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Both superhero gods were created in part by the same person, the legendary comic book writer and artist, Jack Kirby. At Marvel, Kirby worked alongside Stan Lee to develop Thor, who made his first appearance in 1962. Eventually, Kirby left Marvel for DC in 1971 to gain more creative freedom. Kirby’s biggest projects were Fourth World and the New Gods—an original pantheon of deities divided between those ruled by the benevolent Highfather on the planet New Genesis and those governed by the cruel Darkseid on the twin planet Apokolips. One of the most important characters of Fourth World, and the one who was meant to be DC’s equivalent to Marvel’s Thor, is Orion, the New God of War and son of Darkseid.
Orion may not get a lot of attention nowadays, but he is arguably one of DC’s most underrated characters and, from a moral and psychological perspective, a far more interesting hero than Thor has ever been. While Thor is inherently a noble and powerful hero, Orion’s struggle between good and evil makes his heroism a conscious choice, not a birthright.
Orion is a War God Who Resists His Nature
Both Orion and Thor are deities who live for battle. They are both capable of incredible feats of strength, each able to demolish entire hordes of enemies while entering a berserker rage. However, where Orion and Thor differ is in the nature of the challenges they face as superheroes. Thor is the prototypical storm god: violent, arrogant, and brash. His story has always been one about learning humility and becoming worthy of being both a hero and the next in line for Asgard’s throne. Orion, in contrast, is a far more damaged and nuanced figure who represents how nurture can override nature.
Orion is the son of Darkseid, who is the embodiment of evil and the big bad of DC Comics. As part of an uneasy peace treaty, Highfather and Darkseid switched sons. Unlike Darkseid’s other children, including Kalibak and Grail, who freely indulge in their savage urges, Orion’s upbringing led him to become New Genesis’s strongest protector. Yet, even though Orion was raised in a peaceful utopia by a loving family, he struggles to fight against the savage instincts he inherited from his ruthless father. This fundamental contradiction between his nature and his aspirations, as well as his determination not to be like Darkseid, fills Orion with deep self-hatred and dread of what he might become. To cope, he pours his energy into channeling his warlike tendencies into something good —a God of Just War.
While most gods are fully committed to their assigned roles and destinies, Orion actively resists his nature and potential future. He lives in continual fear that he is doomed to become just like Darkseid. He knows that, when sufficiently angered, he can enter a blind rage that threatens his friends. Additionally, his face resembles that of Darkseid, and he hides it out of shame. Consequently, Orion seeks balance between his innate savage nature and his desire to protect New Genesis and the DC Multiverse from Darkseid. While Thor, whose primary struggle is his own arrogance, revels in his duties as a God of Thunder and flaunts his heroics, Orion sees his role as a God of Just War as a burden and a reminder of the cruel lineage that he must overcome.
