DC is gearing up for its biggest event in years as the publisher introduces the Absolute Universe, and part of its introduction includes Darkseid gaining a significant power upgrade. While Darkseid's Omega Beams have always been strong, they're now the strongest weapon in the DC Universe. This new source of power seems to stem from Darkseid's status as the Absolute Universe's "ruler," and that universe's energy is bathing him in new power.

At a DC roundtable attended by ScreenRant, key DC All In and Absolute writer Absolute Universe and Darkseid's role in it, mentioning that Darkseid's Omega Beams will be getting a major power increase. Instead of simply killing someone outright, these powerful beams can now erase people from the Multiverse, every version of them gone in a snap:

But when he hits you with his beams, your entire story is told. Every multiversal possibility exists at once, and you're gone, erased. Not just gone, but your past is erased, you just no longer exist, or have ever existed.

This is a huge how Darkseid's Omega Beams have worked in the past. While they have always been dangerous, erasing people from history itself is a new level of power that's never been seen before. Snyder promises major changes for Darkseid in DC All In Special #1 and beyond:

Not to spoil too much, because you don't see it in this issue, but the way his Omega beams begin to function, and the energy that he starts to kind of envelop in this new universe isn't just Anti-Life, so much as it is this kind of Omega idea.

Darkseid's Omega Beams Gain New Power Thanks to DC All In

DC All In Special #1 by Scott Snyder, Joshua Williamson, Wes Craig, Daniel Sampere, Dan Mora, Tamra Bonvillain, Mike Spicer, and Alejandro Sánchez

The Absolute Universe is a major change for DC: a brand-new universe with brand-new versions of iconic characters, and Darkseid is at the center of all of it - especially as one of the stars of the DC All In Special, a flipbook that will launch both the DC All In initiative and the new Absolute Universe. On one side of the comic, the book follows the newest iteration of the Justice League. On the other side, the book follows Darkseid down a dark path, presumably leading to the power upgrade hinted by Snyder.

Stronger than ever, Darkseid's new power makes him the biggest threat the DC Multiverse has ever seen. This status upgrade is completely fitting for a villain who used to be the center of several crisis events on his own, but in Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths by Williamson and Sampere, he was reduced to being a pawn. Snyder has noted this, as the idea of Darkseid being reduced in status and losing power in recent years has been specifically brought up.

What Are the Origins of Darkseid's Omega Beams?

Preview Page from DC All In Special #1

Darkseid is usually portrayed as a major physical threat due to his strength and incredible cunning. But what's made him especially dangerous over the years is his Omega Beams. The very first time Omega Beams were seen in the DC Universe cemented just how dangerous they were. In The Forever People #6 by Darkseid creator Jack Kirby, Darkseid unleashes the "finder beams," which quickly hunt down the Forever People, a group of young idealists from New Genesis who are powerless to stop them. Thankfully, the Forever People are simply teleported elsewhere instead of being killed - but that's only because Darkseid willed it.

Now, when Darkseid strikes someone with the Omega Beams, he can erase them from the Multiverse itself.

The Omega Beams could already teleport, resurrect, and kill people with a single strike. But now they've reached their true potential as Darkseid has managed to upgrade them into striking with a multiversal killing blow. Now, when Darkseid strikes someone with the Omega Beams, he can erase them from the Multiverse itself. Their entire history is wiped out in a single moment. They will be erased from not just this universe, but every universe - making this the most powerful attack that any villain in the DC Universe has ever had. His new Omega Beams firmly places Darkseid as the most threatening villain around.

Darkseid's New Omega Beams Give Him a Renewed Purpose in the DCU

Variant Cover by Rafa Sandoval

Darkseid is going all in on regaining the power he's lost over the past few decades. As the Multiverse has continually gotten bigger and bigger, Darkseid's role has become smaller and smaller. Now that Darkseid wields the most powerful weapon in the DC Multiverse, he poses a threat unlike ever before. It's hard to imagine how Superman will be able to stand up to an attack that not only erases him from the universe but erases every Superman from the Multiverse as well. This single change brings Darkseid back to a threat level that the Justice League has to actually take seriously.

Though the Absolute Universe will be run on "Darkseid Energy," the main DC Universe will continue on with its regular continuity - which includes Darkseids enemies and allies on New Genesis and Apokolips. For more about how the Fourth World characters will shape the DCU and the Absolute Universe, check out The New Gods by Ram V and Evan Cagle. The New Gods #1 is available December 18th, 2024 from DC Comics.

Darkseid used to be the biggest threat that the Justice League could face. He's been involved in several crisis events that threatened the Multiverse. He was even the main villain in the only live-action Justice League movie. Over time, he's become less important in the comics, but it seems that Darkseid is finally returning to his true power to make sure everyone re what a danger he really is. DC is going all in on some amazing new stories in the months, and there's no better person to kick off this new era of DC than Darkseid, the most dangerous and consistent villain that DC has ever had.

DC All In Special #1 is available October 2nd, 2024 from DC Comics!