| 1st | Top Legion of Super-Heroes members |
| Darkseid | |
|---|---|
 Darkseid by George Pérez. |
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| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #134 (Nov. 1970) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Uxas |
| Species | New Gods |
| Place of origin | Apokolips |
| Team affiliations | Darkseid's Elite Intergang |
| Notable aliases | Boss Dark Side |
| Abilities | The Omega Force Superhuman physical attributes and intelligence Psionic and energy powers Immortality |
Darkseid is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #134 (Nov. 1970) and was created by writer-artist Jack Kirby.[1]
Debuting in the Bronze Age of comic books, Darkseid has appeared in over four decades of DC Comics publications, featuring prominently in the New Gods titles and limited series as the recurring nemesis of the New Gods and Superman. The character has also appeared in associated DC Comics merchandise including animated television series; toys; trading cards and video games.
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According to writer Mark Evanier, Jack Kirby modeled Darkseid physically on actor Jack Palance, while "the style and substance of this master antagonist were based on just about every power-mad tyrant Kirby had ever met or observed, with a special emphasis on Richard Milhous Nixon".[2]
The son of Yuga Khan and Queen Heggra, Prince Uxas, second in line to the throne of Apokolips, plotted to seize power over the planet. When his brother, Drax, attempted to claim the fabled Omega Force, Uxas murdered him and took the power for himself; transforming him into a rock-like creature, and taking a new name: Darkseid.[1][3] At some point, he fell in love with an Apokoliptian scientist named Suli, with whom he had a son, Kalibak; however Suli was poisoned by Desaad on Heggra's behalf, who believed that Suli was corrupting her son. Following Suli's death, Darkseid's heart grew even colder, and had Desaad poison Heggra, finally becoming the supreme monarch of Apokolips. Darkseid had briefly been forced by his mother to marry Tigra, with whom he also had a son; after murdering his mother, Darkseid had both Tigra and their son, Orion, banished from Apokolips.[4]
The destructive war between the rival planet, New Genesis, was stopped only with a diplomatic exchange of the sons of Highfather and Darkseid. Darkseid's second born son was surrendered to Highfather, while Darkseid receives Scott Free, who later became the master escape artist Mister Miracle. This eventually turned 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; it was foretold that Darkseid would meet his final defeat at the hands of his son in a cataclysmic battle in the fiery Armaghetto of Apokolips.[1]
Seeing other gods as a threat, Darkseid invaded the island of Themyscira in order to discover the secret location of the Olympian gods, planning to overthrow the Olympians and steal their power. Refusing to aid Darkseid in his mad quest, the Amazons battled his parademon troops, causing half of the Amazon population's death.[5] Wonder Woman was able to gain her revenge against Darkseid for killing so many of her sisters by placing a portion of her own soul into Darkseid. This supposedly weakened the god's power as he lost a portion of his dark edge.[6]
Darkseid's goal was to eliminate all free will from the universe and reshape it into his own image. To this end, he sought to unravel the mysterious Anti-Life Equation, which gives its user complete control over the thoughts and emotions of all living beings in the universe. Darkseid had tried on several other occasions to achieve dominance of the universe through other methods, most notably through his minion Glorious Godfrey, who could control people's minds with his voice. He had a special interest in Earth, as he believed humans possess collectively within their minds most, if not all, fragments of the Anti-Life Equation. Darkseid intended to probe the minds of every human in order to piece together the Equation. This has caused him to clash with many superheroes of the DC Universe, notably, the Kryptonian Superman. Darkseid worked behind-the-scenes, using superpowered minions in his schemes to overthrow Earth, including working through Intergang, a crime syndicate which employs Apokoliptian technology and later morphed into a religious cult that worships Darkseid as the God of Evil.
In Grant Morrison's 2005 Mister Miracle limited series, it was revealed that Darkseid had 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 were now a group of homeless people, Metron used a wheelchair, the Black Racer was an old white man in a wheelchair, Desaad an evil psychiatrist, Granny Goodness a pimp for the Female Furies, and Darkseid himself now an evil gang leader who is referred to only as "Boss Dark Side". It is revealed that Darkseid actually gave the Sheeda North America in return for Aurakles, Earth's first superhero.[7] This was, in turn, purely in order for Darkseid to get Shilo Norman, whom he considers the "Avatar of Freedom", in his clutches so that he could eventually destroy the New Gods.
Now once again bound to the form of a human, "Boss Dark Side" began to appear in a number of titles in the run up to Final Crisis. In Flash (vol. 2) #240, he led an army of fanatics, their will broken by the "spoken form" of the Anti-Life Equation, to kidnap the Tornado Twins. In Birds of Prey #118 he runs his Dark Side Club where superhumans fight to the death, brainwashed by drugs produced by Bernadeth. In Teen Titans #59 it was revealed that he had employed the Terror Titans to capture the Teen Titans and use them in his club fights.
In Final Crisis, Darkseid has begun to take over Earth and corrupt the Multiverse with the aid of Libra, an reborn supervillain and antichrist-like figure who soon converts much of the Secret Society of Supervillains to his cause with the aid of the Crime Bible and the Holy Lance. Darkseid is also joined by the souls of his fellow evil New Gods, who, like Darkseid, now possess either modified human bodies or the bodies of other superpowered beings, such as Mary Marvel.
Using Metron's abandoned Mobius Chair, Darkseid assassinates his son Orion via a "time travel" bullet fired into the past following Orion "killing" his father at the end of "Countdown to the Final Crisis". He also arranges for detective Dan Turpin to be lured into the Dark Side Club, where Turpin is turned into Darkseid's "final host", as his Boss Dark Side body has begun to mummify due to Darkseid's foul astral presence. With his legion of followers and allies aiding him as he undergoes his latest "rebirth", Darkseid successfully conquers the Earth with the unleashing of the Anti-Life Equation onto mankind. However, the rebirthing process is still far from complete as Dan Turpin's mind and soul, while corrupted by Darkseid's essence, still remains in firm control over his body. However, at the same moment Shilo Norman, the Embodiment of Freedom is shot by S.H.A.D.E. operatives, thus signaling the Victory of Evil. Darkseid wins control over Turpin's body, now twisted in a close copy of his Apokoliptan former appearance, and wearing an updated copy of his battle armor. Darkseid then gains the fullest of his power, his "fall" having the effect of compressing and crumpling space-time around Earth. After escaping from captivity, Batman shoots Darkseid with the same Radion bullet that killed Orion, while Darkseid simultaneously Omega Sanctions Batman. Darkseid is mortally wounded, but not before his Omega Sanction "kills" him. Batman's charred remains are found by Superman, who confronts Darkseid. As Darkseid mocks his old enemy for failing to defend Earth, it emerges that in Darkseid's fall through the multiverse, he is dragging all of time and space in the entire multiverse into a Doomsday singularity with him. While Superman attempts to physically assault him, Darkseid is beyond physical attack, as he now almost entirely controls reality itself. With his body dying of Radion poisoning, his physical form is then killed when Barry Allen and Wally West lead the Black Racer to him after he fires the bullet which will go back in time and slay Orion. Some time later, Darkseid's disembodied form appears and tries to seize the Miracle Machine Superman has created, however this form is shattered by Superman.
Darkseid is among the most powerful New Gods, sometimes depicted with a variety of god-like abilities at his disposal. His main power, the Omega Effect, is a form of energy that he fires from his eyes as either concussive force or beams of disintegration, capable of transmuting or erasing most living objects and organisms from existence as well as to reform or resurrect them. Anything Darkseid disintegrates with the Omega Effect can be brought back at any time by him, and he often uses this as a form of punishment. Darkseid has pinpoint control over his Omega Beams, and his unerring aim allows them to travel in straight lines, bend, twist, or curve around corners, and can pass through matter and energy. The Omega Effect can also be used to teleport Darkseid or others through time and space.[8] Darkseid can also project the Omega Effect as energy blasts from his hands. Another type of Omega Effect is the Omega Sanction, that traps the organism in a series of alternate realities, each worse than the previous one.
In addition, Darkseid possesses superhuman strength, stamina, and durability equivalent to the corresponding traits of Superman [9] and Orion.[10] He also, despite his great size, possesses great speed, agility, and reflexes as he has been able to startle Superman with his speed[11] and it has been stated he can react in microseconds[12]. He sometimes possesses the ability to increase his size.[13] Darkseid possesses the powers of telepathy and telekinesis, and has also shown the ability to create psionic avatars. He is even able to open boom tubes under his own power, and can travel through time, space, and even other dimensions with ease. Darkseid is also, being a god, virtually immortal. He has lived for several hundred thousand years at the very least.[14]
Despite his great might, Darkseid generally does not rely on physical combat, despite being a highly trained Apokoliptian warrior [14]; he is a master schemer and strategist possessing a superhuman intellect. Darkseid has also shown some form of godly sense, capable of sensing the death of his son Orion[9] and the fluctuations of the energy of the "Godwave".[15] Darkseid commands all the vast military and technological resources of Apokolips.
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Darkseid is a fictional character from DC Comics. He was created by Jack Kirby and his first appearance was in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #134 November 1970.
Contents
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   | Index to the Earth-1 Fourth World stories - Fourth World index (New Gods, Forever People, Mr. Miracle) |
| | Supermanica: Darkseid - Database error - Supermanica |
| | IGN: Superman/Green Lantern interviewSuperman/Green Lantern Interview - IGN: Superman/Green Lantern Interview |
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