With recent casting announcements for the Mister Miracle animated series — which James Gunn has confirmed to be canon to the DCU — DC is one step closer to revealing its first Big Bad. With writer Tom King behind the wheel writing Mister Miracle and basing it on his comic book of the same name, audiences are sure that the big bad is going to be Darkseid, the wannabe supreme being of the DC Universe.
Back in the early days of the DCU, James Gunn confirmed that actors would be playing the same roles across film, tv, and animation. The character of Rick Flag, Sr first appeared in the Creature Commandos series but his actor has reprised the role in live action for Superman and Peacemaker. Assuming the trend will continue, audiences can expect to see Josh Hutcherson as Scott Free / Mister Miracle and Mackenzie Davis as Big Barda not only in animation but in live action as well, along with whoever is cast as Darkseid.
Darkseid is a major threat and has been adapted numerous times in animation. The comics character has also been credited as the inspiration for Marvel Comics’ Thanos. It thus makes sense that Darkseid would be the big bad. However, it will be a test to see if an actor can both voice Darkseid successfully and embody him in live action.
Not only that, but the animators surely have their work cut out for them if the characters as they appear in animation are expected to look similar to how they’d look on camera. James Gunn wasn’t swayed after the mixed reviews of Supergirl, announcing himself as dedicated to the DCU as ever, so Mister Miracle and Darkseid may be his first big DCU test.
For his animated appearances in the late 1990s to early 2000s, Darkseid was voiced by Michael Ironside, giving life to the character in Superman: The Animated Series, Justice League, and Justice League: Unlimited. Ironside returned to the role for the 2019 Harley Quinn show. Michael Leon-Wooley voiced him in 2010’s Batman: The Brave and the Bold and Young Justice, along with the 2017 video game Injustice 2. Most recently, Keith David voiced him for the 2024 Kite Man: Hell Yeah animated series.
His most notable live action appearances were in Smallville season 10 and Justice League but only the Snyder Cut. In Smallville, the creative team took the approach of a CGI Darkseid with fleeting appearances, deciding to place more narrative weight on Darkseid’s influence corrupting people with actors cast to play his disciples such as Granny Goodness and Desaad. The Snyder Cut of Justice League showed Darkseid only in flashback taking the place of Steppenwolf, the villain featured in the final cut of the film. With this, Darkseid is more remembered for his booming voice and presence than any other characteristic.
The challenge in casting Darkseid will not only be in finding an actor who can embody the vocal qualities needed but in finding the right design. The writers can adapt the right comic and hit the right beats but with the wrong design it will fall flat. The costume design of Apocalypse in the 2016 film comes to mind as failing to elevate Oscar Issac’s acting to that of a larger than life being. The DCU is likely on its way to introducing the New Gods, given the background of Mister Miracle’s wife Big Barda, and it is important that they don’t feel like CGI slop.
With superhero media, the word fatigue gets thrown around a lot. There’s Marvel fatigue and superhero fatigue. Audiences are tired of the big CGI climatic fight scene and movies that feel like actors standing around on large green screens with no real emotion to them. So often, the magic that comes with animated series is the larger atmosphere of the world and the ability to suspend disbelief in aliens, magic, and gods.
To fully capture Darkseid, James Gunn not only is going to need to make the right decisions in casting, but also in worldbuilding. Darkseid is regarded as one of the biggest foes of not only Superman, but the Justice League at large. Audiences want to see Apokolips and the larger cosmic DC Universe and feel that the story doesn’t just stop when the credits start rolling.
What is your criteria for a Darkseid casting? Let us know in the comments below!
