There are few DC villains as powerful or as terrifying as Darkseid. He has routinely gone up against the entire Justice League and pushed them to their limits, but when he found himself powerless in Metropolis, it wasn’t Superman who humiliated him, but basic thugs. Without his Omega Effect or other powers, Darkseid became the victim of an everyday mugging.
In Super Powers #3 by Paul Kupperberg and Carmine Infantino, Darkseid — with the help of a mercenary named Tyr and, bizarrely, Mr. Freeze — has escaped a special prison that drained him of his powers. He then makes his way to Metropolis. Seeking a New God scientist here, Darkseid hopes to get his powers returned, but before he can find this scientist, he learns exactly why Metropolis needs Superman.
After stealing a pair of clothes to disguise himself, Darkseid runs into two street ruffians who promptly mug the former lord of Apokolips. While Darkseid is usually more powerful than Superman, in this situation he is exactly as strong as the average human, and these two criminals easily beat and humiliate him.
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Darkseid Is Completely Humiliated by Two Basic Metropolis Thugs
Super Powers #3 by Paul Kupperberg, Carmine Infantino, Pablo Marcos, Albert De Guzman, and Joe Orlando.
Darkseid is often considered one of the strongest super-villains in the DC Universe. Except for this Super Powers story, the Justice League have never really found a way to depower him. In this one instance, Mister Miracle crafts a prison that not only contains Darkseid but significantly weakens him. The tyrant can’t escape without outside help, and even when he does escape, he needs help regaining his lost powers. This is why Darkseid travels to Earth, and while some fans might think it ridiculous that Darkseid is beaten so easily by regular humans, this completely fits the scope of his original character profile.
Over the years, Darkseid has been built up into an unstoppable pillar of power, but originally, he was much more of a schemer character. He could definitely use his power to decimate his enemies, as he did in Forever People #6 by Jack Kirby and M. Royer, but overall he preferred manipulating people to serve his goals. He wasn’t the giant brute that he often is now. It wasn’t unusual for Darkseid to try and lie or ambush opponents he didn’t want to fight, as he once did to his son Orion. He preferred avoiding confrontation if possible, so it’s no wonder that, when forced into a physical conflict without any powers, he ended up losing.
Darkseid Is Usually Terrifying, But This Was His Greatest Humiliation
Darkseid eventually finds the New God scientist he was searching for and restores parts of his powers. But he never does find the two thugs who manage to get the better of him. While Darkseid is used to obliterating the Justice League, his biggest humiliation came from just a normal pair of humans. It’s a strange side of Darkseid‘s history that readers don’t get to see often, but before he was the giant powerhouse he is today, he really was someone who, under the right circumstances, could be taken down by just about anyone.
Super Powers #3 is available now from DC Comics!
