A recent announcement from DC Studios head James Gunn inadvertently confirmed Darkseid's imminent debut in the DCU. Fans may remember Darksied from his introduction in the now-defunct DCEU. The towering DC Comics character is essentially DC's answer to Marvel's Mad Titan Thanos, being one of the brand's biggest Justice League-level villains. Darkseid was previously attached to a James Gunn-adjacent project with the upcoming Mister Miracle animated series.
The new TV show from the DC Studios team was announced last year, set to tell the tale of super-powered escape artist Scott Free and an intergalactic conflict between his home planet and that of his beloved Big Barda, all orchestrated by the villainous Darkseid. Mister Miracle's DCU canon status has been unknown, making it unclear whether Gunn was ready to introduce the iconic DC villain to his new universe, but it seems fans finally have an answer.
In a new post on X, DC Studios head James Gunn confirmed the canon status of the upcoming Mister Miracle series, and thus, the canon status of Darkseid. Writing about the 55th anniversary of the Mister Miracle character in comics, Gunn called DC Studios' Mister Miracle a "DCU animated show:"
"The world’s greatest escape artist made his debut on this day 55 years ago in 1971! Happy anniversary to Mister Miracle, who debuted in 'MISTER MIRACLE' #1, written by Marv Wolfman and Jack Kirby, with pencils by Jack Kirby and inks by Vince Colletta. Soon be seen in our DCU animated show, based on the 12-issue comic book series from Tom Kingand Mitch Gerads."
This means that Darkseid, who is one of the Mister Miracle story's central big bads, will officially join the DCU canon with the release of the new series. No release information for the new show has been announced as of yet, but given it's already in production (and actively casting), fans can expect the series, and thus the ruler of Apokolips, to arrive soon.
What Does Darkseid's DCU Debut Mean for the Franchise?
Putting Darkseid on the board is not just adding any old DC villain to the DCU toybox. Darkseid is arguably THE DC villain (at least when it comes to Justice League adversaries).
The New God character has taken on DC's iconic team of heroes numerous times over the years, including in highly popular DC storylines such as the Great Darkness Saga and Final Crisis. He even appeared on-screen in the DCEU in Zack Snyder's Justice League.
Introducing Darkseid this early into the DCU equation could be controversial for some fans. One of the biggest complaints about Zack Snyder's attempt at an interconnected DC universe was that it did too much too fast, and Darkseid's role in the series played a part in that.
Skepticism about Darksied's role in the DCU could be particularly ferocious given where the character will first appear in the new movie/TV universe. One of the key plot points of the Mister Miracle comic run the new series is based on is that Darkseid has already acquired the Anti-Life Equation. In most interpretations of the character, the life-ending secret of the universe is revealed to be Darkseid's ultimate goal. The fact that he will seemingly have it from day one in the DCU could raise some eyebrows.
Before anyone gets their torches and pitchforks, though, there may be some method to the madness here. In DC's New 52 universe, which essentially served as a reboot of the DC Comics world, Darkseid was introduced relatively early and served as the catalyst that brought the Justice League together for the first time.
Perhaps, Darkseid could be long-played here in the DCU, introduced in Mister Miracle, appearing in other cosmic titles across the franchise, before his first invasion of Earth forms the League years down the line.
