Superman Lore Changes Forever, As DC Explains His Secret Cosmic Connection to Darkseid

Warning! Spoilers ahead for DC All In Special #1!It’s a new era for the DC Universe and a stunning revelation is shining a light on the true connection between Superman and the fearsome tyrant Darkseid. Amanda Waller’s attack on the DC Universe’s heroes has failed and things are finally getting back to normal.

However, Absolute Power was not without its consequences. To prevent Waller from abusing the multiverse, the Prime Earth sealed itself off from the greater panoply of alternate Earths. Though it helped save the day, its had a serious effect on Darkseid, who’s finally discovering the truth about his role in the DC Universe and his connection to the Man of Steel.

Darkseid Exists to Oppose Superman and the Hopeful Energy Clark Embodies

Darkseid Represents Restraint While Superman Represents Creation

In DC All In Special #1 by Joshua Williamson, Scott Snyder, Daniel Sampere, Wes Craig, Dan Mora, Tamra Bonvillain, Alejandro Sánchez, and Steve Wands, Darkseid is more restless than ever now that the multiverse is inaccessible. Determined to understand the source of his agony, he constructs a Miracle Machine and even sacrifices his son Kalibak to empower it. Once he has his weapon operating at full capacity, he embarks on a journey to find the one person who can give him the answers Darkseid needs: The Spectre.

Darkseid ventures to Heaven and Hell in search of the Spectre, but it isn’t until he arrives on the dark side of the Moon that the villain finds Jim Corrigan being held captive by Eclipso. The all-powerful Quintessence attempt to stop Darkseid from interfering with God’s right hand, but thanks to the Miracle Machine, Darkseid forcefully fuses his body with the Spectre. In a last ditch effort to stop Darkseid, the Spectre brings their fused form to the Justice League’s new Watchtower.

During the fight with the League, the Spectre attempts to reason with Darkseid by telling him of his true role in the DC Universe. Spectre states that the center of the reality around them is life and limitless creation, a hopeful energy embodied by Superman. But this force is countered by restraint and control, embodied by Darkseid (the Spectre even calling Darkseid “the true Source Wall that holds it all back“). This is why, unlike everyone else, Darkseid has no multiversal variants, as he’s an essential force of nature.

Superman and Darkseid are Needed for a Stable DC Universe

Superman Brings Life While Darkseid Keeps It In Check

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Superman is the ultimate personification of life and creation in the DC Universe. Who else but the Man of Steel so perfectly embodies the endless journey of life as it grows and becomes something wonderful? In many ways, the DC Universe is Superman, but the truth is he’s just one side of the coin. Yes, Clark is a fantastic symbol of the great positives of the DCU, but there are negatives in this world as well. And when it comes to someone who can counter Superman, there’s no one better than Darkseid.

Creation is a good thing, but unlimited creation is untenable. The DC Universe is never going to be without heroes and worlds, so it doesn’t need to constantly be pumping out new ones. So ultimately, something like Darkseid is a necessary evil. Just as creation ushers in new life, restraint keeps it limited to make things more manageable. Darkseid has long expressed desires to control everything and now it finally makes sense why. His endless quest to bring the DC Universe under his heel is simply Darkseid trying to keep everything in check.

It’s easy to call Superman the hero and Darkseid the villain since, at their core, that’s what they are. But in reality, these icons are two halves of the same coin. The DC Universe fundamentally works because of what each of these two bring to the table. Without Darkseid, life expands with nothing to keep it under control and without Superman, life wouldn’t be able to expand at all. It’s a delicate balance, but ultimately one that has kept the DCU stable. But now that Darkseid has changed the game, what will this mean for Superman and the DC Universe?

Darkseid’s Absolute Universe Throws the Entire DCU Out of Whack

What Happens When Darkseid Steals Superman’s Role?

DC All In Special #1 concludes with Darkseid transferring his energy to a young Earth and creating a world where he’s the dominant figure instead of Superman. That kind of world goes against the very nature of DC’s reality and is almost certainly going to cause problems down the line. It’s hard to say what kind of chaos is about to go down, but by usurping Superman’s role, Darkseid is about to place the entire DC Omnivese is grave danger.

DC All In Special #1 is available now from DC Comics.