#23 - Darkseid
First Appearance: Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #134 (Dec 1970)
"Darkseid is! ~Darkseid
Batman villains come and go, but in the history of the Dark Knight, only one being was able to kill our Caped Crusader, and it took a god. Although, to be fair, Gamemnae killed him in JLA #68 and Electrocutioner not only killed him but brought him back to life. And Ra's al Ghul killed him in an Elseworlds. But, regardless, Darkseid was definitely one of the few guys to kill Batman. Of course, it turned it he didn't actually die. You know what? Let me start this again.
Darkseid is really a perfect figurehead for universal, cosmic evil. He desires utter and absolute control of existence, and all wills must be in unison with his vision. Darkseid desires the hivemind, with himself on the throne at the top; to that end, Darkseid is a perfect example of the extremist facism, primal domination and the bleak despotic endgame that people always fear as the final unstoppable form of tyranny. The reason Batman plays so perfectly when juxtaposed with Darkseid is that Batman plays that ragtag underdog no matter how he comes in with Darkseid as his opposition. Darkseid is a god; Batman is a mortal, and in the scheme of things, a pretty insignificant one. Sure Superman can trade blows with a New God, but Batman? It would take a keen mind, a truly brilliant, quick-witted, clever individual to outmaneuver someone who operates beyond the human level of comprehension. And yet, that's what Batman has done time and time again.
From the JLA's earliest encounters with Apokolips, Batman has consistently been a main player in turning the tides against the armies of Parademons at Darkseid's beck and call. He's faced him in events like Comic Odyssey, Rock of Ages, Final Crisis, the origin of Supergirl in Superman/Batman, etc., and every time Batman's contribution has been to come up with the tactics necessary for the group to take out their overpowered adversary. For me, when Batman is placed into the larger DCU, there's always a question as to why he's given such deference from other heroes, but personally, the tangles with Darkseid serve as the best reminders for why the Dark Knight can stand alongside Superman and the Flash and others and still be seen as one of the best there is.
Greatest Darkseid Story Ever Told:Rock of Ages - Batman must help a disheveled and decimated future JLA in stopping Darkseid from completely taking over Earth. In the end, the Bat has to go toe-to-toe with Darkseid, but uses Darkseid' own powers against him. The parallels between this story and Grant Morrison's OTHER big Batman vs. Darkseid story, Final Crisis, are certainly not coincidental.
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Top 100 Batman VILLAINS
RandomName basically describes it. It's a list of the top 100 Batman villains. (Note: This isn't MY list. So, if you don't agree with it, don't freak out and rant in the comments)
