Darkseid was created by Jack Kirby, the greatest writer/artist in the history of the comic industry. Darkseid has changed a lot over the years, but has mostly stayed true to Kirby’s original vision; Kirby meant for him to be the dark heart of humanity, a monster unlike any other. There was nothing to redeem in Darkseid, and he became the greatest example of what a villain could be in the DC Multiverse. While Kirby’s Fourth World wasn’t massively popular back in its day, it inspired many readers who would later become comic creators, like Grant Morrison, and eventually Darkseid would take his place atop the villainous hierarcy in DC. Darkseid is more important than ever, having created the Absolute DC Universe, using it as a way to attack the universe in a new way.
Videos by ComicBook.com
There are many amazing villains in the DC Multiverse, but for a lot of fans, Darkseid is the greatest DC villain. Darkseid has blossomed into the ultimate villain, and every time he shows up is a cause for celebration. Here are seven reasons why Darkseid is the greatest villain in the DC Multiverse, a monster unlike any other.
7) The Absolute Universe
DC’s Absolute line is sensational, and proves why Darkseid is such a great villain. DC All-In #1 showed Darkseid killing his own subjects and taking the power of the Spectre, attacking the Justice League so they would destroy him, allowing him to transcend his body and take control of the blank world known as the Alpha Earth. Darkseid became the god of this new Earth, and he made it into a world where his Omega energy was the main building block. Darkseid created a universe where evil won, where the heroes were the underdogs and where everything served him, making him more powerful than ever. The Absolute Universe is a place where the monsters are in charge and don’t even try to hide it, showing Darkseid’s ultimate goal and the world that he wants to create.
6) Darkseid’s Terrifying Look
Villains need to look the part, and Darkseid definitely does. There’s nothing soft about Darkseid; he’s a being who looks like he’s carved out of granite. He looks like he is an indomitable mountain come to life, a monolith of indestructible dark stone. Darkseid’s costume — the one piece with the short skirt, his thigh-high boots, gloves, and headpiece — would look ridiculous on any other character, but Darkseid somehow makes this ridiculous costume look scary. Darkseid’s look gives him the aura of a monster, and everyone who looks at him knows that he’s the most evil, terrifying being around.
5) Darkseid’s Power Level
The DC Multiverse is full of the most powerful heroes in comics. Villains are often more powerful than the heroes they face, and Darkseid takes that to the next level. Darkseid has proven more than capable of fighting entire teams of heroes. Darkseid is known for his battles with Superman, and his been shown to be stronger than the Man of Steel, with Superman having to dig deep to challenge Darkseid. Darkseid’s most well-known power is the Omega Effect; eyebeam blasts will hunt down their target and hit them anywhere they are, killing most beings. Darkseid is one of the most formidable villains in the DC Multiverse, and his power level is a key part of his threat.
4) Darkseid’s Fiendish Intellect
Darkseid is one of the most fiendishly intelligent villains in the DC Multiverse. Darkseid isn’t a scientist — he has Desaad, Doctor Bedlam, Simyan, and others for that — but that doesn’t mean that he’s not a twisted genius. Darkseid knows many of the secrets of the multiverse and is a keen strategist. Darkseid’s mind is a monstrous thing, a place of gears and pistons that is constantly figuring out ways to dominate everyone around him. Darkseid knows how to outplan his foes, all while playing everyone against each other. Darkseid has been able to fool everyone numerous times over the years, and he knows how to use his enemies’ fears against them.
3) His Quest for the Anti-Life Equation
Darkseid has one goal — to find the Anti-Life Equation, and this mission says a lot about him. The Anti-Life Equation is an equation that proves that all life is meaningless, and anyone who hears it is controlled by it. Darkseid believes that his will should be the only one in the entire multiverse, and the Anti-Life Equation is usually the way he tries to go about that. Darkseid will do anything to gain the Anti-Life Equation — he’s even made it into a sentient being once and lost control of it in the classic Cosmic Odyssey — and use its “truth” to teach the multiverse why he’s the only thing that matters. Darkseid has gained the Anti-Life Equation many times, the most notable being Final Crisis, and it says everything about the kind of villain he is. Lex Luthor wants everyone else to think he’s the greatest; Darkseid wants to think for everyone else.
2) Apokolips
To truly understand why Darkseid is such a monster, one needs to look no further than his world of Apokolips. Apokolips is a world full of massive firepits that burn ceaselessly. It is a dark place, where the sun seemingly never comes up. There is nothing there that looks like it can nurture life, and it is a landscape that is truly oppressive, dotted by twisted cityscapes. Darkseid has created a world that is his ultimate vision for the entire multiverse — a burning landscape of slaves and monsters who only listen to him, where the only authority is his own. There is no beauty, no happiness, only Darkseid.
1) He Is the God of Evil
Darkseid is the God of Evil, an all-powerful force for destruction. Darkseid creator Jack Kirby called the villain “the tiger-force at the center of creation”, a monster that is fascism personified, out to devour everything in front of him. Darkseid is an inhuman force of destruction, and there is nothing sympathetic about him. Darkseid is pure evil in a way that few other villains are. Darkseid is a simple being; there’s no complexity to Darkseid. He hates everything that isn’t him and only sees people in what ways he can use them to aggrandize himself. Darkseid cares about nothing or anyone but himself, and he will do anything to gain ultimate power over all creation.
What do you think? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!
Most Viewed
-
Image courtesy of Paramount+ -
Courtesy of Comedy Central
