Darkseid first appeared as the main antagonist of Jack Kirby's Fourth World comics and from there rose to stardom. Becoming one of the greatest villains in the DC Universe, Darkseid has fought some amazing battles against the heroes of New Genesis and the Earth, his amazing powers, vast armies, and sheer evil cunning making him a match for anyone faced.
Darkseid has been in a lot of amazing stories over the years, ones that it would seem would be rife with potential for adaptation. However, some Darkseid stories are just never going to get the chance to be brought to a wider audience for a variety of reasons.
10 None Of The Actual Kirby Darkseid Stories Will Ever Be Adapted
Darkseid has been in a lot of important stories, ones that shook the foundations of the DC Multiverse but the ones that were most important for the character himself were the ones told by his creator, Jack Kirby. Kirby set up his ultimate villain perfectly but Kirby's style of writing isn't exactly palatable to a general audience.
The old Kirby Fourth World stories are big on bombast and mythology. He wrote them as if he writing holy writ for a new religion and this is why none of them will ever actually be adapted in any kind of real way. A casual audience isn't ready for the mind melting intensity of Kirby.
9 JLA: Rock Of Ages Is Amazing, But It's Classic Grant Morrison & That Works Against It
Writer Grant Morrison and artist Howard Porter's JLA is probably the greatest batch of Justice League stories ever told and Rock of Ages is one of its highlights. Pitting the JLA against the Injustice Gang, the story sees the team destroy the Philosopher's Stone, Lex Luthor's ultimate weapon in the story, creating a dark future ruled by Darkseid.
While the Darkseid part of the story is its highlight, it's just a plotline in a greater story. Beyond that, this is one of those Morrison stories that a lot of readers label as confusing, which isn't exactly true but isn't entirely false either. Much like Kirby, adapting Morrison for a casual audience isn't exactly the best idea.
8 The Supergirl From Krypton Wouldn't Work As A Supergirl Origin Story Anymore
Superman/Batman: The Supergirl From Krypton, by writer Jeph Loeb and artist Michael Turner, served to bring Supergirl back into post-Crisis continuity and featured Darkseid as its main villain. The Lord of Apokolips kept trying to kidnap the Maid of Steel and the battle against him drew in heroes like Wonder Woman and Big Barda.
It's a great story but it only works because it takes place in a post-Crisis universe. Otherwise, there are better Supergirl origin stories that could be used. While Darkseid is always a good foil for Kryptonians, this story is best left in the comics.
7 Justice League: Darkseid War Is A Bit Complicated & Makes Him Look Bad
Justice League: Darkseid War, by writer Geoff Johns and artist Jason Fabok, sees the Justice League get caught up in a war between Darkseid and Anti-Monitor, a battle engineered by the mysterious Grail. This story helped close out the New 52 and has its strengths and weaknesses, but it wouldn't be a great choice for adaptation.
The story would take a lot of set-up to work; even though Arrowverse fans know who the Anti-Monitor is, casual fans wouldn't. On top of that, Darkseid is made to look like a chump throughout the story, as the main villain is actually Grail. Any live-action movie trying to build Darkseid as a credible threat should stay away from this story.
6 Justice League Odyssey Saw Darkseid Join A Justice League Team, Which Would Just Confuse People
Justice League Odyssey was a series starring Cyborg that saw him, Starfire, Jessica Cruz, and other Justice League members patrolling a new sector space. In the beginning of the book, Darkseid joined the team, which made for an interesting dynamic and is exactly why it won't be adapted. It has a great premise but it would just muddy the waters for fans.
It would basically be like seeing Thanos on the Avengers for movie audiences and while it was all part of Darkseid's master plan, Darkseid on any Justice League just isn't going to happen anywhere but the comics.
5 Robin Rises Pits Batman Against Darkseid
Robin Rises, by writer Peter Tomasi and artist Patrick Gleason, saw one of Darkseid's servants steal the body of Damian Wayne and bring it to Apokolips. Batman and the Bat-Family give chase and the story sees Batman go up against Darkseid with his special Hellbat armor. While it's a fun story, it also really only works for comic fans.
See, comic fans are used to Batman being able to beat anybody with prep time. General audiences might like Batman but seeing him go up against the God of Evil with just some fancy armor stretches credulity too much.
4 Mister Miracle Is An Amazing Story But It's Not One That Moviegoers Would Be Into
Audiences for superhero movies want very specific kinds of stories and that's what would keep Mister Miracle, by writer Tom King and artist Mitch Gerads, from being adapted. The war against Darkseid is a major plot point but it's also in the background, as the crux of the story is about the mental health of the titular Mister Miracle and how he deals with the trauma of his life.
While WandaVision was a superhero story about the effects of trauma made for general audiences, it doesn't go nearly as in-depth as Mister Miracle and eventually devolved into a patented MCU superhero brawl. That's not at all the kind of story Mister Miracle is and that's why it will never be adapted.
3 Final Crisis Is One Of The Most Complicated Darkseid Stories Of Them All
Final Crisis is writer Grant Morrison's DC magnum opus, their ultimate superhero tale. Joined by artists J.G. Jones, Carlos Pachecho, and Doug Mahnke, Morrison told the story of the day evil won, as Darkseid and his forces take over the Earth with the help of the Anti-Life Equation and how the heroes of the DC Universe fight back. Chock full of amazing superhero action and mind-bending Morrison-isms, it's a difficult yet rewarding story and that's why it won't get adapted.
Audiences don't want complicated stories about the nature of good and evil that span space and time. Final Crisis is peak difficult Morrison and that's too much for casual fans.
2 Cosmic Odyssey Sees Darkseid Team With The Heroes To Save The Universe
Cosmic Odyssey, by writer Jim Starlin and artist Mike Mignola, sees Darkseid have to team with the heroes of Earth to save the universe from the one thing he covets: The Anti-Life Equation. This classic story is one of the first times that Darkseid was forced to team up with the heroes and while it's an amazing story, much like Justice League Odyssey, Darkseid as a good guy isn't going to work for general audiences.
The personification of evil working with the heroes is a bit much. Showing the ultimate evil trying to save the universe instead of conquer it can be a fun idea but it's not one that would work in a movie.
1 2019's Female Furies Sees A Very Different Darkseid
Female Furies, by writer Cecil Castellucci and artist Adriana Melo, is all about the most powerful warriors on Apokolips, the Female Furies. The story is all about the way women are treated on the male dominated world of Apokolips, using it as an allegory for how women are treated in the modern world. It also features Darkseid using his position of power to demand sex from Granny Goodness, among other instances of such things.
This actually makes perfect sense for the character and the world of Apokolips— it would be an abusive, patriarchal society— but it's also not something that would be shown, because certain audiences would take exception to seeing something so realistic onscreen. Beyond that, the Female Furies would be a hard sell to audiences.