Warning: Spoilers for Superman & Lois season 2, episode 7
Bizarro’s death in Superman & Lois came much sooner than expected but still worked for the series. Following misdirects that tricked viewers into thinking he was Doomsday, Bizarro finally made his grand entrance in the season’s third episode, and was pronounced dead by the end of the seventh. His apparent importance to the show’s Ally Allston story – not to mention his popularity as a comic book character – made his demise a big surprise.
Considering that so much hasn’t been revealed about Bizarro’s backstory and his homeworld, some were doubtful that Bizarro had really died. In Superman & Lois season 2, episode 7, titled “Anti-Hero” Bizarro was choked to death by Anderson (Ian Bohen). Anderson leaving the body behind and Superman (Tyler Hoechlin) telling Tal-Rho (Adam Rayner) that Bizarro died further drove home the notion that Superman’s Bizarro counterpart is no more. Later, Bohen and “Anti-Hero” director Elizabeth made remarks about Anderson killing the character. Of course, this doesn’t rule out the possibility of Bizarro being resurrected one day in the future, but for now, the character appears to be dead in the Arrowverse.
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Many have expressed disappointment with the decision to kill Bizarro, particularly since it really did seem like there was more the show could do with the anti-hero in the form of a team-up with Superman, additional flashbacks, and more. However, Bizarro’s actions show that he couldn’t have had a long-term presence in the series as a heroic figure. Even though Superman was beginning to understand Bizarro as a person, it would have been out-of-character for him to ever release his doppelganger. Regardless of his motivations, it can’t be forgotten that Bizarro murdered two innocent youths.
Superman returning Tal-Rho to his cell at the end of episode 7 (even though the latter helped him) shows that Clark wasn’t ever going to allow Bizarro to run free. He has principles to uphold. Because of this, finding a permanent place for Bizarro in the Arrowverse was always going to be an issue. He’s clearly not a true villain, and he couldn’t be used as a hero. Furthermore, he ultimately did serve his narrative purpose, which was to introduce the concept of Bizarro World, set up Superman’s conflict with Anderson, and lay the groundwork for the main characters’ battle with Ally Allston (Kihlstedt). As a direct result of Bizarro’s death, the season’s real main villains finally got to meet.
In addition to paving the way for the show to focus more on Anderson and Ally during the season’s remaining episodes, Superman & Lois delivered a rare character death and showed that there are real stakes with its stories. This move cost the series a fan-favorite DC Comics anti-hero, but his death doesn’t mean the show is giving up its opportunities to expand on his Arrowverse backstory. With the direction the story is going, more visits to Bizarro World feel inevitable at this point. Through other characters, Superman & Lois can still shine a light on what kind of person he was, his relationship with Tal-Rho, and what happened to Bizarro’s family.
Superman & Lois returns March 22 on The CW.
