WARNING: The following contains spoilers for "The Doomsday Option," the penultimate episode of Good Omens, available now on Amazon Prime Video.
The entire plot of Good Omens revolves around the fate of the Antichrist, or Adversary, as he's referred to on the miniseries. Originally planned by the forces of Hell to be switched out for the son of an American diplomat and his wife, a three-way case of mistaken identity resulted in the Son of Satan being placed under the care of an unassuming English couple, and raised under the name Adam in a small English town.
RELATED: The Looming Apocalypse Unleashes the Kraken on Good Omens
With Heaven and Hell, including the angel Aziraphale and the demon Crowley, preoccupied with looking after the wrong boy in preparation for the prophesied apocalypse, Adam experienced a typical, quiet upbringing for his first 11 years, at least until the final stretch of episodes. As the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse assemble at an American military base in England to bring about nuclear Armageddon, Adam learns about his hellish destiny and his newfound powers. The penultimate episode focuses on whether the boy will embrace his role and trigger the end of days, or if his upbringing will inadvertently save humanity.
Reveling in his powers and evil heritage, Adam tortures his friends with his hellish abilities, including removing their mouths to prevent them from talking back and forcing creepy smiles onto their faces when he feels he isn't thoroughly appreciated. The abuse of power actually is off-setting for Adam's hellhound, dispatched from Hell to accompany the boy to Judgment Day. Originally a voracious beast, the hellhound adopted a more adorable appearance as Adam and his friends cared for it, foreshadowing the possibility of a heroic turn for the Adversary.
While Adam's friends are understandably unnerved by his behavior, they remain steadfast in their independence and refusal to completely submit to his bidding. Much of the "The Doomsday Option" is spent with Adam's friends appealing to the human boy they grew up with, and in the episode's final moments, he realizes he has been behaving badly and decides to reject his hellish destiny. Ceasing the torment of his friends, Adam resolves to confront the Horsemen and cancel the apocalypse.
The episode stages an apocalyptic nature-vs.-nurture debate on whether Adam's satanic parentage will make his ascension to the throne of Hell n inevitability or whether his human upbringing will win out, and lead him to become the Earth's greatest hope to avert Armageddon. In a way, it makes Adam a sort of biblical Superman figure: Arriving on Earth from a different realm, he's adopted by loving parents and raised to (hopefully) use his extraordinary abilities for a greater good. Adam even receives his own version of Krypto in his hellhound, albeit one with sinister implications.
The story had presented the possibility that Aziraphale and Crowley would be save the day, but the two divine figures are preoccupied by their own conflicts and distracted by observing the boy they believe to be the Adversary. However, just as Superman rose from his humble, adopted origins to become the DC Universe's savior, Adam Young may just deny his own hellish destiny to channel his incredible abilities as a force for good. And with the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse launching the final stage of their plan, Adam's redemption may not have come at a moment too soon.
Good Omens stars Michael Sheen, David Tennant, Adria Arjona, Michael McKean, Miranda Richardson, Sam Taylor Buck, Jack Whitehall and Jon Hamm.