The CW’s Superman & Lois seemingly looked like it was going in a different direction with its Season 2 big bad. At first, all signs pointed to Doomsday as the villain, but when the foe finally emerged and confronted Superman, we learned it was actually the classic villain from DC Comics, Bizarro. Yep, the Arrowverse show pulled another villain switcheroo, though I’d argue this one is more entertaining than what we originally expected.
After all, we’ve seen Doomsday appear in live-action (though not everyone is happy about that), but we haven’t seen a proper live-action adaptation of Bizarro. Superman & Lois will likely present that opportunity, so as we get deeper into Season 2 of The CW series, here are some things fans should know about the character and his run in DC Comics.
Bizarro Was Created In A Lab
Bizarro’s creation story varies slightly from iteration to iteration, though his creation in a lab is largely the same. Sometimes he’s created when Superman is hit with a “duplication ray,” and other times a scientist uses the actual DNA of Superman to clone the hero and make Bizarro. Obviously, the assumption in all cases is for a villain to get a subservient replica of Superman, capable of taking the hero down. It’s a good idea in theory, but the problem with the efforts is that the result isn’t a one-to-one replication.
In Superman & Lois, it seems like The CW series will keep in line with Bizarro being a lab creation. This is especially true when the United States government is working with the leftover human experiments of Morgan Edge (who wasn’t really human like past iterations), many of whom are now using their abilities officially for the United States government. Superman refused to fall in line and put his loyalty to the red, white, and blue beyond all else, so it’s possible Bizarro is the military’s attempt at creating its own Superman.
Bizarro Is The Creator Of Htrae And Other Bizarros
Bizarro is the first of the weird DC doppelgängers, but he’s not the only one. The character’s bizarre nature created a lonely existence for the clone, and at some point, Bizarro got tired of that. He left Earth in order to find a world more suited to his own and surprisingly created his own world in the process. Bizarro World, known as “Htrae” as well, is a world full of Bizarros that are similar but also quite different from their DC character counterparts.
Bizarro created a Bizarro Lois Lane (which might be helpful in Superman & Lois Season 2) and even an entire Bizarro Justice League. They all live on Htrae, which is often portrayed as a world of absolute chaos. It’s a world that would wreak absolute havoc on the Arrowverse should Bizarro ever create it following his stint on Superman & Lois, but we’ll just have to wait and see if that’s in the cards for the villain’s future. I know I would love to see Bizarro Batman, just so the two could team up for some “World’s Worst” crossover event.
Bizarro Is Often Portrayed As A Mirror Version Of Superman
Bizarro is a mirror version of Superman in most tellings, which means he has the strength, speed, and stamina of the Man of Steel. This makes him one of the more perfect foes for the hero because he’s tailor-made to both take and dish out as much punishment as Superman can deliver. Of course, being a mirror copy and not an identical copy does come with some changes. One of the most obvious changes is his skin is often ashen and almost zombie-like. In Superman & Lois, he also has glowing blue eyes.
Beyond changes to appearance, Bizarro often speaks in a radically different way than Superman. The way Bizarro speaks depends largely on the iteration of the character, though Bizarro’s often spoken in “opposite language” where things like “bad” is actually “good,” and his speech gives the appearance that he’s dim-witted. Other iterations of Bizarro speak entirely backward, which makes deciphering his words in the comics a challenge. I can’t even imagine how that works out on a live-action show like Superman & Lois, and how characters can possibly hope to understand someone speaking like that.
Bizarro’s Powers Largely Resemble Superman With A Few Exceptions
On paper, Bizarro is like Superman in many ways and probably more similar than a vast majority of other DC Comics characters. With that said, not all things are created equal, and one doesn’t get the name “Bizarro” without being a bit bizarre. Some of his powers are flipped, similar to the way a mirror flips things. For example, Bizarro has freeze vision instead of heat vision, and flame breath as opposed to freeze breath. Hey, if there wasn’t some weirdness to this villain, he wouldn’t be called Bizarro.
Perhaps the funniest power Bizarro has is that he has telescopic vision, which allows him to see a short distance behind his head. That makes it hard to sneak up on him, though John Henry Irons managed to do that well enough during their first throwdown in Superman & Lois. Perhaps that was because he had a full face shield on? Hopefully, we see some of Bizarro’s weirder powers in the Arrowverse show.
Bizarro Isn’t Always A Villain
Bizarro is a strong villain for Superman to go up against, though it’s sometimes hard to argue he’s a true villain in DC Comics lore. In many tellings, Bizarro is mainly just oblivious to the true meaning of “right” and “wrong,” in part due to him being a mirror counterpart of Superman. In many ways, he draws comparison to Frankenstein’s monster, which, again, brings up the argument of whether or not Bizzaro is a true villain of Superman. Is the Bizarro of Superman & Lois self-aware enough that he understands that his actions negatively impact Superman?
We’ll see which direction Superman & Lois goes, though I’m personally inclined to think Bizarro is the muscle behind the true villain of Season 2. Whoever that true villain is might be the one who created Bizarro, perhaps someone like Lex Luthor? It’s also possible I’m completely wrong, and Bizarro is the true big bad of Season 2, but we’ll just have to wait and see to find out.
Superman & Lois airs on The CW, Tuesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET. It’s just one of a few returning shows audiences should be checking out this year, so be sure to look around and keep track of what’s returning in 2022.
