Warning: SPOILERS for DCeased: War of the Undead Gods #5In DC’s DCeased universe, Darkseid has launched an intergalactic blitzkrieg as the ruler of an undead army. To stop him, one of Superman’s most powerful villains attempted to intervene, taking a chance to prove he can be a hero. Instead, he unequivocally proved he cannot.
Mr. Mxyzptlk first appeared in 1944’s Superman #30 as a distinctly cartoony foe for the Man of Steel. While some of Superman’s villains best him in brains or even brawn, Mr. Mxyzptlk carries a markedly greater amount of power than even a Kryptonian can wield. An imp from the Fifth Dimension, Mr. Mxyzptlk holds the power the warp reality, changing the world to his wild whims. Much like Bat-Mite with Batman, Mr. Mxyzptlk generally creates more of a nuisance for the Man of Steel than an outright threat, though his infinite well of power certainly makes him a dangerous being on its own.
In Tom Taylor, Trevor Hairsine and Neil Edwards’ DCeased: War of the Undead Gods #5, Mxyzptlk recognizes the immense threat of Darkseid’s Anti-Life army and decides to help Superman intervene. Traveling to Kilowog’s home planet of Bolovax Vik with Superman and members of the Green Lantern Corps, the Fifth-Dimensional Imp reveled in the opportunity to take out one of the strongest beings in the galaxy with his unlimited power. Here, Mr. Mxyzptlk made a fatal error that proved why he can never be the hero: he relished his victory a bit too much.
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With infinite power at his disposal, Mr. Mxyzptlk easily could’ve destroyed Darkseid, the Justice League’s biggest threat and leader of the undead army. In trying to find the funniest victory, however, the Fifth-Dimensional imp stalled so long that he achieved no victory at all: “Okay, that’s enough of that, New God. What should I turn you into? A houseplant? A persuasive essay?” Mxyzptlk spent so much time thinking of the perfect bit that he allowed Darkseid to show him the Anti-Life equation, thus adding his incredible wealth of power to the undead army. If he truly wanted to do something noble and be a hero like Superman, he simply would’ve changed Darkseid into the first thing that popped into his head, saving the laughs for his next outing against the Man of Steel. Mr. Mxyzptlk instead showed where his true priorities will always lie, allowing his vast power to be added to the enemy’s arsenal so he could workshop a gag.
Soon after being turned by the Anti-Life Equation, Mr. Mxyzptlk crushes Green Lanterns John Stewart and Kilowog to death, immediately establishing himself as another major threat in the undead army. Mr. Mxyzptlk could’ve easily killed the DCeased universe’s Darkseid and cemented himself as one of the universe’s greatest heroes; instead, the Superman villain proved he will only ever be, at best, a superhero’s annoyance.
DCeased: War of the Undead Gods #5 is available from DC Comics now.
