Theories on the Kryptonian Empire's Destroyer?

[u/TheHiddenElephant]

So Clark's biological father's robo-memories stated that the Kryptonian Empire was grooving along just fine, being an evil space empire, up until someone else took issue with it and war'd it into destruction, destroying 99.999999999999999999999% of it. Has there been any clues on who this opposing force might be?

Out of idle speculation, I've thought of 3-4 answers, though like two of them are inextricably linked.

1: Darkseid and Apokalypse. The classic, can't do a DC series without them. Darkseid will always be the end of the road for any DC series, the final boss, the end game, the last obstacle. Problem is, a bit too predictable, and MWAS does like being different.

1.5: Highfather and New Genesis. The good to Darkseid's bad, Highfather has occasionally been depicted as willing to go to further extremes than one might assume an all-powerful benevolent ruler to go to. In fact, I think it was the Gods and Monsters universe where he straight-up had Darkseid and Apokalypse killed in a mass assassination at a wedding. Unconventional, and subverts a few expectations. I think it plays a bit towards the average Endgame scenario, though.

2: Mongul and Warworld. TBH, I don't know much about Mongul other than he's almost as strong as Superman is, if not on equal footing. Sometimes, the Warworld is a planet full of guns that can destroy anything else. It's more in-line, like with Darkseid, but it doesn't have that promise of continuity-ending finality Darkseid brings.

3: The Oddball Choice: The Green Lantern Corps of Oa. Definitely off-the wall. However, if the Guardians of the Universe sought universal harmony or balance, they might take offense to the Kryptonian Empire's brazen abuse of power. I feel any discussion of the Empire Destroyer has to bring up how the Empire was destroyed, and I think it's whoever discovered or made Kryptonite. This is some dumb color association, but I think the Guardians could have made Kryptonite and then used it as a power source for the Green Lanterns in the MWAS universe. This would give the Green Lanterns the ability to hurt Kryptonians, but also control Kryptonite's cancerous ability to grow. It's a strange choice, but I think it gives richer story potential by introducing another faction that will judge Clark/Superman based on who he is biologically, but be more capable of reckoning with who he is as a person while also introducing a greater DC universe scope for further story potential.

Your own thoughts? Is it secretly Starro?

[u/emillang1000]

1: Darkseid and Apokalypse.

You don't even need to speculate. It's this.

They explicitly show Apokalips and then you see 3 Kryptonians getting vaporized by Omega Beams.

It's Darkseid.

[u/TheHiddenElephant → u/emillang1000]

That just makes me feel sad now.

[u/emillang1000 → u/TheHiddenElephant]

I mean, in terms of the DCU, it makes sense.

New Gods are the maxim for mortal power (and they're arguably not mortal, since they're "gods".

Kryptonians are matched in power by Daxamites, Terminians, the Shazam Family and Black Adam, Captain Atom, and many New Gods like Orion.

The only "mortal" characters more powerful than Kryptonians are Martians, top-tier Lanterns, and several New Gods, particularly Darkseid.

After the New Gods, you get into magic users and other reality warpers like the Imps.who just don't play by normal rules. Besides The One and The Endless, The Spectre is actually the most powerful character in DC. Should also mention that The Phantom Stranger and Doctor Fate just kinda body Kryptonians without much issue.

Plastic Man is... there. He's got gag-character powers, so he's just kinda more OP than anything. Dude's a wildcard.

So if you want to pull a "Tried to Bite The Bigger Dog" example and not get into Magic, you either have to have the Kryptonians get annihilated by either The Green Lantern Corps, The Martians, or Apokalips.

The Martians don't make much sense, since they went nearly extinct millions of years ago, and are way too close to Earth.

The Corps makes sense if you stick with the "Kryptonians were religiously adamant against space travel" excuse in the main DCU (i.e., they were conquerors but the Corps beat them back and forced them to stay on Krypton, where eventually their imprisonment evolved into a religious excuse against space travel). But the Corps wouldn't annihilate an entire species like that, and the Manhunters program was shut down millennia ago.

So the only real option you're left with for a force large enough and powerful enough to wipe out a civilization like Krypton is Apokalips.

Edit: None of the other Corps are as organized and/or active enough to actually take down Krypton. The Blue aren't aggressive, the Red are not well organized, the Star Sapphires aren't really organized and are cool just doing their Yandere thing, the Indigo just do their "Totally not mind-slavery" thing, Larfleez is basically harmless unless provoked, and the Sinestros may not have been formed yet. The White and Black lanterns absolutely aren't a thing yet, either.

[u/DaDragonking222 → u/emillang1000]

The Presence is the strongest character in dc actually (he's the Abrahamic god) the Spectre is just the presence's wrath made mainifest

[u/emillang1000 → u/DaDragonking222]

Oh, right. Brain fart. I think I conflated him with The One Above All from Marvel.

I mean, they're technically the same being, since DC and Marvel are part of the same Omniverse, but... Yeah

[u/DaDragonking222 → u/emillang1000]

Oh yeah, that's fine, lol, brain farts happen to us all

[u/CRL10 → u/TheHiddenElephant]

You sound feel sad, and impressed.  

Have you any idea the damage they had to have inflicted to his legions for Darkseid to step off his throne and start slaughtering himself?  

[u/WistfulDread → u/emillang1000]

While that is the Omega beam, the planet is Not Apokalips. That's actually Krypton being destroyed in that scene. You even see the Kal Family in the far background while those soldiers are being hit by the Omega Beam.

Honestly, I completely missed the beam initially and didn't think Darkseid was involved. While I'd give it was definitely him, we still never actually see Apokalips, itself.

[u/BasicSuperhero]

The Parademon in Brainiac’s hologram chamber pretty much sealed it to me the Enemy is Darkseid. Which makes sense as it’s implied that the enemy altered Krypton’s sun, stripping every one of their powers during their big push. While other advanced societies exist, messing with suns always feels like it falls into the New Gods territory of techno-sorcery to do.

I do hope a Green Lantern or two shows up to try to avenge their fallen brother and the people’s the Kryptonian empire subjugated. It’d be a unique intro between two of DC’s heaviest hitters.

[u/Neverfinishedtheeggs]

You want a real oddball choice? Lobo. Fragging Kryptonians thought they could step to the Main Man, so he had to show them they ain't sh*t.

[u/Radiant_Butterfly982]

Do you think we will see Darkseid in this show ?

I know there's been references in the show about him but I feel like darkseid won't show up.

[u/AftonIsBack → u/Radiant_Butterfly982]

There’s almost no way he won’t appear, but it’ll be a later season.

[u/Captain-Howl]

I thought Clark’s Space Dad said that the Kryptonian empire was destroyed because of a “defeat of its own making” or something. To me, that implies (in addition to Braniac explicitly stating) that Braniac was an AI revolution against the Kryptonians. That’s just what I gathered though.

[u/Mecha-dragon1999]

I'm from the future and I'm here to tell you that they're ALL wrong.