As the literal personification of tyranny and evil, Darkseid is one of the most terrifying beings in the DC Universe. And yet when he tried to take over all reality in the epic Final Crisis, he still needed the help of a Gotham City villain.
Darkseid is one of the New Gods, beings of immense power that live beyond the universe, existing in their own reality known as the Fourth World. These Gods are typically separated into two groups, those from Apokalypse, who serve Darkseid, and those from New Genesis, who live under the guidance of the High Father. Typically, Darkseid is above conquering the universe planet by planet. Darkseid's ultimate goal is to wield ultimate power through the Anti-Life Equation. Anti-Life would grant Darkseid control over all reality by extinguishing free will. In contrast, most Gotham villains are more concerned with heists and individual murders than universal conquest.
Nevertheless, fans got to see exactly which Gotham City villain Darkseid reached out to back in Grant Morrison and J. G. Jones' Final Crisis #2, which had Darkseid secretly taking over the earth, using a combination of Apokoliptian technology and the inventions of none other than the Mad Hatter. By using Mad Hatter's mind-control tech, Darkseid was able to enforce his will on whoever wore his new Justifier helmets. This ensured that Darkseid was able to control anyone who might have gotten in his way, turning them into a personal army - including many of DC's heroes. As a literal god, it's stunning that Darkseid considered Mad Hatter's tech his best option for his final attempt at total conquest - after all, Final Crisis saw the villain dying, attempting to enslave reality as his last chance to survive.
Darkseid Specifically Sought Out Mad Hatter
Darkseid has an entire planet full of people willing to do his bidding and create whatever he wants. His generals include the likes of DeSaad, the God of Torture, Granny Goodness, who excels at brainwashing, and Steppenwolf, a powerful warrior. But despite having access to each of these people, and literal New God tech such as Mother Boxes, Darkseid still sought out Mad Hatter. While it may seem surprising at first, Mad Hatter is often held up as Gotham's smartest villain, but one whose pathology stops him rising to the same level of influence as someone like Joker.
Mad Hatter's Justifier Helmets Prove His Staggering Genius
Darkseid cares very little for Earth or what goes on in it - details like Batman or even Superman's secret identity are practically worthless information for a New God, since it's so far below him. But even in this context, Darkseid apparently still respects the work of Mad Hatter, showing that while other Gotham villains may be far more famous, Jervis Tetch's inventions are literally so powerful, even the gods envy their capabilities.