Supervillain Origins: Doomsday

Supervillain Origins: Doomsday

This unstoppable monster is the only foe to ever kill superman. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we will explore the comic book origins of Doomsday.

As with most comic book characters, there are often re-imaginings and different versions to a character’s past. We have chosen to primarily follow the storyline that unfolded in 1992’s “Superman: The Man of Steel #17”, which was expanded upon in 1994’s “Superman Doomsday: Hunter Prey Book 2” and 1995’s “Doomsday: Year One”.

This seemingly mindless and unstoppable monster was the result of alien genetic engineering hundred of thousands of years before Kryptonians evolved on their own planet. Conducted by an immoral alien scientist named Bertron, the quest to transform an infant into the ultimate creature became his obsession.

These experiments involved having an infant creature fend for itself in the harsh wilderness of Krypton. However, when said creature would inevitably die from exposure to the elements and native creatures, Bertram would reanimate it through cloning. Repeating the experiment over and over again for decades, the creature slowly evolved and adapted.

Eventually, the creature evolved to the point where it became strong enough to lash out at and kill it’s creator and destroy his lab. While the scientist lay dying, his thoughts turned to how he had finally succeeded in creating the ultimate life form.

When a supply ship arrived to restock the lab, the creature, henceforth known as Doomsday, stowed away and began a rampage across the universe. This led to an epic struggles with the likes of Darkseid and the Green Lantern Corps.

The final planet Doomsday landed on and decimated during this time was the advanced world of Catalan. When all of their technology could not stop him, they created a super being made of pure energy called Radiant to accomplish the task. When Radiant succeeded, they bound Doomsday within a special containment suit, locked him in a coffin like cell and launched him into the cold of space, hoping it would contain him for eternity.

Eventually, after several hundred thousand years, he drifted to Earth and became buried upon impact. There he lay dormant for a millennia, before finally awakening.

This brought us to what was, chronologically his first comic appearance, with several Superman comics ending with Doomsday’s fists continuously punching the walls of his coffin to escape.

Upon finally breaking free, he dug his way to the surface of Earth and began killing and destroying anything that crossed his path, and eventually fell upon the scent of another Kryptonian.

Along his warpath, he was confronted by the Justice League, who he defeated with ease, before going up against Superman. That battle ended badly for the man of steel as he was brutally beaten to death. While both ultimately died in the struggle, Doomsday regenerated and returned stronger than before.

Though he was an inhabitant of Krypton, and possessed all of superman’s strengths, speed and invulnerability, these were not granted by his exposure to Earth’s yellow sun. Rather, he gained these abilities through the advanced evolution granted to him by the cloning process. Of course, Superman returned as well, by returning to his body from the afterlife.

To this day, Doomsday remains the most powerful foe Superman has ever faced. While he is unable to fly, he is stronger than Kryptonians and can leap great distances, and the sharp bony spikes that cover his body are capable of piercing Kryptonian skin.

However what continues to make Doomsday so menacing is the fact that upon regeneration he will always adapt and become immune to whatever had killed him.

Since Doomsday’s shocking murder of Superman, he has remained an iconic and unmatched villain. He has continued to appear in various media, from the Justice League Unlimited series, the 2007 animated movie “Superman Doomsday” and as the main villain of Smallville’s eighth season.

Are you a fan of the ultimate destructive life form? For more gripping comic book origins, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.