 |
 |
 |
 |
Doomsday was a monstrous being created by Project Cadmus with the ability and desire to kill Superman.
History[]
Creation[]
Doomsday was created under the auspices of Project Cadmus as a superior clone of Superman. He was made from a genetic sample by Emil Hamilton, but was engineered to be his superior. He was repeatedly subjected to brainwashing simulations that humiliated him and fueled his rage towards Superman. Ultimately, Doomsday was to be the Project's fail-safe in the case Superman ever went rogue again.[2] He became increasingly difficult to control so Amanda Waller arranged for him to be imprisoned in a rocket and blasted off into space.
Much of the preceding information was revealed retroactively in The Doomsday Sanction, where it is related to Doomsday by Dr. Milo. In his initial appearance in A Better World, Doomsday is portrayed as a being from space, emerging from a meteorite. He is unfamiliar with Superman during their first encounter. When asked why he attacked the city, he stated that he simply wanted to challenge the best fighters of the planet and that he only sought power. The writers may have wanted to give Doomsday a new background that better explained his antipathy towards Superman. Alternatively, the story related by Dr. Milo might be entirely false, concocted by Milo in an attempt to manipulate him. The discrepancy is left unexplained.
First Fight with Superman[]
Doomsday managed to break free and forced the rocket back to Earth, landing near Metropolis.[1] He then proceeded to go on a rampage only to encounter the Justice Lords. After he had apparently physically beaten the Justice Lords, Justice Lord Superman included, into submission, the Justice Lord used his heat vision to lobotomize Doomsday, temporarily sidelining him.[3]
Second Fight with Superman[]
Doomsday was recovered by Cadmus, and he slowly recuperated with his advanced healing powers. He was prematurely freed by a bitter Dr. Milo after he had just been dismissed from Cadmus by Waller, Doomsday convinced Milo that he would help Milo get revenge. Doomsday then killed Milo, and fled the Cadmus compound via a rocket ship to the volcanic island of San Baquero. He targeted Superman, who participating in the Justice League's evacuation of the island in preparation for an imminent volcanic eruption. A ferocious battle ensued with Doomsday beating the Man Of Steel to exhaustion. Desperate to stop him, Superman even tried to lobotomize the creature with his heat vision just as his Justice Lord counterpart did. However, Doomsday's body had adapted to the previous attack by forming a protective shield on his skull, and Doomsday taunted that he couldn't be beaten the same way twice. Superman eventually prevailed by trapping Doomsday in molten lava. During the Justice League's inquiry of Doomsday, J'onn J'onzz failed to read his mind as he was modified to be unreadable by telepaths. When it became apparent that Doomsday would not reveal anything or change his murderous nature, Superman decided to banish him to the Phantom Zone. Doomsday just sneered that they would regret this.[1]
Powers and abilities[]
As a clone of Superman, Doomsday possessed strength, speed, senses, stamina, a computer-like mind, reflexes, dexterity, combat skills, and invulnerability on a level equal or superior to that of the Man of Steel. He was capable of surviving in any environment even space, as seen briefly when Milo explained his past.[1] He was nearly invulnerable to almost all forms of attack, self-sustained and immortal. When injured, he could rapidly regenerate or resurrect over time and adapt to the weakness that allowed him to be hurt or killed. Doomsday's brain is immune to being read or controlled. Although he was capable of physically matching or besting Superman, he lacked some of Superman's more exotic abilities such as flight, heat vision, and freeze breath.
Background information[]
- Doomsday was created for, and first appeared in, the comic-book serial The Death of Superman. The comic book version of Doomsday was not created on Earth but was instead the result of an alien experiment attempting to create a perfect warrior species. This Doomsday would regenerate and evolve from every fatality so that he could never be killed in the same manner twice. The planet where the experiment was conducted was Krypton, during its prehistoric age, before the evolution of the sentient Kryptonian race. After being subdued by an alien race known as the Catalons, Doomsday would be banished in a prison ship that accidentally crashed into Earth. The creature broke free and went on a rampage towards Metropolis killing several civilians and hospitalizing nearly the entire active roster of the Justice League. Superman intervened, battling the monster to a standstill on the streets of Metropolis as the entire world watched via television. In a final clash, Superman and Doomsday swung simultaneously: Superman snapped Doomsday's neck with a two-handed blow to the monster's chin; Doomsday inflicted massive head trauma on Superman with a thunderous punch. Both combatants were declared dead at the scene, but Superman would later be revived by solar radiation and from the robots at his Fortress of Solitude.
- While the character didn't appear until Justice League, Paul Dini and Bruce Timm were both asked on separate occasions about the possibility for inclusion during the initial running of Superman: The Animated Series. Neither were enthusiastic about the idea, with Paul simply stating "NO"[4], while Timm would compare the character to Bane. "No! On Batman, We only did Bane under duress, but we did our version of Bane."[5]
Appearances[]
Justice League
Justice League Unlimited
- "The Doomsday Sanction"
- "Question Authority" (Mentioned Only)
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 McDuffie, Dwayne (story) & Goodman, Robert (teleplay) & Riba, Dan (director) (February 19, 2005). "The Doomsday Sanction". Justice League Unlimited. Season 1. Episode 16 (airdate). Episode 16 (production). Cartoon Network.
- ↑ Fogel, Rich (writer) & Geda, Curt (director) (February 5, 2000). "Legacy, Part I". Superman: The Animated Series. Season 4. Episode 2 (airdate). Episode 49 (production). Kids WB!.
- ↑ Berkowitz, Stan (writer) & Riba, Dan (director) (November 1, 2003). "A Better World, Part I". Justice League. Season 2. Episode 11 (airdate). Episode 37 (production). Cartoon Network.
- ↑ Unused Villains Database - Doomsday at The World's Finest
- ↑ "Animated Steel" by Pat Jankiewicz - Comics Scene Magazine #54
External links[]
| Project Cadmus | |
|---|---|
| Members | |
| Leader | Amanda Waller |
| Sponsor | Lex Luthor |
| PR / Manager | Maxwell Lord |
| Division Heads | |
| Genetics | Emil Hamilton |
| Psychology | Hugo Strange • Moon |
| Splicing | Milo |
| Mysticism | Tala |
| Military Tactics | Wade Eiling |
| Agents | |
| Captain Atom • Doomsday • Galatea | |
| Ultimen | Downpour • Juice • Shifter • Long Shadow • Wind Dragon |
| Task Force X | Captain Boomerang • Clock King • Deadshot • Rick Flagg • Plastique |