History Main / DarkseidDuplicate

!This trope is [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=16800369650.63860900 under discussion]] in the Administrivia/TropeRepairShop.
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/4573733_8249455682_39171.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''Not'' separated at birth, mind you.[[labelnote:L - R]] ComicBook/{{Apocalypse}}, ComicBook/{{Darkseid}}, and ComicBook/{{Thanos}}.[[/labelnote]]]]

Just as Franchise/{{Superman}} is often considered to be ''the'' prime example of what a Superhero should be, ComicBook/{{Darkseid}} pretty much defines what a "big league" villain looks like. They have [[EvilIsBigger a towering presence]], [[EvilSoundsDeep a low-octave voice]], a strong jawline, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and a]] [[BaldOfEvil bald head]].

Beyond design, Darkseid Duplicates often aren't just the archenemies of a particular superhero; they are broad-based villains who are foes to all of the local universe's hero community at large, and are either TheDreaded or at least extremely powerful -- the "ultimate evil" so to speak. In order to have the clout needed to go with that status, they usually operate as a GalacticConqueror or OmnicidalManiac, much like the trope namer himself. They also have the ego (think AGodAmI) and [[EvilIsHammy hamminess]] to match, and it is not uncommon for them to describe [[SmugSuper their superiority]] in great detail. Never content with the vast power they already have, they normally have an obsession with a particular artifact of power to further their might. Often this singular obsession is their downfall. They may also be a DemiurgeArchetype and believe themselves to be the ultimate God maybe even having creative powers to reinforce this to their subjects.

Darkseid himself is actually [[NewerThanTheyThink a comparatively young character]] (he first appeared in 1970, as opposed to Superman, who dates from 1938) and only starred in a disconnected DC work (Creator/JackKirby's ''ComicBook/NewGods'') which was not meant to be used outside that story. He has nonetheless proven so iconic that he (and the entire New Gods mythology) were incorporated into the [[Franchise/TheDCU mainstream DC continuity]], with Darkseid starring in nearly every DC universe adaptation since, often as the BigBad. Numerous fictional works in the Superhero genre have since made at least one AlternateCompanyEquivalent or {{expy}} based on him. These expies always have at least a few of the following traits:

* They are heavily-built villains who are designed to be [[BaldOfEvil bald]] and have their face entirely exposed, with an [[AmazingTechnicolorPopulation inhuman skin color]].
* They have large-scale ambitions and often come into conflict with a large amount of the resident franchise's heroic characters.
* Their power is usually vast in scope, a threat to entire planets, galaxies or even universes and beyond.
* They have massive resources at their disposal.
* They desire a MacGuffin of some sort that acts to further their already vast power, such as the Anti-Life Equation for Darkseid or the Infinity Gauntlet for Thanos.
* They have a very high opinion of themselves and will let anyone in a ten-mile radius know it.
* They are ancient and feared.
* They hold a [[StrawNihilist nihilistic]] and/or [[TheSocialDarwinist social Darwinistic]] philosophy which they believe justifies all their actions.

The ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse'' made Darkseid's expy [[Characters/MarvelComicsThanos Thanos]] popular, parodies of him would count.

On that note, [[SelfDemonstrating/{{Darkseid}} Lord Darkseid himself]] has a few words to say on the matter. Woe befall those unfortunate enough to steal from him.
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!!Examples:
[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* Frieza from ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' ticks most of the boxes. He's a bald GalacticConqueror trying to collect the Dragon Balls so he can wish for immortality and at the time of his introduction was considered the single most powerful being in the universe. Though his second form has Darkseid's size, he tends to get smaller as he turns into more powerful forms. Most of Frieza's family and ancestors (particularly his father) would fit the trope as well.
* ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'', has All for One, Fitting, since All Might is a SupermanSubstitute. All for One is an InvincibleVillain that styles himself as a GodOfEvil, had in the past a legion of followers loyal to him out of fear, gratitude or just plain madness, seeks to obtain One for All, which is the only thing capable of ruinning his plans, is one of the most feared villains in the world and is by far the most despicable and iredeemable member of his nemesis rogue gallery. He also has a BaldOfEvil, altough it only came to be after All Might caved the top of his head during their first major fight (his hair was white and his eyes were red before that).
* Zorc Necrophades from ''[[Manga/YuGiOh Yu-Gi-Oh!]]'' heavily takes after [[ComicBook/XMen Apocalypse]] who in turn is based off Darkseid. He's a towering muscular humanoid with dark skin, a cynical view of humanity's potential to be cruel, [[AncientEvil his existence predates Ancient Egypt]] and he wishes to acquire the 7 Millennium Items so he can cast a shadow over all of existence.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* Blackmass, the despotic ruler of planet Hellikost and grandfather of Captain Victory in Creator/JackKirby's ''ComicBook/CaptainVictoryAndTheGalacticRangers'' is a disembodied spirit who appears as a Darkseid-like shadow. As far as Kirby was concerned, Blackmass ''was'' Darkseid, even if copyright issues prevented him actually saying so. When Creator/DynamiteEntertainment got the rights to Kirby's creator-owned characters, they introduced a version of Blackmass as the Big Bad of the steampunk MassiveMultiplayerCrossover ''Legenderry''. This version of Blackmass feeds on souls and resembles Darkseid with shoulder-length hair.
* Creator/DCComics:
** The reason [[Characters/DCComicsMongul Mongul]] is often seen by fans as a B-rate Darkseid is that he's an expy of Marvel's Thanos, himself an Expy of Darkseid. Mongul bears a relatively close physical resemblance to Darkseid and is a GalacticConqueror who rules over a planet-sized weapon called the War World. Even if he isn't as grand an antagonist as Darkseid, he is considered plenty formidable in his own right.
** The Anti-Monitor has a similar build to Darkseid and is a higher-scale threat than Darkseid himself, and his New 52 redesign gave him a bald head to further replicate Darkseid.
** Tartarus in ''Comicbook/JusticeLeagueIncarnate'' is from the CastOfExpies pseudo-Marvel world of Earth-8, and is very much presented as that world's Thanos, complete with ersatz Infinity Stones. Darkseid calls him "an echo of a whisper of my weakest moment" [[spoiler: and then snaps his neck]].
* Creator/MarvelComics
** [[Characters/MarvelComicsThanos Thanos]] is Darkseid's AlternateCompanyEquivalent, with Jim Starlin having explicitly based him on Darkseid at the editor's suggestion (he originally wanted to adapt Metron instead). Thanos has the same imposing physique (baldness included), OmnicidalManiac ambitions, and desire for the same McGuffin Darkseid has (specifically the Infinity Gauntlet, although the Cosmic Cube makes do just fine if need be). He is considered to be one of the top contenders for the title of the Marvel Universe's overarching BigBad. That being said, Thanos has enough distinctive traits and backstory to him that he has managed to make a name for himself. It was also lampshaded when the two met in ''ComicBook/MarvelVersusDC'', where Darkseid called Thanos a "pale imitation for [him]".
** Thanos's great-uncle Uranos, one of the original leaders of Earth's [[ComicBook/TheEternals Eternals]], is also in this category. An OmnicidalManiac who twisted the Eternals' inbuilt Principles via a ZerothLawRebellion, he spent half a million years imprisoned as he couldn't be killed or mindwiped without triggering the world-destroying weapons he'd hidden away.
** The ''ComicBook/XMen'' foe [[Characters/MarvelComicsApocalypse Apocalypse]]. His design is similar to Darkseid, and is one of the oldest, most powerful and most fearsome mutants. Though he has never really expanded himself into being a major player for the entire Marvel Universe, he nonetheless ''is'' the closest thing to a BigBad in the various X-titles under Marvel's banner.
** [[Characters/MarvelComicsHeraldsOfGalactus Terrax]], one of Galactus's Heralds, has a design reminiscent of Darkseid. As a Herald, he has tremendous power, and unlike Galactus' other Heralds he lacks morality ([[InvokedTrope which is why Galactus picked him]], as his other Heralds kept betraying him). Though not a GalacticConqueror in the traditional sense, he does view delivering worlds to Galactus as "conquest". His title as herald of Galactus has brought him into conflict with most of Marvel's cosmic stable of heroes as well as the heavy-hitting earthbound ones such as Hulk and Sentry, the latter a SupermanSubstitute himself.
** The Regent, a C-list ''Spider-Man'' baddie, is a "mere" CorruptCorporateExecutive who uses technology to steal superpowers from metahumans he imprisoned. In spite of his obscure status, his plan to absorb all metahuman powers allows him to gradually imprison Marvel's entire A-list earthbound superhero stable outside of ComicBook/SpiderMan and ComicBook/IronMan. In his case, metahumans themselves are arguably the MacGuffin he desires, as the more he captures, the more he can derive powers from. Notably, he ''was'' an A-List villain in his debut story, conquering the whole world [[note]] (well, [[ComicBook/SecretWars2015 the surviving chunk of it anyone was aware of at the time)]] [[/note]] in his home dimension, but in the main Marvel universe, he's become more of a shnook.
** D-List ''ComicBook/IronMan'' bad guy The Controller has a design reminiscent of Darkseid, but with the caveat that he actually wears an exoskeleton which gives him MindControl powers. He is more of a MadScientist than anything else. Although firmly a foe of Iron Man, he has clashed with ComicBook/{{SHIELD}} and ComicBook/{{Captain Marvel|MarvelComics}} as well. Not to mention he used to serve under Thanos himself. In his case, he can siphon energy from anyone he controls, growing stronger the more victims he has under his thrall. With enough victims under his thrall, he can actually do a fair imitation of a ''real'' Darkseid Duplicate in terms of sheer power, as was the case when he hijacked Iron Man's virtual reality app and took over nearly everyone in it, necessitating Stark to cross the [[GodzillaThreshold Godbuster Threshold]] to take him down.
* The ''ComicBook/AmalgamUniverse'' crossover had Darkseid merge with Thanos to become Thanoseid.
* Darkthorn from Creator/ImageComics' ''ComicBook/{{Youngblood}}'' was created to serve as an antagonist for the Team of Superheroes of the same name, being a physically imposing conqueror who rules his one planet of D'khay. [[BrightIsNotGood His costume is more brightly colored]] than Darkseid's, using gold and purple instead of blue and gray.
* Blackstar from ''ComicBook/JupitersLegacy'' is a bald, green, alien FlyingBrick who was wanted for genociding an alien race and was a struggle for the human brick heroes to take down together.
* ''ComicBook/TwilightGuardian'' has Slaughterdammerung, a [[Music/RichardWagner Wagner]]-themed Thanos expy of all things.
* ''Magazine/{{Mad}}'' magazine's parody, ''[[Film/AvengersEndgame Avenjerks: Is This Ever Gonna End-Game?]]'' had a Thanos expy called Th'anus who was in a gay relationship with his Infinity Gauntlet glove puppet.
* Anti-God from ''ComicBook/BlackHammer'' is a gigantic Darkseid with shades of ComicBook/{{Galactus}}. His brother Black Hammer belongs to a team of SuperheroGods based on the New Gods.
* A ''ComicBook/RickAndMorty'' comic featuring the Vindicators mentioned below parodying ''ComicBook/TheInfinityWar'' had Noob-Noob changing his name to Boon and acting the role of Thanos.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fan Works]]
* In the ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'' fanfic "Fanfic/ApotheosisMHA," Izuku Midoriya [[AdaptationalVillainy becomes]] a supervillain inspired by Darkseid and Thanos, the latter already being an expy of Darkseid. Dubbing himself Apotheosis, he's a megalomaniacal super-genius with an ego so big [[GodhoodSeeker that he wants to be god]]. Obsessed with the actual Infinity Gauntlet, he also has access to vast enough resources to make his own shadow government. Unlike [[DystopiaJustifiesTheMeans his]] [[StrawNihilist inspirations]], [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans he wants this power to improve the world]].
* ''Fanfic/CodePrime'' has the leader of the Decepticons. While Megatron was arguably that in canon, here is a more straightfoward example. A towering, sadistic, power-hungry alien overlord, with a legion of followers loyal to him out of respect or fear, capable of using ancient power to raise the dead, [[spoiler:and literally kill people with a single glare courtesy of his [[MagicalEye Dark Geass.]]]] To drive the comparison further home, as of ''R2'' [[spoiler:Megatron has ordered his loyal MadScientist Shockwave to establish a new project Ragnarok, in order to bring an end to TheEvilsOfFreeWill, much like Darkseid wishes to use the Anti-Life Equation for similar purposes.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* Ironically, the fact that the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse brought Thanos to the big screen while the Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse hadn't yet introduced Darkseid (Creator/ZackSnyder planned to as soon as the first ''Franchise/{{Justice League|Of America}}'' film, but ExecutiveMeddling got in the way) prompted some folks not knowledgeable in comics history to say that ''Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague'''s Darkseid is a "Thanos ripoff".
* The final form of the BigBad in ''Film/TheKeep'' is a large hulking humanoid with [[GlowingEyesOfDoom glowing red eyes]] who seeks to escape his prison so he might harness the latent evil of mankind and TakeOverTheWorld. Visually, he's a near splitting image of Darkseid.
* Gary Goddard admitted he was heavily influenced by the works of Creator/JackKirby, ''New Gods'' included when directing ''Film/MastersOfTheUniverse''. This is why he had the action moved from Eternia to Earth and essentially put Skeletor in the role of Darkseid.
* ''New Gods'' was a major influence on the early ''Franchise/StarWars'' franchise. Darth Vader has a lot of visual and thematic similarities to Darkseid.
** Darth Vader's boss Emperor Palatine looks very similar to Darkseid's mook, Desaad though the master/[[TheDragon dragon]] relationship is reversed.
** Vader being in charge of the Death Star PlanetSpaceship has similarities to Darkseid's weaponized CityPlanet, Apokolips.
** Interestingly, the 1980 ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'' story, ''ComicBook/WarWorld'' debuts the Thanos expy, Mongul who's after a PlanetKiller Death Star style mobile planet called Warworld -- who, in essence, draws influence from both Darth Vader and Darkseid.
[[/folder]]


[[folder:Literature]]
* ''Literature/TheSupervillainySaga'''s Entropicus, particularly in ''Literature/TheTournamentOfSupervillainy'' is a GalacticConqueror who lives at the literal End of Time and rules the DeathWorld Abaddon. He is a bald chalk white PhysicalGod EvilSorcerer who has a QuirkyMiniBossSquad of evil children as well as desires nothing less than to destroy all life in the universe as an OmnicidalManiac due to his nihilism about life's meaning as Death's former champion. For this, he requires the wish that comes from winning the Eternity Tournament.
* ''Literature/MyBrotherIsASuperhero:'' InUniverse, Luke and his dad once made a card game about heroes and villains, with one character, [[spoiler:Gordon the World-Eater]], being imagined as the setting's BigBad. He was so overpowered that he functioned as the game's GoldenSnitch. [[spoiler:Which causes a problem when [[AntiVillain Stellar]] [[ImaginationBasedSuperpower accidentally brings him to life]]]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:LiveActionTV]]
* In ''Series/DoomPatrol2019'', Torminox is presented as a mash-up of Thanos and Darkseid, with a hulking purple appearance and obsession with a {{Macguffin}} a la Thanos but using corruption and mind control a la Darkseid. Like both characters, he also has an AntagonisticOffspring - Casey Brinke - but unlike them, he's not so ruthless; when Dorothy Spinner summons Casey to oppose his efforts to take over Danny the Street, he hesitates, afraid to hurt Casey.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* ''TabletopGame/SentinelsOfTheMultiverse'': There are two primary Darkseid-based characters in the game's comic-book-themed CastOfExpies, Firstly. Grand Warlord Voss, a mix between Darkseid and Mongul a tyrant whose fleet has been spreading across the galaxy for years, conquering planets and subjugating the native species. He has bright pink craggy skin, as well as a headdress and bare-armed uniform reminiscent of Darkseid. His attempted invasion of Earth is something of an early wake-up call that brings together a number of the disparate heroes in the metafiction. Mechanically, the fight with him is meant to represent thousands of his troops landing all over the planet while the heroes fight their way through to Voss, who is effectively invulnerable with enough minions in play, but wades into combat wielding fire and energy gauntlets when his thralls are taken out. Following this, we have the setting's ultimate BigBad, classic "[[CrisisCrossover Crisis Villain]]" [=OblivAeon=] who in turn represents the cosmic evil god/overvillain aspect of Darkseid, with the expected craggly skin, helm and armor reminiscent of more modern Darkseid designs,who seeks to destroy all realities, bringing out not only all the heroes and villains of the main timeline, but also all of their alternate universe counterparts in one last desperate battle to stop him that marks the GrandFinale of the card game, following which the multiverse splits into different reboot continuities.
* Omega, Avatar of Entropy, in ''TabletopGame/FreedomCity'' is the ruler of a dimension called the Terminus, from which he plots the destruction of the multiverse. In his last assault on Earth, he killed Centurion, Freedom City's SupermanSubstitute. Physically, he resembles Darkseid in being a large figure in dark armour with an omega symbol, but has a skull for a head.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' has Shao Kahn. Ancient, conquered multiple realms, had a beloved deceased wife, has two daughters, one loyal to him, the other opposing him, and nearly conquered Earthrealm on more than one occasion. As an added bonus, in ''VideoGame/MortalKombatVsDCUniverse'', he ends up fusing with Darkseid himself, resulting in Dark Kahn.
* ''VideoGame/StarCraftII'': Amon acts as the GreaterScopeVillain of this installment, overshadowing all other villains at this point. They are a threat to all life in the entire universe, they come into conflict with many of the heroes of the setting, they're boastful about their accomplishments, they seek to inhabit a powerful host body to bring their phenomenal power to bear against the universe, they can gain a significant amount of supporters through Mind Control abilities, and they are an ancient and fearsome fallen Xel'naga who wishes to annihilate the universe to remake it as they see fit. They also have red glowing eyes for even more similarities.
* ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'': Zovaal, better known as the Jailer, is the ''Warcraft'' universe's equivalent of {{Satan}} and has many Darkseid-like elements. He's a towering, bald figure who is the ancient ruler of a FireAndBrimstoneHell known as the Maw, which he was banished to after rebelling against the other Eternal Ones who rule the Shadowlands, and seeks to obtain their sigils to regain his lost power. After obtaining the last sigil held by the current [[TopGod Arbiter]], he changes to [[OneWingedAngel a more menacing]] [[TinTyrant armored form]] and sets out to [[InTheirOwnImage recreate all of reality with him as its ruler]], [[spoiler:which is implied following his defeat to be to unite the cosmos against an even larger threat]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* In ''Webcomic/EnnuiGo'', Darcy takes a lot of cues from Darkseid. Physically, she's very tall, muscular, and imposing, with a rather masculine face defined by a strong jaw; even her haircut is very reminiscent of his rounded hood/headdress. She has a massive ego and is imperious, ruthless, and coldly confident, imposing her will over any situation she's in. Some of her dialogue is based on direct quotes from Darkseid, such as [[http://ennuigo.thecomicseries.com/comics/332/ here]] -- and when her family is [[https://ennuigo.thecomicseries.com/comics/1126/ finally revealed]], they are all {{exp|y}}ies of Darkseid's family and associates on Apokolips.
* Killroy (originally from ''Killroy And Tina'', though he's better known now as a recurring bad guy in ''Webcomic/TheNonAdventuresOfWonderella'') is the imposing blue-skinned despot of a galactic empire. Played with, given that he initially wore a helmet that made him appear bald, but removing that helmet reveals [[CompressedHair he has a long, flowing mane of black hair]].
** His depiction in Killroy and Tina is an unusual take on the archetype. The story begins with Killroy already defeated and put on trial by the galaxy's superheroes as punishment, stripped of his powers and exiled to a backwater planet named Earth. It's uncertain whether Killroy genuinely makes a HeelFaceTurn, or is just biding his time until he can escape and enslave the galaxy again. ([[OrphanedSeries The comic was abandoned]] before the story arc could get any closure.)
** ''Webcomic/TheNonAdventuresOfWonderella'' shows Killroy as a more straightforward Darkseid expy, although PlayedForLaughs. His attempts to conquer Earth are undone by bizarre shenanigans, like [[http://nonadventures.com/2006/11/04/bound-for-vengeance/ Wonderella vomiting a giant octopus onto him]], or [[http://nonadventures.com/2010/10/16/quote-of-arms/ his getting distracted by arguments over billboard punctuation]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/Ben10'' has Vilgax, who is a GalacticConqueror, TheDreaded, and a major foe to any and all heroic factions that exist in the setting. Fittingly, he is Ben's ArchEnemy, and like Darkseid lusts for a MacGuffin, in this case, the Omnitrix Ben wears on his wrist. ''[[WesternAnimation/Ben10AlienForce Alien Force]]'' ups the ante by giving Vilgax remote-controlled eye beams just like Darkseid, as well as turning him into a hulking but fully-organic mass of muscle. That being said, he also draws inspiration from the Franchise/CthulhuMythos, and at one point becomes the servant (and TheStarscream) to a Cthulhu Expy.
* ''WesternAnimation/CodenameKidsNextDoor'': While Grandfather lacks Darkseid's physical build, he shares a lot in common with him in terms of character and tone. A god-like EvilOverlord who tries to bend everyone to his will, [[DystopiaJustifiesTheMeans he makes his subjects decrepit slaves]] and [[KnightOfCerebus darkens the tone of the story]] when he shows up -- though unlike Darkseid, he does have a comedic side, seen in such things as [[TrademarkFavoriteFood his love of tapioca pudding]]. His relationship with his sons is similar to Darkseid's relations with his sons Orion and Kalibak; he respects his heroic son Monty despite being his enemy, while being dismissive towards his evil yet loyal son Father.
* ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'': Pariah Dark, the BigBad of the first TV movie ''WesternAnimation/ReignStorm'', has been stated to be an {{Expy}} of Darkseid per WordOfGod. Notably, Pariah Dark, like his inspiration, was a conqueror of his native realm and widely feared.
* Fantos the Amassor from ''WesternAnimation/KidCosmic'' is a big purple alien warlord who combines aspects of Thanos, Ronan The Accuser and Galactus. The Cosmic Stones of Power he's collecting are basically analogous to the ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse'''s Infinity Stones.
* The titular character of the ''WesternAnimation/RandomCartoons'' short "The Infinite Goliath" is as overt a Darkseid expy as it gets. He's a brawny, grey-skinned, red-eyed alien of intimidating stature who is clad in dark blue armor and has a reputation of being a vastly powerful supervillain who has laid siege on countless worlds.
* ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'': "[[Recap/RickAndMortyS3E4Vindicators3TheReturnOfWorldEnder Vindicators 3: The Return Of World Ender]]" has the titular Worldender as the supposed antagonist. The staff has noted that "if Thanos fucked Darkseid and, like, had a baby, and that baby then fucked some other giant creature monster, that's Worldender". Like Darkseid, he's a hulking [[TheDreaded and feared]] OmnicidalManiac who has conquered and destroyed many worlds. When his minions are found dead, the Vindicators assume he has Darkseid's tendency [[BadBoss to kill his own minions for petty reasons]].... Turns out that he and his minions were killed by a drunken [[VillainProtagonist Rick]] just to show the Vindicators up.
* ''WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower'': Gives us a revamped version of [[Characters/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPowerHordePrime Horde Prime]]. He's definitely ancient, top-heavy but has [[PrehensileHair cyber tentacle hair]], has glowing eyes but [[GreenAndMean they're green]], and a completely different color scheme from most orthodox examples. But he's a legitimate GalacticConqueror with massive resources of manpower and material that comes with that. Makes use of MindControl chips to cow populations and subvert resistances and seeks a SuperWeapon in the Heart of Etheria that he intends to use to destroy the universe. His multitudinous prior successes justify his arrogance and pride even as it ultimately proves to be his undoing. Against most others his design leans directly into the religious metaphors you would expect with a wannabe god.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS31E14BartTheBadGuy Bart the Bad Guy]]" has Bart watching a movie called ''[[Film/AvengersInfinityWar Vindicators: Crystal War]]'' with a BigBad called Chinnos who looks like Thanos with several chins voiced by Creator/MarvelStudios president and ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse'' producer Creator/KevinFeige.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/SolarOpposites'' episode "Terry and Korvo Get in a Big Screaming Fight in the Taco Bell Parking Lot" a guy wants to use mosquitos to wipe out half of The Wall's population. He gets accused of ripping off Thanos and tries to deny it at first but then admits he's copying Thanos.
* Dark Kat from ''WesternAnimation/SwatKats'' is one the primary enemies of the duo, if not the BigBad of the series. He's a big, powerful cat with EvilMinions (weird demon-like creatures called "Creeplings" that work for him, akin to Darkseid's Parademons) that tries multiple times to turn Megakat City into a conquered land of chaos. He even makes alliances with various members of the Kats' RoguesGallery to take them down.
* ''WesternAnimation/ThundarrTheBarbarian'': Gemini, the only villain to appear twice on the show, is physically almost identical to Darkseid and has a similar personality and powers. Notably, the cartoon was created by Creator/JackKirby.
* ''WesternAnimation/UltimateSpiderMan2012'' turns Korvac into a GalacticConqueror alien, clearly based on Thanos.
[[/folder]]
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** [[Characters/MarvelComicsHeraldsOfGalactus Terrax]], one of Galactus's Heralds, has a design reminiscent of Darkseid. As a Herald, he has tremendous power, and unlike Galactus' other Heralds he lacks morality ( [[InvokedTrope which is why Galactus picked him]], as his other Heralds kept betraying him). Though not a GalacticConqueror in the traditional sense, he does view delivering worlds to Galactus as "conquest". His title as herald of Galactus has brought him into conflict with most of Marvel's cosmic stable of heroes as well as the heavy-hitting earthbound ones such as Hulk and Sentry, the latter a SupermanSubstitute himself.

** His depiction in Killroy and Tina is an unusual take on the archetype. The story begins with Killroy already defeated and put on trial by the galaxy's superheroes as punishment, stripped of his powers and exiled to a backwater planet named Earth. It's uncertain whether Killroy genuinely makes a HeelFaceTurn, or is just biding his time until he can escape and enslave the galaxy again. ( [[OrphanedSeries The comic was abandoned]] before the story arc could get any closure.)

** D-List ''ComicBook/IronMan'' bad guy The Controller has a design reminiscent of Darkseid, but with the caveat that he actually wears an exoskeleton which gives him MindControl powers. He is more of a MadScientist than anything else. Although firmly a foe of Iron Man, he has clashed with ComicBook/{{SHIELD}} and ComicBook/{{Captain Marvel|MarvelComics}} as well. Not to mention he used to serve under Thanos himself.

* ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'', has All for One, Fitting, since All Might is a SupermanSubstitute. All for One is an InvincibleVillain that styles himself as a GodOfEvil, had in the past a legion of followers loyal to him out of fear, gratitude or just plain madness, seeks to obtain One for All, which is the only thing capable of ruinning his plans, is one of the most feared villains in the world and is by far the most despicable and iredeemable member of his nemesis rogue gallery. He also has a BaldOfEvil, altough it only came to be after All Might caved the top of his head during their first major fight (his hair was white and his eyes were red before that).

[[folder:Literature]]
* ''Literature/TheSupervillainySaga'''s Entropicus, particularly in ''Literature/TheTournamentOfSupervillainy'' is a GalacticConqueror who lives at the literal End of Time and rules the DeathWorld Abaddon. He is a bald chalk white PhysicalGod EvilSorcerer who has a QuirkyMiniBossSquad of evil children as well as desires nothing less than to destroy all life in the universe as an OmnicidalManiac due to his nihilism about life's meaning as Death's former champion. For this, he requires the wish that comes from winning the Eternity Tournament.
* ''Literature/MyBrotherIsASuperhero:'' InUniverse, Luke and his dad once made a card game about heroes and villains, with one character, [[spoiler:Gordon the World-Eater]], being imagined as the setting's BigBad. He was so overpowered that he functioned as the game's GoldenSnitch. [[spoiler:Which causes a problem when [[AntiVillain Stellar]] [[ImaginationBasedSuperpower accidentally brings him to life]]]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:LiveActionTV]]
* In ''Series/DoomPatrol2019'', Torminox is presented as a mash-up of Thanos and Darkseid, with a hulking purple appearance and obsession with a {{Macguffin}} a la Thanos but using corruption and mind control a la Darkseid. Like both characters, he also has an AntagonisticOffspring - Casey Brinke - but unlike them, he's not so ruthless; when Dorothy Spinner summons Casey to oppose his efforts to take over Danny the Street, he hesitates, afraid to hurt Casey.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* ''TabletopGame/SentinelsOfTheMultiverse'': There are two primary Darkseid-based characters in the game's comic-book-themed CastOfExpies, Firstly. Grand Warlord Voss, a mix between Darkseid and Mongul a tyrant whose fleet has been spreading across the galaxy for years, conquering planets and subjugating the native species. He has bright pink craggy skin, as well as a headdress and bare-armed uniform reminiscent of Darkseid. His attempted invasion of Earth is something of an early wake-up call that brings together a number of the disparate heroes in the metafiction. Mechanically, the fight with him is meant to represent thousands of his troops landing all over the planet while the heroes fight their way through to Voss, who is effectively invulnerable with enough minions in play, but wades into combat wielding fire and energy gauntlets when his thralls are taken out. Following this, we have the setting's ultimate BigBad, classic "[[CrisisCrossover Crisis Villain]]" [=OblivAeon=] who in turn represents the cosmic evil god/overvillain aspect of Darkseid, with the expected craggly skin, helm and armor reminiscent of more modern Darkseid designs,who seeks to destroy all realities, bringing out not only all the heroes and villains of the main timeline, but also all of their alternate universe counterparts in one last desperate battle to stop him that marks the GrandFinale of the card game, following which the multiverse splits into different reboot continuities.
* Omega, Avatar of Entropy, in ''TabletopGame/FreedomCity'' is the ruler of a dimension called the Terminus, from which he plots the destruction of the multiverse. In his last assault on Earth, he killed Centurion, Freedom City's SupermanSubstitute. Physically, he resembles Darkseid in being a large figure in dark armour with an omega symbol, but has a skull for a head.

[[folder:Video Games]]
* ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' has Shao Kahn. Ancient, conquered multiple realms, had a beloved deceased wife, has two daughters, one loyal to him, the other opposing him, and nearly conquered Earthrealm on more than one occasion. As an added bonus, in ''VideoGame/MortalKombatVsDCUniverse'', he ends up fusing with Darkseid himself, resulting in Dark Kahn.
* ''VideoGame/StarCraftII'': Amon acts as the GreaterScopeVillain of this installment, overshadowing all other villains at this point. They are a threat to all life in the entire universe, they come into conflict with many of the heroes of the setting, they're boastful about their accomplishments, they seek to inhabit a powerful host body to bring their phenomenal power to bear against the universe, they can gain a significant amount of supporters through Mind Control abilities, and they are an ancient and fearsome fallen Xel'naga who wishes to annihilate the universe to remake it as they see fit. They also have red glowing eyes for even more similarities.
* ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'': Zovaal, better known as the Jailer, is the ''Warcraft'' universe's equivalent of {{Satan}} and has many Darkseid-like elements. He's a towering, bald figure who is the ancient ruler of a FireAndBrimstoneHell known as the Maw, which he was banished to after rebelling against the other Eternal Ones who rule the Shadowlands, and seeks to obtain their sigils to regain his lost power. After obtaining the last sigil held by the current [[TopGod Arbiter]], he changes to [[OneWingedAngel a more menacing]] [[TinTyrant armored form]] and sets out to [[InTheirOwnImage recreate all of reality with him as its ruler]], [[spoiler:which is implied following his defeat to be to unite the cosmos against an even larger threat]].

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* In ''Webcomic/EnnuiGo'', Darcy takes a lot of cues from Darkseid. Physically, she's very tall, muscular, and imposing, with a rather masculine face defined by a strong jaw; even her haircut is very reminiscent of his rounded hood/headdress. She has a massive ego and is imperious, ruthless, and coldly confident, imposing her will over any situation she's in. Some of her dialogue is based on direct quotes from Darkseid, such as [[http://ennuigo.thecomicseries.com/comics/332/ here]] -- and when her family is [[https://ennuigo.thecomicseries.com/comics/1126/ finally revealed]], they are all {{exp|y}}ies of Darkseid's family and associates on Apokolips.
* Killroy (originally from ''Killroy And Tina'', though he's better known now as a recurring bad guy in ''Webcomic/TheNonAdventuresOfWonderella'') is the imposing blue-skinned despot of a galactic empire. Played with, given that he initially wore a helmet that made him appear bald, but removing that helmet reveals [[CompressedHair he has a long, flowing mane of black hair]].
** His depiction in Killroy and Tina is an unusual take on the archetype. The story begins with Killroy already defeated and put on trial by the galaxy's superheroes as punishment, stripped of his powers and exiled to a backwater planet named Earth. It's uncertain whether Killroy genuinely makes a HeelFaceTurn, or is just biding his time until he can escape and enslave the galaxy again. ( [[OrphanedSeries The comic was abandoned]] before the story arc could get any closure.)
** ''Webcomic/TheNonAdventuresOfWonderella'' shows Killroy as a more straightforward Darkseid expy, although PlayedForLaughs. His attempts to conquer Earth are undone by bizarre shenanigans, like [[http://nonadventures.com/2006/11/04/bound-for-vengeance/ Wonderella vomiting a giant octopus onto him]], or [[http://nonadventures.com/2010/10/16/quote-of-arms/ his getting distracted by arguments over billboard punctuation]].

* In ''Series/DoomPatrol2019'', Torminox is presented as a mash-up of Thanos and Darkseid, with a hulking purple appearance and obsession with a {{Macguffin}} a la Thanos but using corruptiona and mind control a la Darkseid. Like both characters, he also has an AntagonisticOffspring - Casey Brinke - but unlike them, he's not so ruthless; when Dorothy Spinner summons Casey to oppose his efforts to take over Danny the Street, he hesitates, afraid to hurt Casey.

Darth Vader from the ''Franchise/StarWars'' franchise is considered to be influenced by Darkseid but characters based on Vader go under DarthVaderClone.

The ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse'' made Darkseid's expy Thanos popular, parodies of him would count.

** Omega Shenron from ''Anime/DragonBallGT'' also bears some resemblance to Darkseid; he is a towering, heavily built villain with a blue and grey colour scheme, he is the final and most powerful villain of the series, he is an OmnicidalManiac MadeOfEvil, his mere presence [[PersonOfMassDestruction causes disasters and destruction to erupt in his vicinity]] and his name is shared with Darkseid's Omega Beams.

Beyond design, Darkseid Duplicates often aren't just the archenemies of a particular superhero; they are broad-based villains who are foes to all of the local universe's hero community at large, and are either TheDreaded or at least extremely powerful -- the "ultimate evil" so to speak. In order to have the clout needed to go with that status, they usually operate as a GalacticConqueror or OmnicidalManiac, much like the trope namer himself. They also have the ego (think AGodAmI) and [[EvilIsHammy hamminess]] to match, and it is not uncommon for them to describe [[SmugSuper their superiority]] in great detail. Never content with the vast power they already have, they normally have an obsession with a particular artifact of power to further their might. Often this singular obsession is their downfall. They may also be a DemiurgeArchetype and believe themselves to be the ultimate God maybe even have some creation powers to reinforce this to their subjects.

Beyond design, Darkseid Duplicates often aren't just the archenemies of a particular superhero; they are broad-based villains who are foes to all of the local universe's hero community at large, and are either TheDreaded or at least extremely powerful -- the "ultimate evil" so to speak. In order to have the clout needed to go with that status, they usually operate as a GalacticConqueror or OmnicidalManiac, much like the trope namer himself. They also have the ego (think AGodAmI) and [[EvilIsHammy hamminess]] to match, and it is not uncommon for them to describe [[SmugSuper their superiority]] in great detail. Never content with the vast power they already have, they normally have an obsession with a particular artifact of power to further their might. Often this singular obsession is their downfall.

[[folder: Literature]]

* ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' has Shao Kahn. Ancient, conquered multiple realms, had a beloved deceased wife, has two daughters, one loyal to him, the other opposing him, and nearly conquered Earthrealm on more than one occasion. As an added bonus, in ''[[VideoGame/MortalKombatVSDCUniverse Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe]]'' he ends up fusing with Darkseid himself, resulting in Dark Kahn.

* ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'': Zovaal, better known as the Jailer, is the ''Warcraft'' universe's equivalent of {{Satan}} and has many of the elements of this. He's a towering, bald figure who is the ancient ruler of a FireAndBrimstoneHell known as the Maw, which he was banished to after rebelling against the other Eternal Ones who rule the Shadowlands, and seeks to obtain their sigils to regain his lost power. After obtaining the last sigil held by the current [[TopGod Arbiter]], he changes to [[OneWingedAngel a more menacing]] [[TinTyrant armored form]] and sets out to [[InTheirOwnImage recreate all of reality with him as its ruler]].

* In ''Webcomic/EnnuiGo'', Darcy takes a lot of cues from Darkseid. Physically, she's very tall, muscular, and imposing, with a rather masculine face defined by a strong jaw; even her haircut is very reminiscent of his rounded hood/headdress. She has a massive ego and is imperious, ruthless, and coldly confident, imposing her will over any situation she's in. Some of her dialogue is based on direct quotes from Darkseid, such as [[http://ennuigo.thecomicseries.com/comics/332/ here]] -- and when her family is [[https://ennuigo.thecomicseries.com/comics/1126/ finally revealed]], they are all [[{{Expy}} expies]] of Darkseid's family and associates on Apokolips.

* ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'': Zovaal, better known as the Jailer, and the universe's version of {{Satan}}. He's a towering, bald figure who is the ancient ruler of a FireAndBrimstoneHell known as the Maw, which he was banished to after rebelling against the other Eternal Ones who rule the Shadowlands, and seeks to obtain their sigils to regain his lost power. After obtaining the last sigil held by the current [[TopGod Arbiter]], he changes to [[OneWingedAngel a more menacing]] [[TinTyrant armored form]] and sets out to [[InTheirOwnImage recreate all of reality with him as its ruler]].

* ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' has Shao Kahn. Ancient, conquered multiple realms, had a beloved deceased wife, has two daughters, one loyal to him, other opposing him, and nearly conquered Earthrealm on more than one occasion. As an added bonus, in ''[[VideoGame/MortalKombatVSDCUniverse Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe]]'' he ends up fusing with Darkseid himself, resulting in Dark Kahn.