Name: Darkseid
Universe: Earth-1
Alter Ego: None
Occupation: Dictator, Would-Be Ruler of the Universe
Marital Status: Twice Married
Group Affiliation: None
Base of Operations: Apokolips
Known Relatives: Heggra (mother, deceased), Suli (wife, deceased), Tigra (wife), Orion, Kalibak (sons)
Height: 7 ft. 6 in.
Weight: 515 lbs.
Hair Color: None
Eye Color: Red
First Appearance: Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #134

History:
The son of Queen Heggra of the planet Apokolips, the young Darkseid played the role of a humble, retiring member of the royal court while quietly maneuvering to seize power. Darkseid's first major step was to persuade his uncle Steppenwolf to go to the nearby planet New Genesis to hunt down some of its citizens for sport. While there, Steppenwolf murdered Avia, the wife of Izaya, one of the planet's leaders. Darkseid pretended to kill Izaya, who them, as Darkseid planned, launched "the Great Clash" between the two planets. During this war Darkseid ceded command of a raid to Steppenwolf, knowing that it would lead to the latter's death at Izaya's hands. Darkseid took over direction of the war and, after his ally Desaad secretly murdered Queen Heggra, the throne of Apokolips as well.

In the final days of the war Izaya, now known as Highfather, and Darkseid negotiated a peace treaty. Darkseid wanted time to find a means of guaranteeing his ultimate victory. By the terms of "the Pact", Darkseid and Highfather exchanged guardianship of their heirs. Darkseid sent to New Genesis the boy Orion, the product of his loveless marriage to Tigra, whom Heggra had chosen to be his wife. In return Highfather sent his son Scott Free, who later became Mister Miracle, to Darkseid.

Years later Darkseid broke the truce by kidnapping people from Earth to Apokolips. He then invaded Earth, hoping to discover in the minds of one of its inhabitant the Anti-Life Equation, the psionic means by which he could control every sentient being in the universe. Hostilities between Apokolips and New Genesis again broke out, with Earth as the battlefield. Darkseid's son Orion became his most implacable adversary in these battles.

Recently, the war has apparently ended with the destruction of New Genesis, whose inhabitants have left for elsewhere in space, and a revolution by the "Hunger Dogs", the slave-like labor force of Apokolips. Apokolips lies in ruins, but Darkseid has survived.

Through unknown means, Darkseid has appeared in the 30th Century to battle the Legion of Super-Heroes. However, it has been prophesied that Darkseid will someday meet his ultimate fate in battle with his son Orion amid the fire-pits of Armagetto on Apokolips.

Powers:
The full extent of Darkseid's superhuman powers remains unknown, since he prefers to act through his subordinates. He is known, however, to be the most powerful being on Apokolips.

Darkseid's major known power is his mastery of the "Omega Effect", a form of energy projected from his eyes. Its full range of uses has not been revealed. However, the Omega Effect can be used as force bolts, as disintegration beams, or as means of teleporting a target through time and space. It can even restore targets that it has disintegrated, resurrecting them if they were alive. The Omega Effect beams will follow their intended target, no matter where it moves, until they contact it.

Darkseid possesses superhuman strength that is roughly equal to that of his son Orion.

Darkseid displayed other powers in the 30th Century, including the ability to generate force bolts from his hands as well as a force-field, to levitate and teleport himself, and to control the minds of an entire planet's population psionically. At least some of these abilities may be the result of his having temporarily stolen power from various 30th Century menaces.

Darkseid is a master strategist and, as ruler of Apokolips, has extraordinary weaponry, superpowerful agents, and vast armies at his disposal.