Summary

• Jack Kirby's Fourth World saga at DC includes stories of the New Gods, a powerful race connected to the Source.
• Characters like Mister Miracle, Big Barda, Lightray, Orion, and Highfather play key roles in the New Gods mythos.
• Metron, Black Racer, Yuga Khan, and Darkseid further expand the depth and complexity of the New Gods universe.

After leaving Marvel Comics, New Gods. Designed to serve as a spiritual sequel to his work on Thor, the headlining New Gods series takes place in the aftermath of Ragnarok, a devastating war of the gods in the furthest reaches of the cosmos. In their wake, a new race of people connected directly to the Source takes their place among the most powerful in the entire DC Universe.

The New Gods have evolved in their portrayal within the DCU since Kirby's creation, with their power levels and origins altering to fit various continuities. However, the comic book legend's original series offers a great insight into the politics, motivations and power levels of these characters, ranging from good to evil. While some of these gods are relatively weak, others stand out as being some of the deadliest, fiercest warriors in the cosmos.

10 Mister Miracle

First Appearance: Mister Miracle #1 by Jack Kirby, Vince Colletta, and John Costanza

Mister Miracle is Scott Free, a young New God who, after escaping Apokolips, made his way to Earth, where he became a hero. Along the way, he met his wife, Big Barda, and the two eventually became Justice League . Aided by Mother Box technology and with unparalleled escapology, the hero has proved to be a key ally to various heroes, especially when it comes to missions to Apokolips.

Scott Free and Big Barda also star in the fan-favorite and critically-acclaimed 2017 Mister Miracle limited series by Tom King and Mitch Gerads, which is available now both digitally and in collected editions from DC Comics.

Mister Miracle's origin is something of a tragic one. The son of Highfather, he was traded to Darkseid in exchange for Orion, sealing a tenuous peace between the two leaders. After being raised in Granny Goodness' torturous orphanage, the hero learned a variety of skills that would later come in handy when training under Thaddeus Brown, the original Mister Miracle.

9 Big Barda

First Appearance: Mister Miracle #4 by Jack Kirby, Vince Colletta, and John Costanza

Big Barda began as one of Darkseid's Female Furies, an elite team of warriors charged with protecting the tyrant and enforcing his will. After breaking free, she ed a resistance against the villain, where she met Scott Free. After making their way to Earth, they ed the Justice League, while also fending off various attempts by Darkseid's minions to attack and conquer the world.

As a former Female Fury, Big Barda has combat skills that make her one of the most formidable warriors in the DCU, putting her on par with Wonder Woman. In stories that follow DC heroes' missions to Apokolips, she easily holds her own against parademons and her former team, with a unique ferocity in battle.

Big Barda stars in her very own origin story in 2024's Barda, an original graphic novel for young adults by Ngozi Okazu, available now from DC Comics.

8 Lightray

First Appearance: New Gods #1 by Jack Kirby, Vince Colletta, and John Costanza

Lightray is basically the New Gods' answer to Superman, an optimistic son of New Genesis who can weaponize light and fly at super speeds. Providing a counterbalance to the more gritty personality of Orion, he is best known for accompanying his adoptive brother to Earth in a bid to prevent Darkseid from acquiring the Anti-Life Equation.

Lightray is the most conventional superhero of the New Gods, and is among the few characters fast enough to outrun the Black Racer. On Earth, his powers came in handy as he was able to rescue Orion, aid in the defeat of the Deep Six, and occasionally assist the Justice League. Though not as well-known as Orion, the hero is a fantastic representative of his homeworld, one of the finest warriors in the New Gods mythos, and a brilliant strategist.

7 Orion

First Appearance: New Gods #1 by Jack Kirby, Vince Colletta, and John Costanza

As the son of Darkseid traded to Highfather, Orion possesses the rage and violence of Apokolips combined with the nobility and heroism of New Genesis. For his entire life, he has been trained to fight the minions of the hellish planet, and he makes short work of parademons and the average soldier of Apokolips. When it comes to direct combat, the only real threat to him is his father himself, with the likes of Kalibak paling in comparison.

Orion is practically unstoppable; he's even a formidable opponent to Superman.

Orion is every bit the God of War his name would suggest, and took over for Highfather as the chief warrior of New Genesis upon reaching maturity. Holding the distinction of being one of only a handful of characters to have killed Darkseid, the hero is practically unstoppable; he's even a formidable opponent to Superman.

6 Infinity-Man

First Appearance: Forever People #1 by Jack Kirby, Vince Colletta, Al Plastino, and John Costanza

Infinity-Man is one of DC's lesser-known characters, owing to his association with Kirby's more obscure team, the Forever People, a younger group of New Gods. The character is Darkseid's brother, Drax, who, after being found gravely injured by the original Infinity-Man, was made the new version of the hero when he first died. In the original's wake, the new hero committed himself to serving New Genesis.

Infinity-Man has one of the broadest power sets in comics, including nearly unlimited degrees of strength and stamina, immortality, flight, the ability to phase through matter and manipulate the atomic structure of matter. If allowed to reach full potential, the character could likely defeat Superman.

5 Highfather

First Appearance: New Gods #1 by Jack Kirby, Vince Colletta, and John Costanza

Highfather is the kind ruler of New Genesis, where he seeks to maintain an imperfect peace with Apokolips. Deriving his power from the Source and the Life Equation, he and his adoptive son, Orion, command an army of heroic New Gods, and his cosmic staff allows him to wield and channel the powers of the Source.

...a shepherd-like figure who rules with integrity and comion over New Genesis.

Highfather represents the light opposite of Darkseid and is best interpreted as an analog of the Abrahamic god, a shepherd-like figure who rules with integrity and comion over New Genesis. However, his kind persona shouldn't be mistaken for weakness, and many stories have shown how, when the time calls for it, he can be one of the fiercest, most powerful warriors on the battlefield.

4 Darkseid

First Cameo Appearance: Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #134 by Jack Kirby, Al Plastino, Vince Colletta, and John Costanza

Darkseid is among the greatest threats in the DCU. The leader of the hellscape planet of Apokolips, the villain is defined by his cruelty, dictatorial leadership and his pursuit of the Anti-Life Equation, a cosmic force that, if acquired, would give him mastery over the will of life in the universe. As the opposite of Highfather, the villain maintains only one edge over his nemesis: his unrestrained willingness to do anything in pursuit of his goals.

Darkseid is set to play a major role in DC's 2024 plans, as "Darkseid Energy" will establish the new so-called "Absolute Universe," a darker alternate world featuring new versions of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman.

Darkseid is more than just DC's personification of evil, but rather a symbol of the enduring, unwavering existence of it. Although he has been seemingly killed in the past, his true form is indestructible, always returning in a new body to threaten Earth once again. When the villain declares "Darkseid is," he's stating the reality of his existence. Through his Omega Beams, the villain can literally erase his enemies from existence, not to mention his Superman-level of strength and invulnerability.

3 Metron

First Appearance: New Gods #1 by Jack Kirby, Vince Colletta, and John Costanza

Metron is best thought of as the "true neutral" force of the New Gods. Although he has offered wisdom to Darkseid, Highfather, and Orion, the character is motivated more by curiosity and exploration than any set agenda or bias in the war between the two worlds. Through his Mobius Chair, he is essentially the God of Knowledge in the DCU, a status once held by Batman after taking possession of the device.

Metron's significance in the DCU largely stems from his impressive intelligence and ingenuity, which allowed him to construct the Mother Boxes and his Mobius Chair. Without his assistance, both Apokolips and New Genesis would be considerably less technologically advanced, and several key events in history would have gone differently, such as the "Darkseid War" and "World War III."

2 The Black Racer

First Appearance: New Gods #3 by Jack Kirby, Vince Colletta, and John Costanza

The Black Racer is DC's answer to the Grim Reaper, a cosmic force of Death who, aided by his skis, claims the lives of various beings — especially New Gods. While the universe's various speedsters, including the Flash and Lightray, can outrun him, virtually every other character, no matter how powerful, can't escape his touch.

Black Flash — the Death of the Speed Force — is thought to be a version of the Racer.

The Black Racer's power doesn't come from his feats as a warrior or leader, but rather the inevitability of his existence. As shown in Grant Morrison and JG Jones' Final Crisis, not even Darkseid can escape the clutches of the DCU's personification of Death, something he himself explained.

1 Yuga Khan

First Appearance: New Gods #17 by Mark Evanier, Paris Cullins, Will Blyberg, Gene D'Angelo, and Bob Pinaha

When it comes to the New Gods, Darkseid is typically thought of as the "big bad" in the universe. However, even the embodiment of all evil in the universe has a father: Yuga Khan. While not the most active of the cosmic race, Khan's immense powers have made the conquest of planets like Earth seem a trivial matter; he instead spends his efforts attempting to beyond the Source.

In past stories, Khan has shown that Darkseid poses little threat to him, sweeping him aside and claiming rule over Apokolips for himself. Yuga Khan also holds the distinction of not only being the most powerful New God in existence, but also one of the few not created by Kirby. Instead, this New God is the result of the work of Mark Evanier and Paris Cullins.