Apokolips (Darkseid) | New Genesis | Other Characters
New Genesis is the domain of Highfather. It is the polar opposite of Apokolips.
- Arcadia: It's that kind of Utopia.
- Fantastic Racism: New Genesis has its inhabitants divided between two species: the immortal gods, who live in the city of Supertown, and the "bug", a species who grew from "micro-life" spread on the planet's surface during the Gods' war, and live in "Bug Mound". Predictably, this has led to occasional prejudice between the two, with many of the Gods regarding the Bugs as a lesser species.
- Ghibli Hills: Much of the landscape.
- Glamour Failure: Several of the Apokoliptian defectors have to rely on illusions to look as attractive as the New Genesis natives. Orion has a brutish face and both Mister Miracle and Big Barda are missing their original skin.
- Heaven: The New God equivalent of it, just as Apokolips is the equivalent of Hell. Also functions as a Physical Heaven.
- Utopia: It's everything that Apokolips isn't. However, there is the Fantastic Racism against the Bugs, so it isn't entirely perfect either.
- The Worf Effect: Their onscreen win-loss ratio against Apokolips is...dismal to say the least, often thanks to Darkseid. To add insult to the injury, if they happened to be allied with Earth or have it under their protection whenever Darkseid decides to attack Earth, chances are they are going to be defeated offscreen without much of a struggle to explain why they never helped.
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Highfathers
Highfather
AKA: Izaya the Inheritor
Ruler of New Genesis. He is Darkseid's good counterpart. As part of the pact between New Genesis and Apokolips, his son, Scott Free, was given as hostage to Darkseid, while Darkseid's son Orion was given to Izaya; Orion became the New Gods' greatest hero, while Scott escaped Apokolips and became a hero as well. Of all the New Gods, Izaya has the closest connection to the Source, which he often consults in times of need.
During Genesis, Izaya's physical form was killed by the Olympian war-god Ares, but his spirit lived on inside the Source. He sometimes returned to aid New Genesis by possessing the body of his hand-picked replacement, Takion. After the end of the Fourth World, Izaya incarnated on Earth as a homeless man and led the struggling good gods. Following Final Crisis, he has been resurrected to lead the gods of good in their new home.
- The Atoner: Regretful of his part in an escalating war with Apokolips that nearly destroyed everything. This led him to give up his own son as a peace settlement and swear to raise Orion correctly.
- Captain Ersatz: He may or may not have been based on Odin from Marvel's The Mighty Thor, as he fills a similar role.
- Divine–Infernal Family: Come the New 52 he and Darkseid are brothers. He's not as nice as before, but he still fits the divine part and Darkseid fits the infernal part like a glove.
- Friend to All Children: His original portrayal. In fact, his very first appearance was him listening to a singing recital of New God children, and then bowing to them because "the young are the carriers of life".
- God of Good: The Big Good of New Genesis' pantheon.
- Grandpa God: Old, white hair, beard, robes — check, check, check, and check.
- Incorruptible Pure Pureness: His portrayal before the New 52, The Heart and all-wise mentor of the New Gods of New Genesis.
- Informed Ability: Highfather is supposedly Darkseid's equal in power as the strongest of the New Gods and his staff has been repeatedly claimed to be a direct link to the Source granting Highfather access to near limitless energy to manipulate as he wishes along with his cosmic awareness. Yet he rarely does anything and the few times he does take action or a crisis occurs he is portrayed as powerless. In the original run, he was depicted as a truly mighty warrior in his youth, but one that had mostly stepped down to serve as a spiritual ruler, refusing to impose his will upon others, which explains his lack of major feats.
- Meaningful Name: He's named for the Biblical prophet Isaiah.
- Messianic Archetype: Izaya follows the Mosaic version of the archetype, reinventing himself as the spiritual leader of his people after a life-changing encounter with the (even more) divine.
- Moses Archetype: He fits the trope to the T, being a warrior/sinner who had an intense encounter with a divine force that convinced him to change his ways and become a spiritual leader to guide his people to a peaceful paradise. He even regularly communes with and is empowered by the same divine force called the Source that takes the form of a sentient flame while using a Shepherd's Crook staff to channel his new divine powers.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Before the New 52 reboot.
- Related in the Adaptation: The New 52 reboot retcons him as being Yuga Khan's son and thus Darkseid's brother.
- Took a Level in Jerkass: Highfather's appearances in the New 52 continuity (in Wonder Woman (2011) and the Godhead Bat Family Crossover with the Green Lantern titles) portrayed him as a militaristic Well-Intentioned Extremist, what the original Izaya may have been like before his epiphany. (Highfather was actually the Big Bad of Godhead, committing atrocities that made Darkseid redundant in the storyline; fortunately he has a Heel Realization before the end.)
- Unwitting Pawn: Long ago, Darkseid killed Izaya's wife, but left him alive. The Roaring Rampage of Revenge that ensued caused the death of Darkseid's uncle Steppenwolf, clearing Darkseid's path to gain complete power over Apokolips.
Takion of the Source
AKA: Joshua Saunders
One of the few mortals to ascend into the New Gods, Joshua Saunders was a blind human whom Highfather appointed guardian of the Source because he was apparently "without fate", meaning he would not be missed. Izaya made Saunders a "Source elemental" and his own avatar. In Genesis, Izaya was killed, and Takion took his place as Highfather, sometimes serving as a conduit for Izaya's spirit. He died in the Fall of the New Gods.
- Anthropomorphic Personification: Of the Source, made so by Highfather.
- Blind Seer: He is blind and omniscient.
- Deity of Human Origin: Started out as a blind man on Earth "without fate", promoted to an avatar of the Source itself.
- Flaming Hair: Has it.
- Legacy Character: He became Izaya's replacement as Highfather.
- Omniscient Hero: He could see the past, present, and future.
Other Gods of New Genesis
Atinai
Atinai is known as the builder goddess. Long ago, the Highfather gave her his power and commissioned her to construct the Supertown which the Gods inhabit to this day.
- Ambiguously Related: It's been implied she's the daughter of Highfather, which would make her Scott Free's sister.
- Bare Midriffs Are Feminine: She's a feminine New God and her outfit leaves her midsection exposed.
- Hot God: She's the builder goddess and dresses pretty provocatively.
- Power Glows: Her blue eyes are very often glowing with white light when using her powers.
- Red Baron: Atinai the Builder.
- True Blue Femininity: Dresses in a pale blue dress and she's pretty feminine.
- Vapor Wear: Her outfit heavily implies she's not wearing any underwear, besides clearly not wearing a bra.
Bekka
The daughter of Genesisian scientist Himon, she is the inventor of the Mother Box computers used by all New Gods as well as the co-inventor of the Boom Tube mode of transportation.
- Depending on the Writer: Bekka was originally depicted as a brunette, but since her reappearence in Superman/Batman, she is typically depicted as a redhead.
- The Empath: She can sense and help other people's emotions.
- Gadgeteer Genius: She invented several New Gods-tech at her disposal.
- Has a Type: She is drawn towards romantically repressed men like Orion, and later falls for Batman too.
- Healing Hands: Her hands have a restorative feeling on itself. It may just be the enchanting aspect taking effect.
- Living Aphrodisiac: She can induce love and desire on men with her touch. It works both ways, since she also falls in love with the men she affects with her powers.
- Love Goddess: Among the New Gods, she fits the trope much better than most. Batman is unable to resist being in her presence.
- Mad Scientist's Beautiful Daughter: Her father was the original Mother Box creator who lived in Apokolips and even worked for Darkseid.
- Male Gaze: Dustin Nguyen was clearly having a lot of fun drawing her in a skimpy outfit. She's even shown naked when she dies.
◊ - Ms. Fanservice: As if her charm powers were not enough, Bekka also fills the quota by dressing in a very revealing manner. When Batman comments that she reminds him of Catwoman, she most definitely qualifies.
- Mythical Motifs: Her powers are compared to a siren, being able to enchant men with her touch alone.
- Navel-Deep Neckline: Her favorite style of dress apparently, she wore this in her original comics and in Superman/Batman.
- Power Incontinence: Bekka is unable to control her charm powers on other people and if that isn't bad enough, she is affected by it as well.
- Starcrossed Lovers: During the "Torment" story arc, Bekka and Batman form this pair. Even though he is a staunch Celibate Hero, during that arc he is willing to throw it all away to be with her and she definitely reciprocates the sentiment. Unfortunately, Bekka is married to someone else whom she also loves and her husband loves her back. Even if she pursued a relationship, she would have outlived Batman many lifetimes due to being a New Goddess herself.
- Sympathetic Adulterer: She is Happily Married to Orion, but being separated from him for such a long time as well as the unwanted effects of her powers affecting her just as much as Batman, she can't help but fall in love with the Caped Crusader.
Big Barda
AKA: Barda Free
A former leader of the Female Furies. She defected and married Mister Miracle. The pair were also members of the Justice League of America in the "Justice League International" era.
- Action Girl: As a foil to her husband's Guile Hero.
- Amazonian Beauty: Is a massively muscular, beautiful beast of a woman.
- Chainmail Bikini: Frequently worn outside of combat (or when the stakes are low).
- Defector from Decadence: Barda was once one of Darkseid's most loyal servants until she fell in love with Scott Free and defected to New Genesis.
- Effortless Amazonian Lift: Quite often with Mister Miracle.
- Evil Weapon: The Mega-Rod, Depending on the Writer. In Justice League International, Barda stated that the Mega-Rod, a weapon created on Apokalips, broadcasts subliminal signals that can compel the weak-minded to obey Darkseid. Barda's mind is strong enough to ignore the signals. When a street punk got his hands on the Mega-Rod, within a matter of hours he had become a mindless slave who only lived to serve Darkseid. Whom he had never even heard of before that night.
- Fan Disservice: Sleez brainwashed her and Superman for the purpose of making super-porn. She's also wearing some kind of glamour to hide the fact that her skin has been completely flayed off.
- Glamour: Mister Miracle (2017) reveals that she's using one of these to hide the fact that she's entirely burned and flayed thanks to growing up under Granny Goodness.
- Gone Horribly Right: Barda is an example of what happens when your mentor is a little bit too good at what they do. She is, without question, the most successful product of Granny Goodness' demonic and soul-crushing orphanage. Except she defected to the side of the heroes.
- Happily Married: To Mister Miracle.
- Hazy-Feel Turn: In the original run of Mister Miracle, she actually still believed in Darkseid's overall philosophy and was even still officially a member of the army; she merely believed that the overall system under him was flawed and wanted to work outside of it alongside Mister Miracle. She didn't fully recant her beliefs until later.
- Helmets Are Hardly Heroic: Averted; her battle armor includes an elaborate helmet. Though it does still show her face.
- I Let Gwen Stacy Die: Barda's first meeting with Scott Free was when she crashes into Himon's class to reclaim Auralie, a fellow Female Fury trainee — in order to keep her out of trouble; she doesn't attempt to capture the others as long as they forget Auralie was there. Auralie is later captured and tortured to death, which drives Barda to assist Scott's escape from Apokolips.
- Immortality: Barda was born in the year 1748, but hasn't aged.
- Instant Armor: Barda's bikini has side-clips which can materialize her armor around her at the push of a button.
- Ms. Fanservice: Though Barda favors practical armor when going into combat, outside of it she often wears a red bikini that exposes her sculpted and curvaceous physique. She is also considered quite the beauty in-universe.
- Multi-Melee Master: Besides her signature Mega-Rod, Barda has also been shown using an axe, a spear and a shield.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: Her appearance is based off the actress Lainie Kazan...
- Reality Subtext: While personality wise she's influenced by Kirby's own wife.
- Not So Above It All: Owns a pair of bunny slippers, and once played a (Pokemon) card game with Black Canary's adopted daughter.
- Primary-Color Champion: Barda wears blue and yellow armor with a red cape.
- Statuesque Stunner: She's the Official TVTropes Poster Girl for this one.
- Super-Strength: Barda has this in spades, enough to fight against powerhouses like Superman and Wonder Woman.
- Super-Toughness: Barda is incredibly tough, though she is somewhat vulnerable to bullets and bladed weapons like Wonder Woman.
- Swiss-Army Weapon: The Mega Rod can fire energy beams, open up Boom Tubes, propel Barda high into the air and for a limited time increase an individual's gravity force.
- Tiny Guy, Huge Girl: With Scott Free.
Fastbak
- Beautiful Singing Voice: Fastbak is also renowned for his beautiful voice, which he uses in singing and reciting poetry for his fellow Supertownians.
- Fastest Thing Alive: Once he even outpaced the harbinger of death, the Black Racer, as well as a phalanx of Apokoliptian Parademons, to save the life of fellow New God and friend Esak.
- Red/Green Contrast: His costume is red and green, giving a nice contrast to the yellow parts of his outfit.
- Super-Speed: Fastbak is known for his ability to travel at tremendous speeds with the aeropads he invented for his boots.
Forager
- Cute Monster Girl: The Second Forager.
- Heroic Sacrifice: The original Forager ended up dying saving both Batman's life and Earth.
- Interspecies Romance: The second Forager had a relationship with Jimmy Olsen during Countdown to Final Crisis.
- Insectoid Aliens: Maybe for the first one. The original Kirby comics suggested he may have actually been a New God.
- Non-Mammalian Mammaries: The second Forager is quite buxom for an Insectoid Alien.
- Red Is Heroic: Both Foragers dress mostly in red.
The Forever People
A group of five young New Gods from New Genesis, who went to Earth to fight against Darkseid. They acted much like Kirby's idea of flower children at the time the stories were published. The five of them were able to summon "Infinity Man" in emergencies.
In Death of the New Gods, the Forever People died in a Bus Crash before the story began. Grant Morrison published vaguely goth designs for their new incarnations in a Final Crisis sketchbook, but the actual story revealed that their new counterparts were actually the Japanese "Super Young Team".
- Hippie Name: They are a group of young, flowerchild-esque idealists; their members include Mark Moonrider and Beautiful Dreamer.
Mark Moonrider
Mark Moonrider is the team's unofficial leader. He has a "Megaton Touch" that shoots energy from his hands.
- Hand Blast: His Megaton Touch produces energy blasts from his fingertips.
- The Hero: Takes the role of leader of the Forever People.
- Sailor's Ponytail: His headpiece keeps it out of sight, but he actually has very long hair.
- Standardized Leader: Of all the Forever People, Mark has the fewest defining characteristics, but the others defer to him. To drive the point home, when the Forever People guest-starred in an episode of Young Justice (2010), Moonrider didn't get a single line (although Vykin is the leader in that version).
Vykin the Black
The keeper of the Mother Box, Vykin has powers of magnetism and technopathy.
- Captain Ethnic: A black guy whose moniker is "the Black". The New 52 naturally did away with this.
- The Lancer: Second in-command of the Forever People.
- Magnetism Manipulation: His power is to control magnetic fields.
- Related in the Adaptation: In the New 52, Serifan is not only black and female, but also Vykin's sister.
- Token Minority: As indicated by his name, at the time of his introduction he was the only New God who was dark skinned.
Big Bear
The team's muscle. Big Bear is a hulking young man who drives the Forever People's super-cycle. He can alter the density of objects.
- The Big Guy: Clearly the largest of the Forever People and the best with hardware.
- Fiery Redhead: Red-haired and boisterous, but nice.
- Genius Bruiser: In the original Kirby comics—he was actually the Forever People's Earth history expert.
Serifan
Serifan is a young and wistful young man who dresses like a cowboy. He has no powers but carries two pistols that shoot "cosmic cartridges".
- Badass Normal: While the other members of the Forever People each have unique superpowers, Serifan has to rely on his Cosmic Cartridges, small containers he carries on his hat that produce various effects, such as draining his opponents' life force or generating force fields.
- Race Lift: Serifan goes from a white male to a black female in the New 52 title, Infinity Man and the Forever People.note
- Related in the Adaptation: His New 52 counterpart is not only black and female, but also Vykin's sister.
Beautiful Dreamer
Possessed of psychic powers that allow her to cast illusions, Dreamer is the team's heart. She is romantically linked to Mark Moonrider.
- Adaptational Curves: She's noticably scrawnier in the New 52.
- The Heart: She's no combatant, but she's deeply compassionate, and has mental/emotional powers.
- Master of Illusion: As her name suggests, her power is to create incredibly realistic illusions.
- Ms. Fanservice: She's got a very buxom figure that's barely covered by some rags before being traded in for an equally-skimpy dress. It should come as no surprise that she gets a job as a swimsuit model.
- The Smurfette Principle: The token female up until the New 52.
Himon
Born in New Genesis, Himon lives in Apokolips as a Hunger Dog, gathering and training young people to build devices like Mother Boxes while learning to dream of freedom.
- The Atoner: To make up for his role in enabling Darkseid's reign, Himon has vowed to remain on Apokolips until the day when Orion is prophesized to defeat the tyrant.
- Escape Artist: Himon has made an art form of miraculously escaping the increasingly elaborate executions staged whenever he is captured. He also teaches his proteges ways to escape capture.
- The Fagin: Jack Kirby's preview text for the Mister Miracle issue introducing him explicitly compares him to Fagin from Oliver Twist. He does teach his young wards how to steal the parts needed to construct the Mother Boxes and other devices he teaches them to build.
- The Mentor: To Scott Free, in the ways of both escape artistry and free will. The New 52 had him as a mentor to the Forever People, as well.
- Reluctant Mad Scientist: He discovered "Element X" and used it to create both the Mother Boxes and the Boom Tubes Darkseid used in his rise to power. Metron respects his intellect enough to openly greet him as a friend.
Lightray
AKA: Sollis
A fun-loving god, and Orion's best friend.
- Flight: He's the best flyer among the New Gods. He stands out from other New Gods due to being able to fly under his own power instead of using devices.
- Fun Personified: Less so in the original Kirby comics, where he was more of Orion's Foil; relaxed and carefree to Orion’s more serious introspection.
- Genre Refugee: While most of the New Gods comics are a war story combined with a mythical clash, Lightray is the character who acts the most like a conventional superhero: uncompromisingly idealistic, open and friendly to humans, always coming up with clever plans, and treating every battle like a problem to be solved.
- God of Light: He's a New God with light-based powers.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Orion.
- Incorruptible Pure Pureness: To contrast Orion, Lightray is the embodiment of someone who grew up in New Genesis and fully practices its philosophies and ideas. A recurring idea is that he isn't used to true war.
- Light 'em Up: Can also shoot light. In one story, he casually generates heat on par with multiple suns.
- The Smart Guy: Lightray is a lot cleverer than Orion, and tends to be more likely to come up with a plan—for instance, reprogramming a robot instead of destroying it.
- Super-Speed: The speed of light. It's often suggested that only the Black Racer can beat him out in speed.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: Him and Orion have a lot of differences in philosophy and frequently get into arguments, but their respect for each other is obvious at all times.
Lonar
Lonar is a New God of New Genesis. A loner and explorer, he preferred solitude from his fellow New Gods.
- Adventurer Archaeologist: He prefers to explore the ruins of the Old Gods on New Genesis rather than residing on Supertown.
- Ascended Extra: Before Flashpoint he hadn't played a very large role before his unceremonious death during Death of the New Gods, but Post-Flashpoint he has some major supporting roles on Crime Syndicate (2021) and Green Lantern (Infinite Frontier).
- Barbarian Hero: While not really a barbarian, he dresses like one and can get pretty fierce in combat. He's still a good guy.
- Barbarian Longhair: Regardless of incarnation he always has shoulder-length hair. On Crime Syndicate he even adds a Beard of Barbarism.
- Cool Horse: His loyal steed Thunderer is from the era of the Old Gods, one of the very few such creatures to have survived.
- Walking Shirtless Scene: Many times he does this.
Magnar
- Back for the Dead: After not being seen since his introduction in 1972, he's brought back to be the very first casualty during Death of the New Gods.
- Cool Helmet: Characterized by his fancy helmet.
- Magnetism Manipulation: He can manipulate the magnetic fields, allowing him to increase his strength to a degree comparable to Superman and Orion.
- Primary-Color Champion: His outfit is blue and yellow.
- Sacrificial Lion: He's the first major New Genesis death during Death of the New Gods to show the danger of the killer.
Mister Miracle I
AKA: Scott Free
The son of Highfather, but raised on Apokolips as part of Highfather's peace treaty with Darkseid. Darkseid left him to the mercies of Granny Goodness, who did her best to break his spirit — and failed. He eventually escaped and settled down on Earth with Big Barda. He and Barda were also members of the Justice League of America during the Giffen "JLI" era.
- Affirmative-Action Legacy: Shilo Norman, who took the spotlight in Seven Soldiers of Victory (2005) and Final Crisis, was a black man who succeeded the Caucasian Scott Free as Mister Miracle.
- Amazon Chaser: To him, Barda's superior size, ferocity and strength are a part of what he loves about her.
- Beard of Sorrow: Mitch Gerards draws him with one and in Mister Miracle (2017) he's shown to be heavy-hearted due to a lifetime of torment and deceit.
- Breakout Character: Scott was always always a main character, but during Kirby's run, Orion was indisputably The Hero of the mythos. Scott's unique personality, abilities, and relationship with Barda however made him the clear fan-favourite of the cast, and lead to his book lasting noticeably longer than the other titles. He's since then become the main rep for the New Gods whenever they appear for storylines and adaptations, and was a major fixture in the Justice League International era as well.
- Brought Down to Badass: After having realized becoming the leader of New Genesis wasn't his specific cup of tea. Scott Free opted to forfeit his divinity and occupation as such so he could live with his wife back on Earth.
- Casual Kink: Mister Miracle (2017) shows exactly the kind of stuff Scott and Barda get up to in the bedroom. Perhaps unsurprisingly for a master escape artist, it involves bondage-escape play.
- Charles Atlas Superpower: He's not such a good escapologist because he's a New God. He's such a good escapologist because he was raised by Granny Goodness and practiced escaping her for his entire childhood, eventually managing to succeed and return to New Genesis. And after escaping Apokolips, all other escapes must seem like a cakewalk in comparison.
- Death by Origin Story: Scott Free became the successor to escape artist Thaddeus Brown after the latter was killed by Steel Hand.
- Determinator: There is nothing this man cannot escape from. No matter how long it takes, Scott will always find a way out.
- Escape Artist: Par excellence. He (and Shilo) are the greatest Escape Artists in the universe (probably the whole Multiverse), bar none.
- Glamour: The 2017 run reveals that Scott is actually horrifically burned and scarred as another case of Granny's abuse and is using something to make him look like a handsome man.
- Happily Married: To Big Barda. A Running Gag in Justice League International are the allusions to Scott and Barda's very active and happy sex life. Mister Miracle (2017) shows it outright.
- Heroic Willpower: He has resisted every single attempt of Darkseid trying to break his spirit. Y'know, he is the Anthropomorphic Personification of freedom.
- Intergenerational Friendship: With the older (well, technically younger, but effectively older - Scott is a god) Oberon.
- Legacy Character: Scott became Mr. Miracle after the death of Thaddeus Brown, and he would eventually be succeeded by Shilo Norman.
- Meaningful Name: He is the world's greatest escape artist.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: He's somewhat based on fellow writer/artist Jim Steranko, who was an escape artist earlier in his life.
- Non-Action Guy: Definitely not the case in Kirby's original stories. Heck, he was trained as an aero-trooper in Darkseid's armies.
- Punny Name: When one gets away 'scot-free', they are escaping without facing any danger from what they are escaping from. In fact, he was intentionally named Scott Free in-universe by Granny Goodness in order to mock his seeming inability to escape from her orphanage.
- Rags to Royalty: Scott Free was raised without knowing he was Highfather's son.
- Tiny Guy, Huge Girl: With Big Barda. Not that he's short, he's average in height, but she simply towers over him.
- Unwitting Pawn: Darkseid planned for Scott to escape Apokolips, knowing that it would break the treaty and allow him to resume the war with New Genesis.
Orion
The Dog of War. The son of Darkseid, but raised on New Genesis as its greatest champion according to the terms of Highfather's peace treaty with Darkseid.
Had his own series in the early 2000s, written and drawn by Walt Simonson, which ran for 25 issues, and featured Orion finally confronting his father, winning, and showing what happened next. Final Crisis begins with Orion found dying of a bullet wound and foretelling doom with his last words; the murder investigation kicks off the story.
- Adaptational Attractiveness: While not the most handsome god out there, his New 52 version actually appears to be a rather decent-looking person when his helmet is taken off.
- Anthropomorphic Personification: As befitting of his title, he's the New God's representation of War. His struggle with his violent nature makes him a personification of a just war, fought only when necessary but regretful of its effects. His brother Kalibak represents savage war, fought for the sake and indulgence of violence.
- Archnemesis Dad: His father is none other than Darkseid and anytime they meet, Orion has made it clear that he hates him and that he would kill him at any moment. Conversely, while Darkseid is willing to kill him, Orion is surprisingly his favorite son out of the three that the audience knows, especially considering that Darkseid's other two sons, Kalibak and Grayven, are straight-up villains.
- Ax-Crazy: One thing that Orion has inherited from his father is his bloodlust, great rage, and destructive tendencies. Unlike Darkseid, however, Orion doesn't have as much control and mastery over his anger and, as a result, easily finds himself getting lost in extreme moments of rage and becoming a raging engine of destruction unless there's a Mother Box to keep his anger in check.
- Beauty Equals Goodness: Averted; having been born in Apokolips, Orion tends to have a rather ugly appearance. In stories, he is so ugly that he often wears a half-mask to conceal his face. He is of Apokoliptian origin, being the son of Darkseid himself; his goodness is due to him being raised on New Genesis by Highfather Izaya from a fairly young age.
- Big Ol' Eyebrows: In his brutish form he has a shaggy monobrow.
- Blood Knight: As a God of War, it seems fitting that Orion has a penchant for getting involved in battles mainly because he enjoys combat, despite his stance of being a heroic god dedicated to maintaining peace.
- Captain Ersatz: He may or may not have been based on Marvel's The Mighty Thor as creator Jack Kirby originally envisioned his Fourth World saga as replacing Thor and his fellow Asgardians and he does fill a similar role. Unlike Thor, however, Orion is the foster son of the god of the good guys, while his evil brother Kalibak serves their biological father, which makes Orion more of a heroic version of Marvel's Loki.
- The Chosen One: In half of the stories he's appeared in reminding the reader, prophecy foretells that Orion will be the one to finally kill his father.
- Face of a Thug: When in full rage mode, he basically looks like his father but with non-rocky skin.
- Fiery Redhead: He has red hair, has a temperamental attitude, is prone to getting himself into fights, and he despises Darkseid with a passion.
- Flanderization: Orion, in the original comics, tried to temper his Unstoppable Rage and focus it into battle, but he still angsted about it and how it made him feel very out of place among the peaceful New Genesis natives. Now he is most known for being a Jerkass berserker.
- Glamour Failure: If he removes his Mother Box. He still looks human without it, just somewhat deformed facially.
- Happily Adopted: He loves his adopted father with as much intensity as he hates his biological one.
- The Hero: He's the central protagonist and main focus of the New Gods storyline, detailing his destiny to be the one to stop Darkseid's tyranny as well as trying to struggle with his inner demons, namely his Apokoliptian nature of being a violent berserker, which is something he inherited from his father.
- Heroic Self-Deprecation: Something notable in the original Kirby comics is that despite all his angsting about himself Orion is genuinely a heroic individual - he makes a point of not letting innocents be harmed in his battles and he only breaks out his Unstoppable Rage against those who really deserve it.
- Hot-Blooded: Orion has a knack for getting unnerved several times and thus is quick to get emotional and engaged over matters. It complements his position as a God of War.
- Humans Are Special: In the New 52, Orion takes more of a shine to the often hapless powerless mortals of existence and the world they inhabit, going so far as to state that New Gods with all their quirks and immortality just aren't as fascinating as the mortals of earth.
- Kavorka Man: Despite Orion considering himself ugly, he's got a surprising amount of beautiful women interested in him across different series, including his wife Bekka, resistance fighter Jovita, his former instructor Valkyra, and the former mistress of his father Mortalla.
- Killed Off for Real: Much like everyone else in New Genesis and Apokolips during the events of Final Crisis, Orion stays dead throughout the rest of the Post-Crisis timeline once Darkseid kills him using a time-traveling radion bullet.
- Nurture over Nature: He was born to Darkseid and Tigra on Apokolips, though was sent off to be raised by Highfather on New Genesis as a peace treaty to stop the two planets from further warring against each other, with Highfather's son, Mister Miracle, being given to Darkseid in exchange. Being raised by a loving father and in a healthy, open-minded environment helped Orion to become very attached and faithful to his adopted circumstances, dearly loving Highfather and New Genesis, and become a legitimate hero despite being a War God. That said, he inherited Darkseid's bloodlust and rage, something which he struggles to manage and control.
- Orc Raised by Elves: Orion is this, being part of an experiment/peace deal that also included Raised by Orcs. Scott Free was the son of Highfather and was given to be raised by the Evil Overlord Darkseid. Darkseid's son, Orion, was raised in his place. Both of them grow up to be heroes.
- Out of Focus: Over the years, Orion has been in an awkward spot where his two most defining aspects of his character, his rivalry with his dad, Darkseid and being the poster boy for the New Genesis gods, has been largely taken by Superman and Mister Miracle respectively. This is probably most evident with Final Crisis. Orion did kill Darkseid, but Darkseid was able to circumvent this by jumping from body to body to keep himself going, and this final fight doesn't even happen in Final Crisis but before the event itself in a flashback. Batman and Superman are the one that put him down for good.
- Perpetual Frowner: Unless he's fighting; one of the original Kirby comics had him giving a Psychotic Smirk as destroyed a villain's Mother Box.
- Pragmatic Hero: He's willing to kill, and can frequently be cruel and violent in battle (particularly when he's angry), but he also has a clear sense of morality and honor and does his best to stay kind whenever he isn't fighting. Much of the reason for his respect for Lightray is that Lightray is unimpeachably moral in a way he isn't.
- Red Baron: The Dog of War, thanks to his reputation for going berserk in battle, becoming a raging beast who would destroy anything that attacks him or his allies. He's been known to foam at the mouth when his blood is really up.
- Red Is Heroic: Dresses mostly in a red suit, and despite his anger issues he is indisputably a good guy.
- Reluctant Warrior: Has some elements of this in the original comics.
- Sky Surfing: With his Astro-Harness.
- Spin-Offspring: The titular character of Jack Kirby's creator-owned series Captain Victory and the Galactic Rangers is heavily implied to be Orion's son, given that the comic is a Stealth Sequel to New Gods.
- Strong as They Need to Be: He's a powerful New God who's portrayed as Superman's absolute equal in fights and has been shown to be capable of killing Darkseid in combat and rip his heart out in the process. But in other portrayals, he and the combined Justice League can be treated as fodder by Doomsday while Superman is the only one who can save the day.
- Student/Teacher Romance: Briefly he was in a relationship with his former combat instructor Valkyra, who also happens to be Vykin's mother.
- Sue Donym: In his original series, Orion decides to adopted a secret idenity while on Earth and so changes his name to... O'Ryan. (The fact that Orion disguised himself as a human in early issues of Kirby's New Gods is often forgotten by later writers).
- Super-Strength: He's said on many an occasion to be just as strong as Darkseid, particularly when he's angry, pulling off feats like snapping an indestructible Beta-Club in half.
- Unstoppable Rage: His power is fueled by anger, which is part of why he tends to rely on the Astro-Force instead of his strength.
- Villainous Lineage: His Unstoppable Rage is described as part of his heritage, and is a large source of angst for him. However, Kirby deliberately defied this trope on the whole - Orion was raised right by loving parents, and that's what matters.
- War God: He's New Genesis's resident God of War. Though, despite never shying away from combat, Orion does not see it as being something glorious, and as a warrior deity, he is something of a personification of the psychological scars that battle can inflict on others, given his own struggles with the violent impulses he inherited from his father.
- Warrior Poet: Surprisingly, this is something he inherits from Darkseid and it may as well be the only positive thing he has that comes from his biological father. He has some elements of this in the original comics. Occasionally he gets this back.
- Worthy Opponent: It's this reason why Darkseid actually likes (well, respects would be more accurate) Orion the most out of his sons.
- You're Not My Father: Hates Darkseid with every fiber of his being. The hatred isn't mutual and Darkseid has nothing but respect for him despite being on opposite sides.
Valkyra
Valkyra the Commander was a New God of New Genesis and the mother of Vykin the Black.
- Bling of War: Similarly to Big Barda, while outside of combat she dresses in essentially a bikini, but in combat she wears a fancy silver and gold armor.
- Braids of Action: Her hair is full of small braids that look like dreadlocks.
- Hot for Student: Briefly she was in a relationship with her former student Orion, who she taught combative arts to during his childhood up to adulthood.
- Jock Mom, Nerd Son: Her relationship with her son Vykin is strained and tense because Valkyra chides Vykin for choosing academic pursuits over combat arts against her wishes. Vykin, despite retaining combat skills taught by his mother, actively dislikes her and avoids any contact unless demanded otherwise.
- Mechanical Horse: Rides a mechanical pegasi in combat.
- Mum Looks Like a Sister: She's the mother of Vykin, but due to her nature as a New God, she looks more like his sister than his mother.
- Sexy Mentor: She was Orion's combat instructor and was introduced essentially pole-dancing in a scant bikini.
- Taking the Bullet: Puts herself in the way of the Black Racer in order to spare Orion from death.
