Photo by Atsushi Nishijima/Netflix
Movies

Ava DuVernay Confirms The Furies & Darkseid to Appear in The New Gods

July 31, 2019
By The Credits

One of the most mysterious comic book movies in progress is the great Ava DuVernay‘s adaptation of Jack Kirby’s comic series The New Gods. Co-writing the film with comic book scribe Tom King, DuVernay has taken to Twitter to reveal some of the characters that will appear in the film. They include Darkseid and the Furies.

Kirby’s “The New Gods” debuted in 1971 and features twin alien planets called New Genesis and Apokolips. These two planets are ruled by very potent leaders who are essentially polar opposites of one another. The good guy is Highfather, who benevolently rules over New Genesis, while your bad guy is Darkseid, the dictator who lords over Apokolips. The population of both planets is made up of the titular New Gods, who were created to replace the Old Gods of classic mythology who were destroyed during Ragnarok.

Darkseid is a legendary villain in the DC Comics canon, long featuring as a formidable antagonist against the DC’s vaunted superhero group, the Justice League. His presence has been referenced in DC films before. He featured in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice‘s most compelling scene, Batman’s “Knightmare” that depicted a demolished world. At one point, Darkseid was going to be included in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, but that idea was ultimately scuttled when Snyder ended up leaving the production and Joss Whedon took over. His name was mentioned, however, by that film’s supervillain Steppenwolf. It seems like the overlord of Apokolips will finally make his appearance in The New Gods. 

As for the Furies, they’re the female warriors who fight on behalf of Darkseid’s Apokolips. It makes sense that if you have one, you need the other.

In co-writing with King, the author of the series “Mister Miracle,” DuVernay has a collaborator steeped in these worlds Kirby created. This is a big-time collaboration for one of DC’s most intriguing projects.

Featured image: L-r: Ava DuVernay, Jharrel Jerome in ‘When They See Us.’ Photo by Atsushi Nishijima/Netflix

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The Credits

The Credits is an online magazine that tells the story behind the story to celebrate our large and diverse creative community. Focusing on profiles of below-the-line filmmakers, The Credits celebrates the often uncelebrated individuals who are indispensable to the films and TV shows we love.