| “ | Despero is the beginning! Despero is the end! Despero is all! | „ |
| ~ Despero's motto. |
| “ | Go! The conquest begins now! Emblazon my word and will across the cosmos! | „ |
| ~ Despero to his forces. |
Despero is a minor antagonist in the DC Animated Universe, serving as the main antagonist of the Justice League two-parter episode "Hearts and Minds".
He is the ruler of Kalanor, the leader of the Legion of the Third Eye and the discoverer of the Flame of Py'tar, having learned to master its will through his third eye. Despero plans to expand his influence over all of the galaxy to subjugate different worlds, but Martin Manhunter soon realizes that Despero is misusing the Flame's power for his own selfish ends.
He was voiced by Keith David, who also voiced Thel 'Vadam in Halo and King Andrias in Amphibia.
His Evil Ranking[]
What Makes Him Heinous?[]
- Took over his home planet Kalanor with his third eye's powers that he got from the Flame of Py'tar.
- Only allowed his subjects to only worship him as their messiah.
- He often used his third eye to hurt his victims.
- He banned all those not worthy of reading and punished anyone who opposed him.
- Schemes to use the Flame of Py'tar to conquer the universe and establish his own new order.
- Has the Green Lantern Corps attacked when they go to stop him and his forces from taking over Ranstad-7, causing the deaths of Galius Zed and Arkkis Chummuck, forcing Katma Tui to fake joining his side and leading Kilowog to suffer a few injuries.
- Orders John Stewart, the Green Lantern friends with those Corps he killed, to be executed by being thrown into the Flame of Py'tar.
- Although Stewart ultimately survives thanks to Shifflet and Radocko, two members from the resistance movement against Despero's order, installing a handy matter transporter inside the hole where the Flame resides, they do mention that countless have been thrown there under Despero's orders (and Despero did intend to kill them) and we don't know how long the teleporter was installed, which possibly means that several there thrown to a fiery death as Shifflet mentions that the device has only plucked a few from dying there.
- Promises to let history write itself with the blood and fire from his opposers, clearly planning lethal action against his enemies.
- Somehow gets John Stewart's Lantern ring to depower itself, leaving Jon defenseless for a while by breaking his power in a similar way to how he has broken the wills of a million Kalanorans.
- Hypnotizes some of his subjects with the Flame of Py'tar to spread his authority all over the vast universe as his soldiers.
- It should be noted that once he gets defeated and gets consumed peacefully by the Flame, all of Despero's soldiers turn up into trees as they travel throughout the galaxy, which makes him indirectly responsible for their deaths even if he didn't learn about them.
- Plans a massive conquest war, determining that Ranstad-7 was merely a test run for his campaign.
- Intends to transform all of Kalanor into a paradise with the Flame of Py'tar, whose light he plans to carry out and spread throughout the universe.
- Damps Kalanor to prevent Kat and John from communicating with Oa to request a cavalry of Green Lanterns.
- Uses his powers to subjugate and enslave other aliens to gather recruits from all the words he is targeting for conquest to control the galaxy as he considers his own manopower as "too thin".
- Has his forces destroy different ships from other species, killing countless aliens.
- Punishes his lieutenant Franzi by sending him to Kalanor's desert with no provisions until he sees a vision of himself, but in reality he sent his loyal soldier to die, as he smiles when Franzi apologizes for being unworthy and orders his minister to tell Franzi's forces that their leader isn't coming back.
- Unleashes offscreen a second wave of soldiers with plans to unleash yet another one.
- Captures Katma, Green Lantern and Hawkgirl, chains them from the necks and limbs and tries to enslave them with his powers to make them part of his forces.
- Forces Katma to become one of his soldiers by forcing her to be embraced by the Flame.
- Attempts to force Hawkgirl to be one of his personal assistants due to deeming her wings "too exotic", inappropiately touching her as he remarks so and clearly planning to sexually harass her as his sex slave, enraging John.
- Engages Green Lantern in a brutal fight, using rocks occasionally to hurt his opponent. He even cuts a pillar with his powers to crush an unconscious Katma and Hawkgirl to make Green Latern distract himself to gain advantage on his fight.
- Ultimately, as Martian Manhunter points out upon reading the Flame of Py'tar's feelings, Despero is nothing more than a deceiver who used its power for his own petty ends, as the Flame isn't actually a source of hatred but a beacon of hope.
Who Makes Him Inconsistent?[]
- Is fairly tragic, as he was back in his youth a peasant who was harassed and outcasted because of his third eye (a deformity he was born with), leading his own people to exile him away from his home town, forcing him to wander for a new home in the desert and be mugged by three unscrupulous assailtants who planned to cut him with a sword before the Flame of Py'tar saved him to supposedly choose him as its messiah.
- Offers John Stewart the chance to join forces with him, only turning on the Green Lantern when he firmly declines.
- Overall is a well-intentioned extremist who does believe that his mission will bring universal peace.
- Can be genuinely affable to deserted enemies, as he gladly allows Radocko, one of the former resistance fighters against his rule, a position on his new order when he betrays the resistance to join the "winning side".
- Peacefully accepts his death as Py'tar's foliage consumes him, finally understanding the lush paradise the Flame aspired to create.
Trivia[]
- The first issue of the Justice League Unlimited spin-off comic book series features Despero as returning while teaming up with Brainiac to attack the Justice League again, which would make Despero a Near Pure Evil due to not learning his lesson. However, as the issue contradicts Despero's redemption and death, Brainiac's lack of a physical body back then and was in fact written by someone who didn't work on the DCAU, whose creatives only consider all tie-in comic books as canon whereas they don't contradict their shows, it's safe to say that the issue in question's isn't canonical, so Despero qualifies as Inconsistently Heinous.
External Links[]
- Despero on the Villains Wiki
- Despero on the DC Animated Universe Wiki
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 Animated Universe Inconsistently Heinous
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Batman: The Animated Series and The New Batman Adventures Superman: The Animated Series Justice League/Unlimited | ||
 Inconsistently Heinous
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Comics Television Movies Video Games | ||