Warning! Spoilers ahead for Challengers of the Unknown #1!A founding Justice League member is hiding a dark secret that could result in the revival of Darkseid. The Lord of Apokolips infamously died earlier this year, kicking off the new DC All In era. But a shocking development hints that the iconic villain lives on in an incredibly powerful hero.

In Challengers of the Unknown #1 by Christopher Cantwell and Sean Izaakse, Mister Terrific pairs Challenger Ace Morgan with Superman to investigate an indestructible glass formation that has appeared on Mars. The duo arrive at the anomaly and use Clark's heat vision to take a piece of the strange formation, which gives Ace unsettling hallucinations.

After the duo return from their mission, Mister Terrific orders Superman to destroy the sample, saying he fears the Darkseid anomalies have manifested within the Challengers. However, the anomaly actually appears to be in Superman, whose eyes glow much like Darkseid's once did.

Superman is Secretly Harboring Darkseid's Energy

Glimpses of the Future Reveal Darkseid is Coming Back

After the multiverse was sealed off, Darkseid grew restless due to his power being contained in one vessel. He merged with the Spectre in an attempt to change the universe, but the spirit brought him to the Watchtower where he battled with the Justice League. During the fight, Darkseid's physical body was destroyed, and his energy was released into the ether. The Darkseid wave caused aberrations all over the DC Universe that the League is still investigating. But most of Darkseid's energy went to a new Earth and formed the Absolute Universe, a world that reflects the villain's worst aspects.

The ramifications of Darkseid's death have yet to be fully explored, but Challengers of the Unknown #1 makes it clear that Mister Terrific is certain that it's only a matter of time until he returns (as seen in his diary entry). Sadly, Terrific appears to be right on the money as the issue even opens up with a small peek into the future, which shows Darkseid's eyes ominously glowing as the Justice League is defeated. Even worse, Terrific is keeping his eyes on the wrong person, because a Darkseid-controlled Superman is a bomb just waiting to go off.

A Corrupted Superman Could Easily Destroy the New Justice League

Mister Terrific is Keeping His Eyes on the Wrong Person

Mister Terrific is one of the smartest people alive, but he's missing a huge danger right in front of him. If Superman has been corrupted by Darkseid, then he could decimate the dramatically expanded League before anyone knew what happened. He may be weakened in his current state, but all Darkseid needs to do is influence Superman just enough to tear his way through his friends and allies and most would be unable to stop him. Hopefully, Mister Terrific has a backup plan, because as long as Superman is under Darkseid's control, the entire Justice League is at risk.

Challengers of the Unknown #1 is available now from DC Comics.