Superman’s Most Powerful Form Of All Time Comes From A Major Villain Death

Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for DC K.O. #5

Despite his already impressive abilities, DC just gave Superman one of his most powerful new forms of all time. Achieving levels of power we’ve never seen before, this cosmic evolution is even more surprising considering the major death that was required for this critical Man of Steel rebirth to happen in the first place.

In the final issue of DC K.O., it seemed as though Lex Luthor was primed and ready to remake the DC Universe in his own image as a new King Omega with power rivaling Darkseid, having won the major tournament of heroes and villains we’ve witnessed the last few months. However, this final issue revealed a major twist with Superman’s exciting comeback.

Doomsday Just Sacrificed Himself To Give Superman The Biggest Upgrade Of All Time

Remarkably, one of the core beings attempting to save the DC Universe from Darkseid’s power has been the classic Superman villain Doomsday (recently revealed to be DC’s current Time Trapper).

Having been locked in an endless cycle of death and rebirth with Superman, Doomsday reveals to the Man of Steel that victory can only be won by “breaking the cycle” and that Superman must be reborn as the true King Omega to rival Darkseid.

Having accumulated massive amounts of both Omega and Alpha energy, Doomsday reveals that the time has come for him to give Superman a major rebirth, putting him back into play against Darkseid as a true King Omega. Sacrificing himself, DC K.O. #5 sees Doomsday give his life to resurrect Superman with the powers of creation itself.

After quickly erasing Lex and standing as the new King Omega, Superman is easily one of the most powerful cosmic beings DC has ever shown. Battling Darkseid for the fate of the entire DC Universe, Superman brawls with the Lord of Apokolips across time and space, his punches destabilize black holes, and he even uses the Big Bang itself to amplify his power and defeat Darkseid.

However, Superman chooses not to end Darkseid for good by remaking the DC Universe in his own image. Instead, he largely restores and stabilizes the DC Universe as it was, believing that no one person should wield all that power, nor determine the whole of existence itself.

Overall, it’s quite a remarkable power upgrade for Superman, though one that still sees him being the same humble (and deeply human) Clark Kent he’s always been.

34 Years Later, Doomsday Has Redeemed Himself For The Death of Superman

Since 1992, Doomsday has largely been defined by one moment: killing Superman in the legendary Death of Superman storyline, one of the most famous comic book events of all time.

Just over three decades later, DC Comics has now turned that legacy completely on its head with this major sacrifice. Instead of taking Superman’s life, Doomsday gives it back with the power to save the whole of the DC Universe like never before.

Overall, it’s one of the most unexpected redemption arcs for a DC villain, especially considering the implication made in this final issue that Doomsday’s sacrifice was permanent. That said, time will tell if that permanence actually holds, a concept that is so very hard to obtain in comic book universes.

Although it’s possible DC could perhaps bring Doomsday back in a future storyline one day, the moment will still stand as a major turning point either way: 34 years later, one of Superman’s most powerful foes redeemed himself by giving the Man of Steel new life.

DC K.O. #5 is available now from DC Comics.