Superman & Lois: Who Is Bruno Mannheim?

Superman & Lois returned for its third season Tuesday night on The CW and the fan-favorite series wasted no time in setting up this season’s “big bad”. Not only did the episode see the live-action debut of a surprising DC Comics character, but it also gave viewers their first look at the latest incarnation of Bruno Mannheim. Mannheim was name-dropped at the end of Season 2, when John Diggle (David Ramsey) revealed to John Henry Irons (Wole Parks) that Mannheim was the man believed to be responsible for the death of this world’s John Henry and then, last fall, The Orville star Chad L. Coleman was officially cast in the role.

While the season premiere, “Closer”, didn’t offer much in terms of details about how Mannheim will factor into the season just yet, the character has been described as being known to “most of Metropolis as a local hero, a philanthropist who’s revived the struggling neighborhoods of the city. For years, Lois Lane has worked to prove that behind that facade is a career criminal and the head of the notorious organization Intergang. With some new leads, she might be closer than ever.”  But who is Bruno Mannheim?

Who is Bruno Mannheim?

Created by Jack Kirby, Bruno “Ugly” Mannheim first debuted in Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen #139 as a member and eventual leader of Intergang. Under the work of Morgan Edge, Intergang was quickly outfitted with weaponry from the New Gods, as Darkseid hoped to use them as soldiers in his fight to find the Anti-Life Equation.

While this is technically the first time we’ve see Mannheim on The CW, this isn’t the first time the character’s been mentioned. While a version of Mannheim had previously been referenced in the pre-Crisis events that occurred on the Arrowverse’s Earth-Prime, and Intergang was previously acknowledged on Supergirl, Bruno himself had never appeared onscreen until Tuesday night.

“I have a pretty darn good resume, so to say the least, this is the best role for me that I’ve ever had,” Coleman said previously. “The scale of this guy. Honestly, the scale of this man is incredible. He’s not to be messed with. This is gonna be a thrill ride. Love him, hate him, but it’s not the typical villain. He’s very layered. And you root for this man because he makes a lot of sense and he’s done a lot of amazing things to transform South Metropolis and so you just get to take this thrill ride.”

Superman & Lois airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on The CW.