

Modern adaptations of “The Death of Superman” don’t have the benefit of the shock of the original (which at the time was national news!). There’s a real sensation of loss and grief when you see Lois Lane holding Superman in her arms as he dies, with his superhero colleagues sadly watching. It all works because it’s building off decades of Superman stories that endeared him both to his fellow fictional characters and the readers.

Other heroes step up in his absence to fulfill the role of Superman. Lois Lane and Supergirl must recover Superman’s stolen body while they’re still mourning. Nearly every one of DC’s superheroes came to his funeral. The real story of “The Death of Superman” is what happens after he dies. What Snyder seemed to miss is that Doomsday isn’t a character, he’s a plot device. The appeal of the character is strikingly simple: he’s strong enough to kill Superman without needing to use Kryptonite or magic or an elaborate scheme. His name came from his intended role in the story: he would be a doomsday for Superman. Doomsday was created to be an imposing physical threat to Superman, something that had become rare at the time. Eventually, Superman had to intervene, and their fight dragged on until the two of them beat each other to death in front of the Daily Planet in Metropolis. He is a massive, physically imposing figure that emerged from deep within the Earth and immediately began to rampage across the United States, defeating all the heroes that tried to stop him. Fans of Superman will immediately recognize Doomsday, the terrifying creature that is responsible for killing Superman in the comics.ĭoomsday was first introduced in late 1992 as part of Superman: The Man of Steel’s “The Death of Superman” storyline. But Bizarro was not what he once was, having been tortured and experimented on by Lex for days in a secret lab to turn him hulking abomination that can’t be killed. Lex has used a device stolen from General Lane ( Dylan Walsh) to summon what was once Bizarro Superman (Hoechlin) to attack the Man of Steel. In the final minutes of “ What Kills You Only Makes You Stronger,” Lex Luthor confronts Superman ( Tyler Hoechlin) in front of his family’s farmhouse in Smallville.
