Arrowverse’s Doomsday Is Evil Superman – Theory Explained

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Superman & Lois season 2, episode 2.

The version of Doomsday appearing in Superman & Lois season 2 may actually be Evil Superman. The previous season of the Arrowverse series debuted a villainous, black-clad Superman who wrought havoc on Steel’s Earth. Dubbed “Evil Superman” by the fans, the character was supposedly a casualty of “Crisis on Infinite Earths”.

Though Tyler Hoechlin’s Evil Superman was never a threat to the main characters in Superman & Lois, he factored heavily into the Morgan Edge mystery and John Henry Irons’ motivations for being in Smallville. As it turned out, the villain wasn’t just an alternate timeline version of Clark Kent who suddenly went from good to evil. Edge’s scheme to use the Eradicator to allow a ghost of General Zod to take possession of Earth-Prime’s Clark indicated that this is what happened to the Big Blue Boy Scout on Steel’s Earth as well. Now that Edge’s plan has been foiled and Steel has moved on from his need for revenge, it’s quite possible that Evil Superman won’t appear again.

However, it could be that the show isn’t done with him after all. The character could somehow play a role in the new storyline that’s currently playing out with Superman’s strange visions and the mysterious earthquakes. After Superman & Lois season 2, episode 2, titled “The Ties That Bind”, it became evident that Doomsday – a character whose role in the series has been officially confirmed – is linked to unexplained visions that Clark has been having lately. What that means remains unclear, but it could be that the answer to all their questions comes directly from season 1. Here’s why the Arrowverse’s Doomsday may secretly be Evil Superman.

Superman’s Doomsday Transformation In DC Comics Explained

The idea of Superman turning into Doomsday isn’t without comic book precedent. As a part of the New 52 relaunch, DC created Superdoom, who appeared in a crossover comic titled Superman: Doomed. During a battle with Doomsday, Superman seemingly won the fight by tearing the creature apart. Unbeknownst to him, his actions set off an even bigger conflict. In the act of destroying Doomsday, Superman accidentally inhaled toxins from the monster’s body that significantly mutated his DNA. The change first became noticeable when Clark developed uncharacteristic, violent tendencies. The next step was a physical transformation that resembled Doomsday’s form. As Superdoom, Clark was more powerful than ever. Fortunately, the change didn’t end in disaster. With help from Lois Lane, Clark found a cure and eventually reverted back to his normal state. “Superdoom” proved to be a short-lived phase for the Man of Steel.

How Evil Superman Could Have Become Arrowverse’s Doomsday

Through Steel’s Earth, the Arrowverse could adapt Superman: Doomed, albeit in a much darker way. It’s important to note that Evil Superman’s ultimate fate has never been revealed. It’s assumed, of course, that he didn’t survive the Crisis, but recent developments make it all the more likely that he’s still out there somewhere. Natalie (Tayler Buck) making the jump to Earth-Prime in the Superman & Lois season 1 finale proved that Steel’s survival wasn’t an isolated incident or a fluke. If both could make it out, who else could have survived? The most obvious candidate for a third survivor would be Evil Superman, who was last seen attacking Steel’s ship. It’s certainly not impossible that he somehow followed Steel (or Natalie) to Earth-Prime.

Multiple explanations could make sense of Evil Superman becoming the Arrowverse’s interpretation of Superdoom. As one fan has suggested, it could be that such an event is connected to the red solar flare [via Reddit]. This was the weapon that Steel planned to use to kill Superman before crossing into the wormhole that took him to Earth-Prime. How it affected Evil Superman wasn’t shown onscreen. There’s a chance that the red solar flare mutated him and completely changed his physical appearance. Another possibility is that the real Doomsday was in the vincinity. A reference to the Kryptonian killing machine in Supergirl’s “Crisis on Infinite Earths” episode confirmed that Doomsday did indeed exist in the pre-Crisis timeline. If he was alive on the original Earth-38, there may have been one on Steel’s Earth too. If he attacked Evil Superman, the circumstances that created Superdoom in DC Comics could have occurred in the Arrowverse. If it did, the character may have unwillingly merged with Doomsday.

How The Arrowverse May Have Set Up An Evil Superman-Doomsday Reveal

The Arrowverse delivering a reveal of this magnitude may have already been set up. For a reason that the characters have yet to understand, Superman and Doomsday are psychically linked to each other. He keeps seeing visions of destruction that he assumes to be the day Krypton was destroyed. All he knows is that there’s a correlation between his headaches and the earthquakes. Plus, whatever is going on with Doomsday is affecting only Clark. Jordan (Alex Garfin) shares his Kryptonian blood and some of his powers, but he isn’t being tormented by visions. Edge, a full-blooded Kryptonian in the same vein as Clark, isn’t having these issues either, which means there has to be something unique about Clark for him to be the only one to have this experience. Since there’s nothing in the traditional Doomsday story that would explain their unusual connection, the Arrowverse may be drawing inspiration from Superman: Doomed.

If Clark and the Arrrowverse’s Doomsday are two versions of the same being, that would certainly account for the link that binds them together. It’s understandable that two versions of the same person existing in one timeline would cause all sorts of complications, including Clark’s headaches. That could be the reason for the “interdimensional kinesthesis” mentioned by Lara. Clark could be seeing the memories of his counterpart from Steel’s Earth.

The Arrowverse provided greater credence for this theory at the end of the episode through some ominous comments made by Dr. Faulkner (Catherine Lough Haggquist). In referring to the beast making the earthquakes, Dr. Faulkner said that something “came through”. The phrase itself confirms nothing, but could be a sign that the Arrowverse’s Doomsday isn’t from Earth-Prime. He could be an interdimensional being that doesn’t belong. Instead of crashing to the planet from outer space like Steel and Natalie did in Superman & Lois season 1, he may have teleported underground, thus forcing him to smash his way through to the surface. When that happens, the truth about his identity and his link to Kal-El may finally be uncovered.

Superman & Lois releases new episodes on Tuesdays on The CW.

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