Superman is at the height of his popularity right now, with the comics and the 2025 Superman movie presenting the best of the character to readers. Superman hasn’t been this important in a very long time; in fact, an argument can be made that the last time Superman was this vital to pop culture was in 1992, when DC revealed that they would be killing the Man of Steel in battle with a monster called Doomsday. “The Death of Superman” led to a short renaissance, one that reminded readers of what the character meant. Ironically enough, Doomsday has become a major part of the Superman books again, right when they’re back at the head of the class.
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Maybe this isn’t so ironic, though. “The Death of Superman” was peak Superman, and its introduction of Doomsday gave the Man of Steel’s mythos a villain who would help prove what Superman meant to the world. He was a simple monster at first, but as the years have gone on and his origin was revealed, it has shown how perfect a character the villain is for the Superman legend. They are both sides of the same coin, each one representing Krypton.
Superman & Doomsday Represent the Extremes of Krypton
So, to understand where I’m coming from, we have to talk about Superman and his origin, Doomsday and his origin, and Krypton.
Superman was sent to Earth from Krypton to allow the best parts of the world to survive its destruction. The alien planet has changed a lot over the decades through retcons, but the one thing that has stayed the same is that the Els represented the best of their world. Jor-El and Lara loved their son and their world, and they packed young Kal-El’s rocket with everything that made their culture great. He was Krypton’s last and best hope, a gift of life to the universe.
Doomsday is also a creation of Krypton; however, Doomsday was a creation of the old Krypton, a monstrous weapon created to destroy the enemies of that world. The monster is an engine of destruction; he has near infinite strength, and evolves into a greater, more indestructible form after every defeat. You can never defeat him the same way twice, and he will always come back until he destroys everything in his way. Doomsday is one of the biggest threats to Superman and the universe. He is the personification of the dark heart of Krypton, a weapon meant to destroy all hope.
Krypton has always been a complex place, like any planetwide society would be. There was a time when they were a powerful force in the stars, and they pulled inward, mastering their technology and becoming something more passive. Doomsday represents the old ways of Krypton, using their power to conquer the universe around them. Superman, on the other hand, is a representation of what Krypton never had a chance to become before its destruction: a force for hope in the universe. Krypton could have used its power for the betterment of the universe, but instead, it became insular and arrogant.
Doomsday and Superman have always been linked by Krypton, their origins and deaths both a result of what they represented about their homeworld. Superman #31 is a wild ride, but one of the best parts of the issue was when Doomsday told Superman about the link between them. It’s more than just being enemies; they are all of Krypton distilled down to two individuals. One represents the worst parts of Krypton, their knowledge and technology transformed into the ultimate weapon. The other represents the best parts of the planet, using its technology and teachings to create the ultimate savior.
Superman & Doomsday Are Two Sides of the Same Coin
For years, we’ve looked at Superman and Doomsday as simply hero and villain. The only way they were even somewhat similar was that they were both powerful forces on their side of the ideological divide. However, that was never just the case with them. The two of them were always more than that, as they both represented their homeworld. Each of them has always been Krypton at its best and worst, and that makes their rivalry much more interesting than it was before.
We often think about Superman as the best of humanity, but that’s only part of it. He’s also the best parts of Krypton, and the potential Krypton could have had for good in the universe. Likewise, Doomsday represents the worst part of Krypton, and the potential that it had for death and destruction. They are both representations of Krypton, each one personifying what the planet could have been if it were pushed in either direction.
Superman #31 is on sale now.
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Image courtesy of Focus Features.
