Voice actor Jerry O'Connell, who plays the role of Superman in the upcoming animated project The Death of Superman says that the movie has a "scary good" version of Doomsday. While not elaborating on precisely why that is so, O'Connell's comments may hint at some big changes to the infamous villain, in this animated adaptation of the classic comic book storyline.
Released in 1992 to high praise and huge sales, the original The Death of Superman would become one of the most influential comic books of what is commonly known today as The Dark Age of Comics. The story focused upon the battle between Superman and the alien creature dubbed Doomsday, with Superman managing to defeat the apparently mindless monster at the cost of his own life. It was later revealed that Superman had merely lapsed into a deep coma, as Superman returned just in time to save the world from a new menace in The Return of Superman. The popularity of the comic led to a long line of similar stories where other DC Comics' heroes seemingly died or were forced to retire, such as when Batman's back was broken by the villain Bane in Knightfall.
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O'Connell spoke to Screen Rant about the upcoming movie, in anticipation of its world premiere screening at San Diego Comic Con 2018. When asked about his favorite feature of it, O'Connell surprised us by citing the film's unique take on Doomsday.
"For me... Man this is going to be a crazy thing to say. The Doomsday in this version is really scary good... It's funny because Doomsday is also a character that people have real idea about who Doomsday is from the original and they really updated and really made for a scary Doomsday. I was really into it. I'm really proud to be a part of this film. They really did a great job."
O'Connell is correct when he says that the original Death of Superman comic did not bother giving Doomsday a lengthy backstory and that few people really know who he is. Later comic-book stories revealed that Doomsday was originally a being called The Ultimate. He was the final product of an alien scientist's experiment to breed the ultimate survivor. The scientist succeeded beyond his wild dreams, creating a creature that could die multiple times and be reborn immune to whatever had killed it before.
It is unclear if The Death of Superman will explore this background in-depth, or if O'Connell was referring to something else when he said that Doomsday would be "updated" for this film. Certainly what has been seen of the movie from its early trailers suggests other changes have been made to improve certain flaws within the original story. Chief among these is the presence of DC Comics' big guns, like Batman and Wonder Woman, who were curiously absent during the battle in the original comics.
One possibility is that this version of Doomsday will be more than an inarticulate monster. This idea has been presented before in DC Comics' animated works, with the Doomsday of the DC Animated Universe (as seen in Justice League Unlimited) having been capable of speech. It's an interesting idea, but fans won't have long to wait for answers, as The Death of Superman will be available for digital download starting next week, on July 24, with the Blu-Ray edition arriving in stores on August 7.
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