Superman & Lois season 3: Who is the villain? Explained

The third season of CW's Superman & Lois is set to premiere on March 14, 2023, alongside another CW show, Gotham Knights. In the show, Superman aka Clark Kent balances his family life of raising his two sons, Jonathan and Jordan Kent, with his duties as the Man of Steel. Clark also has to deal with his son Jonathan inheriting his Kryptonian powers in addition to fighting villains like Bizarro and Parasite.

The second season of the show saw Clark develop strange visions that led to an encounter with Bizarro. He also clashed with General Mitch Anderson. Meanwhile, Lois Lane had to deal with a cult led by Ally Alston aka Parasite, who managed to get Lois' sister Lucy Lane to her side. Clark and Lois also made an enemy of Bizarro, who blames the latter for conquering his world.

Now, the third season will pick up from where season 2 left off and introduce new plotlines and new characters. Fans are now wondering who the main villain of the third season of Superman & Lois might be.

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Bruno Manheim to be the villain in Superman & Lois season 3

Chad Coleman will play Bruno Manheim in season 3 of Superman & Lois (image via DC/Getty Images)

According to CW, the main villain of the third season of the show will be Bruno Manheim, who will be essayed by Chad Coleman of The Wire and The Walking Dead fame. Manheim will be depicted as the head of the criminal organization, Intergang.

In the comics, Manheim is a crime boss who is a member of Intergang and the son of Moxie Manheim, one of Superman's enemies. Intergang first appeared in the fourth episode of the first season of Superman & Lois, titled Haywire.

Coleman has said that fans may or may not root for his depiction of the character in Superman & Lois in an interview with Fox 5 Atlanta.

He explained:

"I have a pretty darn good resume, so to say the least, this is the best role for me that I've ever had. The scale of this guy. Honestly, the scale of this man is incredible. He's not to be messed with."

Continuing, he stated that Bruno Manheim is a very layered character and assured fans that he is "not the typical villain."

He mentioned:

"This is gonna be a thrill ride. Love him, hate him, but it's not the typical villain. He's very layered. And you root for this man because he makes a lot of sense, and he's done a lot of amazing things to transform South Metropolis and so you just get to take this thrill ride."

According to The CW, Bruno Manheim's character description for the third season is:

"A local hero, a philanthropist who’s revived the struggling neighborhoods of the city."

According to The company, the third season will see Lois Lane try to expose Manheim as a career criminal and head of the criminal organization, Intergang. Lois is close to exposing Bruno Manheim thanks to leads she has received from various journalistic sources.

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Other plot details for Superman & Lois season 3

TV Line recently reported that Superman & Lois season 3 will pick up a week following the end of season 2. During the gap between the end of season 2 and the start of season 3, Clark Kent, alongside Lois Lane, joined the Smallville Gazette.

Clark and Lois will also be dealing with the impact caused by Parasite at the end of the second season. Clark will still be recovering from stopping Bizarro's world and the Earth from merging, which could hint at Parasite's return.

Jordan Elsass, the actor who portrayed Jonathan Kent in the first two seasons of the show, will be replaced by Michael Bishop.

Season 3 will see John Henry Irons, Superman's multi-versal ally, learn of the murder of his doppelganger. Jonathan and his brother Jordan will also face challenges of their own as they enter adulthood.

As for the other characters, Lois' co-worker Chrissy will be in a new romantic relationship. Smallville mayor Lana Lang will be seen working on her relationship with her ex-husband Kyle, while their daughter Sarah will be seen grappling with the knowledge of Jordan Kent's developing powers.