Darkling is a self-aware nineties cliche and he knows it. He inherited his dad's powers, and the mystically bound black hole in his chest is the result, just like dear old psycho dad. Unlike his father, Darkling has a sense of humour. His name refers to the his father's self-appointed title "lord of darkness" but with the diminutive suffix -ling, to indicate being his son, and to laugh at the arrogance of his father's old persona. After his father's death, accidentally, he obviously sought revenge on the heroes who got him killed. But he knows it was mostly his father's own stupid fault, so "revenge" consists mostly of donning a comedic black and spiky costume, an ironic over the top mock up of what his father used to wear sincerely, and use the immense cosmic power of a collapsed star... to pull off minor crime and prank the Shooting Stars when they show up. He joined his dad's team, but only when most of his dad's own actual colleagues had retired or died or whatever. Those old farts would have just severely cramped his style!