5 DC Superheroes Who Have Defeated Darkseid (& 1 Doesn’t Even Have Powers)

Of all DC Comics’ terrifying and powerful supervillains, the franchise’s big bad is undeniably Darkseid. The New God of Evil and the Lord of Apokolips has waged war against the entire multiverse for countless eons for the sole purpose of dominating all life in existence. Darkseid is more than just a villain; he’s evil personified. Wielding the infinite power of the Omega Effect, Darkseid is among the most powerful and malevolent entities in the multiverse. However, even as a being of such unlimited power and cruelty, Darkseid has consistently found his plans for multiversal domination foiled by the greatest superheroes of DC Comics.

Darkseid is an immortal god who can effortlessly destroy entire universes. Yet, as a consequence of the DC Universe’s leaning towards hope and heroism, Darkseid is practically destined to fail repeatedly. Still, only the strongest and smartest of superheroes have a chance of beating Darkseid.

5) Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman’s connection to the Greek pantheon has led her to constantly battle the mightiest and most malevolent gods, including Darkseid. One such clash occurred in Wonder Woman Vol. 5 #45, when a weakened Darkseid sought to regain his lost power by killing and absorbing the Olympian gods’ divine energy. In his quest, Darkseid kills numerous gods, including Zeus himself. When Wonder Woman learns of the massacre, she charges into battle to avenge her fallen brethren. However, Wonder Woman soon finds herself overwhelmed by the Olympian-powered Darkseid, who turns her Amazonian sisters into his new Parademon army. Wonder Woman turns the tide by calling out to the souls of Zeus and the other Olympians Darkseid had absorbed. The gamble worked, as the Olympian spirits broke free of Darkseid’s body, destroying him and freeing the Amazons. Darkseid may be evil incarnate, but he’s nothing compared to the power of family and love.

4) Cyborg

A major change the New 52 reboot made to the DC Universe was making Cyborg a founding member of the Justice League. To show why Cyborg deserved that role, DC writers made the former Teen Titan integral to the League’s first victory over Darkseid. In the Justice League’s New 52 debut storyline “Justice League: Origin,” Cyborg’s backstory was retooled so that he gained his half-mechanical body after a lab accident merged him with a New God supercomputer called a Father Box. This accident coincided with Darkseid using numerous Father Boxes to open Boom Tubes, paving the way for his invasion. This attack is what brought the Justice League together for the first time, and Cyborg was key to defeating Darkseid. Realizing Darkseid and his forces were too powerful to fight indefinitely, Cyborg used his New God cybernetics to reverse-engineer the Boom Tubes and banish Darkseid back to Apokolips, saving the Earth and the Justice League.

3) Orion

One of Darkseid’s mortal enemies is none other than his own son, Orion. He was adopted by New Genesis’s leader, Highfather, as part of an uneasy peace treaty with Apokolips. Despite his dark heritage and violent instincts, Orion grew up to cherish New Genesis and swore to protect it from Darkseid. New Genesis and Apokolips have been at war for billions of years, but in many prophecies, Orion was identified as the one who would end the conflict by killing Darkseid. After Infinity Man slew most of the New Gods of New Genesis, Orion sought to fulfill the prophecy and finally confront his father in Countdown to Crisis #2. The battle between father and son shook the Earth until Orion ripped Darkseid’s heart from the villain’s chest, ending the Lord of Apokolips’ reign of terror. While Darkseid would eventually return, Orion had still bested his father in the most brutal way possible.

2) Batman

Part of what makes Batman such an inspiring character is that, although he doesn’t have superpowers, he can contend with even the strongest heroes and gods of the DC Universe by relying on his cunning. One such god who’s been repeatedly humbled by Batman is Darkseid. When Darkseid brainwashed Supergirl and forced her to fight the Man of Steel in Superman/Batman Vol. 1 #12, Batman gave the Lord of Apokolips an ultimatum. By hacking into Darkseid’s armory, Batman threatened to reduce the New God’s planet to smithereens. Darkseid ultimately conceded and freed Supergirl. Batman and Darkseid would have another nail-biting standoff in Final Crisis #6. To defeat a weakened Darkseid, Batman shot a gun loaded with a Radion bullet, which acts like Kryptonite to the New Gods. At the same time, Darkseid hit Batman with his Omega Beams and sent the hero back in time. While Batman was lost to time, he still won the quickdraw by mortally wounding Darkseid, thwarting the villain’s plot for multiversal domination.

1) Superman

The rivalry between Superman and Darkseid embodies the eternal battle between good and evil. Over the years, these two god-like beings have fought countless times. In Superman/Batman Vol. 1 #13, when Darkseid attacked Superman and Supergirl at the Kent Farm, the Man of Steel fought without holding anything back. Abandoning all mercy, Superman pummeled Darkseid all the way to the sun, then finally trapped the Lord of Apokolips in the Source Wall. One of Superman’s most recent victories against Darkseid came at the conclusion of the DC K.O. event. When Darkseid threatened the universe, Earth’s heroes and villains entered a fighting tournament to win the omnipotent power of the Heart of Apokolips, which would give the winner the power to defeat Darkseid. When Superman wins the tournament and obtains the reality-warping Heart of Apokolips, he engages in a higher-dimensional battle with Darkseid that lasts for millions of years. Harnessing the combined power of all the tournament’s combatants, Superman vanquishes Darkseid and saves the universe. Superman’s victories show that hope will always prevail over evil.

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