I dont mean it has to be an iconic character like Jordan.
Take a nothing character like Rainbow Raider, or someone slightly more popular like Sinestro, amp them up, and nobody is gonna piss and moan because:
a ) They are already villains
b ) They dont have their own books
c ) They dont exactly have massive fan followings
As for backlash over killing Darkseid and not having the stones to do it.
DC in recent history has made a habit of killing characters for no good reason, so I dont see why Darkseid should be any different.
It took a lot more "stones" to kill Barry, Hal, Ollie, Ted, Wally, Bart and every other big character they have killed off (even though they caved and brought some back), so a villain who doesnt have a massive fanbase, isnt gonna be too big an issue for them.
He might be powerful, but he's hardly Luthor or The Joker.
