Top 10 Times Darkseid Went Beast Mode

“Justice League: War” (2014)
When Darkseid arrives on Earth in “Justice League: War”, he immediately shows how powerful he is. After casually floating through a barrage of missiles, he takes on the six assembled superheroes. None of their attacks affect him at all. He’s able to effortlessly break Green Lantern's arm and overpower every hero that steps to him. For Darkseid’s final trick, he uses his signature Omega beams to knock Superman unconscious. He takes a victory lap by taking the Kryptonian hostage and continuing to destroy the city. Darkseid isn’t tired, injured or bothered throughout this entire scene. Take notes, supervillains. This is how you make an effective and terrifying introduction.

“Superman: The Animated Series” (1996-2000)
While Superman is catching his breath, he gets an unexpected visit from the ruler of Apokolips. Darkseid doesn't hesitate to hit the Kryptonian with a continuous stream of omega beams. A few minutes later, we see that Superman’s been beaten, restrained and strapped to the front of a tank. With the battered Kryptonian on display for the entire earth to see, Darkseid encourages humanity to yield to his rule with an incredibly intimidating speech. Defeating Earth's greatest hero, and making him into a trophy, was definitely a great way of getting everyone's attention. Although some humans still insist on resisting him, Darkseid’s treatment of Superman was still savage.

“Superman: The Animated Series” (1996-2000)
Darkseid decides to turn one of his greatest enemies into his best servant. After luring Superman into a trap, the villain brainwashes the hero, and Darskseid uses the Kryptonians’ wide range of abilities to continue his conquests. But he saves the most twisted part of his plan for last. Knowing that Superman doesn’t remember his past, Darkseid orders the Kryptonian to attack and conquer Earth. Forcing your brainwashed enemy to turn against their own home planet is truly beyond evil. And after Superman regains his free will, Darkseid nearly ends his life in a fierce battle. Is there no end to this villain's cruelty?

“Superman: The Animated Series” (1996-2000)
All Kalibak wanted to do was impress his father by taking out Superman on Earth. But when your dad is Darkseid, he's not exactly going to settle for a failed attempt. After Kalibak loses a battle against Superman, Darkseid teleports himself to earth to personally punish his defeated son. The villain decides to maximize his trip by making an extremely intimidating statement. After attacking Superman, Darkseid lets the hero know that he'll be back to oppress the planet when he’s ready. Since this was the first time the Kryptonian met the villain in this universe, this scene marked yet another evil introduction for the Apokolips tyrant. Darkseid shows no mercy to his enemies... or his own blood.

“Zack Snyder’s Justice League” (2021)
Although Darkseid is prepared to cleanse Earth with fire and a few Mother Boxes, he meets heavy resistance. The villain has no problem defeating multiple warriors at a time and ending a Green Lantern’s life. But he has a lot less luck with the Greek Gods. Darkseid is hit with a few of Artemis's arrows, has to endure Zeus's lightning and is directly hit by an ax wielded by Ares. The latter blow forces the conqueror to beat a hasty retreat. Even though Darkseid loses the battle, he still shows he’s a beast by not instantly perishing when hit with Godly attacks. Since all the deities are gone in this universe, the Justice League better hope they can defeat the villain without divine intervention.

“Batman: The Brave and The Bold” (2008-11)
The Justice League international team of Aquaman, Batman, Booster Gold, Blue Beetle, Guy Gardner, Fire & Ice were prepared to fight Darkseid. But their alliance is no match for the villain. Darkseid effortlessly blocks a combined attack from five heroes with one hand. But he’s just getting started. He endures multiple batarang explosions without a scratch, punches stone columns with ease, and hits the ground so hard it creates shock waves that blow away spaceships. Fortunately, Darkseid ends up being sucked into a portal to Apokolips. All the members of the Justice League International team would have definitely lost to him if he stayed. Right?

“Justice League Dark: Apokolips War” (2020)
In the same bleak timeline where Darkseid conquers Earth, he decides to travel to the planet Oa and take out the Green Lantern Corps. He effortlessly takes out dozens of Lanterns without really breaking a sweat. Any survivors that try to make a last stand are quickly shut down by Darkseid's terrible might. To add insult to the many brutal injuries he's caused, he makes a brainwashed Batman teleport magma directly atop the main Green Lantern power battery. This destructive act pretty much ensures that all Green Lanterns remain powerless forever. It was bad enough that Darkseid took the lives of so many heroic beings. But eliminating the chance that another Green Lantern could ever rise to oppose him is a harsh stroke of evil genius.

“Justice League Unlimited” (2004-06)
After Darkseid beats the living sunlight out of Superman, the Kryptonian rallies. The hero punches the villain through buildings and knocks him into the ground so hard that it leaves a crater. But just when Superman is feeling confident, Darkseid traps the Kryptonian in something called the agony matrix. The hero can do nothing except writhe on the ground in pain. After watching Superman suffer, Darkeied prepares to end the heroes’ pain permanently with a Kryptonite knife. But luckily Luthor intervenes and gets the conqueror far away from the hero. If Darkseid had just a few more minutes, he could’ve taken the defenseless Superman’s life. The agony matrix really is a powerfully cruel weapon that suits this tyrannical villain perfectly.

“Superman/Batman: Apocalypse” (2010)
Superman and Supergirl thought they were going to enjoy a nice visit to the Kent family farm. Unfortunately for them, Darkseid was waiting to ambush them. After the villain literally blasts Superman into space, he focuses all his brutality on Supergirl. Darkseid nearly takes her life with a relentless stream of omega beams until her cousin rejoins the fight. Although Superman hits the villain with everything he's got, it still isn't enough. Darkseid nearly erases Superman's face with omega beams before Supergirl teleports the villain into space. This action-packed scene shows the villain’s strength, toughness and pure savagery. Only someone as twisted as Darkseid is good enough at being a villain to ambush two heroes on their home turf... and nearly win.

Before Darkseid conquers our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Beating Up Batman on Apokolips, “Superman/Batman: Apocalypse” (2010)
The Dark Knight Doesn’t Stand a Chance

Destroying the Legion of Doom Base, “Justice League Unlimited” (2004-06)
All the Villains Weren’t Ready

Overwhelming Orion in Battle, “Justice League” (2001-04)
Darkseid Shows No Mercy to His Own Son

Sending Lex Luthor Flying Off the Edge of a Building, “Justice League Unlimited” (2004-06)
He Also Insults Lex Before the Fall

Imprisoning Trigon, “Justice League Dark: Apokolips War” (2020)
Darkseid Single-Handedly Contains an Insanely Powerful Demon

“Justice League: War” (2014)
Sending Darkseid home became nearly impossible when he went beast mode in “Justice League: War”. After the heroes severely damage his eyes, they open up a portal to Apokolips. But not only does the injured Darkseid refuse to go, but he continues to put up a fierce fight. He’s able to take blows from heavy hitters like Shazam, Wonder Woman and Superman. When the heroes all target Darkseid at the same time, he’s still able to withstand their attack and stay on Earth. And we have to remind you that he manages to do all this after the heroes successfully targeted his eyes! Honestly, the Justice League was extremely lucky that they triumph in the end. Because this insanely beastly version of Darkseid looked unstoppable.