DC Comics has been through a lot of changes since DC All-In, the publisher’s latest publishing initiative, started in the summer of 2024. DC All-In #1 gave readers a new story centered on Darkseid, one of the greatest villains in the history of the comic industry, in the pages of Superman, Justice League Unlimited, the various Justice League one-shots, and the Absolute books. Creators Josh Williamson, Mark Waid, and the A-list team behind the Absolute books have been giving readers one of the coolest Darkseid-focused stories ever, and it’s all coming to a head with DC K.O. It’s a great time to be a DC fan, which leads us to the newest Justice League one-shot — Justice League: The Omega Act.
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Justice League: The Omega Act gives readers more information on what exactly happened to Darkseid in DC All-In #1. In that issue, Darkseid sacrificed his elites and was able to take the power of the Spectre, using it to attack the League. The League destroyed him, leaving the Omega Rift where he had died. Well, Justice League: The Omega Act #1 finally gives readers the exact details of what happened and reveals a pretty chilling detail to everything that has happened in the DC Universe so far — Darkseid has won and it’s all the Justice League’s fault. This is a twist on the Darkseid formula, and it’s exactly what the character needed.
All of the Justice League’s Problems Are Their Own Fault
The death of Darkseid in DC All-In #1 was part of a master plan that the God of Evil had devised to ensnare the heroes. Darkseid wanted to die in this battle because while his physical body can die, Darkseid himself can’t. Instead, he became Omega energy, which is the opposite of “Superman energy”, which is usually what the DC Multiverse is made of. Darkseid’s Omega energy spread up and down the timestream at the moment of his death, becoming a part of creation at a fundamental level. Readers knew that he became the creator of the Absolute Universe, but Darkseid’s energy has also inundated the Prime DC Earth. Darkseid wanted the Justice League to destroy him because he had made the ultimate plan.
Justice League: The Omega Act #1 reveals this in the person of the Time Trapper (who is Doomsday; the Time Trapper’s identity always changes). Superman saved Booster Gold from the Darkseid Legion, where it was revealed that Booster also held Omega energy, and he and the Time Trapper discussed the reality of their situation. The Time Trapper has been trying to stop Darkseid’s ascendance, and things have reached the stage where there’s seemingly nothing that anyone can do against Darkseid. Darkseid has become a part of the fabric of the universe; it’s all the Justice League’s fault, and time is broken. Things are at their darkest, and this is actually one of the most interesting ways to do a Darkseid story.
Darkseid stories can get a little formulaic: there’s basically two available stories — either he’s an all-powerful dictator villain, doing terrible things in massive wars, or he’s looking for or already has access to the Anti-Life Equation, which allows him to control everyone. The villain’s greatest desire is a universe that he can control at every level, and he wants everyone to know it. He seeks the worship of the faithful and the fear of his enemies, and he doesn’t want anyone to take action against him. This latest plan is the perfect modification of that, because it takes that plan to the next level.
Darkseid doesn’t control everyone, but he’s made himself into an integral part of the fabric of existence, transcending what he was in brilliant Darkseid stories like Final Crisis. He arguably has something more powerful than control; he’s created his own Earth, and this is why the Absolute Universe exists, and he’s also affecting the main Earth (which was pulled out of the rest of the Multiverse in DC All-In #1). This is taking what Darkseid is to the next level, and it’s the most interesting thing going on in comics right now.
Great villains like Darkseid can fall into a rut because publishers like to go back to the well for guaranteed sales, but this latest Darkseid development takes the germ of old-school Darkseid stories — Darkseid as a controlling force in the universe — and takes it to another level.
Darkseid’s Latest Plan Is a Compelling Twist on the Darkseid Formula
Readers have gotten stories where the heroes had doomed themselves, so this isn’t the first time we’ve gotten this sort of thing. Darkseid acting as the big bad of the DC Multiverse is also something we’ve seen numerous times, but this latest story has taken the germs of the classic Darkseid story and elevated them to a new level.
Look, I love Darkseid, but there’s only so many times that we can get him trying to get the Anti-Life Equation and take over the universe. This latest modification on the Darkseid formula makes the character fresh again and also is a much greater challenge. How are they going to beat Darkseid when he’s a part of the universe itself? DC is heating up, and it’s going to be great.
Justice League: The Omega Act #1 is on sale now.
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