Name: Darkseid
Secret Identity: Uxas
Origin: Prince Uxas was second in line to the throne of the hellish planet Apokolips. Ambitious and cruel, Uxas plotted to seize power and depose his pacifistic brother (Drax) and manipulative mother (Heggra). When it was time for Drax to access the fabled Omega Force, Uxas killed him and seized the power for himself ascending to godhood in the process.
source
Taking the new name of Darkseid, Uxas pleased his mother with his ruthlessness having despised Drax’s good nature. Heggra ordered the love of Darkseid’s life (indeed his first and only love) Suli poisoned and killed to prevent her from “corrupting” Darkseid with her goodness. When Darkseid found out about the treachery, he had his mother poisoned (ironically using the same minion who poisoned Suli, his right hand man Desaad).
source
Darkseid would grow increasingly cold and ruthless, seeking greater power and the destruction of his enemies. To that end, he became obsessed with discovering the Anti-Life Equation, a mathematical formula that would give he who knew it the power to enslave all life in the universe. Darkseid’s mad quest for universal domination brought him into conflict with his rival New Gods from the heavenly planet New Genesis, Earth’s greatest hero Superman (his mortal nemesis), and the Justice League.
source
Powers/Abilities: Darkseid is one of the New Gods (an extremely powerful race of beings who get their abilities from close proximity to the Source- a powerful form of cosmic energy) who was further enhanced by the Omega Force. As such, Darkseid is one of the most powerful beings in the universe even by New God standards. He is functionally immortal as he doesn’t age and is extremely resistant to physical harm (though high level beings like Kryptonians, Martian Manhunter, the Spectre, other New Gods, and weapons forged on Apokolips can wound/kill him).
Darkseid is immune to sickness and can shrug off bullets, lasers, high level explosions, falls from great heights, electric shocks, and more without a scratch.
Darkseid possesses immense superhuman strength allowing him to crush, bend, or shatter any man-made material (even breaking a Green Lantern ring with his bare hands), topple buildings with his blows, lift immense objects, and match or even overpower Superman and Wonder Woman.
He has super speed, reflexes, and stamina as well. In addition to his physical abilities, Darkseid has a large number of powers due to the Omega Effect. This includes: chronokonesis (manipulation of time), molecular manipulation (transmuting and manipulating matter on an atomic level), resurrection of the dead, manipulation of souls, absorbing energy, granting super powers, creating avatars of himself, altering his size, telekinesis, telepathy, mind control, teleportation, cosmic awareness (the ability to perceive and understand the universe at a deeper level than other beings; he can even see beyond his universe into other ones), and his greatest weapon: the Omega Beams. These beams of energy fired from his eyes are controlled by Darkseid’s mind and can travel in straight lines or bend, twist or curve around corners. The Omega Beams can disintegrate matter or transport victims through time and space. Superman and Doomsday are two of the few beings able to survive a direct hit from the Omega Beams (Wonder Woman’s bracelets can also block them).
Darkseid is a master strategist and one of the most brilliant minds in the universe as well as a skilled hand to hand fighter (though he views few as being worthy of facing him in direct combat). He has immense willpower and the ability to instill fear in enemy and ally alike. Darkseid, like all New Gods, is vulnerable to the element called Radion which functions similar to kryptonite on Superman.
Random Trivia: Darkseid has two biological sons, Kalibak and Orion, and he’s the adoptive father of Scott Free (son of the leader of New Genesis, Darkseid’s nemesis Highfather). To end a longstanding war Darkseid had started with New Genesis, he and Highfather exchanged sons (Orion for Scott Free) as part of a truce. This would haunt Darkseid later as Orion became one of the greatest champions of New Genesis and Scott would escape Apokolips to become the superhero Mr. Miracle. Orion was prophesied to kill Darkseid (which did happen). The tyrant ultimately met his final end during the “Final Crisis” event at the hands of Superman.
Darkseid has been shown to only fear two beings: the savage mass murderer Doomsday and his own father Yuga Khan, a ruthless tyrant even more cruel than Darkseid himself. Darkseid loses his Omega Effect powers without regular exposure to Element-X.
Every year at Christmas time, Santa Clause magically breaks through Apokolips’s defenses to deliver a lump of coal, much to Darkseid’s annoyance.