As The Walking Dead's Chad Coleman confirms his casting gig for Superman & Lois season 3, the actor may or may not have teased Darkseid potentially coming to the Arrowverse. While The CW slashed almost half of the Arrowverse franchise this year, they still have a few returning DC TV shows for 2023. As Stargirl season 3 represents the franchise for the fall season, Superman & Lois season 3 and The Flash season 9 will be back sometime next year, with the latter set to officially end. Despite being conceived as a Supergirl spinoff, the Superman & Lois season 2 finale dropped a bomb on the viewers that it takes place in a different reality rather than Earth-Prime.
While Superman & Lois season 3 will likely explain more about its new place in the Arrowverse Multiverse, the finale also sets up one of the subsequent threats that will emerge in 2023. David Ramsey's John Diggle appeared for a brief but pivotal cameo, informing John Henry Irons that he had tracked down his doppelganger's murderer. Superman & Lois season 1 established that the Irons of this world had died in 2015 but under mysterious circumstances. But this year's finale confirmed that his killer was none other than Bruno Mannheim, the leader of Intergang, who is now being set up for Superman & Lois season 3 as a new villain.
Last weekend at this year's Dragon Con, Ramsey revealed that The Walking Dead alum Chad Coleman was going to appear in Superman & Lois season 3 as a huge baddie without revealing the character's name. However, following the Arrow star's comments, Coleman confirmed on his Instagram page that not only is he appearing on the show, but he will play Bruno Mannheim. It's still unclear if Coleman will be a series regular or a recurring guest star, as Warner Bros. TV and The CW have yet to disclose additional information. However, Coleman's confirmation may have come with a tease that Superman & Lois could be setting up Darkseid's Arrowverse arrival.
In the comics, Bruno's Intergang organization ties significantly to Apokolips and Darkseid. However, while Coleman re-shared a post with Darkseid artwork featured as part of his Bruno casting, there has been no confirmation that the massive Justice League enemy is showing up in Superman & Lois season 3. In a late June interview with Looper, showrunner Todd Helbing stated that "Darkseid might be a hard one to get on our show," as Warner Bros. and DC would have to give the Arrowverse permission to use that character. The last time Darkseid was featured in live-action television was in Smallville season 10, where he served as the final big bad of the series.
If the Arrowverse were ever to introduce Darkseid, it would have to be something Superman & Lois builds up to since he is one of the most iconic DC villains. Whether or not Bruno and Intergang's inclusion in the upcoming season will do any groundwork for Darkseid's potential arrival remains to be seen. Although, at this point, it's hard to tell if any of the remaining DC TV shows, including the upcoming Gotham Knights show, still has a future on The CW beyond their forthcoming seasons. Due to Nexstar now owning 75% of the network and looking to target other demographics, time will tell if Superman & Lois is on the air long enough to even get to Darkseid, should Warner Bros. give them the go to use him.
Source: Chad Coleman & Looper