself to vanish, but another 300,000 other people from across the planet. Superman subsequently learned that Equus was working for a mysterious mustached man named Mr. Orr, who explained to Superman that Orr's employer's financed Nox's war, and loaned Equus to them. Eventually, Superman tracked all the victims of the Vanishing to Metropia, an artificial paradise within the Phantom Zone. It is here that Superman encountered Equus again. By this time, Equus had teamed with General Zod in his campaign to destroy Metropia. It was revealed in a discussion between Orr and his employers that Equus was the product of a program to create super-soldiers, and hinted that Equus, whose chestplate bears the Roman numeral "III", could be the third version of the project. Version 3 was said to be highly unstable due to the reptile transplants ("see Description below") and hormone therapy they received, with Orr referring to Equus as "a psychotic killer".

Equus III later appeared in the "Titans/Outsiders Secret Files", stored alongside the Wildebeest captured in the same story.

Equus reappeared under Mr. Orr's command in "Countdown" #36 (2007), clashing with Karate Kid and Triplicate Girl. After receiving a beating from Karate Kid, Equus was enraged that Mr. Orr, under Desaad's orders, would let them go. Equus severed the railroad tracks on which Karate Kid and Triplicate Girl's train was traveling. Before that he phoned the police, telling them that the derailment was a metahuman attack, and that the metahumans themselves were bio-weapons, leading the officers to shoot first and not ask questions. Karate Kid and Una eventually are able to beat Equus, disabling him and leaving him without an arm. The arm is retrieved for attachment, and Orr sets the Legionnaires on Buddy Blank's tracks.

In the 2008 "Cyborg" miniseries, the Titans are forced to fight numerous clones of Equus and the Wildebeest to prevent them from helping Vic Stone against Mr Orr's "Cyborg Revenge Squad".

Description

Equus is a human being who has undergone extensive genetic engineering, cybernetic enhancements, hormone therapy, and trans-species implantation. He stands approximately eight feet tall, and possesses massive musculature on his upper torso. He has white skin composed of crocodilian skin cells laced with self-healing hinge molecules. His internal cybernetics are built upon a haptic interface, through which the numerous cables attached along various points of his body, and covering his head, are connected. His circulatory system includes webs of titanium-reinforced biometric arteries, and his endocrine system is filled with rivers of synthetic steroids, adrenaline, and endorphins. The artificial portions of his anatomy include three grades of soft plastic that Superman had never before seen when first encountering Equus. Equus' mechanical components are powered by a system of oligotronic solar powered fuel cells controlling seven different senses, and his nervous system is powered by enough electricity to power a city block. He is capable of extending five razor-sharp claws from the knuckles of both of his hands, in a manner similar to the character of Wolverine. The claws corresponding to his fingers are approximately a foot long (with those corresponding to his thumbs considerably smaller), and while their composition is unknown, they are capable, given the physical strength Equus is capable of exerting with them, of piercing Superman's skin. Specimens from the project that produced Equus were also said to have the wingbones of a fallen angel within their forearms. The exact extent of Equus' physical strength remains unclear. Equus has a wide face with two small, yellow eyes, a small, snout-like nose, a row of large, shark-like teeth, and no hair. Where his ears would be are two ports into which several cables from his cybernetics connect. He wears two spectacle-like devices on his eyes, possibly a heads-up display system. He is capable of quickly regenerating entire limbs that are severed from his body. ["Countdown to Final Crisis" #35]

Reception

Bruce MacIntosh from comicon.com, speculated that DC continued to use Equus, following "For Tomorrow", as in "Countdown to Final Crisis", not because he was a great character but because DC invested a year of one of their flagship titles and two of their high-profile creators, and wanted the characters to serve as a return on that investment. He also noted that fans have pointed out strong similarities between Equus and Mark Millar's character Seth from "The Authority", and that whereas Equus' name is Latin for "horse", Seth has hooves like a horse.

Notes

External links

*comicbookdb|type=character|id=8060|title=Equus