<span class="SFPTagline"> From SCIFIPEDIA </span>

The New Gods, sometimes referred to as Kirby's “Fourth World” characters, are a collection of characters, comic books, and ideas owned by DC Comics, created by comic book legend Jack Kirby in the early 1970s. When Kirby came to DC Comics, he was given free reign to create an entire new comic book mythology that was integrated into the current DC Universe chronology as it stood at that time. He took over the writing and art of the comic book Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen, and created three new comic books entitled The Forever People, The New Gods, and Mister Miracle which began publishing in 1971. These comics lasted only for about a year, but the world and characters they created captured the imagination of a generation of comic book fans and creators. The characters created in this grand experiment, particularly Orion, Mister Miracle, and the perennial villain Darkseid, have been used on-goingly throughout DC Comics history since The Bronze Age of Comics.

The Story

The mythology of the New Gods is complex, filled with a vast array of over-the-top colorful characters, both good and evil. The cornerstone tale, though, is the story called “The Pact” first told in New Gods #7 (1972).

When the old Gods died in a fiery holocaust, their world was divided into two, which eventually formed two separate planets that occupy the same dimension, and seem to orbit the same sun. First, there was New Genesis, a world of beauty and hope. This world was depicted as a paradise, with beautiful forests and natural wonders, serene, peaceful and sunlit. The “Gods” which occupy the planet live in a high tech city of scientific wonders located in the sky above the planet, so as not to mar the natural beauty of the world’s environment. This floating city is nick-named “Super-Town” by its youth. The occupants of this city are all powerful, immortal and beautiful, and are lead by the aged and wise High-Father. Peace, beauty, and the celebration of life and free will are the cornerstones of their society.

The second world, orbiting forever in the shadow of New Genesis, is Apokolips. Apokolips is a world of darkness and despair, where free will is the privilege only of the elite. And even they are subject to the whims and moods of their ultimate ruler, Darkseid. On Apokolips, the word of Darkseid is more than law, it is religion. The citizens of Apokolips are beaten down and indoctrinated from birth to worship Darkseid in all things, and work relentlessly to oppress each other in a social order that knows no exceptions. Their pain and suffering, their success and failure, their lives and deaths, are all a tribute to the power of Darkseid.

Darkseid himself searches the universe for something called the “Anti-Life Equation”, that will allow him to master the free will of the galaxy, and make him the absolute ruler of all living things. Darkseid at first believed that the secret of the Anti-Life equation was in the brain of an ordinary human somewhere on Earth, which explains his initial interest in our little blue planet. It is also the reason that, when the war between these two planets started, Earth was often its battlefield.

The power of the New Gods is somehow linked to The Source, the ultimate secret and power of the universe. Many beings over the eons have attempted to access the Source by breaching the Source Wall and the petrified remainders of their corpses become part of the wall, a tribute to their failures.

Centuries ago, Darkseid and High-Father entered into a pact to preserve the peace between these two diametrically opposed civilizations. The two leaders would exchange sons, and as long as each son remained in their possession, peace would be maintained. Darkseid’s son was named Orion, and was raised by High-Father on New Genesis. His war-like aggressive nature which he inherited from his father was tempered by Highfather’s love, and hidden from most of his friends by one of the tiny sentient computers called a Mother Box. Still, Orion’s natural aggression led him to becoming the greatest warrior of New Genesis, and its ultimate defender.

High-Father’s son was given the name Scott Free, and was raised in the special “orphanage” run by Darkseid’s chief indoctrinator Granny Goodness, who attempted to beat and indoctrinate the love and hope out of the young boy. This was to no avail, and Scott would make an unlikely connection with Big Barda, the leader of Darkseid’s Female Furies, an elite group of female warriors who were known for their sadistic and merciless fighting skills. When Scott and Big Barda make their escape from the horror of Apokolips to Earth, through the inter-dimensional transport known as the Boom Tube, the “Pact” is broken and the war begins. On Earth, Scott would adopt the identity of Mister Miracle, the super escape artist.

More History

Orion and Mister Miracle would have their comics revived several times over the years, and always be a favorite of fans and creators. Mister Miracle, Orion, and even Big Barda would all become members of the Justice League line-up at one time or another. Big Barda is currently a member of the Birds of Prey. Darkseid has become the most feared villain in the DC Universe, having clashed with Superman, the Justice League, and many DC heroes in many story arcs over the years, including the fan favorite “Great Darkness Saga” in the Legion of Super-Heroes.

In addition to those already mentioned, key characters in this mythology are:

Lightray - The "Shining Star" of New Genesis, the personification of love and light. Lightray can manipulate photons to create brilliant lightblasts, unbearable heat, lasers, and holograms. He is cheerful, optimistic, and prefers compromise and peaceful solutions, though he will battle to protect his friends and his home. He is Orion’s best friend.

Kalibak - Darkseid’s other son and Orion’s half brother, described by one writer as “chaos made flesh”, forever wanting to gain his father’s favor by defeating Orion in battle.

Metron – Ruthless seeker of the knowledge of all things, the New God sits upon his amazing Mobius Chair which allows him to travel through space and dimensions on his endless quest to know all. A true neutral, Metron will align himself with either side to gain the knowledge he seeks. He has, though, been known to act to the benefit of the universe.

Desaad - Darkseid's syncophantic sadist and master torturer.

Oberon - Human dwarf sidekick to Mister Miracle, former assistant to the original human who created the Mister Miracle stage show before he died and Scott Free took over the identity.

Recently, someone seems to be killing the New Gods, and Lightray himself has been murdered. In the weekly limited series Countdown (2007), it is rumored that a Great Disaster is coming and that the Final Crisis (2008) will involve the New Gods and their cast of characters. It is preceded by an eight issue limited series The Death of the New Gods (2008) by creator Jim Starlin. In this series, Darkseid and the New Gods do indeed seem to meet their final end. Evidently, the "Fifth World" is on the horizon, and may herald their return in some form.