6. Darkseid

The DC Universe is packed with powerful entities that could destroy worlds at a time, but none are as feared or brilliantly executed as Darkseid, Lord of the war planet Apokolips. The evil god has had quite a legacy crafted for himself since being created by Jack Kirby. Not too shabby for a character that first appeared in a Jimmy Olsen book, eh?

Darkseid's motivations are rather simple - conquer and control all life by unlocking and solving the Anti-Life Equation, something DC fans saw him achieve in last summer's Final Crisis event. Though the storyline technically took the New God's life, it's hard to imagine the heroes of DC won't find themselves face to face with the ultimate embodiment of evil at some point down the road.

Perhaps the most appealing trait of Darkseid is his lack of interest in direct, physical confrontation. The being formerly known as Prince Uxas has immense strength, endurance and eye beams that can disintegrate, teleport or torture opponents, yet he chooses to manipulate events from the shadows, allowing his minions to act on his behalf. Darkseid's involvement with the New Gods, including his rivalry with the Highfather, the planet New Genesis and the diplomatic exchanges of sons Orion and Mister Miracle add multiple layers to a being that might otherwise be yet another generic worldwide threat. We're certainly glad DC wouldn't allow Kirby to kill off this fantastic villain as he originally planned. Decades of spectacular tales would have been left on the table otherwise.