DC Fans Have Been Wrong About The Real Hero of Final Crisis For Almost 20 Years

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DC’s Final Crisis is a unique and complex story, and many fans have misunderstood a crucial part of it. Following the success of Infinite Crisis, DC Comics was experiencing a period of strong creativity. Writer Grant Morrison rejoined DC in late 2004, and contributed to the 52 series before working on the “Seven Soldiers of Victory” crossover, JLA Classified #1-4, All-Star Superman, and Batman. Morrison was a highly valued writer for DC, and they developed an idea for the definitive Crisis event.

This concept eventually evolved into Final Crisis, promoted with the tagline “The Day Evil Won.” It was a large-scale crossover event featuring Darkseid as the primary antagonist, and a reasonable reading of the story suggests that Superman is the central hero. Darkseid actively tries to keep Superman away from Earth during his invasion, but the situation changes when Superman returns. It’s Superman who brings the Miracle Machine from the future to restore the Multiverse. He defeats Darkseid, allowing the Supermen from across the Multiverse to overcome the Vampire Monitor Mandrakk, who exploited the chaos caused by Darkseid’s attack to attempt total annihilation. However, a more compelling candidate for the story’s true hero is Darkseid.

Final Crisis is, in my view, a truly excellent event, largely because of its complexity. Morrison didn’t aim for a simple, straightforward story; instead, they crafted one with layers of meaning that become clearer with each re-reading. The narrative draws heavily from their previous work and the broader history of DC Comics. While Darkseid is generally considered DC’s ultimate villain, a different interpretation suggests his actions were actually crucial to the multiverse’s renewal. In a way, Darkseid played a heroic part in the story and is, arguably, Final Crisis’s true hero.

Darkseid Plays a Crucial Role in the Cosmology of the DC Multiverse and Final Crisis Plays into That

To grasp Darkseid’s surprisingly positive role in this story, let’s explore the DC Multiverse. It’s powered by two main forces: hope – often referred to as Superman’s energy – and doom, which is the energy embodied by Darkseid. Superman is essentially the foundation of the DC Multiverse. While he isn’t strictly the first superhero in terms of timeline anymore, as he was before the Crisis event, he remains its central point. Darkseid is his direct counterpart.

Originally created by Jack Kirby to embody pure evil, Darkseid is the ultimate opposite of Superman. To really understand the story, you need to know about the DC Multiverse as it existed during Final Crisis. The multiverse had recently been rebuilt with 52 universes. New beings called the Monitors appeared, and these worlds were simultaneously brand new and eternally old. But, as previous Crisis events have shown, the multiverse is fragile. Forcing it to split apart again could seriously damage the very foundation of reality within the DC Multiverse. The idea is that Final Crisis was designed to be the Monitors’ last stand, exposing them as creatures that survive by feeding on the energy of the Bleed. This also led to the birth of Nix Uotan, who became the Superjudge – a being essential for the continuation of everything that exists.

That leads us to Final Crisis. Before the story began, Darkseid was defeated and killed by his son, Orion, which fulfilled a key prophecy related to the New Gods. The destruction of Darkseid’s physical form created a tear in existence – a black hole – that began to warp all of reality. By the story’s end, this black hole had collapsed the entire multiverse into a single, unified structure, symbolized by the JLA Watchtower and Titan Tower. Darkseid’s invasion of Earth was intended to give him the opportunity to rebuild the dying multiverse, essentially creating a new reality from its remains. However, this new multiverse was fragile and fractured, and the Monitors kept it that way. Darkseid’s ultimate goal was to recreate everything in his own image, but his attack inadvertently enabled something else: Superman created the means to restore and fortify the Multiverse.

Darkseid completed his role as the source of destructive forces, ultimately collapsing the already fragile multiverse. This crisis drew Superman into the conflict, giving him the means to restore order. He used his own powers, along with the Miracle Machine, to rebuild reality as it once was – solid and secure. This meant ending the Monitors’ practice of siphoning energy from the Bleed for their own sustenance, and leaving only the Superjudge to fulfill his original purpose: watching over the boundaries of reality. Darkseid’s destruction of the multiverse was similar to a forest fire – it cleared away what was decayed and allowed for new growth to emerge.

Furthermore, Darkseid, representing the very essence of evil, had his power merged back into the newly formed multiverse that Superman brought into being. It’s possible the instability of this new multiverse stemmed from the fact that Darkseid’s energy wasn’t initially part of its creation. Darkseid embodies death and decay; maybe a stable multiverse requires these forces to exist without a physical form during its creation-something Superman achieved by separating Darkseid from his body with a whistle.

Darkseid Had to Destroy Everything In Order for It to Be Recreated Correctly

Grant Morrison deeply understands comics and frequently discusses their impact on their life. One idea of theirs that I particularly appreciate is the concept of superheroes as representations of essential forces. Morrison views a fictional universe like DC as being just as valid as reality itself. With that in mind, Final Crisis demonstrated the power of hope even when facing total destruction-a story where ultimate decay made way for new beginnings; where disaster struck, creating an opportunity for renewal. While Superman ultimately triumphed over evil and rebuilt the multiverse, he couldn’t have done it without the actions of Darkseid.

Darkseid did terrible things, but he was simply acting according to his inherent nature. Is a lightning strike that ignites a forest fire and destroys trees considered evil? Not really, because it’s fulfilling its role, and the resulting destruction creates space for new life to emerge. You could even argue that the lightning is the hero; while the fire may cause loss, it also leads to new beginnings and growth. Darkseid embodies this lightning strike. His death and subsequent actions paved the way for a more resilient multiverse. He is a monstrous figure, but also a crucial hero within the events of Final Crisis.

Is Darkseid actually the hero in Final Crisis? Does any of that even seem logical? Share your thoughts in a comment below and become part of the discussion right now in the ComicBook Forum!

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2025-10-05 18:11