What makes Darkseid so much better then most cosmic level villains?

[mathew101281]

I think it’s because he’s seen as more of a character then a pure cosmic force. The problem with for example the anti monitor, is that he really doesn’t have much of a personality. Darkseid has personality. That’s why he’s the first cosmic villain writers turn to when they need a big threat.

[Riv86672]

That he was originally kinda hokey, as were his henchmen/many of the New Gods...

...and as many of the kids who read Kirby’s stories grew up and got into the business, they added layers of seriousness and took the cosmic concept to higher levels, till we’ve ended up w. The truly dangerous villain who can literally change reality w. his schemes.

W. occasional callbacks to the hokey stuff...

[Gaius]

I assume it's because writers like to play around with a prominent Kirby creation.

[mathew101281]

I assume it's because writers like to play around with a prominent Kirby creation.

Then where is my Klarion the witchboy mini?

[Robotman]

I think anyone who questions how truly scary and yet cool Darkseid really is needs to read Final Crisis.

52A5245D-9C14-4876-B882-882F4AF783AD.jpg

[HunterX]

The Anti Monitor is the ultimate cosmic villain for me, the biggest threat of all. Darkseid is not better, maybe he is just more usable and accessible.

[lemonpeace]

solid character premise, striking character design, consistent storytelling utilization, and experimentation over time mainly. everything else are bells and whistles.

[mathew101281]

The Anti Monitor is the ultimate cosmic villain for me, the biggest threat of all. Darkseid is not better, maybe he is just more usable and accessible.

That's what I'm saying, The Anti Monitor is a threat, and a cosmic force, but he really isn't much of a character. He's really more of a plot device.

[Green Goblin of Sector 2814]

I wouldn't say that he's "better" than the other DC cosmic villains. My favorite of DC's villains actually happens to be Sinestro as I think he's a little more nuanced in his motivations and is a more sympathetic character than Darkseid. But, Darkseid is a character who, when done right, should scare the crap out of you by his mere presence but, at the same time, isn't over the top or campy in his villainy. He's not Lex Luthor or Dr. Doom, both of whom like to revel in their brilliance and greatness just as they're about to kill their enemies. Darkseid, when done right, doesn't brag about his power...because he doesn't have to. He just has it. He's omnipresent. Darkseid is like the invisible hand: even if you know he's there, you can't always see him.

I think that's what a lot of writers find compelling about him and, while not all of them are successful, a lot of writers want to try their hand at capturing that. So, ironically, the very thing that makes him compelling is the thing that makes it hard to really "get" him right.

On top of that, as alluded to, Darkseid has been cemented as one of the most powerful characters, not just in the DC canon, but in the superhero genre. The guy can literally collapse reality just by his mere presence. So, if you're a writer and you want to quickly raise the stakes of your story, invoking the name of Darkseid is an easy way to do it.

Plus, it doesn't hurt that he's pretty much the only A-list DC villain created by Jack Kirby, aka the King of Comics, who created most of Marvel's A-list villains from Dr. Doom to Magneto to Galactus and beyond.

Then where is my Klarion the witchboy mini?

The key word is prominent. Klarion never really caught on in the same way that Darkseid did. Although, it's not impossible for him to do so in the future.

[The no face guy]

I love the anti monitor, but he is such a powerful cosmic villain, he should only turn up once every decade or so, because you have to employ the whole DC universe against him everytime.

For me, Darkseid is the ultimate cosmic villain, he's powerful, but not to the point where you have to have a crossover crisis everytime he shows up, so you can use him more.

He's been around since the early 70's and has a more intricate history behind him with the New Gods, Mr. Miracle, his own planet with cronies, which heroes often find themselves secretly visiting or escaping from now and then. I always like it when heroes have to visit Apocalypse, but they don't actually bump into Darkseid, as he's off in his palace somewhere else, but the threat of his presence is always there. Yes for me, greatest cosmic villain.

[Lightning Rider]

Seems like the combination of subtlety, supreme power, and eerie omnipresence are the big factors.

Darkseid is.

[Midnight_v]

I think it’s because he’s seen as more of a character then a pure cosmic force. The problem with for example the anti monitor, is that he really doesn’t have much of a personality. Darkseid has personality. That’s why he’s the first cosmic villain writers turn to when they need a big threat.

As opposed to who?

Offhand I think of":
Starro: who... who really is kind of a big deal or was as long as you glaze over certain things. Its a Cthulhu style monster and I think the thing were they attatched it to one guy was preposterous.

Mongul: Who in recent times or as long as I remember is busy getting punched down.

Despero:During the Bronze Age of Comic Books, Mongul was stronger than Superman and almost totally invulnerable to harm.[6][7] Superman defeated him by foiling his schemes, but only once defeated Mongul in hand-to-hand combat. Even then, Superman fell unconscious immediately afterward.[7] Mongul also demonstrated the ability to teleport;[6] limited telepathy and telekinesis;[7] and could project blasts of potent force via his eyes,[5] hands,[6] or chest. The character also used technology to shrink his enemies and place them in dimensional-inversion cubes designed to prevent escape by warping their interior reality and absorbing any power used against them from within.[7] The Modern Age Mongul started off with less power than the Bronze Age version but was still a formidable foe and a capable match up against Superman on multiple occasions, although slightly weaker. - From the wiki

Funny I see the trend of these guys all having "dominance" as a mental power to some degree... just as an aside.

annnd.... I guess... I guess: Brainiac and the Evil Lantern Corps of varying ilk...

I suggested building up "the reach" once ...

Though in the back of my mind I have it pretty settled that if you can punch it into submission it losses a lot of its efficacy.
Cosmic threat needs something big and mythological to hold onto as well the: Anti-life equation and the quest for it just sounds great.

its pretty fixable but Darkseid fills a niche that just works.

[Mider2009]

Never really seen Darkseid live up to his potential of being a huge threat, he gets slapped around by Superman too much for my taste.

[9th.]

His look alone does it, he looks like if someone took Keith David's or James Earl Jones voice and drew it. He's intimidating without having to do anything.

[Robanker]

His look alone does it, he looks like if someone took Keith David's or James Earl Jones voice and drew it. He's intimidating without having to do anything.

While I know what you mean, nobody can out Darkseid Michael Ironside. There doesn't exist a universe with better casting. Even David, who I love, is a little too suave for Darkseid. But Ironside? Everything he says feels serrated and dripping with disdain. There's nothing to latch on to for charisma. He's just pure, unfiltered despair ground into a low, pulsating reverberation.

Other than Darkseid, however, I think David could voice just about any heavy hitter. Mongul is one I think could benefit from him. He has to have a booming, powerful voice and being a ruler that rouses his people with blood sport, I imagine he would need some charisma or theatricality to him as well.