Darkseid, one of DC’s greatest villains, plays an important function in the DC Comics universe that he will never understand. Darkseid, the most terrifying of the New Gods, considers himself to be one of the most dangerous entities on the planet.
He’s destroyed countless worlds, committed untold horrors, and slain billions of people; but DC teases his actual position in the cosmos in Green Lantern #7; by Geoffrey Thorne and Tom Raney. When Darkseid’s fellow New God Lonar sends Green Lantern John Stewart back in time to an ancient struggle between the New Gods and the beings who would become the Guardians of Oa; he accidentally creates the new Green Lantern Corps.
This was back when Darkseid was still known as Uxas; and he employed a weapon known as a Soul Cannon instead of the Omega Force. John Stewart couldn’t help but intervene, and he was blasted by the Soul Cannon; which turned him into something…new. The only reason Lonar took John Stewart back to that ancient fight; according to him, was to ensure he evolved.
Darkseid’s true purpose in the DC universe is hinted at in Green Lantern #7. On a larger scale, a crisis usually triggers evolution; this is also true on a human level, with transformation being sparked by a painful incident. In DC, Darkseid, as the greatest cosmic catastrophe, is an unknowing evolutionary tool.
How many heroes have been born as a result of Darkseid’s acts, no matter how deadly he is? For dread of Darkseid, how many partnerships have been formed? Darkseid is Lonar’s go-to tool because he is the God of Journeys, an agent of transformation and evolution.
The Genesis of the Daleks
The concept is amusing, however, it isn’t entirely original. The Time Lords dispatched the Doctor on a mission to alter history and eliminate the Daleks from the timeline in the classic Doctor Who adventure “Genesis of the Daleks.” He ultimately decided not to fulfil his mission because he believed the Daleks would be required in the future.
Doctor explained, “You see, I know that although the Daleks will create havoc and destruction for millions of years, I know also that out of their evil must come something good.” In DC Comics, the same note of hope can now be heard above Darkseid.
The irony is that Darkseid will never be able to understand his contribution. He’s too selfish, too arrogant, and he’ll never believe he’s just a necessary cog in the cosmic machine. But that’s how it should be; if Darkseid ever recognised it, he’d be outraged at the notion that he’s nothing more than a catalyst for change and evolution. Lonar’s face lights up every now and then when he realises the truth.
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