The main antagonist in Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021), Darkseid, is one of the most powerful beings in the entire DC Universe. Willing and able to kill anyone that stands in his way, Darkseid is of a race called the New Gods, and single-handedly rules the world of Apokolips with an iron fist. Here we’re going to dive into the history behind Darkseid, as his plans for Earth are done through the actions of Steppenwolf in this film, so the audience doesn’t get a good picture of what this character’s motivations are. Though he does have a much larger involvement in Zack Snyder’s cut. We’ll glimpse into the source material to provide answers for who Darkseid is, what his powers are, and what his ultimate motivation is in trying to conquer the Earth.

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Origin Story

     DC Comics

There was a boy, the son of a royal family called Prince Uxas, who was set to be the second in line for the throne behind his brother. Showing his thirst for power from an early age, Uxas would kill his older brother to claim the Omega Force. The power would turn Uxas’ skin to stone, and he would thus take the name Darkseid. While Darkseid would be shown to have a heart, falling in love and fathering a son, his wife would be assassinated, leading him to grow even more cold and ruthless in his conquests.

Much like Cronos of Greek Mythology, Darkseid would be fated to give birth to a son that would end his life. Naming this boy Orion, Darkseid would exchange his son with the Scott Free of New Genesis by means of a peace treaty between Apokolips and the rest of the New Gods.

Quest for the Anti-Life Equation

     Warner Bros. Pictures

Darkseid’s primary purpose for trying to conquer the Earth would be his search for the Anti-Life Equation, a formulaic equation stating the futility of humanity, which would allow Darkseid to control anyone that falls prey to it. Believing part of this equation is found in the subconsciousness of humanity, Darkseid would relentlessly target the Earth and, in some stories, succeed in crucial moments of Crisis.

One of the clearest examples of the Anti-Life Equation’s power comes from the story arc DCeased, where after releasing the Equation as a technological virus, anyone who looks at a screen is exposed and turned into a zombie, each capable of turning someone else into a zombie. This would lead to heroes such as The Flash, Superman, and Wonder Woman becoming superpowered carriers, with the rest of the world struggling to fend off infection. This is an alternate future, but still an intense glimpse at what Darkseid is capable of when the entirety of the Equation is in his hands.

The Darkseid War

While the events of the film do provide subtle nods to his origins, much of the film appears based on the events of the New 52 continuity. With the opening story arc of the Justice League print providing much of the source material for the film’s events (from Cyborg being an addition to the Justice League to the team fighting Steppenwolf while only briefly glimpsing Darkseid) it would be interesting to note that the dark future depicted at the end of the film may have been due to the events of Final Crisis or the New 52’s major event, The Darkseid War.

A vital feature of this story arc is that Darkseid is seemingly killed by the Anti-Monitor after initially conquering Earths 2 and 3 before directing his assault to Earth-Prime. Upon Darkseid’s death, it is implied that as a God of Evil and Chaos, his power is spread upon the world, causing traumatic events and altering the Justice League as everyone attempts to adapt to the new world order. Darkseid would return, once again by way of a rebirth, and would reclaim his power before fighting the League to a brutal end.

Final Crisis

The story arc known as Final Crisis also provides a look into what Darkseid’s ultimate plan for conquering Earth can involve. After conquering many other Earths and vanquishing them, he turns his attention to Earth-Prime, initially suffered fatal blows from his son Orion, only to be rebirthed in a host body thanks to the help of Libra and the Secret Society of Super-Villains.

After infecting humanity with the Anti-Life Equation, Darkseid proves near omnipotent, killing many with his slaves and his omega beams. It would take Batman shooting Darkseid with a Radion Bullet, The Flashes (Barry Allen and Wally West) leading the Black Racer into Darkseid, Wonder Woman binding him with the Lasso of Truth, and Superman giving one final effort to take Darkseid down for good. With Batman and Flash being present as well as Mera (potentially taking the place of a fallen Aquaman and Wonder Woman) with Lex Luthor, Cyborg, Deathstroke, and the Joker rounding out the cast, it appears it may take a strong ensemble to truly stop Darkseid from fulfilling his plans of world domination.