The DC Universe is home to some well-known villains. Darkseid, Anti-Monitor, and Doomsday are just a few of the most powerful enemies we have seen over the years. However, it would not be an exaggeration to say that Upside-Down Man is the most dangerous DC villain in recent memory. We have been introduced to one of the most adaptable supervillain forces of all time thanks to Justice League Dark.
It all started with James Tynion IV’s current Justice League Dark, which is written by him and drawn by Alvaro Martinez. They created the ominous character Upside-Down Man, who was depicted in the story as a menace to all of existence. The story’s Witching Hour incident altered our perceptions of magic in general, and this all-powerful, mysterious entity has played a role in a number of spectacular accidents.
The genesis of the Upside-Down Man can be traced all the way back to the beginning of creation when the Sphere of the Gods was created. The Upside-Down Man’s abilities are nearly limitless, and his mere presence has the potential to alter the fabric of reality around him. This ungodly entity is chaos magic personified, and he existed before the Lords of Order enslaved magic to a set of rules. We will introduce you to this unstoppable monster who makes some of the toughest adversaries look like kids in this video. Dive into the enigmatic world of the Dark Multiverse with us as we reveal everything there is to know about the Upside-Down Man.
A Little Something about the Dark Multiverse
Before we begin, a little introduction about the Dark Multiverse may be helpful. Imagine a version of you that is filled with your worst thoughts, negativity, and fear! That is precisely what the Dark Multiverse is for the normal Multiverse. It is literally a shadow of the primary Multiverse, but it is created from all the fear, bad decisions, and negativity. Thus, the worlds in the Dark Multiverse are steadily deteriorating and constantly undergoing some kind of change. They are doomed for destruction, and the number of worlds in the Dark Multiverse is far greater than the normal Multiverse.
This is because the Dark Multiverse is the cradle of worlds that are still unborn and the possibilities are almost infinite. Inside this Dark Multiverse there exists the Otherkind– a race of magical monsters resides that in the Other Place, which is the source of all evil in the Multiverse.
WHO IS THE UPSIDE-DOWN MAN?
The Upside-Down Man was a member of the Otherkind, one of the creatures that explore the dark and sinister possibilities of magic. When Creation gave birth to magic, it was turned into a bright light that formed Hecate. She was the first magical being, and she was formed from this light. However, Creation also gave birth to dark energy, which was supposed to be the other side of magic. Hecate noticed a terrifying presence soon after, and this was the Upside-Down Man, formed from the darkness.
One theory suggests that he was actually conceived from Hecate’s belief in the terrible possibilities of her magic. This makes him Hecate’s equal, except with a compilation of her worst thoughts. He appeared to be a disfigured creature, and he embodied the opposite of all the good that magic could accomplish.
The Upside-Down Man looks like a hideous humanoid creature, with no eyes, and his mouth is filled with sharp teeth. The body seems to be covered with spider-legs, and it is an appearance that rightfully terrified Hecate. His presence opened up the possibilities of his malevolent misdeeds, and Hecate created a barrier between the Multiverse and the Dark Multiverse that would restrict him. Thus, he ended up being trapped in a dark dimension and became the master of the other monsters of the Otherkind.
With time, the Upside-Down Man started using his powers to break free from the barrier formed by Hecate. His aim was to reclaim the magic that mankind had been blessed with because he felt that the powers were distributed unjustly to those who didn’t deserve it in the first place. Meanwhile, the magic blessed by Hecate created the Lords of Order, and there was a set structure around it. It could be said that the Upside-Down Man is averse to order and structure and he thrives in the chaos and limitless possibilities of the dark side of magic.
How Powerful Is the Upside-Down Man!
The Upside-Down is a source of raw and absolute power. He is made up entirely of pure magic, and he draws his power from The Source, the great energy of creation in all beings. There have often been debates whether Upside-Down Man is even more powerful than the Source, but that does seem unlikely because he literally spawned from the latter. Besides his extreme magical powers, the Upside-Down Man has a certain level of cosmic awareness that puts him at par with the gods.
He has revealed that he was watching over the Prime Earth even from his dimension. He can use magic against the user, causing it to backfire against the one trying to use it in the first place! This makes it very difficult for those with magical abilities to get the better of him. He is capable of creating other members of the Otherkind from his own body and he can travel through dimensions effortlessly. However, he is the strongest in his own realm, where his powers are infinite
The Upside-Down Man is virtually immortal because he is a member of the Otherkind and he doesn’t age. No ordinary methods would ever be able to eliminate him permanently. His insane regenerative powers enable him to heal from any injury very quickly. He can alter reality and has the ability to change his own form, allowing him to take up the form that he wants for the human mind to comprehend him. One of his strongest weapons is the Eldritch Blast, which is a powerful blast of energy that can destabilize the strongest of opponents.
He used this to destroy Swamp Thing, who didn’t stand a chance against such an extreme force. His powers were strong enough to liquefy Detective Chimp as well. There have been a few instances that suggest that Upside-Down man has the power of geokinesis. He could manipulate the terrain of Other Place, and suit it according to his requirements. His enhanced senses allow him to realize when magic is being channeled against him, and he also has the ability to fly at a great speed. Apart from such wondrous powers, his strength, agility, and reflexes are unquestionable! In short, this character was developed to become one of the strongest villains you would ever find, and the creators certainly lived up to their vision.
Things No One Know About The Upside Down man
A powerful supervillain should have two essential qualities – he should have a terrifying appearance and he should have extreme powers that make him invincible. The Upside-Down Man ticks both boxes, and he has established himself as one of the most dangerous characters in the DC universe. He is still a relatively new supervillain, and here are a few things about the powerhouse of dark magic that you probably didn’t know!
His views on magic are pretty straightforward. He believes that magic should only be shared between him and Hecate. Thus, any other magic-user is no more than a thief for him, and he would go to any length to deprive them of their powers. His general goal is to destroy all forms of magic by killing or corrupting the magic users. Naturally, he is a serious threat to the heroes from the magical aspect of the DC universe. He hates the idea of magic being bound by rules, and chaos is what sets him free!
We have known the Upside-Down man to appear a certain way, but this grotesque humanoid appearance is only a form that he takes up to interact with humans. We have still not been told about his real form, and if it can scare goddess Hecate, it certainly is better left unsaid!
He becomes more powerful as more people start believing in him. This is because all the humans have a little of Hecate’s essence and they can empower any entity that is believed to be real. For this reason, Upside-Down Man wanted mankind to believe in the Otherkind, which in turn would make him more powerful.
He has always been portrayed as a deadly villain, but the Upside-Down Man has also saved the world from Hecate’s wrath. The Witching Hour crossover provides details of this bizarre incident when Hecate wanted to destroy all of mankind for misusing the magic provided by her. In order to defeat her, Wonder Woman struck a deal with the Upside-Down Man and this also allowed him an opportunity to get his revenge. Another time, he freed Wonder Woman, which allowed her to defeat Circe and save the world.
In a way, he has indirectly created the realm of Gods. It was all because Hecate was disturbed by her encounter with the Upside-Down Man and she decided to give mankind some of her powers. Eventually, these powers brought about the Gods. Thus, Upside-Down Man is indirectly responsible for many of the Gods seen in the DC universe.
The Gods created a replacement for Upside-Down Man
It turns out that even the Gods believed in necessary evil. After the Upside-Down Man was banished by Hecate, they were worried that there would be nothing to keep a check on her powers any longer. She would become an unstoppable force, and there would be no balance. To solve this problem they created Eclipso, the powerful demon you have seen fighting Earth’s heroes several times.
HOW WAS HE DEFEATED? And Will He Come Back?
When the Upside-Down Man is in his own dimension, his powers are limitless. So you can kiss the idea of defeating him goodbye! He is a supremely powerful force even in the real world, but it is still far weaker than his own realm. This is what brought about his downfall and this slight weakness was exploited to banish him permanently.
Although he is usually imprisoned in his toxic dimension, he can break free when the barriers are weakened. This concept might sound familiar to the Stranger Things fans out there, but what is more interesting is the Upside-Down Man’s ties with Wonder Woman. The storyline titled The Witching Hour reveals that Wonder Woman was marked by Hecate when she was a child. We have already told you about how she used the Upside-Down Man to fight Hecate, and it was her mark manifested on her, which helped her lock him back. She knew that the dark lord of magic would keep coming back for revenge, and thus, she made Zatanna use her powers to lock both Hecate and Upside-Down Man in the dark realm. It seemed fair that the two deserved to be locked away together because their quirks could be deadly for mankind. It also allowed the Upside-Down Man to have his revenge on Hecate for locking him away for eons.
Our Final Words
Despite the negativity of the supervillain we cannot help but feel a bit sorry for the poor guy. He gets locked away by Hecate in the first place only because of speculations that he could mean harm, and because of his terrifying looks! Later, some random dudes get the magic powers that he holds so highly, and finally, Wonder Woman, the so-called person of virtue turns her back on him and he gets back to where he started! Jokes apart, these stories surrounding Upside-Down Man are becoming far too interesting, and we hope to see more of this untapped potential being explored in future stories.