Doomsday (DC Comics) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Doomsday |
|
|---|---|
.png)
Doomsday, as he appeared in Superman/Doomsday: Hunter/Prey #2 (May 1994). Art by Dan Jurgens (pencils), Brett Breeding (inks), and Greg Wright (colors)
|
|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Cameo: Superman: The Man of Steel #17 (November 1992) Full appearance: Superman: The Man of Steel #18 (December 1992) |
| Created by | Dan Jurgens Brett Breeding Jerry Ordway Louise Simonson Roger Stern |
| In-story information | |
| Species | Prehistoric Kryptonian |
| Place of origin | Krypton |
| Notable aliases | The Ultimate The Destroyer Dooms-D |
| Abilities |
|
Doomsday is a powerful supervillain from DC Comics. He is one of Superman's most dangerous enemies. Doomsday has also fought against the Justice League.
This character first showed up briefly in Superman: The Man of Steel #17 in November 1992. His first full appearance was in Superman: The Man of Steel #18 in December 1992. Doomsday was created by writer and artist Dan Jurgens.
Doomsday is famous for being the villain who killed Superman in the "The Death of Superman" story in the comics. He was even ranked #46 on IGN's list of the Top 100 Comic Book Villains of All Time. You might also know him from the movie Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. In the film, Robin Atkin Downes provided his voice and movements.
Contents
How Doomsday Was Created
Doomsday was first thought up in 1991 during a meeting with the people who wrote and edited the Superman comics. Some writers felt that most of Superman's enemies at the time either used technology or their brains to outsmart him. They wanted a new enemy who was super strong and could match Superman physically.
Several writers suggested that Superman should die fighting a "beast-like enemy." An editor named Mike Carlin wrote down this idea as "doomsday for Superman." This inspired them to choose "Doomsday" as the name for this new villain.
Doomsday had a brief appearance in Superman: The Man of Steel #17 (November 1992). His first full appearance was in Superman: The Man of Steel #18 (December 1992).
Doomsday's Story
Doomsday is shown as a giant monster created by science. He comes from the very tough, ancient planet Krypton, which is also Superman's home planet. His creator gave him very few feelings, mostly just hate and a strong desire to destroy things.
This led Doomsday to destroy many worlds before he found Earth. On Earth, he met Superman. Doomsday is best known for being the one who killed Superman in the 1992 "The Death of Superman" story.
Doomsday's Amazing Powers
.jpg)
Doomsday grew up in one of the toughest places in the universe: prehistoric Krypton. Through special science that made copies of him, the baby Doomsday kept coming back to life. Each time he returned, he got stronger and couldn't be hurt by whatever killed him before.
Eventually, he could heal and get stronger all by himself, without any technology. For example, after the Radiant killed him, Doomsday became immune to the Radiant's energy blasts. He even survived Darkseid's super powerful "Omega Effect."
The time it takes for Doomsday to heal depends on how much damage he takes. When Superman hurt him, he only needed a few days to recover. But when Imperiex turned him into a skeleton, it took months for him to fully heal.
Super Healing and Toughness
Doomsday has super-fast healing that lets him recover quickly from most injuries. If Superman cut his side with a plasma sword, it would close up in moments. Because of how he was made, Doomsday doesn't need to eat, drink, breathe, or sleep. His body is mostly solid muscle and bone, without regular organs. The bone-like parts covering his body act like an outer armor.
Doomsday can also get stronger and tougher against injuries. Superman once used a sound gun to hurt him, but Doomsday's ears closed up, making him unable to be hurt by that weapon again. He slowly became harder to hurt if he wasn't damaged beyond his ability to recover.
Doomsday can also develop ways to fight back against his enemies' powers. He stopped the pure-energy Radiant by crashing into him and making a special dark energy. He could make his claws much longer and create a poison to hit Superman in the air. He could also breathe fire against the Martian Manhunter, who is sensitive to fire.
Doomsday's skeleton sticks out of his skin like sharp spikes. These spikes protect his few important organs, like his brain and eyes. They also act like sharp weapons on his hands, elbows, and knees. The tips of these spikes are deadly poisonous, even to powerful beings like Darkseid.
Doomsday is super tough against heat, cold, and normal attacks. This lets him survive in the harshest worlds or in the empty space of outer space. His amazing toughness and ability to not be hurt allowed him to survive Darkseid's full-powered "Omega Effect" without any damage. He shares this immunity with Superman because he is technically like a Kryptonian.
Waverider, another character, said that Doomsday's body could have been completely destroyed after his fight with the Radiant. This suggests his healing has limits. However, after his later changes, it's unlikely anything can hurt him that much again.
Super Strength and Speed
Doomsday has super strength, even stronger than Superman. At one point, he easily fought against the entire Justice League, including Superman and Orion. He could break Superman's left arm with little effort. He also beat Darkseid until he passed out in a fight.
However, his strength has limits. The super strong metal ropes from Calaton, which he was buried in, partly held him back when he first attacked Earth. The last of these ropes only broke when the Justice League attacked with all their might to stop him.
Doomsday seems to have never-ending energy and doesn't get tired easily. He fought Superman for a whole day without slowing down. He is surprisingly fast and agile for how big he is. He can even be as fast as Superman. He once grabbed the Flash even when the hero was running super fast. Doomsday can't fly, but he moves by jumping miles at a time. Superman used this in their first fight by trying to keep him in the air.
Kryptonite and Changes
After Lex Luthor brought him back, Doomsday became part-Kryptonian because his genes were mixed with Superman's. But he didn't show any new powers, except for his fire breath. In fact, he seemed weaker than before and was beaten by Superman alone. This was because he became smarter and was afraid of dying if he lost. However, it's not clear why a small hit to the head could stop his healing for a while. He apparently lost his intelligence when he was sent back in time, making him fearless again, like he was before.
Once he got some of Superman's Kryptonian DNA, he could be hurt by kryptonite. Unlike Superman, kryptonite caused him pain, but it couldn't kill him. This made him easier to control. But since he can adapt, this might not last forever. It's unknown if he has to die and come back to life to become immune to something.
See also
- List of Superman enemies
