Darkseid’s Family Has a Major New Member, as DC Confirms an Iconic New God is Having a Baby

Warning: Potential Spoilers for The New Gods #1Darkseid‘s lineage is expanding as a New God becomes a father in a surprising addition to DC’s continuity. The Fourth World makes its return to DC Comics later this year, and with that return comes the newest of the New Gods’ debut. Series writer Ram V has now confirmed that Mister Miracle is having a child, thus adding a member to Darkseid’s family tree.

The New Gods by V and Evan Cagle is slated to hit shelves this December as part of DC’s All In initiative. This series will reimagine the New Gods for this exciting new era of comics and build upon the foundation set by Jack Kirby’s Fourth World Saga in the 1970s. In a recent interview with Comic Krackle, V discusses his upcoming story and reveals that Mister Miracle will be having a daughter with Big Barda named Olivia Free.

Mister Miracle’s father, Highfather, is the brother of Darkseid, which makes Darkseid this child’s great-uncle. Her name being Olivia Free is particularly significant, as that name couldn’t be more fitting for the daughter of Mister Miracle and Big Barda.

The Name of Mister Miracle’s Daughter Perfectly Sums Up His History

Darkseid’s Nephew Has Escaped Him at Long Last

Mister Miracle, or Scott Free, was born to Highfather on New Genesis and destined for nobility. Then, in a tragic turn of events, Highfather traded his son for Darkseid’s to end the war between New Genesis and Apokolips. After years of enduring Granny Goodness’ torture, he escaped the fires of Apokolips alongside Big Barda. Now, the two of them have begun a new life on Earth. His name, Scott Free, is a reference to his freedom from that world and to his talents as the escape artist Mister Miracle, and his daughter – pictured above in adorable art by series artist Cagle – is about to enhance this wordplay.

Life on Apokolips under Darkseid’s rule wasn’t easy for Mister Miracle and Big Barda, and since their daring escape, they’ve done all they can to cultivate a peaceful life. Their child’s name, Olivia Free, illustrates that they’ve succeeded at last. It can be shortened to Liv Free, a phrase that speaks to Scott and Barda’s aspiration. Now that Mister Miracle is “scot-free” as Scott Free, he can finally “live free” with Liv Free. This name embodies his freedom from Darkseid as he starts a family on Earth. With Olivia’s impending introduction, though, one member of Darkseid’s family is officially not part of DC’s main continuity.

It’s Confirmed: Mister Miracle’s Other Children Aren’t Part of DC Continuity

Darkseid’s Lesser-Known Heirs Are No Longer Canon

Olivia Free may be the first child of Mister Miracle and Big Barda in DC’s main continuity, but she isn’t the only one who’s ever been put on the page. In Mister Miracle #7 by Tom King and Mitch Gerads, Barda gives birth to a boy named Jacob Free. However, things aren’t as pleasant as they seem for this family of three. In this continuity, Mister Miracle is presumably dead, and his life with Barda and Jacob is a heaven that he chooses over the canon DC Universe. Because he’s from a false reality, Jacob doesn’t exist in V and Cagle’s The New Gods, with Olivia taking his place.

Jacob isn’t the only non-canon child of Mister Miracle. Another appears in Mister Miracle: The Source of Freedom by Brandon Easton and Fico Ossio, and she bears a closer resemblance to Darkseid than her parents. Her name is N’Vir Free, a clever play on words in the same vein as Scott Free and Liv Free, although hers carries a sinister meaning. It alludes to her being the ruler of an empire called the Free Galactic Imperium where she squanders civilians’ free will, so her people are “never free”. Thankfully, N’Vir hails from an alternate universe, so it’s unlikely that Olivia will end up like her.

With the Fourth World in Chaos, Mister Miracle Faces His Own Conflict

Mister Miracle Prepares to Make the Ultimate Choice After Darkseid’s Death

DC has already revealed that Darkseid’s death is drawing near, and the solicitation for The New Gods #1 drops hints about conflicts arising in New Genesis and Apokolips in the aftermath of his demise. Mister Miracle doesn’t yet know about what’s brewing as he and Barda focus on raising Olivia, though their quaint routine will soon be disrupted. In his interview with Comic Krackle, Ram V sheds light on a decision that Mister Miracle needs to make as the rise of a New God shakes the Fourth World to its core:

There is this child that is now in the eye of the storm – not his daughter, but this New God […] and he has the ability to intervene. Does he abandon his newfound family to go play hero and have this adventure? Or does he abandon this child? In which case, would he be abandoning a version of himself?

Mister Miracle’s attempt at normalcy faces a snag as he’s suddenly tempted back to the higher world he escaped all those years ago. Scott Free could be the key to guiding this New God in the right direction and settling tensions between Apokolips and New Genesis, but doing so would mean leaving his daughter the way Highfather left him. Time will tell whether Mister Miracle lives freely with Liv or repeats the sins of his father by choosing duty over his child. The lineage of Darkseid is growing, and Olivia Free’s birth is set to bring challenges that even Mister Miracle can’t escape.

The New Gods #1 is available December 18th, 2024 from DC Comics.

Source: Comic Krackle, Ram V