Warning! Spoilers for Justice League Incarnate #5 by DC Comics
Two of pop culture’s biggest villains are both fueled by tragic origins, as DC Comics just reminded readers that Darkseid’s past is just as sad as Darth Vader’s. In a new preview for Justice League Incarnate #5, Darkseid’s tragic past is revisited as readers see his wife Suli murdered at the hands of his mother. Additionally, Darkseid is reminded that he can’t be weakened by love and needs to remember who he is – a horrifying villain.
Darkseid has embraced his own “Dark Side” in attempts to rule Earth, the Universe, the Multiverse, and beyond in the pages of DC Comics. Rage and power fuel Apokolips’ ruler, as his tragic history turned him into a dominant villain who has put his entire life behind him in search of the Anti-Life Equation and control of the DC Universe. Some readers might not know that Darkseid’s life took its darkest turn following the death of his wife, Suli, who his mother had poisoned to ensure her son would remain on the darkest path imaginable. Now, DC is reminding readers how that loss fuels his power.
In a new preview for Justice League Incarnate #5 by Joshua Williamson, Dennis Culver, Andrei Bressan, Jesus Merino, Hi-Fi, and Tom Napolitano, the story flashes back to Darkseid’s time on Apokolips. His wife Suli (with their son Kalibak) tells Darkseid that so much is possible “when you unclench your fist,” while urging him to put aside the mask of Darkseid and let Uxas, his true self, free. However, the next panel shows Darkseid holding the body of Suli after his mother Heggra had DeSaad poison her. Darkseid asks why his mother would do such a thing and is told that “it is a fatal mistake to be weakened by love.” In the present day, Darkseid unleashes his full power on the Gentry.
Darkseid’s tragic origin led him to embrace his darkest side, ultimately paralleling Darth Vader from Star Wars. Vader embraced the Dark Side to his fullest extent after the death of his wife, Padme, who tragically died after giving birth. Palpatine guided Darth Vader further towards the dark, just as Heggra did with Darkseid. Additionally, much like Darth Vader, Darkseid would battle his son (Orion), who worked for the opposite side of his power (New Genesis). Orion, like Luke Skywalker, struggled to come to grips with his true parentage and what that meant for him as a hero.
Darkseid and Darth Vader are both complex villains guided by tragic loss. Darkseid, like Vader, was pushed towards a darker path after the death of the love of his life – who was perhaps the only person capable of saving him before he fully embraced villainy. However, unlike Darth Vader, Darkseid is well past the point of redemption.
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