I will take you to a Hell without exit or end. And there I will murder your souls!
The New God of Evil is back and at his absolute worst, having achieved his ultimate goal and ready to enslave or destroy all of reality.- The prologue from DC Universe 0. We get shots of Darkseid plummeting through reality with his whole body set aflame, making him look like a devil being cast into Hell.
- The new nature of Darkseid, not to mention Mandrakk. Darkseid has transcended his physical form and become a nightmarish Eldritch Abomination who's pulling reality down into the abyss, and Mandrakk is an interdimensional vampire feeding on the death of reality.
- The release of the Anti-Life Equation, which is released on EVERY form of electronic device: TV, Internet, radio, PDA, Cellphone, GPS, etc. The book proclaims that over a billion people are enslaved this way with the initial release of the Anti-Life Equation, effectively giving Darkseid control over Earth and forcing the unaffected heroes of Earth into hiding for the second half of the storyline.
- Darkseid's possession of Dan Turpin. Lured into a trap, and restrained by Darkseid's minions, they proceed to torture and mutilate him like some kind of horror movie, in order to break Dan's will. As Darkseid begins to possess him, we are treated to many panels of him physically transformed into the rock skinned Darkseid, while having a visor physically attached, shown in a reflection in the mirror. After long periods of torture and transformation, almost similar to Tim Drake's tortures, and with no one around to find him or save him, Dan eventually gives into Darkseid.Dan Turpin: "The choice is simple. Because here at the end, there's no choice at all. Only Apokolips and Darkseid. Forever."
- Because of the physical transformation, there is a level of uncanny valley with this more human shaped incarnation of Darkseid, especially with his eyes, which are more glowing bloodshot eyes with human irises instead of the usual fiery and featureless red. He gloats to Superman how he can't kill him, and gives the most terrifying and utterly depraved Slasher Smile as Superman is dragged by the enslaved masses.
- After Anti-Life claims half the Earth's populace, we see people working themselves to death, police brutality, concentration camps and at one point a woman about to be raped.
- It's not just Darkseid's resurgence that's scary. Most of his elites get the same treatment.
- Kalibak's new form is a tiger-man who demonstrates his ferocity by mauling a Green Lantern.
- The sudden twist when Alpha Lantern Kraken turns on Batman and reveals that she's actually Granny Goodness.
- Mary Marvel is possessed by Desaad. Freddy and Black Adam force Mary back into her civilian form, but it's implied to have left some scars on her psyche. Mary is now too scared to change back in case Desaad takes over again.
- Wonder Woman, Batwoman, Catwoman and Giganta are infected with some Apokoliptian virus and become the new Furies.
- Barry Allen returns, and is chased by the Black Racer. Rather than his goofy armoured ski man look from the comics, this Black Racer looks exactly like Death personified.
- Just when it seems like Darkseid has met his end at the hands of the Black Racer, Wonder Woman suddenly says "But I'M Darkseid," followed by several others chanting the same thing.
- The Death of Reality as Darkseid falls upon it. Space itself cracks open, the sky rains blood, Time starts to collapse and the multiverse enters a Reality-Breaking Paradox as it gets dragged into the pit of hell.
