Warning: contains spoilers forDC All-In Special#1!I cannot believe that DC revealed one of its classic villains is actually more powerful thanDarkseid. The Lord of Apokolips, Darkseid, is regarded as the ultimate evil in the DC Universe. His single-mindedpursuit of the Anti-Life Equationhas led him to subjugate entire populations, but now he is dying, as seen in DC’sAll-In Special.Thisone-shot also reveals one villain, under the right circumstances, is more powerful.
Darkseid was created by Jack “King” Kirby.
DC’sAll-In Special#1 consists of two parts: “Alpha” and “Omega.” In “Omega,” written by Scott Snyder and Joshua Williamson and drawn by Wes Craig, Darkseid searches the universe for the source of a mysterious power surge. Darkseid’s quest takes him to, among other places, the Dark Side of the Moon, home of Eclipso. Eclipso sarcastically asks Darkseid if he has returned to continue their chess game. Darkseid skips formalities and attacks Eclipso.
Eclipso counters, saying that here, on the Moon’s dark side, he is more powerful than Darkseid.
In a smart reversal of the force that’s making Eclipso so untouchable, Darkseid blasts Eclipso with pure sunlight, evening the playing field and ultimately destroying his opponent.
Eclipso’s Role in the DC Universe, Explained
Eclipso Went From Punching Bag to Dark God
Eclipso’s arc through the ranks of DC’s villains is one full of twists and turns–and lots of chaos and misery. Debuting during the Silver Age, in 1963’sHouse of Secrets#61, Eclipso was billed as the “Master of Black Science.” What exactly was meant by this was never revealed, but nevertheless, Eclipso proved a formidable villain in his handful of appearances. Bruce Gordon, a scientist specializing in solar energy,came under Eclipso’s influence whileconducting research. As Eclipso, Gordon gained powers during eclipses, including super-strength and the ability to blast opponents with his black diamond.
In reality, Eclipso was a powerful and vengeful god, and Bruce Gordon had only contained a sliver of Eclipso’s real power.
Everything fans knew about Eclipso was changed in 1992’sEclipso: The Darkness Within,an event crossing over into the annuals DC published that year. In issue one, the Eclipso fans had known for 30 years was only a shadow of the original. In reality, Eclipso was a powerful and vengeful god, and Bruce Gordon had only contained a sliver of Eclipso’s real power. Eclipso’s palace on the Dark Side of the Moon was revealed at this time as well, and from here, he launched a bid to conquer Earth, and the heroes beat him only narrowly.
Eclipso’s Dark Roots Can Be Found in the Bible
Eclipso Is Cruel and Can Never Be Truly Defeated
Eclipso: The Darkness Withinrepositioned him as one of DC’s premiere villains. No longer a goofy Silver Age villain, Eclipso was now a god of evil. In the wake ofThe Darkness Within, DC gave Eclipso his own title, which continued his development. In the first issue, Eclipso was given Biblical roots–literally, as he was created by God as an instrument of his vengeance. However, Eclipso overstepped his authority, and was imprisoned in a giant black diamond. This was later cut up to create the smaller diamonds Eclipso used to possess people.
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Eclipso: The Darkness Within,and the subsequent follow-up series, also took steps to show just how cruel the villain can be. Eclipso can possess multiple people at once, giving him eyes and ears everywhere. Eclipso is also immortal, and inThe Darkness WithinandEclipso, any victory was an empty one. Each loss was nothing more than a minor setback for Eclipso. In one storyline, Eclipso killed several heroes, including Wildcat and Doctor Mid-Nite, in cold blood. In another story, he possessed a dying drug addict, just to experience death. Eclipso’s blood is as cold as the dark area where he dwells.
Eclipso Has Few Peers in the DC Universe
Eclipso’s Chief Rival In Evil Has Been Darkseid
These two books also turned Eclipso into one of DC’s most powerful villains, capable of holding his own against Superman, Shazam and Wonder Woman. As befitting his status as a dark god, Eclipso has many rivals in the worlds of magic, including Amethyst and the Phantom Stranger. When Pariah and the Great Darkness were bringing together the Dark Army inDark Crisis on Infinite Earths, Eclipso was pressed into their service, alongside other heavy hitters such as Neron, Doomsday and Darkseid. Putting Eclipso in such company reinforces how strong and hard to kill he is.
Darkseid would return to play chess in 1993’sEclipso#10.
During the early issues of Eclipso’s solo title, it was established he and Darkseid shared a rivalry.This should come as no surprise: both are dark gods and paragons of evil, with agendas of conquest. Darkseid did not make his presence known duringThe Darkness Within. Yet inEclipso#4, by Keith Giffen, Robert Loren Fleming and Luke McDonnell, the Lord of Apokolips finally pays a call on Eclipso. Visiting the God of Vengeance as he rebuilds his palace on the moon, Darkseid tells Eclipso he will return for their chess game, and hopefully break their draw.
Eclipso Has a Major Advantage Over Darkseid: He Knows the Anti-Life Equation!
Darkseid and Eclipso Play Games of “Chess.”
The two-page exchange between Darkseid and Eclipso includes a great deal for fans to unpack. First, it puts Eclipso in league with Darkseid, a huge upgrade from only a year prior. At this point in DC history, Superman was dead, and Darkseid lamented to Eclipso that neither of them had the privilege of killing him. Darkseid also tells Eclipso that Earth was his “for now,” but the larger universe belonged to him. Eclipso agreed to these terms, but the true bombshell came in the last panels, as only he knows the Anti-Life Equation Darkseid devoted his life to finding.
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For years, Eclipso was able to hold this over Darkseid, but as seen in the aforementionedDark Crisis, the Lord of Apokolips has abandoned his pursuit of it. Thus, the truce between the two was now null and void, leading Darkseid to attack. When Darkseid confronts Eclipso, the latter asks if he has returned to “resume” the chess match, picking up a plot thread over 30 years old. Darkseid wastes no time going after Eclipso.Eclipso then drops perhaps the biggest bombshell about him yet: that, under the right circumstances, he can overpower Darkseid.
The Truce Between Darkseid and Eclipso is Over
Eclipso May Be More Powerful, But Darkseid Is More Cunning
The fight between Darkseid and Eclipso in theAll-In Specialis brief, but memorable–and is a testament to the latter’s sheer power. Darkseid unleashes his Omega Beams on Eclipso. One of Darkseid’s primary weapons, the Omega Beams, follow their prey to the ends of the universe, destroying them when they catch up. However, Eclipso, on the Dark Side of the Moon,can easily dodge the Omega Beams. Eclipso also manages to overpower Darkseid in terms of strength as well, attempting to choke the Lord of Apokolips into submission. Only trickery gives Darkseid the victory over Eclipso.
Eclipso is clearly stronger than Darksied–but it comes with a huge catch: he must be on the Moon’s dark side to tap into his power.
Eclipso is clearly stronger than Darksied–but it comes with a huge catch: he must be on the Moon’s dark side to tap into his power. This was already well established in DC lore, but not that he was actually stronger than Darkseid himself while there. Darkseid is synonymous with power and ambition, but Eclipso has him outstripped, at least in the power department. This is a shocking development, one that upends the hierarchy of power in the DC Universe. I cannot believe Eclipso is more powerful thanDarkseid.
