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New Gods and Olympians: Mythology in the DC Extended Universe and Justice League

New Gods and Olympians: Mythology in the DC Extended Universe and Justice League

After the popularity of 2017’s Wonder Woman film and the recently released Justice League, most people are probably familiar with how Greek myths informed the world of Diana and the Amazons. The cheat sheet version is that Diana was created to be the “ultimate weapon” to defeat Ares after his inevitable return to cause more destruction amongst mankind. And the Amazons themselves actually derived from ancient Greek mythological figures as well.

In the DC Universe, these Olympian gods are also known as the Old Gods:

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As ComicBook.com sums up, “Basically, there was a world of gods that was destroyed, letting loose a wave of energy that seeded every world it touched with gods of their own. One of the worlds was Earth, which saw the rise of Greek gods like Zeus, Poseidon, and Ares.” 

And if there’s “Old Gods” in the DC Universe, are there also New Gods? Yep. 

Meet the New Gods

DC’s Tim Beedle explains that Ragnarok split the world of the New Gods into two separate planets: New Genesis and Apokolips. As the names imply, New Genesis is a paradise, while Apokolips is a fire-scorched land of nightmares.

The most infamous of the New Gods is Darkseid. He wants to rule over all of existence and eliminate free will, using his formidable powers to pummel worlds into submission. Darkseid controls the Parademons, winged creatures who form the bulk of his attacking force.

Parademons made an appearance in both the recently released movie and in the final trailer. This particular Parademon had a bad day when it met Aquaman on its way to the corner store:

The leader of New Genesis is Highfather, a benevolent leader who promotes tolerance and justice but is still prepared for a fight. Highfather and Darkseid are often portrayed locked in a brutal battle between their planets.

Darkseid’s hope for an edge in the war could lie in capturing New Gods relics from Earth; supporting this theory, Screen Rant points out that the Mother Box relics (supercomputer-like devices created by the New Gods) may continue to be a key plot point in the DCEU’s future. There are currently three Mother Boxes on Earth, one with the Amazonians, one with the Atlanteans, and one with us humans.

How big of a role will the New Gods and Old Gods have in the DCEU moving forward? Start by watching Justice League, now in theaters.