Hello, everyone, today we’re going
to be talking about Darkseid.
POWER,
Unlimited Power!
No Deadpool, that’s a quote from
Emperor Palpatine, a master of the Dark Side of the Force. I’m talking about
Dark-
Oh, then
you must be talking about that things that Lord Voldy More used in those Harry
Potter books.
It’s Voldemort, and he use the Dark
Arts. I am referring to Dark-
 |
| All fall before Darkseid |
You're thinking of the Dark Crystal, for some sick reason. Would you please just
let me talk about Dark-
No, no, no,
I got this. It’s that oddly fit billionaire with abandonment issues, dresses
like a flying rodent.
That’s Batman, the Dark Knight.
Oh, then
are we talking about his car? That big, black scary car?
Deadpool, that’s just a Dark Ride. Will
you just let me do my job?
You’re getting
paid for this now?
Figure of speech. Now get out of
here, I’ve got work to do.
Fine, Mr.
Grouchypants.
Now, Darkseid. He was born Uxas,
son of King Yuga Khan and Queen Heggra of Apokolips. He and his family are a
race of immortal gods that, according to my research, were born/create from the
destruction of the Norse Gods during Ragnarok. Which may explain the weird names too, just saying. Apokolips is the home of the new
darker Gods, while the good Gods reside on New Genesis. Now, Uxas was every bit
as evil as you’d expect the child of two evil Gods to be. He constantly schemed
and secretly battled with his mother for control of Apokolips after Yuga Khan
got himself stuck in an alternate dimension. That guy was Uberevil, making the future Darkseid seem like a kitten in comparison, so we're better off without him. They were pretty much deadlocked
until Uxas’ brother Drax discovered and sought to control the powerful Omega Force. Now, being a bit of a dick, Uxas attacked his brother,
fatally wounding him and claiming the Omega Force for himself. Uxas was morphed
into a new rock like body and was given complete control of the Omega Force.
Rechristening himself Darkseid, he
returned to Apokolips and seized control of the planet. Despite being a cold,
calculating, cruel, and all around dick of a being, Darkseid fell in love.
Shocking, right? He and his lover, Suli, had a son named Kalibak, just before
she was poisoned. Apparently Mama Heggra didn’t approve of the arrangement, and
then pushed her son to marry another Apokoliptian named Tigra. She’d gotten
Apokolips’ token backstabbed Desaad to poison Suli. Feeling turnabout was fair
play, Darkseid got Desaad to poison his mother. After that, he also killed
Tigra for… reasons. But not before the two of them had son, Orion. A short time
later, Darkseid and the leader of New Genesis the Highfather reached a deal to
end the millennial long war between their planets. The two monarch’s traded
sons. Worst. Family. Ever.
 |
| Darkly Dreaming Darkseid |
Orion grew up on New Genesis,
becoming a heroic and stalwart guardian of New Genesis ideals. This must have
been a particularly powerful punch to Darkseid’s ego, the son of the wife he
detested not only becoming a great hero, but was also prophesized later to be
the one to kill Darkseid. Poor planning on your part bucko. Oh, and the son he
was given, Scott Free, eventually became a heroic escape artist going by Mister
Miracle. Darkseid really, really sucks at this whole parenting thing.
Darkseid’s greatest obsession is
with the Anti-Life Equation. The Equation is a mathematical formula, of sorts, that
gives whomever unravels it control over the minds of sentient beings.
Interestingly, Darkseid believes that part or all of the equation exists in the
subconscious of Humanity, hence his obsession with conquering Earth. The full mathematical
equation was eventually revealed to be: loneliness + alienation + fear +
despair + self-worth ÷ mockery ÷ condemnation ÷ misunderstanding × guilt ×
shame × failure × judgment n=y where y=hope and n=folly, love=lies, life=death,
self=dark side. With it, Darkseid temporarily gained control over all life in existence.
Disturbing, no? The various heroes gained immunity to the effects, for example, the Flash
(Barry Allen) was completely immune to its effects thanks to his connection to the Speed Force. I
guess different cosmic forces can cancel each other out or something.
Darkseid has proven to be one of
the greatest foes of, well, life in the DC universe. His most frequent foe
being Superman, the Justice League, and his son Orion. Cruel, sadistic, and
utterly heartless, Darkseid will not stop until he’s complete control of reality,
or until he dies.
 |
| A fight to the finish, it's going to take a while. |
Darkseid’s immense power is derived
from both his Apokaliptian heritage and from the Omega Force. The Omega Force
manifests itself mostly in the Omega Beams, powerful energy blasts that he
shoots from his eyes. Anything that is hit by the Beams, baring immensely powerful
beings like Superman and the monster Doomsday, is vaporized. Or reassembled,
depending on Darkseid’s mood. You can probably guess that he doesn’t use the
resurrection effect too often. He has near pinpoint control of the Beams,
altering their direction as he wishes. So, yeah, running away isn’t really an
option when the Beam literally bends and twists around other objects to get at
its target. He’s immensely powerful, being one of the few beings that can break
Superman’s bones. He can move with Flash-like speeds, and react in nanoseconds.
He’s also telepathic and telekinetic. Because, you know, an immortal, super
being needs more powers. Darkseid is
also incredibly intelligent, a typical quality in millennia old tyrants. He
actually prefers to not dirty his hands for the most part, unless it’s with Superman’s
blood, then he’ll dirty them until the cows come home.
Darkseid has appeared in many of DC’s
series, usually opposite Superman. He’s almost always portrayed as the greatest
foe Superman or the Justice League have ever come across. Gee, can’t imagine
why.
Darkseid appeared in Superman: The Animated Series (1996)
being voiced by Michael Ironside. He attacks Earth on several occasions, and is
only stopped when Orion and New Genesis stepped in. In retaliation he obliterates Superman's friend and ally Dan Turpin. Darkseid continued to attack
Earth, however, mostly though proxies like Intergang. He battled Superman one
last time in the two part finale Legacy. He
first brainwashes Superman into fighting alongside him during his invasion.
Superman snaps out of it and the two superbeings have a no holds bar smack
down. They fight in Darkseid's palace on Apokolips, and while Darkseid proves stronger, Superman is ultimately victorious by overloading Darkseid's Omega Beams. Pay back for Turpin, hell yes! Superman tells the Apokoliptian slaves of Darkseid's fall and that they’re free. To his shock, they get on their knees and help
Darkseid back to his palace. He smugly explains as he departs, “I am many
things, Kal-El. But here, I am God.” I love Ironside's performance in this series. He never speaks in more than a polite tone, he could be furious, he could be elated, the only real way to tell is when his eyes are on fire. Which, arguably, is a pretty decent sign of anger. I suggest looking up "The Best Darkseid Quotes" on Youtube, to get the full effect. He's absolutely chilling.
 |
| Say what you like about Darkseid, but he makes a hell of an entrance. |
He appears in the sequel show, Justice League in 2001. He tricks the
League, making them believe that they are going up against their mutual foe
Brainiac. This turns out to be a ploy, Darkseid having offered the evil
computer Superman and the League in exchange for Apokolips’ safety. This turns
out to be a triple cross, as Darkseid planned to use Brainiac’s ship for his
own evil plan. Darkseid is ultimately killed by the ship self-destructing.
He returns, again, in the Justice League: Unlimited finale, being
resurrected by a dark sorceress as a final Screw You to Lex Luthor. He’s
combined with the left over tech of Brainiac, becoming an even more powerful force.
He marshals his warring forces back on Apokolips before striking at Earth
again. He’s only defeated by the combined efforts of the Heroes and Villains, specifically Superman, Batman, and Lex Luthor. It’s a heck of an ending.
He only appeared in what was the
season finale of Young Justice,
shaking hands with Vandal Savage. Whatever they had had planned for season 3,
it would have been terrifying.
He was the final villain of the
live action Smallville. He appeared
mostly in shadows, operating through his minions Granny Goodness, Gordon
Godfrey, and Desaad (whom are all human this go round). This version of the
character doesn’t really have a physical form, is nigh omnipotent, and capable
of possessing people with darkness in their hearts. Which is basically everyone. His overall plan is to 1.) Corrupt
as many humans as possible, signified by an omega branded to their skull, 2.) Destroy
any and all heroes that may stop him, and 3.) Summon Apokolips to Earth, via said omega
brands, to destroy it. He comes this close, my pointer finger is basically
touching my thumb, to succeeding. A perfect ending villain to an above average
show.
Darkseid was also the central
antagonist of Superman/Batman:
Apocalypse, where he sought to recruit Superman’s cousin, Supergirl, into
his female fighting force known as the Furies. It’s up to Superman, Batman, Wonder
Woman and the defected captain of the Furies, Big Barda to rescue her. The
films climax is Superman and Supergirl vs. Darkseid at the Kent family farm.
They need a new barn after it’s all said and done.
 |
| Well, we can kiss our butts goodbye. |
Think of the evilest, vilest
character you can. Odds are, if it’s not Darkseid, then your character pales in
comparison. He is a dark god of cruelty and horror rivaling and, in my opinion,
surpassing that of the Prince of Darkness, Lucifer, himself. He will sink to
any depth, attack any weakness, and destroy anything and everything that gets
in his way. You want to know the closest thing to kindness he’s ever done? It’s
not permanently vaporizing Kalibak when he screws up. Darkseid will still obliterate
his son, the child of the one wife that he loved, and/or see him writhe in
agony, just to teach him a lesson. Heck, in the Justice League episode I mentioned, his ultimate plan was to use
Brainiac’s ship to destroy reality, Apokolips included, to reshape it in his
own image. His homeworld means nothing to him. His spawn mean nothing to him. (The
only time he acknowledges Orion as his son is when he’s trying to force the
hero to act like his dear ol’ Dad.) Life means nothing to him. In his mind,
anything that brings joy, love, comfort, or anything that remotely resembles a
good feeling is something to be destroyed. All that live are meant to serve
him. He is the eternal master of suffering and woe, king of despair and pain,
the malevolent master of misery and hatred, the dark despot of death, Darkseid.
Next time, post #100 and start of
my Women of DC theme week, featuring Wonder Woman.
http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20111206221807/marvel_dc/images/e/e5/Darkseid_The_Nail_001.png
http://dcanimated.wikia.com/wiki/Darkseid
http://www.comicvine.com/images/1300-3455904
http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Darkseid_%28Smallville%29
well done mate. great informative blog..
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