Parademons are sentient species of genetically modified and enhanced beings creating when altering other species with the Mother Boxes. They are a subservient race of aliens used by the overlord Darkseid, though they are actively imployed by his generals. Steppenwolf, Darkseid's herald, notably employed them during his attempted planetary invasion of Earth, and later again when fighting against the Justice League.
History
Creation
Parademons are created by the tried and true process of deconstructing and repurposing genetic material from dead and captured enemies of Apokolips with the Mother Boxes. Newly created Parademons are then processed, trained, and enhanced to serve Darkseid.[1]
Invasion of Earth
A human warrior transforming into a Parademon.
Parademons were used as Steppenwolf's personal army when the New God first attempted to conquer Earth. During this invasion, countless hordes of Parademons emerged from the Apokoliptian dropships, requiring the combined might of the Amazons, Atlanteans, and armies of Mankind to match their numbers and manage to fight them back as Steppenwolf didn't equip his troops with long range weaponry. Many were turned into Parademons due to their exposure to the energy released from Steppenwolf's Electro Axe. With the assistance of the Olympians and Yalan Gur, the Parademons were defeated along with Steppenwolf. When the Unity was dismantled by Zeus, the Parademons were forced to retreat and restrain the humiliated New God as they fled.[1]
Battle for Earth
Parademons inside their hive.
After Lex Luthor accessed the Kryptonian ship, Steppenwolf, learning that Earth was defenseless with the Olympians gone and with no one strong enough to protect it (since Superman was also dead), sent his Parademons to scout the planet. Batman came in contact with one before it auto-destructed. Many assisted Steppenwolf when he arrived at Themyscira to retrieve from the Amazons their heavily guarded Mother Box. After the New God retrieved the second Mother Box from Atlantis, the Parademons begun kidnapping certain workers from S.T.A.R. Labs in order to learn of the last Mother Box of three's location. At this point, a team of heroes intervened, saving the hostages and defeating several Parademons in the process. Steppenwolf built a hive inside a decommissioned nuclear silo in northern Russia, where his Parademons stayed relatively hidden, not attracting much attention from the world, until the Unity could be started. Once the Unity process begun, the heroes arrived to stop it, being initially overwhelmed by the Parademons' great numbers. Eventually, the league, with the help of the now recovered Superman, were able to defeat Steppenwolf and dismantle the Unity, leaving the New God reeking with fear, which lead the Parademons to attack him instead. An immense portal opened, taking Steppenwolf and the remaining Parademons back to Apokolips.[1]
Insurgency Knightmare
- "I had a dream; it was the end of the world."
- ―Bruce Wayne to Diana Prince about his vision.[src]
A Parademon from the Knightmare.
In a nightmarish vision of an alternate future shown to Batman as a warning from that future's Flash, Parademons invaded Earth, having seemingly allied themselves with a ruthless and tyrannical version of Superman and his Regime Stormtroopers. A number of Parademons began taking much of the last remaining Insurgency members away to a place unknown. One Parademon managed to knock out Batman after the latter had successfully killed a Regime trooper, taking out the Dark Knight in a single strike.[2]
Characteristics
Parademons lack personality and individuality while possessing an instinctive combat ability upon creation. They are loyal soldiers to their the New Gods, especially Darkseid, as they operate proudly under his banner, as seen when Steppenwolf commands an army of them in his attempted terraformation of Earth, and during his second attempt.[1] During Bruce Wayne's vision of an apocalyptic future, Parademons were loyal also to the tyrannical Superman.[2]
The Parademons also have improved physical abilities, since they are seen carrying people with them and a single Parademon was able to knock out Wonder Woman, although it must be taken into account that Wonder Woman had previously been hit by Steppenwolf and took her by surprise. They also possess other skills such as superhuman agility and speed. In addition, they have four wings that allow them to fly at high speeds.
Parademons also possess innate abilities for hand-to-hand combat and the handling of different weapons.
Equipment
- Apokoliptian Weaponry: During the first invasion of Earth, Parademons were armed with glowing axes. In the second invasion, Steppenwolf learned from his mistake and equipped his troops with much more advanced weapon, energy rifles. Their rifles fire a form of red colored, plasma-like energy, bearing remarkable similarities to the function of Kryptonian Plasma Carbines. The weapon is lethal when fired upon vital spots or upon unprotected humans, though the Flash was able to survive an incapacitating round to the leg, and Batman had to make great effort to avoid the weapon's blasts.
- Parademon Armor: Parademons wear an organic, chitinous body armor that protects them from conventional weapons, resulting in Batman needing to upgrade his Batmobile's arsenal and utilize high-powered explosives to cause damage. This armor, however, is not strong enough to protect against extremely powerful weapons like Wonder Woman's sword or Aquaman's trident, nor can it withstand great impacting forces, as the Flash was able to tear through a squad of Parademons at superspeed.
Gallery
Concept artwork
Behind the scenes
- Concerning their design, Jeremy Hanna, a concept artist for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, said "We worked with Zack Snyder back in 2015 to develop a look for the Parademons which feature in the dream sequence in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. We wanted to blur the line between organic and technological forms, making it difficult to distinguish the creature from their armour, breather, and weaponry."[3]
Trivia
- Parademon blood is green, as seen when Flash ran through a squad of them.
- Director David Ayer revealed Parademons were originally planned to appear in 2016's Suicide Squad as a part of Enchantress' army, but in the end, were replaced by Eyes of the Adversary. [4]
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