Superman Retcon Gives Legendary Villain a New Backstory

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The latest Superman comic has significantly altered the backstory of Doomsday. It was recently revealed that the character who famously killed Superman will ultimately become the Time Trapper, a villain from the future. Now, a special event called DC K.O. has introduced yet another change to Doomsday’s origins, rewriting what we thought we knew about him.

Superman #31, written by Joshua Williamson and illustrated by Eddy Barrows and Eber Ferreira, focuses on the Justice League’s attempt to evacuate Earth. They’re preparing for a tournament where a hero will connect with an Omega Seed – a power source intended for the returned Darkseid. The League hopes this will allow a champion to emerge and prevent Earth’s destruction.

As Superman prepares for the coming battle and the potential evacuation of Earth, he seeks information from the AI of his father, Jor-El, within the Fortress of Solitude. Surprisingly, Jor-El claims to have no record of Darkseid or the Omega Energy that fuels his power within Krypton’s historical data. Superman shares this with Lois Lane, but she suspects Jor-El isn’t telling the whole truth.

Lois Lane travels to the Fortress of Solitude to speak with the AI of Jor-El, Superman’s father. She wonders if there’s information missing from his records. This activates an AI of Lara Lor-Van, Superman’s mother, who was a Kryptonian historian. Lara shares her understanding of Krypton’s hidden history and her ideas about a dangerous creature known as Doomsday.

What is Doomsday’s new backstory?

Lara notes that despite keeping to themselves, the Kryptonians had stories about a powerful, world-ending threat called The Final God. She explains this being as a force of ultimate darkness desiring complete control, which strongly resembles Darkseid.

Lara believes Superman’s ancestors intentionally designed a being powered by a unique energy source – one that could oppose Darkseid’s powerful Omega energy. She theorizes that Doomsday, a weapon created by the ancient Kryptonians, is this being. Doomsday’s ability to constantly regenerate and adapt to overcome any threat is the complete opposite of Darkseid’s focus on control and annihilation.

As a lifelong Superman fan, I was really surprised by this new backstory for Doomsday! It’s a clever twist on a classic villain, and finally gives us a reason why the Kryptonians would even create something like him. Honestly, though, after the big changes from the DC K.O. event, I’m curious to see how this new reveal will actually play out in the long run.

Superman #31 is now available at comic shops everywhere.

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2025-10-23 19:11