‘The Death of Superman’ Star Jason O’Mara on How Batman is Affected By the Loss

Jason O’Mara’s take on Batman has changed a lot in the years since Justice League: War introduced the current DC Universe animated feature film version of the character — and one of those changes, a reliance on his teammates, makes the loss of his opposite number in The Death of Superman all the harer to deal with.

The film, which comes out on Blu-ray and DVD today, sees Batman and Superman leading a Justice League that includes Wonder Woman (Rosario Dawson), Cyborg (Shemar Moore), Aquaman (Matt Lanter), Martian Manhunter (Nyambi Nyambi), The Flash (Christopher Gorham), and Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion) against Doomsday, a relentless and mysterious killing machine that tears up a huge chunk of the East Coast before dying in combat, simultaneous to the Man of Steel.

“I think in a way, Batman and the rest of the Justice League are in shock as we’re reacting to what happens at the end. So obviously, there’s a moment there where all hope is lost and it’s very upsetting, and not least just because they’ve lost their friend,” O’Mara told reporters at Comic Con. “I believe that Batman has always built the Justice League around Superman, and that Superman is the ostensible leader, as he’s quite far and away the most powerful member. Without Superman, I think they know that they’re kind of screwed against an enemy like [Doomsday].”

Of course, in the original comics, it was not the A-list Justice League but the remnants of the Keith Giffen/J.M. DeMatteis Justice League International series who went up against the killing machine that was Doomsday. He plowed through Guy Gardner, Blue Beetle, Booster Gold, Maxima, Bloodwynd, Fire, and Ice on his way to killing Superman — and put some of those characters out of commission for quite some time.

In The Death of Superman, Doomsday did not make that kind of impression on the League, and it seems likely that all of its members will be back up and running by the time four impostor Supermen arrive to try and claim the mantle in next year’s sequel Reign of the Supermen.

Of course, with Batman playing a key role in the story (something he did not do in the comics), one has to wonder whether he will be useful in figuring out the story behind one or more of the “Supermen” in record time.

The Death of Superman is on sale now on Blu-ray, DVD, and digital video on demand services. Reign of the Supermen will be available next year.