Doomsday has always been one of Superman’s most dangerous foes. During his first appearance, he literally fought the Man of Steel to a bloody standstill, resulting in both of their deaths. Of course, neither one of them stayed dead for long. As the story went, Doomsday was a genetically modified monster made by ancient scientists of Krypton. He was designed to be the ultimate adaptable weapon. Not even death could stop him as he would always revive, unable to be killed the same way again. Now, Justice League: The Omega Act Special has revealed a brand new piece of Doomsday’s history that changes everything.
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Everyone always thought that Doomsday was a monster made to destroy everything. After all, he rampaged across the universe before he was finally buried deep on the primitive Earth. However, The Omega Act Special gave us a deep dive into the hidden history of Krypton’s ultimate weapon, and showed us that he was never meant to be Superman’s most hated enemy. In fact, he was meant to help him save the universe.
Made to Be a Hero
The special had several flashbacks to Superman’s Kryptonian mother, Lara, exploring ancient ruins on Krypton with her best friend, Ursa. It was their final day before heading off to their chosen careers, and they wanted one last adventure together. They dove deep into tunnels from when Krypton was still connected to the rest of the universe through space travel. Unfortunately, they encountered some trouble in the form of Doomsday-like dogs that roamed the area, and had to flee even deeper, finding ancient doors with the words King Omega carved into them.
The room was filled with artifacts from all over the universe. There was a Green Lantern power battery, a Thanagarian’s wings, and a beating, mechanical heart that whispered “Darkseid Is.” Eventually, the two women managed to escape back to the surface, but Ursa grabbed a data pad along the way. She said it detailed Krypton’s ultimate weapon, but she could hardly make out the archaic text. Lara read it for herself and realized that Ursa’s translation was actually wrong. It didn’t call Doomsday Krypton’s Ultimate Weapon, but their Absolute Champion.
This single change absolutely shatters what we knew about Doomsday’s original origin and redefines him as a character. Up until recently, he was just the living embodiment of destruction with a particular hatred for Superman. Then Superman (2023) #19 revealed that Doomsday would eventually die and evolve so many times that he would become the Time Trapper, another of Superman’s most powerful and mysterious enemies. After wondering why Doomsday was created to survive even the end of time itself, we finally have our answer. He was made to become a god so he could help defeat a god.
Destinies Tied Together by Hope
Everyone, Doomsday included, always thought that he was created out of a pure hatred for Kryptonians and order in the universe. Now, however, it’s clear that he was a collaboration of the universe’s best and brightest minds, creating the champion they would need to one day defeat King Omega Darkseid. Instead of a monster, he was a weapon of hope, and that fundamentally changes everything about his relationship to Superman. The Man of Steel has always been DC’s symbol of hope. He’s also always been tied to Darkseid since their deadly first encounter. Now, we know that history runs even deeper.
Doomsday has always hated Superman more than anything else. He literally broke out of hell to fight him in Superman (2023) #20, but a potential future saw them being the last two beings at the end of time. They can work together, and now they literally have to in order to save everything from Darkseid. Instead of trying to crush Superman, Doomsday has to learn from him. He needs to evolve to understand Superman’s endless hope and see that it’s their only chance to bring down Darkseid. Superman and Doomsday are the universe’s two greatest champions.
Superman was born to be the universe’s greatest hero, while Doomsday was made to do the same by its smartest people. They are two sides of one coin. They’ve battled plenty over the years, but now these two champions of everything have to come together to defeat the enemy they were both literally born to stand up to. Darkseid is the living embodiment of evil and despair, and so these two must be pure hope to bring him down. Superman already is, and now Doomsday needs to learn from him. What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
Justice League: The Omega Act Special is on sale now!
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