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"Every war advances the cause of science. And the Japanese, they had developed a serum that caused increased strength. Rapid cell regeneration. They called it Mirakuru."
"Miracle."
Anthony Ivo and Sara Lance[src]

The Mirakuru (ミラクル, lit. as Miracle) is a super-soldier serum created by the Japanese during World War II that causes enhanced physical abilities once injected. Use of the serum can either risk death or warp the person's mind and personality, driving the subject to insanity, aggression, and hostility.

Overview[]

Capabilities[]

"Thought they could create an army of super soldiers."
Anthony Ivo[src]

The effects of the serum enhances the recipient’s abilities; physical strength, speed, senses, stamina, durability, and endurance surpass human capability, while reflexes and agility were only raised to peak human capability. The serum also significantly improves the recipients' ability to recover from harm and injury, and increases their resistance to the effects of drugs and poisons.

Limitations[]

"Mirakuru won't do anything against a headshot."
—Sara Lance[src]

The primary and most significant effect of the serum was the subjects development of an accelerated healing factor that allowed them to recover completely from the most crippling, debilitating, and grievous of wounds, so long as any injuries were not immediately fatal or if an entire body part or organ were not lost; for example, the serum did not allow Isabel Rochev to survive when her neck was snapped by Nyssa.[1] Slade Wilson was also unable to regenerate his eye after it was pierced with an arrow.

Dangers and side-effects[]

The use of the serum is extremely dangerous, as it can easily prove fatal to its subjects if not correctly administered. It was shown to be able to cause severe internal damage and deformation of bones, especially the skull. During the transformation it caused, subjects would bleed from their eyes, which would lead to them either dying or going into a comatose state for several hours, sometimes with no vital signs.[2]

Other side-effects included a reduction in self-control and enhanced aggression, to the point of the subject having homicidal tendencies, as well as insanity and hallucinations that encouraged aggression and homicidal acts. Interestingly, it is only those who were given a strong sedative along with Mirakuru that would retain their self-control and personality if they survived. Generally, a person who has Mirakuru injected directly into their system would have approximately one-to-one odds of either living or dying after the serum is injected, as the drug would then be metabolizing inside the host's body. S.T.A.R. Labs' biotransfuser increased the odds of a subject's survival, as it was designed for bypassing the possibility of the Mirakuru metabolizing in a person; instead, it metabolizes in the machine.[3]

History[]

Original multiverse[]

World War II[]

"During World War II... every country was trying to develop the ultimate weapon. The United States had the Manhattan Project, of course. The Nazis had Das Uranverein. And the Japanese, well... they had Mirakuru."
"Stem cell and genetic therapies decades ahead of their time."
Anthony Ivo and Sara Lance[src]

According to Anthony Ivo, the Mirakuru was a serum that caused increased strength and rapid cell regeneration created by the Japanese Empire during World War II, in hopes of creating an army of super-soldiers. They transported their only supply by submarine, and when it was under heavy fire by the Allied Forces, it ran aground on Lian Yu.[4]

2009[]

After Ivo's men invaded the island, they were slaughtered by Oliver Queen, Shado, and Slade Wilson. Because of the picture they had, he managed to find the cave they were seeking. In the cave, they found a number of bodies of Japanese World War II soldiers, all with deformed skulls. Next to the body was a Hōzen featuring coordinates pinpointing the submarine's location. Some time later, Oliver was kidnapped by Ivo, and forced to take him to the Hōzen. After an ambush, Oliver and Sara Lance were rescued and discovered a series of coordinated proceedings of the stone. When they reached the abandoned submarine, Oliver found a box with several syringes containing the Mirakuru, and so they inject in Slade, who was dying, due to a previous injury, even without the necessary anesthetic. After Slade's apparent death, Ivo's goons found the submarine and collect the serum, as well as taking Oliver, Sara, and Shado as hostages. Hours later, Slade awakened, his wounds healed completely, and with massively enhanced abilities. After running up to Oliver and others, Slade used his abilities to kill all of Ivo's men.[2]

Sometime later, Ivo tested the serum in several men, however all died. Oliver also managed to recover the remaining samples, and burned them. Ivo revealed that he created a cure to reverse the effects of the Mirakuru and gave Oliver and Sara the key to the safe where it is hidden.[3] Oliver rescued Sara from the Amazo and attempted to get the cure to use on Slade, only to be captured by their former friend, who had already taken the cure out of the safe. In the fight that ensued thereafter, Oliver got the cure, and while Slade was pinned down under a pile of debris, Oliver had two options; he could try to cure Slade, or kill him, choosing the latter, stabbing him in the eye with an arrow, although, unbeknownst to Oliver for the next five years, this failed to kill Slade.[1] Slade later offers his blood to mass-produce the Mirakuru to Sebastian Blood, who used it to create an army of super-humans. Unlike Oliver and Slade's relationship, Sebastian is somehow able to maintain control over men he injected with the Mirakuru.[5]

2014[]

Xavier Reed was captured by Brother Blood and injected with Mirakuru. However, he died after bleeding from his eyes, unable to control or resist the effects. Sometime later, Max Stanton was found in an alley dead with blood running out of his eyes, revealing that he too was injected with the serum and another unsuccessful candidate.[6]

Cyrus Gold appeared to be the only one of a group of Blood's test subjects to survive injection, and when asked by Sebastian Blood how he feels, he said "Stronger".[7]

Cyrus was shown to have super strength and superhuman durability, as implied by the drug's assumed effects.[6] Furthermore, while he defeated Oliver twice, Oliver claimed he had beaten at least one user of Mirakuru on Lian Yu. He also stated that all of Ivo's test subjects were dead, and that he burned the rest of the serum that they found on the Japanese submarine.

The recreated Mirakuru

The recreated Mirakuru.

It is shown that Sebastian recreated Mirakuru using samples from Slade Wilson's blood. Also, Brother Blood forcefully injected Roy Harper with the serum, causing his eyes to bleed until he dies. Oliver though, managed to kill Gold by blowing up the centrifuge, spilling chemicals all over him.[2] He then managed to revive Roy. Later, while resting, Roy discovered that the wound on his knee from where The Arrow shot him is completely healed.

Sara and Oliver burned the box that the Mirakuru belonged in, believing the serum to be inside it. However, Slade actually hid it, and kept the Mirakuru on him in case he needed it.

During a meeting with Slade and Sebastian, Isabel Rochev confirmed that since taking full control of Queen Consolidated she devoted all resources of the company's Applied Sciences division to mass-producing the Mirakuru.[8]

Slade Wilson's mass-distribution of Mirakuru

Slade Wilson uses Roy's blood to infuse 50 Iron Heights inmates with Mirakuru.

Team Arrow destroyed Queen Consolidated's Applied Sciences Division, forcing Slade to find an alternative means of administering Mirakuru to his army of prisoners. He captured Roy and stole a "bio-transfuser" from S.T.A.R. Labs to transfuse the Mirakuru from Roy's blood into multiple prisoners. The Arrow interrupted the process and rescued Roy, but Slade used his own blood to successfully infuse Isabel and the prisoners with Mirakuru.

In the present day, Oliver stole a sample of Mirakuru from Slade and gave it to Felicity, who asked Cisco Ramon and Caitlin Snow to help her analyze it and synthesize a cure.[9]

S.T.A.R. Labs successfully created a cure for the Mirakuru. After the cure was stolen in transit by Slade, Sebastian Blood stole it from Slade and gave it to Oliver after realizing Slade wanted to destroy the city. Oliver began to administer the cure to Roy but hesitated, wondering if it might kill him. When Amanda Waller warned him that she will destroy the city if he doesn't stop Slade and his army by dawn, Oliver knew he was running out of time and that he needed Roy to be saved, and injected him with the cure.[10][1]

2018[]

At some prior to late 2018, Ivo Laboratories constructed a robot powered by Mirakuru that was capable of scanning a human, meta-human, or alien's DNA, allowing the robot to use the powers of scanned individuals.[11]

New multiverse[]

Anthony Ivo once owned vials of the Mirakuru serum on Lian Yu.[12]

In 2008, Slade Wilson was injected with Mirakuru.[12]

At some point, Roy Harper fought Mirakuru-enhanced soldiers.[13]

In early 2020, after Oliver's death during the Anti-Monitor Crisis, Oliver left the mask Barry Allen had made for the former to Barry in his will. Noticing that the mask was dirty, Barry ran tests, and found traces of Mirakuru on it. On Barry's insistence, he and John Diggle traveled to Lian Yu to investigate whether there was any Mirakuru left on the island; intending to destroy whatever remained, such as old containers of Mirakuru left on Lian Yu. They discovered an old crate used to store the drug, but found it empty, with the serum having been destroyed by Oliver and Thea Queen previously.[12]

Cure[]

Main article: Mirakuru cure

It has been proven possible to develop a cure for Mirakuru. One was previously developed by Anthony Ivo prior to 2009 and another by S.T.A.R. Labs in 2014. The first time, Oliver Queen was given the choice between killing Slade Wilson and curing him, opting for the former (only to later find he had not been killed). In 2014, Oliver and his team mass-spread the cure through tranquilizer arrows they shot into Mirakuru-enhanced soldiers, curing them all. Felicity Smoak also injected it into Slade, causing him to finally be rid of superhuman powers and destroying the last known source of the formula.

Known users[]

Successful[]


Unsuccessful[]

Appearances[]

Arrow[]

Season 2

Season 3

Season 4

Season 5

Season 6

Season 7

Season 8


The Flash[]

Season 1[]

Season 5[]

Season 6[]

Trivia[]

  • According to Felicity Smoak, the Mirakuru injection Cyrus Gold received increased his overall muscle density to at least 120 pounds per cubic foot, which is essentially the same density as common concrete.
  • For unknown reasons, Mirakuru cancels out the effects of the Lotus elixir for individuals resurrected through a Lazarus Pit.[14]

Behind the scenes[]

  • In the comics, Deathstroke was injected with an experimental serum by the US government which left him in a coma for months. When he awoke the serum had enhanced his body giving him the strength of ten men along with heightened speed, agility, stamina, and reflexes. It also increased his capacity to use up to 90% of his brain at any one time. The serum also provided him with a healing factor in his blood that enabled him to heal from physical injury much faster than a normal person; however, it did have limitations, as he could not heal his missing eye and was unable to regenerate entire limbs.
  • Mirakuru is similar to other drugs used in DC comics such as Venom, a steroidal compound used by Bane to enhance his strength. Venom was derived from Miraclo, a serum used by the hero Hourman which lasted only one hour. Another serum used in the comics was Blockbuster, which permanently enhanced Mark Desmond and his brother Roland Desmond into hulk-like monsters.
  • The drug's regenerative powers and negative effects to the recipient's psyche makes it similar to the RL65 serum from Smallville.

References[]

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