Darkseid

Darkseid is a DC Comics supervillain created by Jack Kirby, originally as part of The Fourth World series of comic books in the early 1970s. He first appeared in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #134 (November 1970). He has risen in popularity and become one of the most powerful and well-known villains of DC Comics.

Character history

Darkseid is the ruler of the planet Apokolips, a post he obtained after assassinating his mother. He is obsessed with finding the Anti-Life Equation in order to use it to rule the universe. This goal also includes conquering his rival planet, New Genesis, ruled by the Highfather, formerly Izaya the Inheritor. A destructive war between the two worlds was stopped only with a diplomatic exchange of the sons of Highfather and Darkseid. Darkseid's Orion is surrendered to the Highfather while Darkseid receives Scott Free, who will later become the master escape artist Mister Miracle. This turns out to be a setback for Darkseid with his biological son growing up to value and defend the ideals of New Genesis in opposition to his father.

Darkseid was one of the featured villains in the (non-continuity) crossover of the Teen Titans and Marvel comics' X-Men. Like most crossovers between Marvel and DC, there was a Marvel villain in addition to the DC villain-- in this case, Dark Phoenix and (something unusual) another DC villain also appeared: Deathstroke the Terminator (since Darkseid was not a well known villain for the heroes at the time the comic was launched).

Recent history

Darkseid's latest attempt to attack Earth was through the kidnapping of Supergirl. He had hoped that he was able to use Black Kryptonite to brainwash Supergirl, thus, providing him with a leader for his Female Furies, as well as a warrior on par with Superman. However, this plan backfired as Batman and Superman were able to save Supergirl. This set forward a plan of revenge by Darkseid to destroy Supergirl. This also fails as Supergirl is teleported out at the last minute. This sets Superman into a unparalleled fit of rage as he hurls Darkseid into the sun where they attempted to destroy each other. Superman beats him unconscious enough to throw him into the Source Wall. There, Superman declared that, “For years and years you’ve tried to learn the secrets of Ultimate power from the other side. But you will never get the answers—just like the others who are entombed here. This is where you belong. Along with all the other failures in the universe.” The mysterious appearance of the Maximums has been linked to Darkseid. To pay a debt incurred to an alternate reality Darkseid and in order to realign the timeline, Superman recently freed Darkseid from his entombment.

Powers and abilities

Darkseid is an incredibly powerful being, nearly omnipotent in some peoples' estimation. Virtually the only limit on Darkseid's abilities is his willpower. For example, he is capable of moving entire solar systems by force of will alone, but while doing so he would not have the focus to perform many other acts.

Darkseid's main power is the Omega Effect or the Omega Beam, a form of energy that he fires from his eyes. This effect is not only a relentless attack, but it is capable of teleporting the target to any location Darkseid chooses and recall them later or erase the target from the universe and similarly reform them. Darkseid has pinpoint control over his Omega Beams, and his unerring aim allows it to travel in straight lines or bend, twist or curve around corners. The Effect can travel across time and pass through different universes, and can pass through nearly any known barrier. In the three part Hunter/Prey storyline, he claimed that no being had yet withstood the full force of the Omega Beam, but Doomsday nonetheless survived the attack.

Darkseid possesses superhuman physical attributes that at the least rival those of Superman. He has proven capable of overpowering the mighty demon Etrigan, and the being known as Lobo once hurt his hand when he landed a punch on Darkseid.

Darkseid also seems to possess vast psionic powers as well. He has proven himself capable of using telepathy and mind control of a level surpassing his underling Sleez. Once he mentally dominated nearly three million Daxamites simultaneously, and he has been depicted telekinetically levitating himself and others. Darkseid can transmute matter, as he demonstrated by turning the Daxamite warrior Ol-Vir into dust, soap and dirt and Slo-bo into a statue. He is also able to dissipate and disperse the molecules of an object or organism, effectively erasing them from existence and is able to generate mental avatars. Darkseid can use his psychic abilities to possess an individual and negate any superhuman abilities they may have. He can also mentally control most known forms of energy, allowing him to erect protective force fields and project withering energy bolts.

As an almost god-like being, Darkseid has several powers that surpass most other beings in the known universe. He can create life and matter from nothing, as he did when he created the being known as Strayne, and can travel in time as easily as any New god. He can traverse different dimensions and devolve living organisms.

Darkseid also possesses a superhuman intellect. His genius surpasses that of most other known beings in the universe. He is a master planner and strategist and his armies are nearly unbeatable under his leadership.

Darkseid's personality

Darkseid is a character whose personality can vaguely be described as evil incarnate. Darkseid is not merely content to control but to dominate those individuals under him into totally obedient and morally corrupt caricatures of individuals. Apokolips is a world that resembles Hell because of his need to be worshipped as a god and the need to nurture the most horrible aspects of the human spirit. On Apokolips, his subjects are raised in a personality cult, to venerate him, to sacrifice themselves gladly in his name.

Darkseid practices great emotional restraint, always maintaining a calm and disciplined composure despite the furious rage that often boils within him (his son, Orion, has inherited this rage but cannot control it as well as his father, relying on his Mother Box to keep his emotions in check). Darkseid seems to possess a twisted form of honor but this code is 'flexible' depending on his mood. It seems he desires to be thought of as an honorable being but never lets this stand in the way of his gaining power or revenge. He especially takes delight in seeing the mighty brought low whether in strength or moral conviction. Darkseid's primary weakness may be his obsession to get even with people who have gotten the better of him, especially Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, the New Gods, and now possibly The Joker. During the latest Batman/Superman comic arc (Issue #25 With A Vengeance), Joker attempted to control Darkseid when the clown prince of crime gained powers similar to Mister Mxyzptlk. It was later revealed that Bat-Mite was inside Joker the whole time. (Bat-Mite literally crawled out of his mouth.) Darkseid actually attempted to vaporize The Joker with his Omega Beam at one point, but seemed to miss on purpose.

Darkseid's agenda

Darkseid's great ambition is to wipe out freewill from the universe and reshape it in his own image. To this end, he seeks to unravel the mysterious 'Anti-Life Equation', which will allow him to control completely the thoughts and emotions of living beings. The Anti-Life Equation has often been portrayed as a quasi-mystical power that forces a listener to agree with whatever the wielder says. Other times, it is portrayed as a comprehensive scientific theory on how to dominate any living mind, whatever its nature may be.

While he has yet to obtain a complete working copy of the Anti-Life Equation, he has tried on several other occasions to achieve dominance of the universe through other methods. Darkseid has a special interest in Earth, as he believes humans possess collectively within their minds most, if not all, fragments of the Anti-Life Equation. If he should conquer Earth, he will probe the mind of every human to piece together the Equation.

Destiny

As with gods in other mythologies, Darkseid is incredibly powerful, but cannot escape his ultimate destiny. It has been foretold that Darkseid will meet his final defeat at the hands of his son Orion, in a cataclysmic battle in the fiery Armaghetto of Apokolips. Presumably this outcome would occur at the climax of the New Gods series, but the title's unforeseen cancellation instead brought Darkseid's story arc to an unceremonious end, and both he and Orion were brought into the mainstream DC universe, while Kirby moved on to other projects.

While this changeover kept Darkseid alive as a character, some fans feel it is to his detriment. No writers appear willing to write the ultimate resolution to the character, either out of respect for Kirby or because they are not about to kill off one of DC's most popular villains. As well, the idea of reversing or annulling the prophecy has been turned down, also out of respect to Kirby. At the present time Darkseid and Orion will not have their final battle in the foreseeable future, and thus both characters, while still active, are in a story arc "limbo." The closest his character has come to death is an off screen disappearance in the DCAU, although he was later resurrected in an episode of Justice League Unlimited. Regardless, the DCAU is outside of standard DCU continuity, and is not considered canon.

In the post apocalyptic miniseries, Kingdom Come Orion has now deposed Darkseid, fulfilling the prophecy, and is ruler of Apokolips. However, the changes that he wished to make (democracy, freedom) were quickly stopped, making him bitter and cynical. Superman is disappointed in Orion's progress and says his new demeanor is more like Darkseid than ever.

A possible fate is seen in the one-shot Martian Manhunter #1,000,000. In reality the second issue of the hero's series, it was part of a companywide crossover that took place in a very distant future. We are told that by the time of this future Darksied had long since died in a final battle with Martian Manhunter (which cost the Martian his life).

In an ironic twist concerning Darkseid's fate, Grant Morrison wrote a story during his run on JLA that featured Darkseid's death at the hands of Green Arrow and the Atom. However, it took place on Earth with Orion blowing up the entire planet to kill Darkseid, who was in a vegetative state because of the Atom. This Earth, an alternate future, was wiped out of existence moments later when Aquaman, the Flash (Wally West), and Green Lantern (Kyle Rayner) of the present Earth went back to the present to stop Superman from destroying an artifact which preceded the Earth's takeover by Darkseid.

Recent characterizations

Although Darkseid had previously been written as a near-unbeatable and omnipotent foe, his recent characterizations have shown him to be massively powered down as a result of the more personal enmity his animated version has for Superman. While he still far outstrips his animated counterpart in strength, speed and stamina, the level to which he has been reduced places him at comparable tier of power to the comic version of Superman. In one instance, his Omega Effect is deflected by Wonder Woman's bracelets, a feat that normally would have been impossible according to previous continuity. This power reduction may be due to events occurred during the Our Worlds at War storyline. It is explained that during these events Wonder Woman gained her revenge against Darkseid for killing half of Themyscira's population by placing a portion of her own soul into Darkseid.

In Grant Morrison's 2005 Mister Miracle miniseries, it was revealed that Darkseid finally discovered the Anti-Life Equation, which he then used to destroy the Fourth World altogether. The New Gods fled to Earth, where they hid: Highfather and his followers are now a group of homeless people, Metron is an epileptic, the Black Racer is an old white man in a wheelchair, Desaad is an evil psychiatrist, Granny Goodness is a pimp for the Female Furies, and Darkseid himself is now an evil businessman who is referred to only as 'Dark Side'. How much of this change is actual, or how much a re-imagining of the New Gods as archetypes of the real world is unclear.

Other appearances

He has appeared in the later seasons of The Super Friends animated television series, perhaps to fulfill the producers' request for a villain similar to Star Wars' Darth Vader. He often would combine whatever villainous agenda of the episode with the scheme of forcing Wonder Woman to marry him. He was voiced by Frank Welker. Jack Kirby said that the network executives tried to go behind his back and call the character "Darkside" for the Super Powers TV show, but Mr. Kirby was adamant about the name staying the same.

In addition, he appears in the current DC Animated Universe continuity, produced by Bruce Timm, where he is voiced by Michael Ironside. First he made a series of appearances throughout The Animated Series and was featured most prominently in a pair of popular two-parters. The first two-part episode, "Apokolips... Now!" shows Darkseid leading his forces in an invasion of Earth. Darkseid confronts Superman and offers him a place at his side, but Superman resists his temptation. Thus Darkseid declares that if "You will not be my knight, you will be my pawn." Darkseid is forced to withdraw his forces when the armies of New Genesis arrive and declared Earth under Highfather's protection. Just as Darkseid leaves, in one of the most shocking moments in the series, he tells Superman that no victory comes without a price and uses his Omega Effect to kill Dan Turpin.

Then in "Legacy", the two-part finale for Superman: The Animated Series, Darkseid makes good on his promise of making Superman his pawn. He has Superman brainwashed into thinking that he is Darkseid's adopted son. Darkseid sends Superman on several conquests throughout the galaxy before sending him to invade Earth. When Superman regains his memory, he finds that he has destroyed parts of Metropolis, nearly killed Supergirl and lost the world's trust. So Superman travels to Apokolips and engages Darkseid in battle. This is the only time Darkseid engages in a direct fight throughout the show. It ends with Superman defeating Darkseid by making his Omega Effect backfire. Superman then tosses Darkseid's battered self down to his slaves, telling them that they are now free to do what they want. The slaves choose to help Darkseid to his feet, prompting him to tell Superman that "I am many things Kal-El, but here I am God."

Darkseid later returned in Justice League where he teamed up with Brainiac to destroy the Justice League. Orion went a couple rounds with him before getting his back broken and Superman got the upper hand over him and destroyed his Boom Tube where Brainiac's Asteroid Base blew up. Darkseid disappeared for a time, and in Justice League Unlimited, a civil war sprang on Apokolips between Granny Goodness and Virman Vunderbarr during Darkseid's disappearance.

In this current animated version of Darkseid possess speed, strength and stamina slightly above Superman's level in addition to his Omega Effect, but he once lost in "hand to hand" combat (but not without using the omega effect of course) with Superman, during one of the last episodes of Superman: the Animated Series. His Omega Effect is shown to be powerful enough to kill/disintegrate on impact, but presumably, Darkseid wishes not to use that on Superman due to it removing the tangible pleasure of humbling the Man of Steel himself. The one time that Darkseid might have used the Omega Effect at full capacity, Superman saw it coming and covered both of Darkseid's eyes very tightly with his own hands, creating a backfire effect and charring the lord of Apokolips significantly. It should be noted that Superman did withstand a direct shot from an Omega Beam in an episode of Superman: the Animated Series.

During the first of the two-part series finale of Justice League Unlimited, Lex Luthor tries to resurrect Brainiac by having the Legion transform their base into a spacecraft to find lost pieces of Brainiac's last base; but with Tala's help, Gorilla Grodd attempts a coup to retake control of the Legion, leading to a battle between members loyal to Grodd and Luthor. In the end, Luthor defeats Grodd by turning his hypnosis power back on him and then disposes of those loyal to Grodd, showing Killer Frost mercy when she turns her freeze power on them. When the Legion reaches the location, Luthor uses Tala's magic to restore Brainiac, but instead resurrects Darkseid, merged with Brainiac, who rewards Luthor for his help by giving the Legion of Doom a quick death. The remnants of the Legion soon appear alive and well back on Earth, (saved by a forcefield concocted by Sinestro and Star Sapphire) and go to the Justice League to warn them of Darkseid.

Darkseid makes his way to Earth, beginning his rampage by decimating Metropolis and beats Superman into submission by using the Agony Matrix. This ability was used after a lengthy battle with The Man of Steel where the combatants fought each other across the city to a stand-still. Finally, Superman is about to die when Luthor uses the recently-acquired Anti-Life Equation on him, having attained it with the aid of the New God Metron. Although Luthor seemingly perishes with Darkseid, several Justice League members remark that they will likely see the two again.

After his resurrection in the Justice League Unlimited episode, "Alive!", Darkseid returned with greatly enhanced power levels, as well as a new ability he called the "Agony Matrix", which he displayed in "Destroyer". It manifested in electric blue currents that restrained the victim. He described it as "direct neural stimulation of pain receptors, all of them. Imagine the worst pain you have ever felt in your life, times a thousand. Now imagine that pain continuing, forever."

External links

Darkseid - DC Database Project
Supermanica: Darkseid Supermanica entry for the Pre-Crisis Darkseid
Index to the Earth-1 Fourth World stories

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