Summary

  • Doomsday's dark connection to Superman, as a monster from outer space with a shared origin on Krypton, explains why he is Superman's biggest fear.
  • In various storylines, Superman has been transformed into Doomsday, showcasing the physical link and intense hatred that Doomsday has for Kryptonians.
  • Doomsday serves as a perfect dark reflection of Superman, possessing pure Kryptonian power without any of Superman's morality or humanity.

There are tons of terrifying villains in the DC Universe, and Doomsday.

Superman is known for his overwhelming strength, but Doomsday still manages to beat Superman into a death-like coma in the iconic Death of Superman storyline. Doomsday is a monster from outer space who got his name from how his arrival left destruction that made it look like the apocalypse had come. Doomsday easily cut through the entire Justice League on a path straight to Metropolis. Doomsday targeting Metropolis hints at the dark connection Superman shares with the monster — and explains why Doomsday is Superman's biggest fear. His brutal strength is one of the reasons Superman fears Doomsday, but it goes even further than that. Doomsday comes from Krypton, and he was "born" long before Kryptonians evolved on the planet. ​​​​​​

Superman Is Transformed Into Doomsday

Wonder Woman's Enemy Circe Transforms Superman into a Monster

As such, Doomsday has an intense hatred of all living things, but of Kryptonians especially. Coming from the same planet gives Doomsday and Superman a strange link, and the fact Doomsday was an animal from Krypton shows there's a concerning physical link between the two. In Wonder Woman #175 by Phil Jimenez, Brandon Badeaux, Andy Lanning, Marlo Alquiza, Jose Marzan, Jr., Lary Stucker, Kevin Conrad, Trish Mulvihill, Heroic Age, Tom McCraw, and Comicraft, the witch Circe takes over New York City and transforms all the males into animals: the Flash is turned into a horse, Lex Luthor is turned into a spider, and so on. But the real concern is when Superman is transformed into a Doomsday-like monster.

This isn't the first time Superman has been transformed into Doomsday. During the New 52, Superman: Doomed sees Clark infected with a virus from Doomsday that slowly overwrites him, transforming him into the monster. Over in the Injustice universe, when Joker infects Superman with fear toxin, Superman hallucinates Doomsday coming back for revenge. It makes sense that Clark would fear Doomsday above any other enemy: not only is Doomsday strong enough to physically beat Superman to death, but Doomsday is shockingly similar to Clark, at least in of their origins.

Superman and Doomsday Share a Dark Connection

Doomsday Superman Attacks Wonder Woman

Doomsday is a monster that comes from Krypton, a creature without any of Clark's morality or humanity — only the pure Kryptonian power. In a lot of ways, this makes Doomsday a perfect dark reflection of Superman. Many characters in comics have these kinds of dark reflections — like Batman and the Joker — but there's no denying that given their history, Doomsday is not only Superman's biggest fear, but also his pure, dark mirror.

Check out Wonder Woman #175, available now from DC Comics!