The war that destroyed the Old Gods and created both New Genesis and Apokolips separated the Fourth World from the rest of the universe proper, leaving it accessible only by Boom Tubes.

Apokolips is an ecumenopolis with burning firepits, ruled by the despot Darkseid.

History

The Fourth World

The war that destroyed the Old Gods and created both New Genesis and Apokolips separated the Fourth World from the rest of the universe proper, leaving it accessible only by Boom Tubes.

The population is a downtrodden lot, including many that were kidnapped from other worlds before being "broken." The majority of the population are the Lowlies, a bald-headed and fearful race that has no sense of self-worth or value. The Lowlies are subject to constant abuse that ends only with death. Many Lowlies formed a group named the Hunger Dogs and rebelled against Darkseid, though they were, and remain, unsuccessful. Slightly above them are the Parademons, who serve as the keepers of order on the planet. Higher above the Parademons are the Female Furies, who are Darkseid's personal guards (male Furies also exist, but are less common). They are blessed with unnatural strength and longevity and are allowed to develop as individuals. This exposure to new concepts often results in them developing comical or garish personalities that contrast strongly with the immense sadism that is required to reach their positions. The leaders of the Furies are Granny Goodness, who sports the appearance of a matronly old woman while being the most powerful of the guards, and Kanto, who enjoys a unique position as Darkseid's master assassin. The chief guard, Big Barda, had a third position under Granny, which has not been filled since her defection from the group.

Surprisingly, Apokolips is second to New Genesis in technological advancement. With their technology, they are the height of power in most of the universe and are able to devastate galaxies when they choose to use it. Apokoliptian technology is furthermore the source of unparalleled misery in the universe as the planet routinely arms evil groups with advanced technology in order to further its influence (and misery) across the universe.

Apokolips is ruled by Darkseid as its theocratic god/despot, but he defers most of the actual day-to-day ruling to his counselor DeSaad. Darkseid has no real contenders for the throne of Apokolips except for the demon Mantis, although his three sons Kalibak, Grayven, and Orion are also potential contenders. Darkseid is cursed by Kalibak and Grayven's stupidity and Orion's service for good. It is prophesied that one day, Orion will overthrow Darkseid.

If Darkseid is ever overthrown, perhaps the results will not cause any major changes on Apokolips, as Apokolips' evil comes from itself rather than its master. This assertion, however, is debatable, and it is often said that Darkseid powers Apokolips with his ambient forces, which is where the Fire Pits come from.^[1]

The 30th Century

In the future, Apokolips will be inactive and Darkseid incapacitated. It is believed that Darkseid will be well-aged and dying along with the planet itself, which will become mostly uninhabited.

Points of Interest

• Armagedda: Armagedda was one of the many filth-strewn districts surrounding Darkseid's palace. It was populated chiefly by the Lowlies and patrolled regularly by Darkseid's Parademons. Note: In all likelihood, Armagedda is just a re-spelling of "Armagetto", and it is quite possibly the same place rather than a distinctive location.^[4]
• Armagetto
• Darkseid's Palace
• The Fire Pits
• Granny Goodness' Orphanage: A training facility owned by Granny Goodness where children are trained to become the most fearsome warriors of all Apokolips.
• The Happiness Home
• The Terrorium
  
  

Residents

Notes

• The concept of Apokolips was created and developed by writer/artist Jack Kirby.
• Apokolips is a play on the word "apocalypse".
• Laughter is absolutely forbidden on Apokolips.
• According to the book Crisis on Infinite Earths: Absolute Edition, many of Apokolips' non-Jack Kirby appearances from the mid- to the late 1970s have been retroactively allocated to Earth-Seventeen (or Earth-17). Earth-17 is now no longer considered part of the canonical continuity, though all of the historical information relating to the Pre-Crisis Apokolips appears to be intact.
• Apokolips is described thus in The Fury of Firestorm #58:
  • "You know this place. In your darkest moments, in the twisted, petty, private moments when you did those things you thought no one saw, when you toyed with those dark fantasies and thought no one would ever know - In those moments, your soul came here. Its name bubbles like a froth in the dank part of your mind - Apokolips! And you worshipped here, with all the other Hunger Dogs, howling the name of your master, your god: Darkseid. Darkseid! Darkseid!"
    

See Also

• Appearances of Apokolips
• Location Gallery: Apokolips
  
• Catalogued images related to Apokolips

Jack Kirby's Fourth World This character or group of characters are related to Jack Kirby's Fourth World, either the original concept and group of titles by Jack Kirby, or any of their subsequent adaptations by other creators. This template will categorize articles that include it into the Fourth World Characters category.