A Disturbing DC Villain Makes His Live-Action Debut in ‘Superman & Lois’

Superman & Lois season 3 premiered on March 14 and it didn’t go light on the villainy. Since 2021, Superman & Lois has been exploring the life of Clark Kent (Tyler Hoechlin), who struggles to balance being Superman with being a husband to Lois Lane (Bitsie Tulloch) and a father to twin sons, Jordan (Alexander Garfin) and Jonathan (Michael Bishop). Season 3 opens by showing the best of both worlds.

Part of the episode follows Clark and Lois celebrating the boys’ 16th birthday and working to rekindle the romance in their relationship, while the other part follows Superman as he contends with multiple villains. The latter story arc sees the surprising return of Paul Lazenby’s Henry Miller (a.k.a. Atom Man). The last time we saw Miller, he was imprisoned for attacking Superman and Lois. However, in the season 3 premiere, “Closer,” Miller re-emerges—and this time he has powers. He quickly sets out to kill Superman, but it’s clear he is working for someone else who remains in the shadows.

During their final fight scene together, Superman is shocked when Miller is seemingly shot and killed in front of him. His shock and confusion only grow when he sees the chilling masked figure behind the murder of Miller—a figure fans of the comics will immediately recognize as Onomatopoeia.

Who is Superman & Lois‘ new villain, Onomatopoeia?

So far, most details regarding Superman & Lois‘ Onomatopoeia have been kept under wraps, including the actor behind the mask. All viewers know is that this villain has taken an interest in Superman and is working on a nefarious scheme with Miller and crime boss Bruno Mannheim (Chad L. Coleman). Keeping the actor behind Onomatopoeia elusive is actually quite brilliant, as the true identity of the villain was never revealed in the comics, either.

Onomatopoeia was created by filmmaker Kevin Smith and comic artist Phil Hester, first appearing in Green Arrow #12 in 2002. Virtually nothing is known about his identity and motivation aside from the fact that he’s male. It has never even been confirmed if he’s a metahuman or not. However, he is a serial killer who only targets non-superpowered vigilantes, which is why he is most often seen pursuing Green Arrow and Batman. During his pursuits, he dresses in a large black trench coat, black gloves, and a black mask with concentric circles on it.

In addition to his eerie appearance, he only speaks in sounds, which earned him the name Onomatopoeia. This characteristic works well in comic book form, where his speech bubbles feature him, for example, mimicking gunshots with the word “BLAM.” It was also revealed in the comics that Onomatopoeia lives a double life. When he’s not the masked serial killer, he leads a normal life as a husband and father in Gotham, with his family seemingly unaware of his homicidal tendencies.

Needless to say, he’s one of the strangest and most unsettling DC villains around, and now Superman & Lois has translated him to the small screen—and even succeeded in making him look creepier than readers may have imagined.

(featured image: The CW)

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