Main Character Index: The Light | The Legion of Doom | The League of Assassins (The White Glove | The Black Glove | The Foot Clan) | H.I.V.E. | The Rogues | The Organized Crime of Gotham (The Masterminds and Allies) | The Salvation Syndicate | The Cadre of the Immortal | Extraterrestrial Villains (The House of Zod | Apokalypse ) | Supernatural Villains (ECO | Slashers) | Townsville Villains | Other Villains
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In General
- Adaptation Name Change: From Apokolips to Apokalypse.
- Aliens Are Bastards: They make a habit of violently conquering planets and twist them into the likeness of their own homeworld.
- Always Lawful Evil: Its inhabitants actually like their world the way it is, being cheerfully
Lawful Evil, almost to a man. People who don't are either dead or leave. - Crapsack World: Apokalypse, where the lowest slaves are kept in constant fear of torture, the highest commanders are kept in constant fear of Darkseid.
- Death World: As the worst Dystopia one could imagine.
- Hell: The New God equivalent of it.
- Mordor: A Science Fantasy equivalent, but Apokalypse is a dark, polluted, hellish planet with little to no sun and where everyone is Always Chaotic Evil.
- Polluted Wasteland: Worst part is, this is probably one of the lesser horrible things you'll find on this planet.
- Sufficiently Advanced Alien: They are an immortal, god-like race with highly advanced technology at their disposal, unlike the Olympian Gods.
Darkseid
Worshipped as the "God of Evil", Darkseid is one of the most powerful beings in existence and the supreme monarch of planet Apokalypse.
- Abusive Parents: He's a hateful parent to all of his sons.
- Action Dad: He's far from an ideal parent, but make no mistake, he's one of the most powerful fathers in the DC Universe. His children, particularly Orion and Grail, are some of the most powerful New Gods as well, to the point where Darkseid tends to see Orion as the most credible offspring and the one most worthy of praising him, even if they always battle to the death.
- Always Accurate Attack: His Omega Beam. The only way to successfully dodge it appears to be shoving something else in its way with perfect timing.
- Anthropomorphic Personification: Darkseid is the living personification of tyranny.
- Arch-Enemy:
- To Orion, Highfather, the rest of New Genesis, the JLA, and the whole of the DCU. Darkseid is so evil and so powerful that he trumps almost all other villains, and is at the top of every hero's personal hit list. For his own part, Darkseid loathes and/or seeks to dominate everything that lives and has pursued personal vendettas against everyone at one point or another.
- Darkseid also personally fulfills this role towards Superman outside of Lex Luthor, Brainiac, and General Zod. Much like Orion and Highfather, Superman's values and ethics are a complete contrast to what Darkseid represents and the Lord of Tyranny has the notable distinction of being Superman's most hated enemy to the extent that he is more than willing to kill Darkseid at every opportunity they get.
- Archnemesis Dad: To Orion.
- Asskicking Leads to Leadership: He rules Apokolips for this reason. He's one of the only villains who can take on Superman in a fight with the Man of Steel holding nothing back and no Kryptonite Factor weakening him and his incredible intelligence makes him even more dangerous. When he shows up, it's likely going to take an enormous effort to bring him down.
- Ax-Crazy: Darkseid is a simmering volcano of rage and bloodlust just waiting to go off at the slightest provocation. Only a great deal of self-control keeps him from slaughtering his own people on a whim — more than usual anyway. His son Orion inherited the bloodlust but lacks the control and needs a Mother Box to keep himself in check.
- Bald of Evil: He is bald and pure evil.
- Cain and Abel: Darkseid opposes everything his brother Izaya represents, with both naming their respective planets after their personal philosophies.
- Card-Carrying Villain: He openly admits to being an evil god and that he desires to crush all happiness and free will in the Universe.
- The Corrupter: As the God of Evil, Darkseid dabbles in this from time to time. His greatest success was turning an innocent little boy into the twisted Mad Scientist Desaad.
- Dark Is Evil: Right there in the name. Darkseid.
- Do Not Taunt Cthulhu: No, really. Don't. Make fun of him or hurl insults at him and he'll show exactly who you're messing with; you'll be lucky to walk away with your life.
- The Dreaded: With the raw power, influence and ruthlessness to back it up, anything involving Darkseid is an Oh, Crap! moment for the DC Universe at large. It's how he remained in charge for Apokalypse for so long, instilling fear into the minds of his followers to prevent them from conspiring against him.
- Evil Overlord: Well, duh.
- Evil Plan: Seeking the Anti-Life Equation so he can dominate everything in existence.
- Evil Sounds Deep: As usual, Darkseid speaks in a deep, baritone voice befitting someone of his stature.
- Eye Beams: The Omega Beam homes in on his targets, chasing them relentlessly, bending and curving around obstacles, until they finally hit.
- Faster Than They Look: His rocky skin and enormous build combine with his usual tendency to move slowly and ominously and let his Powers Do the Fighting to make it easy to assume that he's a Mighty Glacier. He's not - he's a true Flying Brick Lightning Bruiser just like Superman, and anyone who expects their Super-Speed to let them outmaneuver him is in for a very rude awakening.
- Fights Like a Normal: Despite possessing a multitude of powers such as telepathic mind control, telekinesis, matter manipulation, erosion blasts, teleportation, and chronokinesis, the majority of Darkseid's fights against Superman will almost always see him ignore those other abilities in favor of fighting the Man of Steel with his bare hands (with some occasional Omega Beams of course).
- Foil: A large part of what makes him such a great villain is his strong thematic basis, meaning he has more than one foil for a writer to take advantage of.
- His son Orion is living proof of Kirby's conception that evil is never In the Blood. He's inherited his biological father's temper, but being raised right by Highfather has taught him that he, or anybody, has the freedom to choose what they do with their life regardless of their origins.
- Mister Miracle is Darkseid's polar opposite. Scott Free is explicitly not only immune to every effort by Darkseid to break his spirit, one such attempt backfired horribly, leading to the most powerful Female Fury defecting from Darkseid and marrying Scott because of The Power of Love. As his name implies, too, Scott Free's life has been about embracing freedom. Kirby designed both characters to embody opposing ideals, but never had them directly oppose each other.
- Superman is based on the idea that the strong have an obligation to protect the weak, and that people should not be led, but trusted to do what's right themselves. Darkseid is the perfect counter for the idea of a good man who essentially has the powers of an alien god, by being an alien god who knows exactly how to prey on the evils of man. Superman also represents Hope, while Darkseid embodies unrelenting Despair.
- Highfather serves as another foil. Darkseid seeks to master The Source to crush everyone and make them entirely dependent on him as nothing more than cogs in a machine. Highfather serves The Source and guides people to reach their full potential as individuals.
- Flying Brick: He tends to slowly float around or teleport with Boom Tubes more often than he flies, but he has the complete package of powers necessary for this trope, and can fight in aerial duels on even-or-better terms with any other DC Flying Brick who gets past his Omega Beams.
- For the Evulz: Though more elegant and charming then most other versions of this trope, Darkseid is ultimately defined by his desire to hurt others because he can, and he often takes the time to do so in small or grand ways.
- Galactic Conqueror: Darkseid wishes to acquire the Anti-Life Equation and dominate all life across the universe. He also rules over one of the largest and most powerful empires in the universe.
- Genius Bruiser: Darkseid considers himself above physical combat, preferring to let his minions or Omega Beams do the dirty work. Get too close to him, however, and Darkseid is only too happy to deliver a Curb-Stomp Battle.
- God of Evil: More specifically, the God of Tyranny. By virtue of being the ruler on a planet incarnating evil. His father on the other hand was the genuine article.
- A God Am I: Rather justified, as he's one of the New Gods that arose after the destruction of the Old Gods in Ragnarok. Darkseid takes it even further. It's not enough that he's a god, he considers himself to be the God.
- Godzilla Threshold: He obliterates that line merely by existing.
- Immortality: As a New God, Darkseid is immortal and has an extended lifespan which allows him to exist indefinitely.
- Invincible Villain: He's a literal, Physical God that can obliterate a person with his Omega Beams.
- Jerkass: It's pretty rough when the ruler of your entire planet who also fancies himself a god is a douchebag to boot.
- Monochromatic Eyes: Darkseid's eyes are completely red.
- Narcissist: Darkseid's mindset can be compared to "overt/grandiose narcissism", given that one of his habits is to present himself with grand, epic speeches about himself and his ambitions. He also overlaps with "malignant narcissism" as Darkseid lacks empathy and manipulates and leads unsuspecting victims astray without a hint of remorse.
- Obviously Evil: There's his name, and his... well, his everything.
- Omnicidal Maniac: As he never tires of telling everyone who will listen (and even those who won't), he will tear down the current universe to rebuild in his own image, and he will destroy everything to make it happen.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: His name is actually Uxas, but almost no one calls him by that name.
- Orcus on His Throne: In spite of his incredible power and intelligence, he leaves the day to day running of Apokolips to his underling, Desaad. Darkseid's more content to lounge on his throne and commission statues of himself.
- Perpetual Frowner: When not making a Psychotic Smirk, this is Darkseid's default expression.
- Physical God: He's the "god of tyranny" and is usually the strongest threat the Justice League has to face.
- Powers Do the Fighting: Since he's got incredibly powerful, versatile homing Eye Beams, he can deal with most adversaries simply by opening his eyes (not necessarily in their direction) and letting the carnage ensue. Even getting him to throw a punch is an impressive achievement, if also generally a deeply unwise one.
- Rank Scales with Asskicking: Tyrannical ruler of Apokalypse, and undisputedly the strongest New God in the infernal planet.
- Reverse Arm-Fold: A preferred pose of his, including the one on his portrait.
- Sadist: As the God of Tyranny, he embodies sadism. Spreading pain and suffering wherever he can is both his foremost duty and his foremost pleasure.
- Satanic Archetype: While there are more clear Satan analogues in the DCU, he certainly fits this trope to a t.
- Tranquil Fury: Darkseid is a mass of violence who will kill at even the slightest provocation or perceived sign of disrespect, but has an air of calm whenever he speaks apart from raising his voice.
- You Have Failed Me: Darkseid is a big fan of this trope, as you might expect. If you don't succeed in a task he's given, even if you're one of his lieutenants, you can expect to pay dearly for it.
Darkseid's Family
Steppenwolf
Steppenwolf is one of Darkseid's elite soldiers and his uncle, as he's is one of Darkseid's most loyal and trusted servants, primarily because he has no interest in ruling Apokalypse, he much prefers hunting and leading the Parademons. He's the ex-husband of Diana and the father of Aresia Lowell aka Fury.
- Abusive Parents: Brainwashed his daughter to be his loyal servant by torturing and brainwashed her and lying to her that Diana abandoned her.
- Action Politician: Steppenwolf has a strong understanding of the various factions on Apokalypse.
- Beard of Evil: Has a well-trimmed goatee and he's the ruthless leader of the armies of Apokalypse.
- Blood Knight: Steppenwolf is described as this by Diana.
- Cool Helmet: His horned helmet.
- Cool Sword: His Apokalyptan Vibro-Sword.
- The Creon: Despite being one of Darkseid's strongest servants, he has no desire to usurp or take control.
- The Dragon: One of only a handful of Darkseid's servants Darkseid trusts, since Steppenwolf has no desire to govern.
- Egomaniac Hunter: He lives to hunt the most dangerous prey he can find.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Downplayed. Steppenwolf might love his daughter Aresia but it is not the sort of love that a good parent on Earth would have for their child. Steppenwolf sees Aresia as an interesting experiment of sorts, as well as having a more mentor/pupil relationship with her. He gives commands, she follows them exceptionally, and performs admirably. In turn for that, he feigns the parental love that she longs for, giving her some fulfillment.
- Evil Uncle: Subverted, even though he's Darkseid's uncle (and evil), he's very much loyal to his nephew.
- Horns of Villainy: The horns on his helmet make him look like a devil of sorts. For a good reason.
- Multi-Melee Master: Steppenwolf is highly efficient in the use of many weapons, ranged or not. Perhaps his greatest skill is with his signature Apokalyptan Vibro-Sword.
- The Needless: Steppenwolf doesn't require food as sustenance although he does enjoy it.
- Red and Black and Evil All Over: His armor is black and red and is one of Apokalypse's deadliest soldiers.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: Red eyes and is one of Apokalypse' deadliest fighters.
- The Sociopath: Pushes all three buttons. Lack of Empathy? Didn’t give a shit about families. Lack of morals? Considering how he’s a cold and ruthless being, check. Lack of conscience? Doesn’t hesitate or feel regret about his atrocious actions even at least for once. There’s also the fact that he’s completely incapable of forming emotional attachments to anyone.
- The Strategist: Despite his incredible skill in combat, he prefers to study and probe his enemies first.
- Super-Reflexes: Steppenwolf is capable of dodging energy blasts before they hit him as well as being able to deflect them with his Vibro-Sword.
- Super-Strength: Steppenwolf is able to lift hundreds of tons with ease and has fought the likes of Superman and his ex-wife Wonder Woman.
- In a Single Bound: Steppenwolf can leap far distances due to his superhuman strength.
Kalibak
Kalibak, is the first born son of Apokalypse's evil leader Darkseid, serving as his father's second-in-command. Kalibak is known for his brutal fighting style, gaining the nickname "Kalibak the Cruel". His greatest wish is to prove himself a worthy heir to his father, but that will never happen, considering the kind of person his father is.
- The Brute: Mainly serves as his father's muscle.
- The Unfavorite: Orion is Darkseid's favorite son. Kalibak is treated as an annoyance. Still, he ranks above Grayven in respect, for whatever that's worth. Curiously, Kalibak is the son of the woman Darkseid truly loved, while Orion is the son of the woman Darkseid's mother forced him to marry after poisoning.
- "Well Done, Son" Guy: His ultimate goal in life is to earn the approval of his father, Darkseid.
Tigra
Darkseid's second wife and mother of Orion.
- Action Mom: She's a New God and an excellent fighter, plus she's the mother to one of the few who can oppose her husband.
Darkseid's Inner Circle
Granny Goodness
One of the residents of Apokalypse, Granny Goodness is in charge of training (sometimes through brainwashing) new soldiers for Darkseid's forces. She leads the Furious Females.
- Amazon Brigade: She's the leader of the Furious Females.
- Apron Matron: A sick parody of one.
- Bad Samaritan: Runs orphanages... for horrible purposes.
- Combat Sadomasochist: Granny instills this in her "children." Those raised by Granny are taught that pain and torment are the truest expressions of love.
- Evil Old Folks: She's technically younger than Darkseid, but looks old in a way we understand.
- Fluffy the Terrible: Her name counts.
- Green and Mean: Dresses in green and has pale green skin. She's also one of Darkseid's most evil members of his circle, possibly only surpassed by Desaad and Darkseid himself.
- Ironic Name: She's old alright but there's nothing good about her, at all.
- Never Mess with Granny: Seriously, not unless you have a small army of badasses backing you up.
- Orphanage of Fear: She runs these, to break children's spirits and weed out potential recruits.
- Terms of Endangerment: Her trademark. She tend to refer to other people in a grandmatronly way, even though she doesn't even bother with Faux Affably Evil.
- Undying Loyalty: There's a reason Granny is so highly placed in Darkseid's inner-circle: she genuinely worships him, and it shows in her training. Granny has trained the Female Furies to be loyal to Granny first, but Darkseid foremost, meaning that in a test of loyalty, the Furies will choose Darkseid.
- White Hair, Black Heart: She has white hair due to being an old woman, and definitely not a nice person.
- Would Hurt a Child: Her orphanages are designed to torture Apokalyptan children, both physically and psychologically, into becoming loyal servants of Darkseid.
Desaad
A sadist, torturer and Coward. Treacherous Desaad is all of these things, and chief counselor to Darkseid. He oversees the day to day operations of Apokolips with a cruel hand.
- Agony Beam: Many of his devices have one.
- Black Cloak: He wears a black and purple cloak.
- Dirty Coward: He may act high and mighty, but when the tables are turned, he runs for it.
- Emotion Control: He is able to enter into people's mind to manipulate their emotions.
- Evil Genius: He creates many machines for Darkseid's army (mostly for torture) and is his right-hand.
- Good Scars, Evil Scars: The left side of his face is heavily disfigured.
- Mad Scientist: Described as a "God Scientist", and his sadistic tendencies prove the "mad" part quite well.
- Meaningful Name: He is named after the Marquis de Sade.
- Normal Fish in a Tiny Pond: He's a wimp with no fighting skills compared to the other New Gods, but he's still much stronger and tougher than an ordinary human and immune to things like the Scarecrow's fear toxin.
- Obviously Evil: Like his Master.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: Red eyes and he's an unashamed sadist who serves the God of Tyranny.
- Sadist: He is actually the God of Sadism, though of the depraved spineless bully variety rather than the relentless force of evil his master embodies.
- Torture Technician: Desaad is well known for his torture techniques. Everything from manipulating words with his venomous tongue to tearing bits and pieces from someone's flesh.
- Two-Faced: Half his face is scarred.
Glorious Godfrey / G. Gordon Godfrey
- Alliterative Name: Glorious Godfrey.
- Forced Transformation: During an interview where he upset Izzy Bowin for her connections to the Rogues and Pied Piper, she ended up accidentally turning him into a rat, showing even New Gods (albeit a weak one) aren't immune to infernal magic.
- The Ghost: While mentioned, he hasn't made an appearance yet.
- Jerkass: An unlikable man who constantly bashes superheroes.
Virman Vundabar
- Alliterative Name: Virman Vundabar.
- Germanic Efficiency: It's his schtick.
Kanto (Iluthin)
- Affably Evil: While he's a ruthless assassin, he's still surprisingly pleasant.
- Legacy Character: Kanto is the traditional name of Darkseid's assassin, and he is the fourteenth to carry the title.
- Team Member in the Adaptation: He was a member of the Seven Soldiers of Victory before he returned to Apokalypse.
Furious Females
In General
- Adaptation Name Change: From the Female Furies to the Furious Females.
- Amazon Brigade: Darkseid's troop of elite female warriors.
- Bodyguard Babes: With faint implications of being a Royal Harem.
- Bodyguarding a Badass: Darkseid doesn't need a personal guard by any stretch of the imagination, he's just above wasting his time on personally destroying anyone stupid enough to try something.
- Dark Action Girl: The Furious Females are a group of female warriors that serve Darkseid, although how evil each one is tends to vary.
- Quirky Miniboss Squad: A group of distinctive Dark Action Girls with their own internal politics and motivations, all firmly at least a step above the mooks that Apokalypse has to offer.
- Undying Loyalty: To Granny Goodness, but to a much greater extent to Darkseid. To the point where they'll turn on Granny at Darkseid's command without a second thought.
Knockout (Kaye Ou)
See the Secret Six page
Lashina
Co-field leader of the Furies. She also works undercover as a prostitute when Granny Goodness requires it.
- Bondage Is Bad: A straightforward example, though unlike most cases, she's too overtly vicious to find a willing partner.
- No-Nonsense Nemesis: To Big Barda. They don't get to fight often, but they engage in some of the more vicious fights.
- Statuesque Stunner: She's in Maxima and Starfire's league, height-wise.
- Whip of Dominance: She wields metallic whips and her image is that of a dominatrix.
Gilotina
Her swords, and karate chops, can slice through any matter like a hot knife through butter.
- Absurdly Sharp Blade: As stated above her blades can cut through improbable materials with ease and without damaging them.
- Dual Wielding: She wields a pair of swords.
- Punny Name: A guillotine is a tool of execution which works via a sharp dropping blade.
- Razor-Sharp Hand: When she doesn't have her swords, she will simply use her hands for a similar effect.
Sister Stomp
- Adaptation Name Change: From Stompa to Sister Stomp.
- The Big Gal: The primary muscle of the Furries.
- Kick Chick: As her name implies, she fights mainly with kicks and stomps.
- Shockwave Stomp: Her trademark is making earthquakes with her stomps.
Maiden Mad
A psycho with razor-sharp claws.
- Adaptation Name Change: From Mad Harriet to Maiden Mad.
- Ax-Crazy: When you have "Mad" on your name, it's clear you're not very stable.
- Slasher Smile: She rivals The Joker in that area.
- Wolverine Claws: Her main way of fighting are clawed gauntlets.
Temiz
The Furies' resident archer.
- Adaptation Name Change: So she's not confused with Artemis, she goes simply by Temiz instead.
- Hell Hound: She controls a pack of cybernetic hell hounds.
Bloodseeker
A vampire that can control her victims and use telekinesis.
- Adaptation Name Change: So she isn't confused with the Fable Mary Worth/Bloody Mary, her name is changed to Bloodseeker.
- Adaptation Origin Connection: She had no relationship with neither Razer or the Lantern Corps as a whole, but here she's the one who killed Razer's family.
- Eye Beams: Simulate telekinesis. Unfortunately for her, other people can grab them and yank her by them.
- Mind over Matter: She's a telekinetic.
- Our Vampires Are Different: Aside from her Horror Hunger and pale skin, she demonstrates none of the traditional weaknesses. Razer's NF reveals that she does suck blood.
- People Puppets: She can use her victims as puppets through telekinesis.
Other Inhabitants
Parademons
The normal shock troopers and foot soldiers of Darkseid.
- Action Bomb: By mixing that same chemical with their bloodstream, Parademons could in theory cause themselves to self-detonate in a fiery explosion. This is an ability of taskmasters, meant to ensure their ability to prevent being captured.
- Airborne Mooks: Flying Parademons that swarm all resistance.
- Breath Weapon: While not technically fire or breath, Parademons can discharge a napalm-like substance from glands located on the inside their mouths. Shortly after being exposed to oxygen-rich atmospheres (like that of Earth) this chemical becomes super-heated.
- Henchmen Race: They are bred in Apokalypse to be completely loyal to Darkseid and their superiors without question.
- Mooks: They are Apokalypse main shock troops.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: They are hostile creatures, and they have red eyes.
- Scary Teeth: Their teeth are visible, and it makes them all the more frightening.
- Undying Loyalty: They follow Darkseid's will mindlessly.
- Was Once a Man: Apokalyptians have technologies or powers to turn creatures from the worlds they invade into Parademons.
- Winged Humanoid: They come with wings.
- Zerg Rush: Their true strength lies in their large numbers and unrelenting savagery.
Fury (Aresia)
See The Salvation Syndicate page
