Glorious Godfrey

Darkseid's silver-tongued New God, a television preacher who turns the public against heroes.

Glorious Godfrey is a DC Comics supervillain from Jack Kirby's Fourth World series of the early 1970s, a New God from Apokolips and servant of Darkseid who poses as a human television personality. He first appeared in The Forever People #3 in June 1971.

In animation he is voiced by Enrico Colantoni in Justice League and Tim Curry in Young Justice, while Michael Daingerfield and Tom Cavanagh played him in Smallville and Superman & Lois.

Quick Facts

Publisher

DC Comics

Debut

The Forever People #3 (June 1971)

Creators

Jack Kirby (writer-artist)

Real name

Glorious Gordon Godfrey

Species

New God

Homeworld

Apokolips

Alliances

Darkseid's Elite; Galaxy Communications

Also known as

G. Gordon Godfrey
Reverend G. Godfrey Goode
Godfrey

Facts from the source article.

Background

Kirby biographer Mark Evanier says Godfrey was based on Billy Graham, with elements of Arthur Godfrey; Kirby was disturbed by Graham's antisemitic views and apocalyptic sermons. The character embodies the charismatic speaker who can talk people into justifying violence and evil, and he and his sister Amazing Grace share mind-control powers as members of Darkseid's Elite.

In Legends, Darkseid sends him to Earth as G. Gordon Godfrey, a reference to G. Gordon Liddy, to run a hate campaign against superheroes that leads a president to outlaw super-heroic activity. He is finally stopped in Washington when he puts on Doctor Fate's helmet and it wipes his mind.

In Final Crisis he possesses the reverend Godfrey Good and serves as Libra's assistant, and after the 2011 New 52 reboot he comes to Earth to retrieve the Chaos Shard hidden in Damian Wayne's body.