DC confirms that 1 villain is a Darkseid-level threat, changing the publisher’s entire bad guy ecosystem

Warning: Spoilers for Titans #17Amanda Waller was confirmed to be a Darkseidlevel threat in DC lore, and his role is bigger than ever despite his recent fall from grace. After the events of Absolute power by Mark Waid and Dan Mora, Waller is out of commission, and the recent absence of Waller and Darkseid has permanently rewrote the power structure of the DC Universe.

In Titans #17 by John Layman, Pete Woods and Wes Abbott, the Titans fight a powerful Clock King who now operates alone without Waller giving him orders in Suicide Squad. Under the leadership of Donna Troy, the team defeats Clock King, and Nightwing informs Donna about what the villain’s arrival means for the future: “There is a power vacuum left by Waller and Darkseid, and if Clock King is any indication, enemies will be lining up to fill it.”

According to Nightwing, Amanda Waller’s absence from the DC Universe is leading to the debut of new villains who are more powerful than the Justice League can handle. Waller’s impact on DC’s hierarchy of villains is similar to that of Darkseid after his death, which proves that she is on the same threat level as the New God.

Amanda Waller is officially a Darkseid-level villain in DC Lore

Amanda Waller’s power over the DC universe elevates her to the status of Darkseid

Since its creation in 1986 by John Ostrander, Len Wein and John Byrne, Amanda Waller has come a long way in her quest for power. Like Darkseid, she operates in a calculating manner and orders others to do her bidding. She does not have a tangible world to rule like Darkseid does Apokolips, although she commands others through her formation of the Suicide Squad. By planting a bomb in the brains of those she hires to her cause, Waller can dictate their actions as she pleases, and thus she and Darkseid share the ability to control their subjugated fighters.

Waller may not possess superpowers or any of Darkseid’s supernatural attributes, but she acquired power through other clever means. Node Absolute power miniseries, Waller unleashes his Trinity of Evil on DC’s heroes and steals their superpowers with an Amazo army. With the Justice League powerless to stop her and the civilians on her side thanks to AI propaganda, she asserts her right to Earth. Waller achieving a quick victory over the superheroes is a feat that rivals Darkseid’s previous victories over them, placing them on the same level of power.

Amanda Waller’s rise to power in the DC universe rivals that of Darkseid

However, like Darkseid’s, Waller’s reign doesn’t last forever

Darkseid claimed power in DC lore by killing his brother to become next in line to the throne of Apokolips, and Waller similarly has to cheat his way to the top by any means necessary. For example, in Titans: World of Beasts #5 by Tom Taylor, Ivan Reis and Eduardo Pansica, Waller gets a platform to address the world after manipulating the President of the United States. She lies to the public about her involvement in Chester Runk’s death and sows distrust in the Titans for their part in the outbreak of the bestial plague. Waller’s manipulation paves the way for her Absolute power domination, employing Darkseid-level trickery to gain power.

However, no matter how meticulously Amanda Waller has built her way to the top of DC’s food chain, all it takes is one misstep and everything comes crashing down around her. His loyalty to Green Arrow leads to his downfall, as he feigns loyalty to her cause before betraying her and defeating Task Force VII. Waller is arrested and her memories of the heroes’ secrets are taken from her so that she no longer has influence over them. Furthermore, Dreamer implies that Waller now has a bomb in her brain, reflecting the punishment she has meted out to members of the Suicide Squad for decades and cementing her defeat.

Darkseid’s death coincides with Amanda Waller’s defeat

DC’s Two Most Formidable Villains Faced Their End

Shortly after Amanda Waller’s defeat to the Justice League Darkseid faces his own shocking end in his battle against DC’s greatest heroes. In DC everything special # by Joshua Williamson, Scott Snyder, Daniel Sampere, Wes Craig and Mora, Darkseid decides he must abandon his physical form to achieve power beyond his current abilities. Thus, he allows the League’s heroes to destroy his body, resulting in his lore-changing death. Darkseid may be dead in the main DC universe, but he lives on in the new Absolute Universe, which he created in his image.

In a major upheaval in the universe’s power structure, Waller and Darkseid are no longer key players in DC’s core continuity. Waller is no longer around to face the Justice League or operate in the shadows through his various Suicide Squad lineups. Meanwhile, Darkseid’s death threw his New God family tree into disarray. Without these formidable villains keeping those beneath them in line, there’s an opening for new threats to emerge and challenge their roles in DC lore. This process has already begun for Waller and it is only a matter of time before Darkseid is also replaced.

With Waller and Darkseid gone, new DC villains will emerge to take their place

Clock King is first in line to replace DC’s most notorious enemies

Now that Amanda Waller is in prison, her position of power is at stake. In Layman and Woods Titans #16, Clock King makes his debut as a metahuman in hopes of replacing her. Their new powers are the direct result of Waller’s actions, after the Justice League’s attempt to regain their powers from their Amazos resulted in the heroes switching powers. It turns out that the heroes aren’t the only ones affected, as Clock King unlocks an upgrade of his own. He reveals that Waller is no longer in charge and hints at his hopes of replacing her as leader of the Suicide Squad.

Clock King is just the first of many villains who, as explained by Nightwing, will try to fill the void Waller left in the DC Universe. Likewise, the same thing is happening in the cosmos now that Darkseid’s death has left a power vacuum in the pantheon of gods. On the worlds of New Genesis and Apokolips, the Scavenger is already trying to replace Darkseid, and more gods are about to rise in his absence. The fall of Amanda Waller has the same impact on DC history as the fall of Darkseidand it won’t be long before a villain more powerful than both of them emerges.

Titans #17 is now available from DC Comics.