Thanos is one of the most important and powerful villains in Marvel, but DC also has a major villain that several heroes must confront.
Which character is it? Those who only have a passing familiarity with the DC Universe may not have heard much about Darkseid. However, this villain is one of the most powerful adversaries of the DC heroes, threatening not only Earth, but often the entire Multiverse.
Unlike Thanos, who acts out of love or what he believes to be the right ideas, Darkseid’s goal is to control the entire universe and strip it of free will. He not only has an army but also quite strong abilities.
In the new Superman movie, the hero faces a human adversary:
A Tyrannical God
Who is Darkseid? The villain made his first appearance in the comic Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen No. 134 (1970)
. Darkseid is the ruler of Apokolips, a place that exists outside the normal universe. To leave or enter this place, certain teleporters known as Boom Tubes
are required.
Depending on the origin story, he is descended from the Old God
Yuga Khan and is referred to as a New God
. Darkseid wants to enslave all living beings and intends to utilize the Anti-Life Equation (roughly translated as Anti-Life Equation
) for this purpose. This formula is said to be capable of controlling the will of others.
On Apokolips, he reigns sadistically and brutally. Most living beings on Apokolips are enslaved inhabitants who have been abducted and live a terrible life. They possess no self-esteem, and any resistance is brutally crushed.
On the other side are the Parademons. This is the bulk of Darkseid’s army. The Parademons are genetically engineered monsters that arise from living or dead inhabitants of the attacked worlds. When Darkseid unleashes his troops, they attack all living beings nearby and seize them to create new Parademons.
Additionally, there are the Furies. They stand above the Parademons and form Darkseid’s personal security force. Unlike the Parademons, they have their own personalities. They are led by Granny Goodness.
The greatest danger in Apokolips, however, is not the army; it is Darkseid himself.
A Powerful God
How strong is Darkseid? He is not referred to as the God of Evil or Tyranny
without reason. He possesses a whole repertoire of abilities that make him a danger, even to great heroes like Superman.
- As a
New God
, he is an entity that exists in the Multiverse, and therefore is among the most powerful beings in the DC Universe. - He is extremely intelligent and a brilliant strategist, and he can perceive other universes and dimensions.
- Darkseid is immortal. He has lived for an indeterminate amount of time, gathering knowledge.
- He is extremely resilient and immune to most energy attacks.
- If one should manage to inflict injuries on him, he can regenerate.
- He is incredibly fast, has high stamina, and his strength is comparable to that of Superman.
- Additionally, he has abilities like power absorption, resurrection, flight, and the manipulation of gravity.
His most iconic ability is his special laser beams that he can shoot from his eyes. They are based on a power that he stole from the Old Gods. Unlike, for example, Superman’s lasers, Darkseid’s lasers can track their targets. You can see them guiding to hit their target without fail.
How can he be defeated? Even though Darkseid is a quite powerful being, many comics depict heroes becoming more powerful than one might expect. This includes Superman, who regularly exceeds his limits.
In many variations, Superman has the strength to keep up with Darkseid. In the film Superman/Batman: Apocalypse, we see how Superman and Supergirl together managed to drive the tyrant away. Although they did not kill him, they were able to outsmart him.
As is often the case in the comic world, it depends on the story or the universe how strong certain characters are. Powerful villains do not always have to be ruthless tyrants. Sometimes they are absurd jesters: A villain from the DC Universe is more powerful than Superman, while only being a guy in an orange pajama
In many variations, Superman has the strength to keep up with Darkseid. In the film Superman/Batman: Apocalypse, we see how Superman and Supergirl together managed to drive the tyrant away. Although they did not kill him, they were able to outsmart him.
As is often the case in the comic world, it depends on the story or the universe how strong certain characters are. Powerful villains do not always have to be ruthless tyrants. Sometimes they are absurd jesters: A villain from the DC Universe is more powerful than Superman, while only being a guy in an orange pajama
