| Equus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Superman (vol. 2) #206 (August 2004) |
| Created by | Brian Azzarello Jim Lee |
| In-story information | |
| Species | Humancyborg |
| Abilities | Via cybernetics:
|
Equus is acomic booksupervillain and a cyborg mercenary in theDC Comicsuniverse who serves as an opponent ofSuperman.[1] Created by writerBrian Azzarello and artistJim Lee, he first appeared inSuperman (vol. 2) #206, which was published in June 2004 as part of the "For Tomorrow" storyline.
Equus is a human who underwent extensive modifications and was converted into a cyborg as a prototype for theOMAC Project.Superman first meets Equus after tracing the Vanishing, an event in which his wifeLois Lane and one million people suddenly disappeared, to an unspecified country in theMiddle East. Investigating, Superman intervenes in a civil war by taking all the guns from the combatants. The fighting continues however, and in his continued quest to put an end to it, Superman confronts Equus. General Nox, the leader of the rebels, puts an end to the fight between the two beings, telling Superman that his side has won the war, and showing him that the people outside the palace where Superman and Equus had fought were now cheering Nox's name.[2]Although Superman initially stands down, he later appears before Nox, who has obtained a weapon said to be responsible for the Vanishing. Although still operational, it lacks any accuracy, functioning like a shotgun. Superman then appears, demanding to know of the weapon's origins. When Nox informs him that the former king had intended to use it against Nox, and that the king is to be executed, along with more than a dozen other members of the king's regime, Superman intervenes, feeling that the condemned men deserve a trial, again coming to blows with Equus, who carries out the execution. During the fight, Superman rips the claws right out of Equus' right arm, and seemingly defeats him.[3]
Superman then returns to Nox's palace, confronting him with the question of what he intends to do with the weapon, but is attacked by Equus. Superman is less forgiving in this rematch, using hisX-ray andmicroscopic visions to learn much about Equus' enhancements, and physically disabling much of their exterior components. Equus escapes by activating the weapon, causing himself and 300,000 other people to vanish.[3]
Superman subsequently learns that Equus has been working for a mysterious man namedElias Orr. Orr explains to Superman that his employers financed Nox's war and loaned Equus to them. Eventually, Superman tracks all the victims of the Vanishing to Metropia, an artificial paradise within thePhantom Zone. He learns that Equus has also been transported to the Phantom Zone and has allied withGeneral Zod.[3][4]
Equus reappears under Elias Orr's command inCountdown to Final Crisis (2007), where he battlesKarate Kid andUna. After receiving a beating from Karate Kid, Equus severs the railroad tracks on which Karate Kid and Una's train is traveling and tells the police that the derailment was caused by ametahuman attack. 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 onBuddy Blank's tracks.[5]
In the 2008Cyborg miniseries, theTeen Titans battle fight numerous clones of Equus andWildebeest to prevent them from helping Cyborg against the "Cyborg Revenge Squad".[6]
Equus is a human who underwent extensivegenetic engineering, cybernetic enhancements,hormone therapy, and trans-species implantation as part of theOne Man Army Corps (OMAC) project. He possesses enhanced musculature, foot-long claws extending from his knuckles, and a healing factor that enables him to regenerate lost limbs.[2][3][7]
A hologram of Equus appears in theSuperman & Lois episode "Of Sound Mind".
