History Characters / NewGodsDarkseid

[[EvilOverlord The Dreaded Lord of Apokolips]]. [softreturn]
[[TheDreaded The Ultimate]] [[GalacticConqueror Big Bad of the DC Universe]]. [softreturn]
[[PhysicalGod The]] GodOfEvil.[softreturn]

* KickTheSonOfABitch
** Desaad is a frequent victim of his anger. Considering how horrible Desaad is, it's hard to feel sorry for him.
** Darkseid [[{{Matricide}} had his own mother killed]] to assume the throne. Since said mother had the only person he ever loved killed [[GoneHorriblyRight to ensure he'd be heartless]], it's hard to blame Darkseid for doing so.

* HappinessInSlavery: Most of Darkseid's subjects revere him so much that they honestly don't ''care'' about the crap he puts them through every single day. The others are (quite rightly) too scared to do anything about it. Probably less ''happiness'' in slavery than ''dependence'' in slavery. Happiness has no place in the world of Darkseid; indeed he goes out of his way to make everyone as miserable as possible. The citizens of Apokolips have more of an extreme version of StockholmSyndrome; they are no longer capable of functioning without Darkseid's dominance.

* GodOfEvil: Not just te DCU's evil, but the platonic concept of evil [[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou.]]

* ExactWords: If he pulls a double-cross, he might pull this. Case and point in ''VideoGame/JusticeLeagueHeroes'':
-->'''Batman''': You tricked Brainiac into freeing you from your extra-dimensional prison.
-->'''Darkseid''': I promised him he would unleash power beyond imagining. I fulfilled our bargain. To the letter.
-->'''Zatanna''': Yeah, and he was also promised great knowledge.
-->'''Darkseid''': And I delivered. What higher lesson is there than is this: Never trust Darkseid.
** In the DCAU, he's if anything, even more adept at it.
--->'''Bruno Mannheim''': You said you'd make me a king!\\
'''Darkseid''': (''leaving him in a reactor set to explode'') And so you are. A King of Fools.

* EvilSoundsDeep:
** In any animated or live-action adaptation, expect him to have a deep, commanding voice.
** Outright parodied on ''Teen Titans Go''. His deep, echoing, gravelly voice terrifies the Titans... and then it turns out he's just had a cold for a long time. One lozenge later, [[spoiler: he turns into Weird Al.]]

* DePower: In the ''Justice League Beyond'' comics that take place after ''Unlimited'' [[spoiler:Darkseid loses his sight and his Omega Force after gazing directly into the Source]].

* IControlMyMinionsThrough: Fear, Slavery, Sadism, Divine Right, Blind Obedience and occasional Brainwashing. They all tie in quite well to Darkseid's nature as a tyrannical madman and paranoiac sociopath after all.

* ClassicVillain: He ticks arguably all of the boxes you'd expect in an archetypal villain; he personifies {{pride}} and {{wrath}}, visually contrasts against the heroes with his differing color scheme, clothing style, and their motives, is a backstabbing manipulator, has often won against his adversaries or is at least one step ahead of them, engages in a climactic FinalBattle that determines the fate of the verse, and many of his downfalls are due to his swollen hubris.

* {{Wrath}}: Beneath his seemingly impenetrably stoic shell is a wrathful storm of rage, hate, and contempt towards all of life. That said, unlike most examples, Darkseid's wrath is very well-managed and controlled and while many can deduce that he's in a perpetually angry state, he never lets it overtake his common senses, which, if anything else, makes his wrath all the more frightening and unpredictable.

** Outside of comics...
*** Fittingly, he was the BigBad of the final season of ''Series/{{Smallville}}''.
*** The "Knightmare" sequence in ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice'' implies that he will become one for the Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse.

* BodySurf:
** His modus operandi on ''Series/{{Smallville}}'' due to having no body of his own.
** He;s also capable of doing this in the comics, best shown in ''Final Crisis'' where his essence hops between his "Boss Dark Side" form and Dan Turpin.

* TheCorrupter:
** 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 MadScientist Desaad.
** Again, in ''Series/{{Smallville}}'' this is his modus operandi ''and'' his ultimate goal for the entire planet Earth since he can only possess people with darkness in their hearts.

** On his first appearance on ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'', he answers Superman's "Who are you?" by blasting him to his knees and walking away. On his second, he easily defeats Superman and presents him, bound and exhausted (both physically and mentally), in the center of Metropolis, while addressing every single person on the planet.
---> "People of Earth, I am Darkseid, Lord of Apokolips! Here is your savior, cowed and broken. I have crushed him as easily as I have crushed all who have dared to oppose me throughout the cosmos. I am power unlike any you have ever known: absolute, infinite, and unrelenting. You have no choice but to prepare for a long dark future as my subjects and my slaves."
** "[[WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries I am many things, Kal-El. You couldn't begin to imagine half of them. But for now, I shall take the role of executioner]]."
*** "[[AGodAmI I am many things, Kal-El... but here, I am God]]."
*** "[[KickTheDog Had I known one human's death would pain you so, I would have killed more.]]"
** "[[WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueWar I am entropy. I am death. I am Darkseid.]]"
** "[[WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague This is where you belong, Superman]]. [[PunctuatedForEmphasis Under. My. Heel.]]"
*** "[[WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague I hope you appreciate, Kal-El, that everything that happens from this point on will be on your head. The skies will rain fire, the oceans will boil, the streets will run red with the blood of billions. Only then, after your last pitiful hope is extinguished, will I end your life.]] [[ContinuityNod Le]][[BringIt t's]] [[IronicEcho go.]]"
*** "[[WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague Let the universe howl in despair, for I have returned]]!"

*** Was the GreaterScopeVillain of ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'', and most of the Franchise/DCAnimatedUniverse as well.

* DoNotTauntCthulhu: 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. Best exemplified in ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'' when Dan Turpin throws some parting insults at him while he abandons his invasion of Earth in "Apokolips... Now!" and ends up dying almost in the time it takes Darkseid to ''look'' at him.

** As noted under EnemyMine, Darkseid has fought against other large-scale villains such as the Anti-Monitor, as well as playing the role of the larger villain other villains join forces ''against''. During the finale of ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague Unlimited'', ComicBook/LexLuthor and the LegionOfDoom went straight to Superman and the Justice League for help after Darkseid returned from death and announced his plans to invade Earth.

** In ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'', ''Justice League Unlimited'' and ''ComicBook/FinalCrisis'' he embodies this trope by enslaving, killing and defeating everybody, no matter evil or good - for him they're all just insects. Heck, both in JLU and FC, [[EnemyMine Superman opposes him alongside Lex Luthor]].

* HappinessInSlavery: Most of Darkseid's subjects revere him so much that they honestly don't ''care'' about the crap he puts them through every single day. The others are (quite rightly) too scared to do anything about it. [[WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries Superman underestimated this]] once when he physically defeated Darkseid only to see his slaves rescue him. Probably less ''happiness'' in slavery than ''dependence'' in slavery. Happiness has no place in the world of Darkseid; indeed he goes out of his way to make everyone as miserable as possible. The citizens of Apokolips have more of an extreme version of StockholmSyndrome; they are no longer capable of functioning without Darkseid's dominance.

** Throughout ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'', [[OrcusOnHisThrone Darkseid relied primarily on his minions for his dirty work, and often simply observed them, hands clasped behind his back and seemingly passive]]. Then Superman punches Darkseid... and Darkseid not only takes it, he proceeds to give the only CurbStompBattle in the series with Superman on the ''receiving'' end. Superman only barely survives by a desperation move that hurts both of them so much that the fight cannot continue.

* UndyingLoyalty: With very few exceptions, most of the inhabitants of Apokolips fanatically worship Darkseid, even the downtrodden Lowlies. One of those exceptions is Desaad, whose loyalty to Darkseid is based entirely on his fear of the tyrant. Desaad is still very loyal to Darkseid because Darkseid is just that terrifying. This is best shown in the finale of ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries''. Superman has Darkseid beaten to a bloody pulp and tosses him to the mercies of his slaves... who pick him up and carry him off to be healed.
--> "I am many things, Kal-El. But here, ''I am God''."

* AuthorityGrantsAsskicking: 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'' KryptoniteFactor weakening him and his [[GeniusBruiser incredible intelligence]] makes him even more dangerous. When he shows up, it's likely going to take an enormous effort to bring him down.

* IAmLegion: He goes through this phase in ''Final Crisis'' when Darkseid manages to possess the entire human population into his servitude and forcing them to attack any opposing heroes and submit to nihilism.
-->'''Darkseid:''' "I. Am. The. New. God. All is one in Darkseid. This mighty body is my church. When I command your surrender, I speak with three billion voices. When I make a fist to crush your resistance. It is with three billion hands. When I stare into your eyes and shatter your dreams. And break your heart. It is with six billion eyes! Nothing like Darkseid has ever come among you: Nothing will again. I will take you to a hell without exit or end. And there I will murder your souls! And make you crawl and beg! And die! Die! Die for Darkseid!"

** In ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueDarkApokolipsWar'', despite never actually confronting each other in the comics, [[spoiler:Trigon outclassed him in every aspect on his home turf of Apokolips]].

** "[[Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague I have turned 100,000 worlds to dust looking for Anti-Life, looking for those who robbed me of my glory. I will stride across their bones and bask in the glow of Anti-Life, and all of existence shall be mine!]]"
*** "Anti-Life is ''found'' Desaad and we will stop at ''nothing'' to possess it! Ready the armada. We will use the old ways."

* FailureIsTheOnlyOption: While Darkseid may be one of the most dangerous foes in the multiverse, the fact of the matter remains that he's ultimately destined to lose. Justifiable, since any story that ends with him having any kind of victory will cast too much gloom on the DC Universe. ''ComicBook/FinalCrisis'', ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueDarkApokolipsWar'' and some glimpses of the BadFuture in ''Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague'' at least show that his defeat will come at a cost.

* AdaptationalWimp: Like everyone else (thanks to 1980s [[Creator/{{ABC}} network censors]] and parent groups), he was toned down, in terms of both personality and powers, for his appearances in ''WesternAnimation/SuperFriends'' -- his Omega Beams are an AgonyBeam as opposed to HomingLasers, and using them tires him quickly; Superman was only targeted twice by Darkseid with them, and while the first time Supes struggled with them, he [[NoSell completely shrugged them off]] the other time. This version of Darkseid also had a [[StalkerWithACrush weird fixation]] on [[AndNowYouMustMArryMe marrying]] Wonder Woman.

* StalkerWithACrush: Infamously, towards Wonder Woman in ''WesternAnimation/{{Superfriends}}''.

* EldritchAbomination: This is the nature of Darkseid's true form, being an anthropomorphic construct who dwells in Fourth World, embodying evil and anything associated with it. What makes it an abomination is not just the vast amount of power it holds, but also its size and destructive potential, as if Darkseid was to ever allow it's true self to exit Fourth World, the entire multiverse would collapse from his sheer size and power.

* LegacyCharacter: Implied and Zig-Zagged in a case of FridgeHorror. His death in ''ComicBook/FinalCrisis'' should have meant that evil no longer existed, since Superman and the JLA had killed not just Darkseid's avatar but Darkseid himself (That is, the EldritchAbomination eisting outside of time and space and is the AbstractApotheosis of Evil). Naturally there were still villains, so ContinuitySnarl? Maybe, but remember that Dr. Hurt had inside him the Hyper-Adapter, wich holds a substatial fration of Darkseid's essence. Remember too when an agonising Hurt proclaimed that "Darkseid was trying to incarnate in the Dotor". Finally, wasn't Hurt who proclaimed that he was "evil incarnate" and, "the hole in everything", "the piece that never fits", which would be titles more apropiate for a CosmicFlaw or an AbstractApotheosis (Kinda like Darkseid during Final Crisis?). That's right, Hurt not only was Darkseid's good and faithful servant, but after his death he was on his way to becoming the new vessel for Darkseid to reincrnate in.

* AboveGoodAndEvil: Being a god and an anthropomorphic personification, Darkseid likes to claim that conventional morality does not influence him, though he is openly proud of his position as the Lord of Tyranny. For one thing, he claims to have a sense of honor and standards, which are incredibly incomprehensible to mortal thoughts.

* AnthropomorphicPersonification: Darkseid is the living personification of ''tyranny.''

* TheDarkSide: He is cruel tyranny [[MadeOfEvil personified]].

* DivineConflict: As the leader of Apokolips and the God of Tyranny, he and his planet have been clashing against New Genesis ever since their inception. Despite a truce involving Highfather and Darkseid giving away each others' sons, their war restarted once Mister Miracle escaped from Darkseid's grasp.

* EldritchAbomination: This is the nature of Darkseid's true form, being an anthropomorphic construct who dwells in Fourth World, embodying tyranny and anything associated with it. What makes it an abomination is not just the vast amount of power it holds, but also its size and destructive potential, as if Darkseid was to ever allow it's true self to exit Fourth World, the entire multiverse would collapse from his sheer size and power.

* EvilGloating: Being an unabashed god who represents tyranny and always being theatrical about his nature. This is to be expected. Case in point...

* EvilIsHammy: Being a God of Tyranny, it's natural for Darkseid to be operatic and dramatic about his divinity and power. He expresses it in a [[ColdHam reserved, controlled, and eloquent tone]], which serves to further assert his authority as well making him more unconventionally threatening. He's a lot more louder in ''Final Crisis''.

* GodEmperor: He's a God of Tyranny and governs a planet that is DC's equivalent to Hell. Apokolips is essentially a hellish kingdom and it's populace worship and revere Darkseid as their gracious ruler.
* GodOfEvil: 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.

* HappilyMarried: Darkseid's wife, Suli was the one being that he truly loved, and it was to the extent where her affection was the one thing that could overcome Darkseid's evil. This trope was the reason why Heggra conspired to have Suli killed as she felt that her love for Darkseid was making him weak. Once Suli died, Darkseid conspired back to kill Heggra, cementing his permanent stance in being the God of Tyranny. And while Kalibak is [[AbusiveParents not well treated]], Darkseid keeps him around as he is the last physical reminder of the love he had with Suli.

** A more direct example occurs in ''ComicBook/SupermanSupergirlMaelstrom'' where Maelstrom, one of Darkseid's elite fighters believes that she can destroy Superman's spirit by killing Supergirl. Darkseid allows her to carry on, with the award that her being successful would make her the God of Tyranny's eternal slave, or eternal banishment if she fails. Shortly after, Desaad asks Darkseid why he is entertaining Maelstrom's delusions, Darkseid explains he cannot properly destroy her hopes if she is not hoping for anything.

* {{Pride}}: Well, yeah. He's proud to declare himself the ruler of Apokolips and the God of Tyranny, not to mention he makes several remarks about his power, authority, and influences, which are certainly not ones to be scoffed at.

* {{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.
* SatanicArchetype: While there are more clear Satan analogues in the DCU, he certainly fits this trope to a t, being a God of Tyranny, a clear practitioner of spreading misery and despair towards others, plotting to take over all of existence, and having more of an overall impact towards the verse than most other characters. The fact that his reputation is a clear contrast to Superman's also highlight Darkseid's Satanic overtones.

* SmugSuper: Darkseid is extremely prideful and haughty about his position as a God of Tyranny, the authority and misery he spreads, and the amount of power he holds. ''Nobody'' ever takes his words lightly; Darkseid ''really'' is that powerful and that much of a threat to the DC Universe.

* ToThePain: Befitting for a God of Tyranny and as a relentless {{hope crush|er}}ing {{sadist}}, Darkseid likes to spell out his punishments in as much detail as possible should he find out that one of his followers has failed an objective. He also does this to his opponents once Darkseid beats them into submission.
* TooPowerfulToLive: After suffering VillainDecay throughout most of Post-Crisis, Darkseid finally crossed the line in ''ComicBook/FinalCrisis'' where it's revealed that he's a cosmological construct and anthropomorphic personification of tyranny and he can ''and'' will destroy the multiverse if he cannot get to conquer it before dying.

Created by Creator/JackKirby, Darkseid (pronounced "dark-side") stands tall among the ComicBook/NewGods, ruling dread Apokolips as he wages a constant war for control of the universe and possession of the Anti-Life Equation, which will allow him to either conquer the universe or destroy it (or [[InTheirOwnImage both]]), DependingOnTheWriter.

[[folder:A-F]]

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Despite being the ultimate evil of the [=DC=] Universe, Darkseid is shown to have ''some'' standards, such as the fact that he is disgusted by Sleez, who uses his very useful power of mind control for [[PowerPerversionPotential perverted and petty reasons]] (The most infamous instance was when he forced Big Barda and Superman to star in a porno film). Despite being a ConsummateLiar, he also admits he never lies without a purpose, even if that purpose is just petty enjoyment, and makes it clear his vision of a tyrannical universe ruled in his image is all for the sake of bringing order to a cosmos he sees as evil and chaotic. Also, for all his MultiversalConqeror tendencies, even ''he'' despises the Anti-Monitor.

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Despite being the ultimate evil of the [=DC=] Universe, Darkseid is shown to have ''some'' standards, such as the fact that he is disgusted by Sleez, who uses his very useful power of mind control for [[PowerPerversionPotential perverted and petty reasons]] (The most infamous instance was when he forced Big Barda and Superman to star in a porno film). Despite being a ConsummateLiar, he also admits he never lies without a purpose, even if that purpose is just petty enjoyment, and makes it clear his vision of a tyrannical universe ruled in his image is all for the sake of bringing order to a cosmos he sees as evil and chaotic.

* BoringButPractical: His Omega Beams are {{downplayed|Trope}} case; while they do look flashy, Darkseid's repeated use, not to mention other characters like Superman having similar moves doesn't make them all that special. However, they are insanely accurate, being able to track their targets and even twist and bend their directions in case the target tries to outmaneuver them. Finally, the Omega Beams are powerful enough to outright ''obliterate'' their targets into nothing but atoms upon hit, and in the situation where they don't, they still inflict massive damage and pain.

'''Both''': Ho-ho-ho-[[OhCrap OH CRAP!]]

** He's a hateful parent to all of his sons. He even [[spoiler: killed his son Orion as part of his bid for conquering reality in ''ComicBook/FinalCrisis'']]. And [[spoiler: Orion]] was the only son he remotely had any respect for. His treatment of his other sons is even worse. Kalibak is scorned by his father for being a simple-minded thug and reminding him of his deceased wife Suli; while Grayven is hated for constantly trying to usurp him (which he fails at every time).

* TheStoic: Most of the time Darkseid is always in control of his emotions.
** NotSoStoic: Several times. When Batman threatened his whole planet Darkseid trashed him so hard he needed a motherbox to heal from it. He regained composure quickly after that, complied to Batman's request, and even took time to offhandedly shame him and the human race for trying to destroy a whole world for victory.

* TranquilFury: Darkseid embodies this. He is every bit as bloodthirsty and AxCrazy as his most vicious minions (if not more). Yet he hardly ever raises his voice except to give grand speeches. He just calmly makes absolutely certain that his enemies suffer and die. It's rare indeed to see someone send Darkseid into UnstoppableRage. Franchise/{{Batman}} had a SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome when he made Darkseid have a minor VillainousBreakdown (and got pummeled for it) by threatening to blow up Apokolips and revealing that he had the means to do it. Which Darkseid then subverts after agreeing to Batman's terms by saying that had Superman or Wonder Woman tried that, he'd have called their bluff since they "do not have the strength of character to destroy an entire world." But Batman is a human, a species that kills their own kind to win battles, which he considers admirable.
** In the DCAU, this sets up a SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome for Darkseid. Throughout Superman's series, [[OrcusOnHisThrone Darkseid relied primarily on his minions for his dirty work, and often simply observes them, hands clasped behind his back and seemingly passive]]. Then Superman punches Darkseid... and Darkseid not only takes it, he proceeds to give the only CurbStompBattle in the series with Superman on the ''receiving'' end. Superman only barely survives by a desperation move that hurts both of them so much that the fight cannot continue.
** Later on, however, Superman returns the favor and beats Darkseid to a ''bloody pulp''. [[spoiler: And successfully kills him. Dang near sticks, too.]] From then on Darkseid makes sure to coldly dispatch of Superman by any dirty trick available and will deny his defeat.

* WolverinePublicity: The New Gods is not a popular franchise for DC Comics, despite their in-lore importance. Darkseid is unquestionably the most famous and popular character in the series, but that's because [[RoguesGalleryTransplant he's also seen himself being a major antagonist for the Legion of Super-Heroes and as one of the greatest foes the Justice League and Superman tend to deal with]]. Even if the New Gods are featured in the story, Darkseid is the one with the most focus, even if he serves as the main antagonist and the one with the most marketing.