James Gunn’s DC Reboot Will Soon Introduce Its Own Thanos (Official)

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Long before Thanos became a household name, there was Darkseid. Created by Jack Kirby in 1970, this powerful New God is considered the first major cosmic villain in superhero comics. After many attempts to bring him to the screen and numerous universe reboots, Darkseid is finally getting a definitive and official place in James Gunn’s new DC Universe. He’ll be introduced through Mister Miracle, an upcoming animated series from DC Studios, which is based on the highly praised 12-issue comic book by Tom King and Mitch Gerads.

Jack Kirby first showed Darkseid in a quick appearance in Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen #134, and then fully introduced him in Forever People #1. Darkseid became the main villain in Kirby’s grand Fourth World storyline, a large-scale cosmic mythos that also includes New Gods, Mister Miracle, and Forever People. As the ruthless ruler of the nightmarish planet Apokolips, Darkseid is consumed by his quest for the Anti-Life Equation – a formula that would give anyone who possesses it total control over the minds and free will of all life in the universe.

James Gunn, co-head of DC Studios, has officially confirmed that Mister Miracle is part of the new DC Universe (DCU). In a post celebrating the character’s 55th anniversary, Gunn revealed plans for a Mister Miracle animated series. This series will introduce Darkseid – the main villain – into the rebooted DC Universe. With production underway and casting already happening, fans likely won’t have to wait long to see it.

The show follows Scott Free, a master escape artist, and his wife, Big Barda. It’s based on a highly acclaimed comic book series by Tom King, considered a standout in modern DC comics. Tom King also serves as a showrunner and executive producer, alongside James Gunn and Peter Safran.

The show will feature Darkseid, portrayed as the ultimate embodiment of evil. Other characters confirmed to appear include Highfather, Orion (Darkseid’s son and a mentor to Scott), Lightray, and Funky Flashman, who provides narration for some scenes.

How Different Is Darkseid From Thanos?

To grasp the significance of Darkseid joining the DC Universe, it’s important to understand how central this character is to both DC Comics and the broader history of superhero stories. When Jim Starlin created Thanos, he was heavily influenced by Jack Kirby’s New Gods, building upon that established foundation.

Jim Starlin built upon Jack Kirby’s established universe of cosmic beings and developed his own group of powerful space gods, including the character Thanos. Initially, Starlin’s designs for Thanos looked more like Metron, a scientific New God, than Darkseid.

Marvel editor Roy Thomas wasn’t thrilled with Jim Starlin’s early character designs. He famously suggested that if Starlin was going to borrow ideas from Jack Kirby’s New Gods, he should just directly base the character on Darkseid – whom Thomas considered the strongest of the bunch. Starlin listened, and the resulting redesign of Thanos made him much larger and more powerful, clearly inspired by Darkseid’s look and presence.

These two characters are remarkably similar. They’re both huge, grey-skinned leaders fixated on obtaining incredibly powerful objects. Darkseid wants the Anti-Life Equation to control everyone’s minds, while Thanos, in his famous story, seeks the Infinity Gauntlet to eliminate half of all living beings as a sacrifice. Both command large armies – Darkseid with his Parademons, and Thanos with the Black Order. Interestingly, both also have sons who turn against them (Orion opposes Darkseid, and Thane opposes Thanos). These strong similarities can make the characters seem almost identical to those not familiar with the details of their stories.

Darkseid and Thanos, while both villains, are quite different. Darkseid is older and his evil comes from a desire for total control – he wants to eliminate free will. Thanos is more driven by emotion; his actions stem from a twisted love for Mistress Death. Darkseid is generally colder and more calculating. Interestingly, the movie version of Thanos was portrayed as even more ruthless than he is in the comics.

Although many consider Darkseid a more powerful villain than Thanos, he hasn’t had the same mainstream exposure in live-action films and television. While he appeared in the 2021 film Zack Snyder’s Justice League, that movie came out as Warner Bros. was already moving away from the DC universe it presented. Darkseid deserves a better showcase, and the upcoming Mister Miracle show might be a good opportunity to finally do his character justice.

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2026-04-07 06:05