DC Sets Up Darkseid's New Nemesis With a Surprising Visit to... Atlantis?!
Warning! Spoilers ahead for Aquaman #1!Even dead, Darkseid is still making enemies and ruining the lives of everyone he can. The infamous New God may be dead, but he lives on through strange aberrations popping up in the DC Universe. The latest one has just destroyed an iconic location and made an enemy of a powerful DC hero.
In Aquaman #1 by Jeremy Adams and John Timms, Arthur meets with Jackson Hyde, who reveals he's discovered a powerful pearl. Aquaman brushes it off as nothing serious, but after saving Florida from a water monster, Arthur returns home to discover Atlantis is destroyed, with the pearl vibrating ominously.
The Justice League investigates the pearl for Aquaman and together, they trace the orb's magical vibration to a relic deep in the ocean. The pearl activates a gateway that Aquaman dives straight into. However, once the portal dissipates, the relic is revealed to be a glowing Omega symbol, Darkseid's crest.
Atlantis Was Just Destroyed and Darkseid is Connected
Where is Darkseid, and What is He Planning?
After the multiverse was sealed off in Absolute Power, Darkseid went mad and attacked the Justice League. However, the confrontation ended with Darkseid's physical body being destroyed, sending out a wave of energy throughout the DC Universe and beyond. Most of Darkseid's energy broke through to another world to create the Absolute Universe, but the rest of it remained in the Prime Universe, where it's been traced to several odd phenomenons around the DCU. The Justice League is tracking these events, but even they are unsure of what these aberrations mean when it comes to the supposedly deceased New God.
The cliffhanger ending raises a lot of questions. How is Darkseid related to the pearl? And why would he want to destroy Atlantis, much less target Aquaman? Interestingly enough, Challengers of the Unknown #1 ended with Superman potentially being infected by a phenomenon associated with Darkseid energy, so this event would make Arthur the second big-time Justice League member that the New God has gone after. It could be that Darkseid isn't making a nemesis out of Aquaman so much as he is trying to corrupt the most influential members of the Justice League.
Darkseid is Taking Out the Justice League Before He Truly Comes Back
The New God is Coming Back as an Absolute Threat
The last time Darkseid was seen, he was made whole and had his own Legion of Super-Heroes. It's just a matter of time until he returns to properly claim the Prime DC Universe, but before he does, he needs to weaken the greatest threat to him. The phenomenons that are popping up all over the Earth and in space could be Darkseid's way of corrupting or taking out League members to make the team less of a threat upon his return. What happened to Aquaman's kingdom is just a small preview of what Darkseid could be about to bring.
The one silver lining is that unlike Superman, Aquaman hasn't been corrupted. He's just ventured into a domain that could be controlled by Darkseid. He could still survive what the New God has waiting for him and return in time to aid his allies before all hell breaks loose. Hopefully, Aquaman is ready because whatever Darkseid's planning, he's planning on absolute victory.
Aquaman #1 is available now from DC Comics.
- Alias
- Uxas
- Created By
- Jack Kirby
- Franchise
- D.C.
- Race
- New God
- First Appearance
- SuperMan's Pal Jimmy Olsen
Darkseid is a tyrannical supervillain in DC Comics, ruling the hellish planet Apokolips. He seeks the Anti-Life Equation to control all sentient life and eliminate free will across the universe. With immense strength, energy manipulation, and Omega Beams that disintegrate targets, Darkseid is a relentless foe of Superman, the Justice League, New Gods, and free people everywhere.
