Desaad- Prime Earth (Earth 2 2012): The New 52

First Appearance: Justice League (2011) #6

Desaad makes a cameo in #0, in a flashback 6 years before the current time line of Earth 2, where Mr. 08 is talking about multiple worlds where they have lost and won against the armies of Apokolips. An energy shard depicts Desaad standing at the side of Darkseid and Steppewolf, towering over a large group of people, who all have their heads bowed in defeat. 

In #15.1, a flashback shows he drags himself onto the shore of Hawaii. He was just about to be given a group of survivors from Earth 2, when he fell through a Boom Tube and was transported to Prime Earth. He is met with a shark, which he kills and throws the dead body onto the beach. However he mutters that it was hardly worth killing. He crosses the beach, where he comes across a man asleep and drunk. He scratches the man's forehead, saying there is not much to feed off him, but there is more than the shark, using his powers to steal his fear and leave him dead on the beach.

Hours later, Desaad makes his way to a Honolulu Hospital, sensing all the pain present and saying it will be enough to restore him back to his old self. He goes towards the staff entrance, where he uses mind control to get past a security guard, who also let him into the building, before sending him off to kill people for his own pleasure. A doctor tells him to go to the visitor's lounge as they are working, calling him "Halloween." Desaad goes to a medical box, where he gives a blade to the doctor and gets him to slit open his hand.

Four years later in the Congo, Desaad is building a tower and "basic" Apokoliptian technology, however it is hard for him to get all the materials he needed. He compares human to insects, living so fast but doing so little with there lives. Cutter, one of Desaad's henchmen reports that they have developed powerful I.E.D.S into the Afghan War that cause much pain and death that takes hours. He says its adequate, but asks what of "the general," remarking that he has a scent similar to Steppenwolf and calling the latter a "false disciple of the master" who hid behind his armies. Desaad sees that the general he wanted to corrupt was, but expresses that Cutter failed to have someone corrupted in Holt Industries so he could gain access to the Quantum Tunneller. He turns to a hologram of a man reading a newspaper, stating that he was close to mastering Boom Tube technology but doesn't have the power source he needs. He questions if Darkseid has left him for dead, before fearing that Darkseid might think him to a traitor for fleeing. He yells at Cutter to bring him the Tunneller. 

When Desaad finds out about both Holt and the Tunneller going missing he screams in fury, smashing the sphere he was looking through, creating a Boom Tube and telling them to return to him. He declares that Holt is out of his reach for that moment in time. 

A year before the current history of Prime Earth, Desaad has humans strapped to chairs, where he is using their fear to try and power machinery. He claims they are instruments that are to be used by himself. He questions why is unable to control some people, slapping Cutter and ordering him to try again with readying his mind. He walks away wishing him to be more compliant like Ryouta, entering a chamber where he is experimenting on him. He smirks, asking if he feels the radiation filling him and watches calmly as Ryouta brakes free and demands that the pain is stopped. Desaad questions this, telling him pain is what will free him from humanity. He asks if he wanted to be more than human and in his employment and he bows down, titling Desaad as his "master."  He walks away, sighing that "they brake so easily." He orders Cutter to fully irradiate Ryouta and then send him to destroy the Tunneller as it is no use to him (but doesn't want it to end up in the hands of Power Girl and Huntress).

He takes an interest in the artist, summoning a Boom Tube as he had earned "personal consideration." He arrives at the artists house, where the artist is too lost in his work to notice the appearance of Desaad. He decides not to be hasty with the artist, moving away and stating that first the world's beauty will be destroyed and then finally he will return for the artist. 

In the present day, Desaad prayed to a large statue of Darkseid in his tower, wishing that Darkseid would come and fetch him and that he is loyal, growing stronger to stand at his side on Apokolips.