Justice League’s Anti-Life Explained: Why Earth Matters

Warning: SPOILERS for Zack Snyder’s Justice League

The arrival of Darkseid in Zack Snyder’s Justice League means more than just a new villain for the DCEU, since the DC supervillain is bringing the famous Anti-Life Equation along with him. But what is Anti-Life, and why is Earth the only place in the universe it can be found?

Likely to be the first question viewers of Zack Snyder’s Justice League ask, explaining what Anti-Life actually is requires a suspension of disbelief. The film itself establishes that the Mother Boxes–the devices wielded by Darkseid to terraform thousands of worlds–are a technology so advanced, they appear magical in nature. The same could be said of Darkseid and his fellow New Gods, blurring the line between technologically advanced aliens and semi-magical gods. That was the alchemy sought by comic book icon Jack Kirby when he created the Fourth World these New Gods call home. And it is that same world being brought to life in Zack Snyder’s Justice League which created the mysterious truth known as the Anti-Life Equation.

What is The Anti-Life Equation?

In the pages of DC Comics, where uttering a mathematical equation can grant you superspeed, the Anti-Life Equation is a literal equation. And that does mean a mathematical, logical proof as fundamental as 2+2=4. But instead of proving a scientific or mathematical law, the Anti-Life Equation is based in the very essence of existence, love, happiness, and free will. Used like a weapon, the Equation can break the spirits of any who hear it, granting whoever possesses it total domination of all existence. It is the scale of this power that makes it Darkseid’s primary objective. And it is the… unclear nature of the power that has made many comic writers portray the Anti-Life Equation as a less specific, and less well understood power.

Zack Snyder’s Justice League takes things a step further, literally describing ‘Anti-Life’ as the most awesome force that one can wield. For a conquering tyrant like Darkseid (who transforms conquered civilizations into mindless parademons) it is the greatest shortcut one can imagine. Instant tyrannical oppression, granting him power over every life. Most interestingly, Darkseid (and later, Steppenwolf) seem to be aware of the presence of Anti-Life through physical touch or proximity. Treated as less of a formula and more as a divine or primordial force in the universe, it makes sense for Darkseid’s body to bear Anti-Life’s omega symbol. But if the Anti-Life of the DCEU is less of an equation than normal, its connection to Earth is an even more intriguing twist.

Darkseid Found Anti-Life Written on Earth (Literally)

The version of Anti-Life depicted in Justice League is notably different from the comics, to a degree that some fans might actually prefer it. As an elusive, supernatural secret hidden somewhere in the universe, Darkseid’s discovery of Anti-Life on Earth set thousands of years of story into motion, culminating with Justice League. Diana skips over this part of Darkseid’s story in the film itself, since a cosmic legend like Anti-Life would be known only by a DCEU Green Lantern, not an isolated Amazon. But Steppenwolf gives an exact account of what brought Darkseid to Earth after the Mother Boxes reveal the truth:

“Before mighty Darkseid came to the throne he searched the universe for the ultimate weapon: The Anti-Life Equation. The key to controlling all life and all will throughout the Multiverse. He found it hidden on a primitive planet… I have found the primitive planet. The world that fought back. It is Earth. The Anti-Life Equation is carved into the surface of this very world. I have seen it, I have looked with my own eyes.”

What originally seemed like an Apokoliptian attack or symbol in the first looks at Justice League‘s ancient battle is revealed in the film to actually be the Anti-Life Equation. Fans will have much to discuss when it comes to Darkseid’s original understanding of this Equation, his humiliating defeat on a nameless planet, and his rise to power without the mighty Anti-Life. But the new mysteries and questions audiences are expected to be asking are far more obvious. If the runes revealed by Darkseid and Steppenwolf are the literal Anti-Life Equation, and they know enough to sense and reveal it, why is looking upon it not enough to access its power? And most importantly… who carved the Anti-Life Equation onto the surface of Earth to begin with?

Anti-Life & Darkseid In Justice League 2

These are compelling questions left blatantly unaddressed by Zack Snyder’s Justice League, almost certainly by design. The nature of Anti-Life, the significance of the Equation runes carved into Earth, and who or what is responsible for one or both are, frankly, impossible questions to ignore. Were this a different superhero movie universe, viewers could presume that these plot points were explicitly being teased for coming films and storylines. What the movie does confirm is that these mysteries lie at the foundation of Zack Snyder’s version of the New Gods. And as a result, would be central to any plot that brought Darkseid to Earth as the cliffhanger ending suggests.

Darkseid’s omega symbolism normally relates to ‘the Omega Effect,’ a power manifested in his Omega Beam attacks seen in Justice League. Yet in the DCEU it is already clear that his iconic symbol is derived from the Anti-Life Equation, suggesting a completely new definition for his trademark sigil–possibly even a new type of worship or idolatry. Could Darkseid be worshipping not only the power of the Anti-Life Equation to a tyrant such as himself, but the beings who understood it well enough to leave it written on entire planets?

Unfortunately, the chances of seeing these mysteries solved and Zack Snyder’s idea of Anti-Life explained all depend on the potential for a sequel to Zack Snyder’s Justice League. Even more excruciating for fans wrestling with these mysteries is the fact that Snyder’s plan for Justice League 2 is out. But if the answer to this Anti-Life riddle and Darkseid’s connection are planned for the sequel, Snyder is keeping it under wraps. If a sequel isn’t on the way, then it’s entirely possible these questions will go unanswered for all time. Yet another footnote to the movie history made by Zack Snyder’s Justice League already.

About The Author

Andrew Dyce
(3247 Articles Published)

Screen Rant Editor Andrew Dyce was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Despite calling the vast nothingness of the Canadian prairies home (or perhaps because of it) film and television have been a passion since birth. As a graduate of the University of Manitoba with a degree in English Literature, Andrew has grown to appreciate the story and writing behind everything from blockbuster comic book movies to schlocky B-movie action.

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