Cast This: Darkseid

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Both DC and Marvel have their fair share of nearly omnipotent space villains, but the Marvel Cinematic Universe has beaten DC to the punch by bringing Thanos to the big-screen first, but it's important to note that Darkseid, the all-powerful Lord of Apokolips, actually debuted in comics before Thanos; In fact, Thanos creator Jim Starlin admitted that the Mad Titan was inspired by Darkseid, who was created by the late, great Jack Kirby.

Although Darkseid hasn't yet appeared in any of Warner Bros.' live-action DC films, the seeds have been planted in previous movies, such as the Omega symbol seen in Bruce Wayne's (Ben Affleck) extended dream sequence in BATMAN V. SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE and the Parademons (Darkseid's personal shock troops) in both BVS and JUSTICE LEAGUE. There have been several other small references to Darkseid, but as it seems unlikely that Warner Bros. will be following through on what Zack Snyder had planned, it's not known just when he'll make his grand entrance. At the moment, our best chance at seeing Darkseid is in the hands of Ava DuVernay as the WRINKLE IN TIME director closed a deal with the studio earlier this year to direct a big-screen adapation of THE NEW GODS. DuVernay mentioned that the project was still in the early development stage back in June, and she still drops the odd tease on Twitter every now and again.

After making a cameo in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #134 of all places, Darkseid's first full appearance came about in Forever People #1 in 1971, part of Jack Kirby's Fourth World series. Darkseid is one of the New Gods, an alien race who are the natives of the twin planets of New Genesis and Apokolips. The two were once part of the same world which was split apart a millennia ago during Ragnarök. The idyllic New Genesis is ruled over by the Highfather and is filled with unspoiled forest, mountains, and rivers, while the nightmarish Apokolips is a polluted and ruined dystopia filled with fire pits and machinery. It's this world which Darkseid calls home and he rules over it with an iron fist. As one of the most powerful beings in existence, Darkseid is gifted with a great many superhuman abilities, including strength, invulnerability, and a genius level intellect, but one of his main abilities are Omega Beams, a form of energy which he fires from his eyes. As Darkseid has absolute control over this energy, he's able to use it to either erase living beings from existence or teleport them to a location of his choosing. Darkseid's ultimate goal is to conquer the universe and eliminate all free will, but in order to do so, he needs the solution to a transcendental mathematical formula known as the Anti-Life Equation. 

Although Darkseid hasn't yet appeared in a live-action feature film, he has been featured in many animated DC projects, with actors such as Frank Welker, Michael Ironside, Andre Braugher, and even Weird Al Yankovic voicing the character. When it comes to the inevitable live-action film, it's likely that Darkseid will be a CG creation much like Thanos (Josh Brolin), with an actor driving the performance through motion-capture and as well as lending their voice to the character. As for who should play Darkseid, I'll toss out a few suggestions to get you started. Hugo Weaving (MORTAL ENGINES) hasn't always had the best things to say about his involvement in blockbusters such as CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGERS and TRANSFORMERS, but nonetheless, I still think that the actor's menacing voice would be a great fit for Darkseid. Another actor who could give the villain a distinctive vocal flair would be Javier Bardem (MOTHER!). As for my final suggestion, I'll throw out Tom Hardy (VENOM), an actor who seems to love experimenting with voices, provided they're of the growly variety.

Remember, you're free to suggest anyone in the comments, so let your inner casting director run wild!

Previously on Cast This, you were asked to fill the role of Kraven the Hunter, the fearsome big-game hunter who tackles the most dangerous game on the planet, including superheroes such as Spider-Man. There were a lot of great suggestions tor the role, including Kevin Durand (The Strain) and Jeffrey Dean Morgan (The Walking Dead), but the overwhelming favourite was Karl Urban (THOR: RAGNAROK).