Superman And Lois Chad L. Coleman Explains What Makes Bruno Mannheim Such A Compelling Antagonist, And How He Differs From Arrow’s Tobias Church
If The Walking Dead actor Chad L. Coleman playing a villain in a DC TV show from The CW sounds familiar to you, that’s because he played crime lord Tobias Church back in Arrow Season 5, who met an unfortunate death at the hands of Prometheus. This time, Coleman is involved Superman and Lois Season 3 as Bruno Mannheim, a longtime nemesis of the Man of Steel from the comics. Ahead of this new season’s premiere, I spoke with Coleman about what makes his version of Mannheim such a compelling antagonist, as well as how this character differs from what Church brought to the table in Arrow.
According to the official character description from The CW, Superman and LoisBruno Mannheim is known to the people of Metropolis as “a local hero” and “a philanthropist who has revitalized the struggling neighborhoods of the city.” But like his comic book counterpart, Chad L. Coleman’s Mannheim actually heads the criminal organization Intergang, albeit in secret, and Elizabeth Tulloch’s Lois Lane has been trying for years to uncover evidence of his illegal activities. During my conversation with Coleman, I asked him what makes him such a worthy antagonist to throw into Superman and Lois mix, and he answered:
I think more than anything, it’s the socio-political layers that speak to situations and circumstances going on in the world that ground it even more. It really grounds it in something that people can identify with and makes you rethink certain characters and how you perceive them. This man makes a very compelling case for a different perspective on Superman and Lois. That’s what they kept saying, he’s the kind of guy that you’re going, ‘Yeah, he’s very sensible. It makes sense. It’s true, it’s true. And that aspect of it… there’s a lot of power behind it, it gives it a different relevance. It’s still escapism, but it’s more of a hybrid.
Bruno Mannheim is one of the two major villains slated to appear in Superman and Lois Season 3, the other is Lex Luthor, played by someone else Walking dead alum Michael Cudlitz. It’s unclear if Mannheim and Luthor will cross paths during the season, but Chad L. Coleman made it abundantly clear that the former is a formidable threat in his own right. Also, let’s not forget towards the end of Superman and Lois Season 2 finale, David Ramsey’s John Diggle revealed to Wolé Park’s John Henry Irons and Mannheim believed to be the man who killed the version of Irons descended from Superman and Lois‘ Earth (which is separate from the main Arrowverse continuity), though why he did that is a mystery.
As for how Chad L. Coleman’s version of Bruno Mannheim stands out compared to Tobias Church, the actor said that Mannheim is a more cerebral adversary, meaning we should be much more worried about what he’s up to than what Church was doing during his card. stint on Arrow. Coleman explained:
Tobias was a more visceral, physical presence, and Bruno, that’s his mind. While he has this physical power and presence, it’s more calculated in his thinking. [He’s] a strategist. He plays chess and Tobias played chess. That’s why he went out so quickly. How [Bruno] relates to power is from his mind, what he thinks. “How can I seduce this person?”… He is manipulative. His mind is incredible, the way he thinks and puts things together. And so he’s just incredibly driven, and it’s for very specific reasons that are sincere.
With a setup like that, I’m eager to learn how Bruno Mannheim will counter Superman and Loiseponymous protagonists and their allies. In addition to Chad L. Coleman and Michael Cudlitz coming on board, Season 3 also brings in Michael Bishop to take over as Jonathan Kent following the departure of Jordan Elsass. Given the upheaval at The CW over the past year, it’s unclear if Superman and Lois will return for Season 4, although Wolé Parks is optimistic there will be at least one batch more episodes.
Superman and Lois Season 3 premieres tonight at 8pm ET on The CW. Be sure to look through our 2023 TV schedule to keep track of what shows are showing now or will be on air/streaming soon, and don’t forget you can stream Superman and Lois‘ first two seasons with an HBO Max subscription.
