Villain file · 04

Doomsday.

The monster that killed Superman.

The file

The facts, in one place.

Doomsday is the monster that killed Superman. He made a cameo in Superman: The Man of Steel #17 (November 1992) and his first full appearance in #18 (December 1992). He and Superman killed each other in Superman (vol. 2) #75, the climax of The Death of Superman. He comes back immune to whatever killed him.

First appearance: Superman: The Man of Steel #18, 1992

Through the years

Every era, a new plan.

Post-Crisis (1986–2011)
Cameo in Superman: The Man of Steel #17 (November 1992), full debut in #18 (December 1992). He and Superman kill each other in Superman (vol. 2) #75. Superman later strands him at the End of Time in Hunter/Prey and beats him again in Superman (vol. 2) #175.
Film and TV
Smallville season 8 (Sam Witwer as Davis Bloome), Batman v Superman (2016, voiced by Robin Atkin Downes), Superman & Lois, and the animated Superman: Doomsday (2007).

The full file

The whole story.

Some villains are clever. Doomsday is a disaster with fists. He was created to kill Superman, and in 1992 he did it, in a story that sold millions of copies.

Who is Doomsday?

Doomsday is a monster covered in bone spikes, built for brute force rather than schemes. He needs no food, water, air or sleep, and he heals from almost anything.

Doomsday’s first appearance

He made a cameo in Superman: The Man of Steel #17 (November 1992) and his first full appearance in #18 (December 1992). He was created by Dan Jurgens, Brett Breeding, Jerry Ordway, Louise Simonson and Roger Stern.

Powers

Power	Detail	Confidence
Strength and durability	Enough to match Superman blow for blow	Confirmed
Healing	Recovers from almost any injury	Confirmed
Adaptive evolution	Comes back immune to whatever killed him	Confirmed
Bone spikes	Natural weapons across his body	Confirmed

How Superman beats him

Mutual death: in Superman (vol. 2) #75, Superman and Doomsday kill each other. It’s the climax of The Death of Superman (1992–93).
Stranded: in Hunter/Prey, Superman leaves him at the End of Time.
Beaten again: in Superman (vol. 2) #175.

Because killing Doomsday only makes him stronger, trapping him is the safer plan.

After the death

His victory led straight into “Reign of the Supermen”, the 1993 story that introduced Steel and the clone Conner Kent. Superman later returned.

Doomsday on screen

Smallville‘s eighth season gave him a human side, Davis Bloome, played by Sam Witwer. He’s the final threat in Batman v Superman (2016), voiced by Robin Atkin Downes, and he also appears in Superman & Lois and the animated film Superman: Doomsday (2007). See Superman’s villains for the rest of the rogues’ gallery.

Questions

Asked and answered.

Who killed Superman?

Doomsday, a bone-spiked monster created for the 1992 'Death of Superman' story. He first appeared fully in Superman: The Man of Steel #18 (December 1992). He and Superman killed each other in Superman (vol. 2) #75. Superman returned in 1993.

Who created Doomsday?

Dan Jurgens, Brett Breeding, Jerry Ordway, Louise Simonson and Roger Stern, the creative teams on the Superman comics in 1992.

Why can't Doomsday be killed?

Doomsday has adaptive evolution: when he dies, he comes back immune to whatever killed him. That's why Superman has also beaten him by trapping him, stranding him at the End of Time in Hunter/Prey.