Superman: Doomed

You know those apps that show you what any two people's baby would look like? This is the weirdest one yet. Real name: Clark Kent Base of operations: Metropolis When he destroys the evil Doomsday, Superman is infected with a virus that causes him to mutate and take on Doomsday-like characteristics. Well, that answers that! I knew that the New 52 Doomsday was the result of a Kryptonian genetic experiment, just like the old one, but other than Grant Morrison's Action Comics run, I haven't bothered to read any New 52 Superman, so all I knew of the "Doomed" storyline was what I saw on the covers - so I assumed there was no "real" Doomsday now, and that it was only ever a mutated Superman. Now I know better! Doomsday was bigger than Superman, so "Superdoom" is larger than the average Superman toy. Since Mattel doesn't really do different-sized bodies the way Hasbro does, their only option for making him bigger was to go the Dark Knight Returns route with the pseudo-MotU pieces. The reused pieces are limited to the area between the knees and ribs: his shins are new, because of the shape of his boots; the chest, shoulders and upper arms are new because they needed to be covered in spikes; the forearms are slightly longer than before, and have an angled wrist rather than a straight cut; and the hands are big claws. His groin is covered by a PVC piece which obviously couldn't be a reused mold, because it needed to have the new style of belt. And of course you've got the head. It's funny to see Superman's hair on what looks like Doomsday's face, like this is "dapper 1950s Doomsday." His lower jaw is studded with spikes, and he's got sharp, crooked teeth. All his skin is grey, and there are dark shadows airbrushed around his fiery red eyes, making them stand out nicely. The articulation continues to be as mediocre as ever. A little bit worse, in fact. There are no rocker joints in the ankles (or at least not enough clearance for them to be adequately utilized), so the outside of Supes' feet "hover," leaving him standing on his arches. You also can't put his legs close enough together to prevent that from happening. Also, the chest hinge on my figure isn't quite tight enough to support poses for very long, not when it also has to carry the weight of his cape. And come to think of it, why are his hands open, instead of closed into fists? Shouldn't he be punching things, not clawing at them? The figure has no accessories, just the big right arm of New 52 Doomsday. "Superman: Doomed" was an interesting idea for a story, and an interesting idea for an action figure. It looks unlike any other Superman toys, while still being recognizably him. It'd be a fun monster to have around, but it's a shame that the articulation isn't better. -- 04/13/17

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