Warning: Spoilers ahead for Superman & Lois season 2.
Superman & Lois season 2 premiere’s Doomsday reveal explained. The Man of Steel had a lot on his plate in the season 2 opener, having to deal with at-home tensions and his teenage son's hormones. The caped superhero also butted heads with the Department of Defense’s Lieutenant Mitch Anderson, who took over from General Lane after he stepped down in the season 1 finale. On top of everything else, Superman might soon be meeting one of his greatest comic book adversaries in Doomsday.
In the Superman & Lois season 2 premiere, Clark Kent discovered Lt. Anderson was sending out super-powered kids, who are a part of the Supermen of America program, on missions to save people. One of these missions involved rescuing people from the mines after an earthquake. However, the tremors the Man of Steel was hearing throughout the episode was actually coming from much deeper below the mines. A huge fist is shown punching through layers of rock at the end of the season 2 premiere, teasing what's coming next. While the new character’s face wasn’t shown, showrunner Todd Helbing confirmed the mystery person at the end of the episode was Doomsday, a supervillain from Krypton nestled deep in the earth. The scene of Doomsday breaking through rock is also an homage to a comic book cover featuring the villain, his fist in the air as he smashes his way through a physical obstacle.
In the comics, Doomsday is a monstrous weapon created by Kryptonian scientists to cause destruction, instinctually going after anyone who hails from Krypton, which is why he ultimately goes after Superman. Superman & Lois will give a more formal introduction of the classic villain in season 2’s episode 3, though the Arrowverse show’s take on Doomsday won’t necessarily be exactly like it is in the comics. For now, it’s unclear what might have awakened Doomsday at the end of Superman & Lois’ season 2 premiere, but it’s possible Morgan Edge’s mining for X-Kryptonite and the consciousness of several Kryptonians inhabiting humans throughout season 1 was what stirred his slumber. It could also be the teens working under Lt. Anderson caused Doomsday to sense a Kryptonian-like presence and emerge.
The arrival of Doomsday in Superman & Lois season 2 also adds another layer to Superman's exploration of his heritage. What’s more, facing off with Doomsday could be a good lesson in terms of the consequences of putting weaponry above the safety of people. Kryptonians engineered Doomsday for destruction; Anderson is doing something similar with the super-powered kids. It's possible the villain will start hunting them down as well. Considering the Man of Steel is not willing to take orders from Lt. Anderson, battling Doomsday might lead him to rethink sending super-powered kids out into the field and let Superman do what he does best to save people. Regardless of what happens, the two are bound to confront each other on the matter, which will cause even more tension for Superman.
Doomsday is one of the most threatening and powerful villains Superman has faced, and it’s possible his introduction into the Arrowverse will lead the Man of Steel to seek help from his other superhero friends. While that’s unlikely to happen considering how separate Superman & Lois so often feels from the rest of the Arrowverse shows, Doomsday is not a villain to be taken lightly and his arrival could shake up the new status quo on the series.