Darkseid

Darkseid
File:Darkseidgeogreperez.jpg Darkseid drawn by George Perez.
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #134 (November 1970)
Created by	Jack Kirby (writer & artist)
In-story information
Alter ego	Uxas
Species	New God
Place of origin	Apokolips
Team affiliations	Darkseid's Elite Intergang Secret Society of Super Villains
Notable aliases	Dark Side, Boss Dark Side
Abilities	Possessor of the Omega Force Superhuman strength, stamina, durability, and intellect Psionic powers Immortality

Darkseid is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appears in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #134 (November 1970), and was created by writer-artist Jack Kirby. The character was ranked number 23 on Wizard Magazine's Top 100 Greatest Villains Ever list.

Publication history

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."

Following his small debut in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #134 (November 1970), the character made his next appearance in Forever People #1 (March 1971) and later became a regular character in the various "New Gods" titles. Originally limited to Kirby's Fourth World titles, such as New Gods, Forever People, and Mister Miracle, Darkseid was introduced to the DC Universe proper when it was revealed that he was the the secret benefactor for the original Secret Society of Supervillains (in 3 issues of the same name, 1976-1977). He later made appearances in the brief late 1970s revival of the New Gods as well as Justice League of America #183-185.

In spite of his presence as the main villain of Jack Kirby's "New Gods" title, it would not be until writer Paul Levitz used the character in the pages of the Legion of Super-Heroes that the character of Darkseid would become a major villain in the DC Universe. "The Great Darkness Saga", which pitted the Legion of the Super-Heroes versus Darkseid (whose identity as the story's main villain was hidden until the second-to-last issue of the storyline) introduced a new generation of comic fans to the villain and securing his place as one of the most dangerous villains of the DC Universe.

As Jack Kirby returned to DC in the mid-1980s to finish his "New Gods" series, the fate of Darkseid ultimately caused tension between Kirby and DC over the New Gods franchise. Kirby wanted to kill Darkseid off, while DC Comics (who had begun featuring Darkseid in media tie-in material, most notably the "Super Power Collection" toy line and "Superfriends" cartoon), wanted to keep Darkseid alive and refused to allow Kirby to kill his creation off.

After a major cameo appearance in "Crisis on Infinite Earths", Darkseid was given the role of main villain in the Legends crossover storyline. Other appearances in major crossovers would portray Darkseid as an amoral figure, willing to help the heroes of Earth if only to ensure his own survival in the universe (Cosmic Odyssey (1988-1989), and Our Worlds at War (2001)).

Currently, the character is the central villain of the 2008 crossover event "Final Crisis" by Grant Morrison.

Fictional character biography

File:Darkseidcameo.jpg

Panel from Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #134 (November 1970; first appearance of Darkseid. Art by Jack Kirby.

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. At some point, he falls in love with an Apokoliptian scientist named Suli, with whom he has a son, Kalibak; however Suli is poisoned by Desaad on Heggra's behalf, who believes that Suli was corrupting her son. Following Suli's death, Darkseid's heart grew even colder, and has 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 on Apokolips.

The destructive war between the rival planet, New Genesis, is stopped only with a diplomatic exchange of the sons of Highfather and Darkseid. Darkseid's second born son is surrendered to Highfather, while Darkseid receives Scott Free, who later becomes the master escape artist Mister Miracle. This eventually 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; it has been foretold that Darkseid will meet his final defeat at the hands of his son in a cataclysmic battle in the fiery Armaghetto of Apokolips.

Seeing other gods as a threat, Darkseid invades 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 battle his parademon troops, causing half of the Amazon population's death. Wonder Woman is 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.

Legends #1 (November 1986). Cover art by John Byrne.

Darkseid's goal is to eliminate all free will from the universe and reshape it into his own image. To this end, he seeks to unravel the mysterious Anti-Life Equation, which will give him complete control over the thoughts and emotions of all living beings in the universe. Darkseid has tried on several other occasions to achieve dominance of the universe through other methods, most notably through his minion Glorious Godfrey, who can control people's minds with his voice. He 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. Darkseid intends to probe the minds of every human in order to piece together the Equation. This has caused Darkseid to clash with that of many superheroes of the DC Universe, notably, the Kryptonian Superman. Darkseid works behind-the-scenes, using superpowered minions in his schemes to overthrow Earth, including working through Intergang, a crime syndicate which employs Apokoliptian technology and has since morphed into a religious cult that worships Darkseid as the God of Evil.

Over the years, Darkseid's powers have waxed and waned considerably due to several instances of Darkseid being mortally wounded and assumed dead, often as a result of battles with his son Orion. During one of his "deaths", Orion assumed control over Apokolips before surrending control over it to his father upon his return.

Following Darkseid's attempt to attack Earth using a brainwashed Supergirl, Superman, believing Darkseid has destroyed (a reformed) Supergirl, hurls Darkseid into the sun where Darkseid is beaten unconscious by Superman who throws him into the Source Wall. However, to pay a debt incurred to an alternate reality Darkseid and in order to realign the timeline, Superman later frees Darkseid from his entombment in the Source Wall. During his imprisonment in the Source Wall, Darkseid had been drained of his Omega powers. Desaad works with the Scarecrow and uses a mind-controlled Superman to retrieve Highfather's staff from the Source Wall, and use it as a conduit to recharge Darkseid's energies, via a portal to the Omega Realm.

Following his regaining of his powers, Darkseid found himself involved in a game of human chess against the Monitor Solomon, as the end of the Fourth World began to dawn upon the New Gods. As New Gods are killed across the galaxy, Darkseid marshalled his forces on Apokolips as he sends Granny Goodness to Earth to enslave the Amazons, who are manipulated into declaring war on the planet Earth and are punished for their invasion by way of being mindwiped and scattered to the four corners of the Earth to live normal lives. This allows Granny, who has imprisoned the Greek Gods on Apokolips, to impersonate the goddess Athena and recruit a new society of Amazons to train as new Female Furies for Darkseid.

Darkseid meanwhile begins to manipulate Jimmy Olsen, who years earlier unknowingly had a "soul battery" implanted inside of his body by Darkseid, allowing the energies of the deceased New Gods to be collected and stored within Jimmy Olsen, so that Darkseid could retrieve it once he eliminated the person responsible for killing off the New Gods. He also attempted to bring about the end of all life on Earth, via the Morticoccus virus that Karate Kid carried as well as corrupting Mary Marvel as his concubine, via his new pawn Eclipso.

Darkseid's overall plan is to bring about the "Great Disaster", destroying Earth and ensuring that it's heroes are unable to stop Darkseid from becoming the architect of the coming "Fifth World". He has Desaad assume control over the Brother Eye satellite and Blüdhaven, to serve as his new base of operation. However Brother Eye evolves to the point of leaving Earth and taking control over Apokolips, driving Darkseid off his homeworld, which the Source (the killer of the New Gods) merges with New Genesis.

Panel from Countdown to Final Crisis #2 (April 2008); Darkseid is killed by his son. Art by Scott Kolins.

Darkseid, having recorrupted Mary Marvel after she freed the imprisoned Greek Gods, captures Olsen in order to steal the power hidden in him. Superman comes to Jimmy's aid, only for Darkseid to take control of Jimmy's powers, making him radiate Kryptonite. Ray Palmer manages to shut off Darkseid's control, and the villain is confronted by a gigantic turtle-like Jimmy. After battling Jimmy across the Metropolis landscape, Darkseid moves in for the kill only to witness The Atom emerge from Jimmy's head. Palmer quickly destroys the vessel of the New Gods' powers freeing them into the void. Enraged, Darkseid is taken by surprise when a Boom Tube opens above the skies of Metropolis. His scion and son Orion emerges from the tube, having managed to escape being murdered by the Infinity Man. Orion and Darkseid battle, and after a furious exchange, Darkseid is killed when his heart is ripped from his chest by his own son.

But this death would not last, as Darkseid is next seen in DC Universe #0, falling backwards through time and space as Libra addresses the Secret Society of Super-Villains. With Libra proclaiming to them that they can be given their heart's desire if they pray to the "God of Evil", Darkseid is reborn as "Boss Dark Side", leader of the villainous "Dark Side Club".

Now bound to the form of a human, "Boss Dark Side" (first introduced by Grant Morrison's Seven Soldiers series) begins to appear in the a number of titles in the run up to Final Crisis. In Flash (vol. 2) #240, he leads 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, and in Teen Titans #59 it is revealed that he employs the Terror Titans to capture the Teen Titans and use them in his club fights.

In Final Crisis, Darkseid begins to take over Earth with the aid of the corrupted Mary Marvel, Libra, Mr. Simyan, and Mokkari, and the astral forms of his fellow evil New Gods, who like Darkseid now possess human bodies.

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 re-birthing 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 apparently shot to death 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. In Final Crisis #5, Darkseid gains the fullest of his power, his "fall" having the effect of compressing an dcrumpling space-time around Earth. He is also the first to be summoned to the Fifth World.

Powers and abilities

File:TheomegaeffectNG11.jpg

Panel from New Gods (vol. 1) #11 (November 1972); Darkseid vaporizes Desaad with his Omega Beams. Art by Jack Kirby.

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 objects and organisms from existence as well as to reform or resurrect them. 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. Darkseid at one point claimed that no living being had ever survived the full force of the Omega Effect, but extremely powerful beings, such as Doomsday and Superman, have survived them, and they have been shown to be ineffective against the bracelets of Wonder Woman. Darkseid is also able to project the Omega Effect as energy blasts from his hands. In addition, Darkseid possesses superhuman strength, stamina, and durability equivalent to the corresponding traits of Superman. Countdown To Final Crisis #2 reveals that he also possesses the ability to increase his size. Darkseid possesses the power of telepathy and has also shown the ability to create psionic avatars and to lift objects with his mind (telekinesis). He is even able to open Boom Tubes under his own power, and can travel through time, space, and other dimensions with ease. Darkseid is also, being a god, virtually immortal, having returned from the dead a number of times and having lived for several thousand years at the very least.

Despite his great might, Darkseid is generally unaccustomed to physical combat; he is a master schemer and strategist. On Apokolips, Darkseid commands all of its vast military resources. He has access to the full technological resources of Apokolips.

Legion of Super-Heroes

The Great Darkness Saga

Main article: The Great Darkness Saga

In the 1982 storyline from Legion of Super-Heroes titled "The Great Darkness Saga", Darkseid survived into the 30th century. Having been forgotten by almost everyone, he defeated the era's two most powerful villains (Mordru and the Time Trapper) and absorbed their powers, subsequently using those abilities to enslave the entire population of the planet Daxam. Commanding an army of billions of Daxamites (each with the same powers as Superman) — as well as reverse-DNA clones of Superman, a Guardian of the Universe and other super powered beings from the 20th Century — he launched a full-scale assault on the United Planets. Only the efforts of the Legion of Super-Heroes and its allies were able to prevent him from conquering the entire known universe.

File:LOSHgreatdarknessaga4.jpg

Legion of Super-Heroes (vol. 2) #294 (December 1982). Art by Keith Giffen.

After his defeat by the Legion, Darkseid sought revenge against two of the team's co-founders, married Legionnaires Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl. When the pregnant Saturn Girl was in labor, Darkseid stole one of her twin children, warped him into the monstrous Validus and sent him into the Legion's past, where he became one of the Legion's deadliest foes as a member of the Fatal Five. Later, when his ploy was discovered, he restored Validus to his original form.

Following the events of the Zero Hour miniseries, this storyline and all other Legion stories predating October 1994 were removed from continuity. However, a new incarnation of the Legion was introduced in 2007, in "The Lightning Saga" storyline in the Justice League of America and Justice Society of America titles. Geoff Johns, one of DC Comics' key writers, has stated that this incarnation of the Legion shares the same history as the original Legion up to the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths. Since "The Great Darkness Saga" occurred prior to Crisis on Infinite Earths, the question of whether these events are once again part of mainstream DC continuity remains open.

A variant of the story occurred in Post-Zero Hour continuity, in the "Foundations" story-arc in The Legion ongoing series. In this version Darkseid called various heroes from the past, including a young Clark Kent, and controlled them to build up his power base (the equivalent of the "dark clones"). His plan was to bring his younger self from the past and absorb his powers. Instead, he was defeated by the younger Darkseid, who was subsequently defeated by the Legion alongside two Superboys, Clark Kent and Kon-El, and returned to his proper time.

Other versions

Seven Soldiers

File:Darkseid 7s.png

Darkseid as "Dark Side" in Seven Soldiers.

In Grant Morrison's 2005 Mister Miracle limited series, it is 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". It is revealed that Darkseid actually gave the Sheeda North America in return for Aurakles, Earth's first superhero. This is, in turn, purely in order for Darkseid to get Shilo Norman, whom he considers the "Avatar of Freedom", in his clutches so that he can eventually destroy the New Gods. This version would reappear in both Birds of Prey, The Flash and Teen Titans in 2008 issues precipitating Dark Side's return in Final Crisis. He is eventually seen in the first issue of Final Crisis, when he meets with Dan Turpin in the Dark Side Club, and references the events of Countdown and Death of the New Gods, saying that there was "a war in heaven, and I won."

X-Men/New Teen Titans

Darkseid was one of the featured villains in the crossover of the Teen Titans and Marvel Comics' X-Men, seeking to resurrect the power of Dark Phoenix, and uses Deathstroke to aid him.

DC Versus Marvel

In the DC/Marvel crossover, Darkseid's counterpart in the Marvel Universe was shown to be Thanos, the two facing off in a prolonged battle.

Darkseid/Galactus: The Hunger

In another intercompany crossover written and drawn by John Byrne set before the destruction of New Genesis, Galactus arrives on Apokolips, where Darkseid fights the "Star-God" with all of his resources, including briefly restoring Silver Surfer's memory causing him to turn on his master. Galactus withstands Darkseid's assault, but he is astonished to realize he can not feed on Apokolips because it has no life energy. Galactus is initially outraged when Darkseid reveals he knew that Galactus would not be able to destroy the planet, yet sent all of his minions to unnecessary deaths, but achieved an understanding when Darkseid simply replied that it was in his nature to do so, just as Galactus was ruled by his own nature. Darkseid tellingly did not tell Galactus of New Genesis' existence, stating the destruction of that world was his duty alone.

Kingdom Come

In the 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) quickly failed, making him bitter and cynical. Superman is disappointed in Orion's progress and says his new demeanor is more like Darkseid than ever.

DC One Million

A very distant possible future of the DC Universe is shown in DC's 1998 line-wide crossover event DC One Million. The one-shot Martian Manhunter #1,000,000 shows that Darkseid has long since died in a final battle with Martian Manhunter by the year 85,271; this battle cost the Martian his physical form, causing him to be merged with Mars.

Superman: Red Son

In Superman: Red Son, a statue of Darkseid is visible within Superman's Fortress of Solitude.

Rock of Ages

A much closer alternate future is seen during Rock of Ages, a JLA story written by Grant Morrison. Here, in a story roughly fifteen years from the "present day", Darkseid has found the Anti-Life Equation and become absolute ruler of Earth. Darkseid is rendered into a vegetative state at hands of Green Arrow and the Atom, before the universe is reduced to energy by Orion to remove Darkseid's influence. Elements of this story have made their way into Final Crisis.

Amalgam Comics

In this alternate universe where the characters, locations and stories of both DC and Marvel were fused together, Darkseid was fused with Thanos and became Thanoseid.

Tangent Comics

In one of three possible origins for the Green Lantern, Darkseid is a female agent of Meridian, who uses a powerful mystic orb to raise the dead, and is apparently the sister of the Green Lantern and enemy of Manhunter.

In other media

Super Friends

Darkseid appears in Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show and The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians, voiced by Frank Welker. He would frequently combine the villainous agenda of the episode with the scheme of forcing Wonder Woman to marry him. 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 Kirby was adamant about the name staying the same. An action figure of Darkseid was also made around this time, as part of the Super Powers Collection.

Superman: The Animated Series

File:DarkseidsupermanTAS.jpg

Darkseid as depicted in the DC Animated Universe

Darkseid appears in Bruce Timm's DC animated universe, voiced by Michael Ironside. Timm explained that Darkseid was brought into the series in an effort to boost Superman's rogues gallery and give him a more powerful villain with whom to contend.

After making a series of brief "teaser" appearances throughout Superman: The Animated Series, Darkseid was featured prominently in a pair of two-part episodes; "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 rejects the offer, leading Darkseid to declare: "If you will not be my knight, you will be my pawn." After he captures Superman, he threatens to destroy Earth unless the human race surrenders. Unwilling to capitulate, Detective Dan Turpin, a hard-boiled police officer (based on Darkseid's creator Jack Kirby) who had been Superman's friend, frees Superman. Before Darkseid and Superman can battle, Darkseid's plan is foiled by the appearance of armies from New Genesis, the leaders of which declare Earth to be under Highfather's protection. Just as Darkseid leaves, though, in one of the most shocking moments of the series, he tells Superman that no victory comes without a price, and vaporizes Turpin with his Omega Beams. In the audio commentary for this episode, Timm explains that Turpin's funeral was intended as a tribute to Kirby's death, going so far as to hire a real-life rabbi to deliver his eulogy.

In "Legacy", the two-part series finale for Superman: The Animated Series, Darkseid makes good on his promise of making Superman his pawn. He captures the Man of Steel and brainwashes him 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. Traveling to Apokolips, Superman seeks revenge on Darkseid but first he gets payback from Granny Goodnesss's brainwashing and after crashing into Darksied's palace he quickly and violently disposes of Kalibak. Superman and Darksied engage in a brutal fistfight. This is the only time Darkseid engages in a direct fight throughout the show. Darkseid quickly proves too powerful for Superman, but just as he's about to finish off Superman with his Omega Beams, Superman covers Darkseid's eyes, causing a massive explosion that severely injures both, though Darkseid is far worse off. Superman then tosses a battered Darkseid to his slaves and tells them they can do whatever they wanted with him, they are free. To his shock and disgust, the slaves pick up Darkseid and carry him away, promising to help him. Darkseid tells Superman that "I am many things, Kal-El... but here, I am God."

Justice League

Darkseid returns in the Justice League episode "Twilight", seeking help against the threat of Brainiac. Despite severe misgivings, Superman eventually agrees to help after being pressured by his fellow League members. Though they are able to defeat Brainiac, and even follow him back to his base of operations, the entire thing is revealed to be a setup. Darkseid has made a deal with Brainiac, aiding in the capture of Superman in exchange for a truce between the two. However, Darkseid double-crosses Brainiac, using a Mother Box to take over Brainiac's main systems in an attempt to have the super-intelligent machine solve the Anti-Life equation for him. Batman and Wonder Woman (who had been unsuccessfully dispatched to seek help from New Genesis) step in to free Superman, destabilizing Brainiac's power systems. With the base about to explode, all but Superman attempt to escape; Superman is quite insistent on killing Darkseid personally. What follows is a particularly brutal confrontation between Superman and Darkseid, Superman just barely edging out Darkseid. With both ignorant of their impending deaths, Batman interrupts the fight and pulls Superman out via a boom tube just as the asteroid explodes. Just before his inevitable death, Darkseid chuckles to himself about Superman's failure to finish the job.

Justice League Unlimited

File:Brainseid.png

A transformed Darkseid in Justice League Unlimited.

Following Darkseid's death, as shown in Justice League Unlimited, civil war breaks out on Apokolips between the armies of Granny Goodness and Virman Vundabar in an attempt to fill the vacuum left by his absence, which the Justice League makes an effort to ensure keeps going so that neither of them threaten Earth.

In the two-part series finale of Justice League Unlimited, Lex Luthor, obsessed with resurrecting Brainiac, commands the members of the Secret Society to transform their base into a spacecraft which he uses to travel with them to the location of Brainiac's destroyed base. After a failed mutiny which ends in Luthor's favor, he uses Tala as a magic conduit to draw Brainiac's remains together. However, rather than recreate Brainiac, this instead resurrects Darkseid, evidently enhanced by Brainiac's technology. This is suggested in the DVD commentary to be Tala's final "screw you" to Luthor.

As a reward for their help, Darkseid grants Luthor and his cohorts a quick death. After reuniting Apokolips under his rule once more, Darkseid stages an attack on Earth and planned to attack New Genesis once he was done. The remnants of the Secret Society, having been saved by a force field created by Sinestro and Star Sapphire, warn the Justice League of the impending threat. Soon after, boom tubes open all over Earth, unleashing an armada upon the planet. Batman and Superman track down and engage Darkseid in battle. The battle at first leans in Darkseid's favor, but when Batman valiantly attempts to fight Darkseid himself (including impressing Darkseid by avoiding his Omega Beam, something Darkseid comments on), Superman is convinced to stop holding back. Using his full strength, Superman effortlessly beats Darkseid halfway across the city. Before Superman can finish him off, Darkseid traps him in a neuro-stimulation of pain called the Agony Matrix. Before Darkseid is able to use a Kryptonite knife, Lex Luthor appears and presents him with the recently acquired Anti-Life equation, which he attained with the aid of the New God Metron. Although Luthor seemingly perishes with Darkseid in an explosion of light, Batman remarks that they will likely see the two again.

Justice League: The New Frontier

Darkseid has a cameo appearance in the animated film Justice League: The New Frontier. He is seen during the famous speech by John F. Kennedy amidst a collage of infamous DC villains.

Smallville

On August 27, 2008, in an interview with E! Online, Smallville Executive Producer Darren Swimmer confirmed Darkseid was being lined up as a possible villain during the series' eighth season. If so, this would mark the first ever live-action interpretation of the character.

Video games

• Darkseid briefly appears in the infamous Superman 64 in a level where he is merely standing around in a parking garage. The player (uncharacteristically) easily takes him out with one punch and then has to deliver him to the police.
• Darkseid is a playable character in Justice League Task Force.
• Darkseid appears as the primary villain in the video game Justice League Heroes voiced by David Sobolov. In this continuity he has at some point been trapped in another dimension, and thus remains behind the scenes for most of the story as he manipulates Brainiac with promises of unleashing great power and knowledge in exchange for acquiring a Mother Box from the Justice League Watchtower. Using the power of the mother box and the sensory field matrix that served as his prison, Darkseid is able to escape - saying that he has fulfilled his bargain to help Brainiac unleash great power, with the great knowledge being that one should never trust Darkseid - and remake Earth into a new Apokolips. He subsequently attempted to destroy the League with his Omega Beams, but Mother Box was able to save the League by altering the Omega Effect to send them to another dimension filled with a strange ambient energy that renders the Omega Beams useless. Now protected from Darkseid, the League return to Earth and defeat him, Wonder Woman subsequently using her Lasso of Truth to learn that only the hypercube that imprisoned Darkseid originally can imprison him again. The league activates the cube and Superman defeats Darkseid, imprisoning him once again. With Darkseid defeated, Mother Box restores Earth to normal, with Green Lantern promising to take Darkseid's hypercube somewhere where it can never be discovered and Darkseid released again.
• Darkseid was confirmed to appear in Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. He appears in the opening of the DC side of the Story Mode, after having been defeated by Superman. He attempts to escape via boom tube, but it is overloaded. In the process, he is merged with Mortal Kombat's Shao Kahn, the resultant Dark Kahn becoming the boss for the end of the game. After Dark Kahn's defeat at the hands of Superman and Raiden, Darkseid separated from Shao Kahn but ended up in the Mortal Kombat universe instead of the DC universe. Darkseid was then imprisoned by the Elder Gods in the Netherrealm where he was attacked by the sorceror Shang Tsung who attempted to steal his soul. However, Darkseid managed to reverse the soul stealing process leaving Shang Tsung a withered old man which gave Darkseid the power to break his bonds in the Netherrealm. Now freed, Shang Tsung pledged allegiance to Darkseid in order to save his own life.
• Darkseid is set to appear in the upcoming video game DC Universe Online.

Other appearances

• Darkseid makes a cameo appearance in part 3 of the South Park episode Imaginationland as one of the hundreds of villains visible.
• Darkseid is seen at the funeral of Morpheus in Neil Gaiman's The Sandman: The Wake.

External links

• Darkseid on DC Database, a DC Comics wiki
• Darkseid on the DC Animated Universe Wiki, an external wiki
• Index to the Earth-1 Fourth World stories
• Darkseid respect thread