Darkseid’s Mother Secretly Deserves All The Credit For Creating Him

The Lord of Apokolips, Darkseid, fancies himself a conqueror in DC Comics, and his track record speaks for itself—but he would be nothing without his mother. The various Fourth World titles have chronicled the saga of the New Gods of New Genesis and Apokolips, including Darkseid’s family history. In 1997, writer/artist John Byrne created a new title, Jack Kirby’s Fourth World, and in a series of back-up stories, he explored the relationship between the future Darkseid and his family.

When the legendary artist Jack Kirby came to DC Comics in 1970, he hit the ground running, creating the sprawling Fourth World saga, a mind-bending odyssey stretching across multiple monthly titles. It told the story of Highfather, of the paradisal New Genesis and his struggles against Darkseid, the evil lord of the hellish Apokolips. The Fourth World encompasses numerous other characters, including Mister Miracle and the Forever People, all playing a vital role in a cosmic struggle between good and evil. Although initially intended to be kept separate from the rest of the DC Universe, the New Gods were nevertheless incorporated into it, and Darkseid would go on to become one of DC’s greatest villains. His name strikes fear into the hearts of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and the rest, as he has crushed numerous worlds beneath his heels—but a close look at his family history shows just how important his mother was in his rise to power.

Darkseid’s mother is Heggra, and his father Yuga Khan; he has an older brother named Drax. In Jack Kirby’s Fourth World #2, Drax begins brokering a peace agreement between his world of Apokolips and his friend Izaya (the future Highfather) of New Genesis. Both Drax and Darkseid, then known as Uxas, seek the Omega Force, and the two track it to a distant planet. When Drax goes to claim the Omega Force for himself, Uxas attacks him, brutally beating him and leaving him for dead. Uxas then takes the Force; it turns his skin gray and hard but supercharges him to god-like levels. Uxas then rechristens himself “Darkseid.”

In issue five, Darkseid returns, but does not tell his mother his true identity; he tries to convince her it is Drax, but she sees through his deception. Heggra reveals she has carefully orchestrated matters so that Darkseid would kill his brother and claim the Omega Force; she goes on to detail how she was disgusted with Drax, who she condescendingly called a “peacemaker” and a “lover of life and light.” She wanted Darkseid to take the Omega Force, because he would be a true ruler of Apokolips.

Heggra’s suspicions were correct—Uxas’ new name of Darkseid would become feared throughout first the universe and then later the multiverse. Darkseid has vanquished numerous foes and conquered countless planets. His single-minded pursuit of first the Anti-Life Equation and now the Great Darkness has led him to expand his scope to the larger Omniverse. Many more worlds will soon tremble before Darkseid’s might—and all of this is because of his scheming, conniving mother, one who could not bear the thought of a good and noble son. In the process, Heggra unleashed an evil not even she could contain.

Darkseid is one of the most feared villains in the DC Universe, but at his core, he is a “momma’s boy.” Without his mother Heggra, the Lord of Apokolips would not be the feared conqueror he is today.

About The Author

Shaun Corley
(1379 Articles Published)

Shaun Corley is a pop culture enthusiast living in the Pacific Northwest. After stints in both customer service and academia, he’s turned his attention to writing about comic books–his lifelong passion. He is a graduate of Radford University, with a degree in English. When not reading comics, he enjoys spending time with his fiance and their dog.

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