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

[AdamFTF]

TBF, that was a pretty weak interpretation of Darkseid, especially with the creepy fixation on Wonder Woman. Darkseid desires nothing but power and dominion.

It was an early '80s kids' show. The writers on the show tried pretty hard to make it more like the comics. But some fights they just couldn't win. So, the acquiesced to the "villain has a romantic fixation on female hero" trope (for example, see Lotor/Allura from Voltron).

[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.

[married guy]

Above all else, Darkseid pulls off the trick of simultaneously being all-powerful and yet understated. He always knows what's going on, and pimp-slaps high-level superheroes with ease. At the same time, (when done right) his design is simple, and he doesn't do bombastic gesture.

Hitchcock said there's more tension in the gun being cocked than fired. That's Darkseid. He's the tiger, economically stalking, without hurry. We all know the fangs and roar are coming, but Darkseid is the long, agonizing stalk. Pure tension .

Too many of the others tend to be about the gunshot instead of the guncock.

This is the perfect analogy!
When written well, Darkseid is THE ultimate foe. Nigh indestructible, powerful, calculating, relentless and without empathy or mercy.
He should never really be defeated. His plans can be stalled or hampered by the heroes of the DCU - but he is never truly beaten.

[achilles]

I think it's those pants...he never seems to launder them. That makes him scary.

[DrNewGod]

This is the perfect analogy!
When written well, Darkseid is THE ultimate foe. Nigh indestructible, powerful, calculating, relentless and without empathy or mercy.
He should never really be defeated. His plans can be stalled or hampered by the heroes of the DCU - but he is never truly beaten.

IMO, Darkseid should never be taken in a match of fisticuffs. Not by nobody. To start, he'd rather not do anything as crude (and why would you when you can look somebody to death with your Omega Beams?).

I do think his plans should be wrecked, but Darkseid shouuld never be take in a straight up confrontation.

[Robanker]

He's the one fast food employee that can No Sell any Karen, Zor-L included!

[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.