Desaad
Desaad is a male comic supervillain who features in DC Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Origin
Desaad was a male member of the race of New Gods. (Forever People v1 #2)
According to one account, Desaad was actually as an inhabitant of New Genesis where he was a young and innocent boy. A young Uxas forged a friendship with the boy but in reality looked to break his spirit. At the time, the young New God had a pet bird and cat who he loved dearly. This was until one day when Uxas secretly abducted the bird and left a feather in the cat's bed in order to make it seem that the feline had killed the other pet. Revealing this fact to the boy, he told his 'friend' that he needed to avenge his pet bird and suggested burying the cat in a bag beneath the soil. The boy did so and when he returned he found the bird alive and concluded that it simply flew out the window. In desperation, he rushed to save the cat only to find that it had died and in grief over his actions the boy blamed the bird which he then killed. This became the start of events that led to him leavng New Genesis and entering into the service of Uxas. (Eclipso v1 #10)
Among his aids was the Apokoliptian woman named Justeen. (Orion v1 #1)
With his master returned, he noticed a change in Darkseid's actions as he seemed passive and reluctant to act. It was then that Desaad learnt that Darkseid had been stripped of his Omega Effect thus greatly weakening him. He then sensed an opportunity to increase his status where he discovered the location of Highfather's staff and offered to use its power to return his masters former power. In exchange, Desaad desired to be in control of his own galaxy with Darkseid agreeing and to keep his weakened state a secret they moved their operations onto the mobile battleship planetoid known as Tartaros that anchored itself by the Source Wall. To get the staff, Desaad decided to capture Superman and mind control him into recovering the relic from the Wall. (Superman/Batman v1 #40) After completing his task, Desaad had Superman plunge into the Wall in the belief that he would be imprisoned in the Source for eternity. During this time, their operations were targeted by Bekka and Batman who were hiding on the giant warship. (Superman/Batman v1 #41) Desaad then had the staff but rather then restore his masters power he attempted to take it for himself and claim Darkseid's position. However, he was plagued with the horrifying power from the Omega realm and left in agony where he was powerless. Darkseid then used Desaad as a conduit to accessing the Omega power thus restoring himself to his true position. He did not punish Desaad but was forced to flee when Batman saved Superman with Highfather's staff where the heroes alongside Bekka confronted the master of Apokolips. At that point, Tartaros was dragged into the Source Wall where it became embedded within it leaving Desaad stranded there. (Superman/Batman v1 #42)
At some point, he came to learn that Hartley Rathaway was among the rare humans that were a vessel to the Anti-Life Equation. Seeking to attain its power, he orchestrated a careful plan of manipulation in order to mentally break the Pied Piper. This would ultimately involve him coming to Apokolips where Desaad's manipulations had intended to claim the Equation's power through Rathaway. (Countdown to Final Crisis v1 #9)
After capturing Martin Stein, Desaad came to torture the man in order to draw out the Firestorm Jason Rusch with this being a trap. With the hero present, Desaad managed to tap into the Firestorm Matrix thus allowing him to enter it and become the new Firestorm. (Countdown v1 #25) He was only stopped by the intervention of the Atomic Knights where they used a device that separated Desaad from the Firestorm Matrix. The New God then used a Boom Tube to escape where he returned to Apokolips arriving just after Mary Marvel had escaped from Darkseid. (Countdown to Final Crisis v1 #24)
With Apokolips devastated, Desaad approached Pied Piper and attempted to convince him to use his power to become a god though these were disrupted by Brother Eye who began to assimilate the planet. (Countdown v1 #10) Despite this, Desaad continued his efforts and revealed his role in Rathaway's recent woes. He ultimately forced Hartley to use the Anti-Life Equation which come out as a song but the Pied Piper used it against Desaad and caused his head to explode as an act of revenge for the death of the Trickster. (Countdown to Final Crisis v1 #9)
Post-Flashpoint
Following the Flashpoint, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events.
Overview
Personality and attributes
One of his protégés was a diminutive being called Clot. (Superman/Batman #38)
Powers and abilities
He had a mark on his hand whereby he could manipulate others with but a touch and stir their actions. (Countdown to Final Crisis v1 #9)
A piece of equipment used by him were special crystals that could be inserted into the brain of a person where they passed through the forehead into the brain. Once inside, they made a subject pliant yet subject to the commands of the user allowing him to take control of another person even if they were super-powered beings. There was effectively no mind for the person under control except static thus leaving no clear conscious thought as if the synapses had been ripped apart. This allowed the controller to use a control wand and manipulate the actions of the subject. (Superman/Batman v1 #39)
Through his science, he was able to bond himself to the Firestorm Matrix and gain all the powers of the entity. (Countdown to Final Crisis v1 #25)
Notes
- Desaad was created by Jack Kirby where he made his first appearance in Forever People v1 #2 (May, 1971).
Alternate Versions
In other media
Television
- In Super Friends, Desaad appeared in the setting of the animated television series where he was voiced by actor René Auberjonois.
- In the DC Animated Universe, Desaad made a number of appearances in the shared continuity setting.
- In Superman: The Animated Series, Desaad appeared in the 1990s animated television series where he was voiced by actor René Auberjonois.
- In Justice League, Desaad appeared briefly in the animated television series where he was once again voiced by actor René Auberjonois.
- In Smallville, Desaad appeared in the setting of the live-action television series where he was portrayed by actor Steve Byers.
- In Young Justice, Desaad appeared in the animated television series starting in the episode "Disordered" where he was voiced by actor Dee Bradley Baker.
- In Justice League Action, Desaad appeared in the animated television series starting in the episode "The Fatal Fare" where he was voiced by actor Jason J. Lewis.
Films
- In Justice League: War, Desaad appeared as an antagonist in the animated film where he was voiced by actor Bruce Thomas.
- In Justice League: Gods and Monsters, Desaad appeared in a non-speaking cameo role in the setting of the animated film. He was among the attendees of the wedding between Orion and Bekka only to be murdered by the forces of New Genesis when Highfather used the wedding as the site of a massacre of his Apokolipitian enemies.
Video games
- In Injustice 2, Desaad made a cameo appearance in the fighting video game where he appeared in the Darkseid arcade ending. It was shown that he had twisted Kara Zor-El's mind so that she would serve Darkseid.
- In DC: Unchained, Desaad appeared as an antagonist in the setting of the mobile video game. He was dispatched by his master Darkseid to Earth to find and capture Grail who possessed the Anti-Life Equation within her mind leading to the Apokolipitian operating from a base on Oolong Island.
Appearances
- Forever People v1: (1971)
- Eclipso v1:
- Orion v1:
- Superman/Batman v1:
- Salvation Run v1:
- Countdown v1:
- Justice League v2:
- World's Finest:
External Links
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