Infinity-Man

This article is about the New Gods character; for information on the (unrelated) Legion of Super Heroes character with a similar name, please see Infinite Man.

Infinity-Man is a fictional character, an extraterrestrial superhero published by DC Comics. Created by Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Forever People #1, (February 1971).

Fictional character biography

Infinity-Man’s story begins with Astorr, a powerful warrior from another planet, rescuing and nursing back to health the badly burned Drax (brother of Darkseid). Before dying himself of old age, Astorr passes on his role as ‘Infinity-Man’ to Drax, who then spends several years studying in preparation.

Having assumed the title of Infinity-Man, Drax goes on to serve Highfather on New Genesis, where he is acquainted with The Forever People and becomes a protector. Whenever Infinity-Man is needed, the Forever People grant him special powers by touching the mother boxes and reciting the word “Taaru”. This ritual would cause The Forever People to enter a state of limbo, until Infinity-Man returns the power to them.

In one story, Darkseid sees Infinity-Man as a threat and is able to place him in another dimension. Infinity-Man temporarily makes a new home on a planet called Adon, until The Forever People free him from this prison.

A later plotline focuses on Devilance the Pursuer and his personal vendetta against the Forever People and Infinity-Man. Devilance tracks down Infinity-Man and the two battle, resulting in the destruction of the island on which they are fighting. The two appear to die, but—once again thanks to the efforts of the Forever People—Infinity-Man returns once again.

In DC's year-long weekly event, Countdown to Final Crisis, and the monthly title, Death of the New Gods, Infinity-Man is suspected by Superman, Mr. Miracle, and Orion to be the mystery killer behind the recent deaths of the New Gods. However, the Mother Box used to summon him appears to have been destroyed and the Forever People murdered. Later, it is revealed that Infinity-Man is, in fact, the killer of New Gods, posing as Himon to avoid detection and collecting the dead gods' souls in a second Source Wall, surrounding the original one and preventing the slain gods from reuniting with the Source.

Superman challenges him to battle, but Infinity-Man teleports away mid-battle. His motive in killing the New Gods remains unclear. However, he claims to be acting on behalf of the Source itself—revealed as the "good" half of an entity that previously encompassed the Source and the Anti-Life Equation—and that his killings were intended to reunite both aspects.

The "Source" itself, or at least the physical representation of it, appears to back his claims, leading Infinity-Man to battle Mister Miracle, now empowered with the Anti-Life Equation itself, near the Source Wall. Infinity-Man then pushes Mister Miracle into battle, duping him to blast away the Second Wall, and letting the Source and the Anti-Life reunite. Infinity-Man is seemingly destroyed by Mister Miracle's attack.

Powers and abilities

• Seemingly limitless strength and endurance, invulnerability, flight, ability to "phase" through matter, vast energy and matter manipulation, magnetic powers, and Infinity-Beams.
• In the relatively few comics Infinity Man appeared in, he displayed many abilities. He sums up his powers on his first appearance, when he says that he comes from a place where all natural law bends. In the first issue of the Forever People, Darkseid's minions are driving Superman deep into the ground, with their power to transmit the gravity of the universe into one person. The Forever People summon Infinity Man, who quickly and effortlessly throws them high into the air away from the area, saying: "The answer to gravity is anti-gravity".
• In the Glorious Godfrey issue, Infinity Man infiltrates Godfrey's tent by manipulating the ground's atomic structure, so he can "swim through it like the blue sea." In the same issue, he is shot at with lasers from Apokolips, but stops the lasers in mid-shot and sends them back at his attackers. When he faces Mantis, Infinity Man shows his manipulation powers again, by changing the atomic structure of the ice he was trapped inside. In the same issue, he survives being touched with anti-matter and finally defeats Mantis with Infinity-beams, which effectively remove the energy from Mantis.
• Other powers include a form of advanced healing and telepathy.
• In one issue of Young Justice, the hero known as Impulse took part in the Forever People's summoning, resulting in the manifestation of a somewhat immature and hyperactive version of the Infinity Man, who displayed super-speed.

In other media

Television

• Infinity-Man appears in the Young Justice episode "Disordered". Instead of a man, it's a 10 foot robot formed from the Forever People when they combine New Genesis tech with the Source.

External links

• Cosmic Teams: New Gods
• Index to the Earth-1 Fourth World stories