It’s Official: DC Is Killing Off Darkseid in Its Next Big Event

When it comes to threats to the universe, very few are as dangerous as Darkseid — but now DC is officially killing him off as part of the new line-wide initiative and Justice League reboot. Darkseid is the living personification of tyranny and will do everything he can to subjugate all will in the universe. He is a classic Justice League villain, which is why it’s so surprising that DC has decided to kill him off.

DC has recently revealed its new All In initiative, which will be a sweeping new era for DC. One of the surprising events that is going to kick this new era off is the apparent death of Darkseid. As the solicitation for Justice League Unlimited #1 says, “Darkseid’s death triggers a massive power vacuum in the DCU.” Exactly how and why Darkseid is going to die is unclear, but it will undeniably have massive consequences for everyone moving forward.

As already confirmed by DC, Darkseid’s “energies” will cause the creation of the Absolute Universe, a far darker and more twisted version of the main universe that fans are familiar with. It’s completely possible that this Absolute Universe is created from the energies Darkseid releases specifically upon his death, which seems to imply he’s died in a brand-new way, as this has never happened before.

Darkseid’s Next Big Battle Ends with His Death

DC All In Special #1 Variant Cover by Rafa Sandoval

Darkseid has threatened the DCU countless times, and he’s been defeated just about every single time by the Justice League. Usually, it’s just a matter of thwarting his plans, and things don’t tend to go as far as killing him. But that wasn’t the case in Final Crisis by Grant Morrison and J.G. Jones. After Darkseid nearly succeeds in his goals, Batman shoots Darkseid with a specialized bullet that seemingly kills the New God. Darkseid does end up returning, but that’s simply because it’s nearly impossible to kill one of the New Gods. But that simple fact seems to be changing this fall.

Since their earliest days in the original 1970s series by Jack Kirby, Darkseid and the rest of the New Gods have been the personifications of ideas; it’s not easy to kill them. Even if someone kills their “bodies,” those are just avatars of what they represent. Darkseid’s true form is a lot harder to actually defeat, which is why this new death is so surprising. Every other time Darkseid died, everything just went about normally until his return. But this time, his death seems to spur the creation of an entirely new universe. This could point to the fact that Darkseid might truly be dead this time, much to the surprise of everyone, including fans.

Darkseid Created by Jack Kirby

It’s a bold choice for DC to begin a brand-new sweeping initiative with exciting new stories by killing off one of their biggest villains. With Darkseid’s energy possibly creating the Absolute Universe, it’s hard to imagine how he’d be able to come back, since it seems his essence has been completely merged into what the Absolute Universe will become. While Darkseid has been a major threat to the universe for decades, it seems that Superman and the Justice League will finally be able to breathe easy, as Darkseidno longer is.

Justice League Unlimited #1 is available November 27th, 2024 from DC Comics!