This article contains spoilers for Green Lantern #7.
One one of DC's greatest villains, Darkseid plays a vital role in the DC Comics universe - one he can never know. The most fearsome of the New Gods, Darkseid rightly considers himself one of the most dangerous beings in existence. He has razed countless worlds, perpetrated an untold number of atrocities, slaughtered people by the billions, but in Green Lantern #7, by Geoffrey Thorne and Tom Raney, DC hints at his true role in the universe.
The issue sees Darkseid unwittingly create the new Green Lantern Corps when his fellow New God Lonar transports Green Lantern John Stewart back in time to an ancient conflict between the New Gods and the beings who would become the Guardians of Oa. These were the days when Darkseid still called himself Uxas, long before he had learned to tap into the Omega Force, when he instead used a weapon called a Soul Cannon; John Stewart couldn't help intervening, and he was blasted by the Soul Cannon, which transformed him into something... new. According to Lonar, this was the sole reason he took John Stewart back to that ancient war; to ensure he evolved.
Green Lantern #7 subtly hints at Darkseid's true role in the DC universe. On its grandest scale, evolution is usually triggered by a crisis; this is true on a personal level as well, with transformation often triggered by a traumatic event. Darkseid, as the ultimate cosmic crisis in DC, is an unwitting tool of evolution. However dangerous Darkseid may be, how many heroes have been created because of his actions? How many alliances have been forged for fear of Darkseid? Lonar is the God of Journeys, an agent of change and evolution, and he views Darkseid as his go-to tool.
The idea is an amusing one, although interestingly it's not exactly original. The classic Doctor Who story "Genesis of the Daleks" saw the Doctor sent on a mission by the Time Lords, tasked to rewrite history and erase the Daleks from the timeline. He ultimately chose not to complete his mission, because he insisted the future needed forces like the Daleks. "You see," the Doctor explained, "I know that although the Daleks will create havoc and destruction for millions of years, I know also that out of their evil must come something good." The same note of optimism now sounds over Darkseid in DC Comics.
And the irony, of course, is that Darkseid can never appreciate this role. He is too egotistical, too proud, and he would never imagine he simply serves a necessary role in the cosmic balance. But this is as it should be; if Darkseid ever realized it, he would wish to abandon it, furious at the idea he is nothing more than an agent of change and evolution. No doubt that truth brings a smile to Lonar's face every now and again.