The Last Thing Through Lex' Mind, Other Than Heat Vision

For some reason, I was thinking about "Divided We Fall", the episode in the second season of Justice League Unlimited when the Flash takes down the weird Luthor/Brainiac fusion. Flash runs really fast, separates the two by vibrating, then temporarily fades out of existence, as Flashes do.

While the rest of League is busy being sad, Luthor has a chuckle about how he did manage to kill the Flash after all. At which point Superman grabs him by the throat and his eyes start glowing red. Supes doesn't end up killing Luthor as Lex expects (and as the Question feared), but I wonder what Luthor was thinking in those few seconds.

Part of me thinks Lex would be pleased in a way. He's always contended Superman's do-gooder routine is an act. Does he think that his being murdered like this will finally prove it to everyone else?

But that really feels like more of a Joker thing, to claim your death as the ultimate win because you got the hero to break his principles. Plus, that version of the DCU already lost faith in Superman once, when he was bent to Darkseid's will and spearheaded an invasion of Earth. I'm not sure how much the average person's perception of him would change at that point.

Actually, it's difficult for me to picture Luthor accepting that he's about to die. Even if he did remark, 'I think this is the part where you kill me.' in a calm and resigned voice right before Supes grabbed him. Even when none of the Justice Leaguers are stepping in to stop this (Wonder Woman starts to, but let's face it, Batman putting an arm in her way doesn't stop her unless she lets it). Even though he not only doesn't have a weapon of any sort, he doesn't even have pants at the moment.

I feel like he's got to be trying to figure something out. He's Lex Luthor, he can't let this alien get the best of him. There's only one of them going to be standing at the very end, and he'd be determined to make sure it was him. I guess there's always the possibility he doesn't think Superman will go through with it, even though he knows it's happened before, in an alternate timeline, or possible future, or whatever the Justice Lords were. But again, I can't see Luthor admitting, even in the privacy of his own mind, that he's reliant on someone else to save him. Especially Superman.

Not The Culmination Of Years Of Work

Something I'd forgotten was that, over the Thanksgiving weekend, I saw a bit more of Batman v Superman while at my dad's. It wasn't planned; he fell asleep before he moved the dog out of my room, and I wasn't sure where he was supposed to end up, and I don't like to disrupt his sleep, and there was nothing else on to watch, so there I was.

I got up to about the point where the title characters were beating each other to a pulp. I have to say, if Superman was really going to try reasoning with Batman, maybe don't do the aggressive hard landing with the clenched fists. Float down, hands raised, try to appear non-aggressive. I don't think it would have mattered, Batsy was spoiling for a fight, but it would have felt like a more legitimate attempt to settle things peaceably. I know, his mother was in danger, not necessarily thinking clearly at the time, fair enough.

I'm not sure about this, but I thought, during the fight, there was a moment where the first Kryptonite vapor grenade had worn off, and Bats is punching Superman with increasingly less effect. And I could have sworn Affleck did this hands in the air, "hey, let's talk about this," gesture, right before he got put through a wall. I may be remembering it wrong, that certainly doesn't seem in keeping with the tone of the film, but I laughed about it at the time.

There was a thing I noticed though, that kind of surpised me. Luthor figured out Clark Kent is Superman, accepts that as the truth, and it doesn't feel like much of a deal. Just a way for Luthor to get Superman to fight Batman. Which, yes, is the thing the movie marketed itself on, but Luthor getting that bit of information feels like it ought to be more important. Maybe it becomes a bigger deal later, at that point when Batman has a change of heart because he realizes Superman has a mom, too. Lex screwing up his own plan by putting Martha in trouble and giving the two guys he wanted to kill each other an excuse to make nice.

I guess the problem is the movie universe hasn't yet built this long-running hatred of Superman by Luthor to where it should be a huge deal that's he's found Superman's most-guarded secret.  There isn't really any sign Luthor's been throwing death traps, Metallos, or whatever at Superman since he emerged on the world stage. So it isn't that final, crucial piece Luthor needs to achieve victory over the hated alien that stands in his way. It's just some piece of the puzzle to get these two dopes to punch each other to death. Is Superman really fucking up Lex' plans that much prior to that? Does he even know he should be trying to mess up Luthor's plans? I guess Lex is trying to be proactive, compiling all this information on various super-heroes so he can deal with them before they become problems.

Luthor's Hair, Or Lack Thereof

Lex Luthor shaves his head, right?

I know in the Silver Age, Lex famously lost his hair because Superboy zipped in to see him during some big experiment, disrupting everything and causing all his hair to fall out, but I doubt that's still in effect. Entirely too silly for current DC.

It just occurred to me that Lex is exactly the sort of person who would not want to be seen going bald, with thinning or receding hair. It would be a sign of weakness or imperfection, and Lex would probably feel that people with shaved heads are more respected than those with faltering hairlines (he'd probably conduct research to prove it).

But, this is Luthor we're talking about. Surely he could devise something that would restore his hair. Which leads to a few conclusions in my mind. One, Lex has been too distracted with destroying Superman. Eh, I can't see the hair thing being that time-consuming to Lex. Two, he actually prefers being shaved, thinks it makes him look sleek and aggressive. Three, he has developed it, but chooses not to use it, because he doesn't want anyone to know he did. Because if that becomes common knowledge, people will think he used it, and Luthor wouldn't want his vanity and ego to be so apparent as a sign of weakness. Lex wouldn't admit it as such, he'd decide he was holding it back because the masses didn't deserve it or something. Let them ask their Superman to restore their hair.

At Least Try 30th Century Hair Restoration Products!

Has Lex Luthor ever traveled to the 30th Century (or is it the 31st Century now)? The episode of Superman: The Animated Series with the Legion of Superheroes was on last night. Saturn Girl was showing a teenage Clark Kent how the future is this wonderful place, thanks to Superman.

All I could think was, "Boy, that would burn Luthor up if he found out." Then I had to wonder whether he had been there or not. I figure if anyone in the present day in the DC Universe could build a time machine, it'd be Lex, but that doesn't mean he would.

Not that I think he'd have any scruples about jumping ahead to see where things are going, either to alter the course of history, or take advantage of it. But he might see it as not worth the resources, since most of what he learned will be rendered obsolete after the first move he makes changes things. Though I suppose one move ought to be enough for Luthor.

It might be interesting to see Luthor's reaction to his legacy, and Superman's, a thousand years on. Would he dismiss it, or actually change his approach? Knowing Lex, though, "change his approach" would mean ignoring any attempts at running a real business, and going back to 100% focus on killing Superman, and destroying his reputation. "If I can't be remembered as the savior of mankind, neither can you!"

It put me in mind of Dwayne McDuffie's last story on Fantastic Four, when a Doom from the future shows up. First he starts off claiming Richards destroyed the world, but eventually he admits Reed's made it a paradise, and Doom is just super jealous. The part where he finally admits how well off the world is, and you can just tell it kills him to admit it.

Of course, that's difference between Doom and Lex. Doom will admit it if Reed does something right, he just thinks he could do better (and Reed found a universe where he was dead and sent Doom there, basically saying, "Prove it."). I don't Lex would ever give Superman credit. He's wrapped so much up in how Superman is wrecking humanity, he'd never admit Supes did something right.

How Luthor Goes About Getting His Own Lois

Before Paul Cornell's run on Action Comics started, DC, as they tend to do, ran previews for it in the back of several of their other books. In the preview I saw, Luthor wants more power for his "find Lantern rings" project, and after an employee tells him no, Lex promptly fires the man, and makes it clear the former employee will never find work again. Said, employee flips out and hits Luthor. That evening, after giving it some though, Luthor calls up his chief of security, and tells the man to have that former employee killed. He gives this command in front of his dinner companion, a woman named Lois.

That honestly surprised me, because this is a Superman book, so a person named Lois is most likely Lois Lane, and I couldn't believe Luthor was stupid enough (or arrogant enough) to order a murder in front of her. I figured that was part of the hook DC was using to get people to buy the book, and there'd be an explanation later in the actual comic. The conclusion I came to was Luthor had hired a woman to play at being Lois. She's a constant thorn in his side, probably as much as Superman in her doggedly investigative way, and he'd probably enjoy having someone resembling her who would blindly obey his commands. It was also creepy*.

Turns out Luthor's Lois is actually a robot, similar to Lois except the robot doesn't hate Luthor's guts. Which is interesting, since it suggests Luthor respects Lois for her acumen, persistence, bravery, etc., but perhaps wishes she'd see more eye-to-eye with him. Or he simply recognizes someone who constantly insults him and looks for evidence to trigger his downfall wouldn't make good company. In a way, it's what I should expect from Lex Luthor. He wants things his way, and he makes them so himself. He's not going to rely on other people - like some woman playing a role - when other people are inefficient and foolish, and not always willing to follow his will. It's also pretty creepy, though. One wonders what Lois would say.

I can't decide which is worse, hiring a woman to pretend to be Lois for him, or building his own. The person he hires would be making their own decision (assuming Lex didn't kidnap/brainwash/purchase them), while the robot has no choice. Depending on how well it's built, the robot probably can't be considered alive, or sentient, in which case, provided he doesn't use it to wreck Lois' or someone else's life, it doesn't affect anyone but him. A person hired would no doubt be changed from prolonged exposure to Luthor's worldview and the stuff he gets up to, and they couldn't tell anyone, since Luthor would no doubt disapprove of their blabbing about activities the authorities might deem questionable. But Luthor might be brilliant enough to create a robot with a soul, in which case he's created a new life, and is likely warping it into who knows what, and it still hasn't had any say in the process.

* I probably should have been more bothered by his casual order to end another man's life, but I'd figured that man was living on borrowed time from the moment he attacked Luthor, and probably from when he told Lex "No". That Luthor would order such a thing didn't surprise me in the least.

If Lex Messes With The Wall, He's Gonna Lose Some IQ Points

Lex Luthor is going to hire the Secret Six to take on Vandal Savage in a couple of months. I'm curious whether he'll approach them as himself, or hide behind the "Mockingbird" cover ID he originally developed.

I'm more interested in whether Lex knows Amanda Waller's been using that title to send the Six on missions for some time now. I can (as usual) make arguments both ways. On the one hand, he's Lex Luthor, really smart guy, and I could see him keeping tabs on the Six and things related to them, since they had been useful cat's paws before. I certainly don't see him having any trouble getting into whatever government databases might hold such information if he wanted it. On the other hand, Luthor's also pretty arrogant, so I could see him not sparing the Six a second thought after they had initially ceased being useful, or simply not believing anyone would use an identity he created (if they could even learn of its existence, which he might doubt they could).

I favor Luthor knowing, if only because I'm curious what he thinks about it. He may not even care, as long as the Six are still available for his purposes. But I think he might not approve of someone using his method to manipulate people he once manipulated. It wasn't for nothing he was tapped as a temporary Orange Lantern. He wants it all for himself, no sharing.

I'd like to see Luthor and Waller square off, whatever form that might take. Lex is the super-genius, but I think the Wall is meaner and more stubborn. I was going to say Lex had the edge in ruthlessness, but I'm not sure. Waller can be just as ruthless when she has something to do; she just has the decency to feel bad about some of the people she hurts or sacrifices. Which doesn't change the fact she'll consider Rick Flag or whomever expendable if the situation calls for it, not so different from Luthor.

The Brighter Light Casts Darker Shadows?

Cove West brought this up in his comment to yesterday's post, and it was something that also occurred to me while making said post. Has Superman redeemed any of his foes? Offhand I couldn't think of any, but I'm not well-versed when it comes to Superman's history. I have a hard time considering Hiro - the teenage Toyman - as evil, more just irresponsible, plus I don't know whether he counts as a "foe" or not, since I've never actually seen him battle Superman. Bizarro's been helping some heroes in that Rann-Thanagar thing recently, but I'm not sure his current personality (meaning, childlike) really counts as evil, either. Maybe one of his earlier depictions, but then there's the question of whether that version tried to redeem itself, and whether or not I could tell if it did*. I'm sure there's someone, but I don't know of them. So I wanted to point out that everything here flows from me currently not knowing of any

To me, it seems Superman mostly serves to inspire other heroes to be better heroes. Steel (John Henry Irons version, at least) was inspired by Supeman. I think Matrix Supergirl was trying to honor him during his death, and busted Superboy's chops about decisions she felt didn't meet what the S-shield stands for. Jaime Reyes is impressed by him, I think Power Girl looks up to him, and so on. Which is fine. Anything that inspires the heroes to try and be better at what they do is good, right?

Still, it's odd his villains don't turn over new leaves, isn't it? I've seen Superman described as representing the best of humanity, so shouldn't that include redemption? The idea that even if you've made horrible decisions or mistakes in the past, there's always a chance to make amends, change your ways, and that other people will give you that chance? Is it that, if you have the best qualities of humanity, you wouldn't require redemption, and so it doesn't really fit into the story? I can't claim to be a big Superman fan, but I'm pretty sure that if one of his regular foes, say Metallo came to Superman and said he wanted to try and help people, Superman would encourage that and support him, because that's who he is, always trying to encourage the better qualities in those around him, right?

Perhaps since Superman symbolizes the best of humanity, his enemies have to symbolize the worst, and that several traits that block their redemption. Jealousy or envy of Superman, so that the idea of following his example would be abhorrent to them. Or an ego so great as to preclude them from seeing the error of their ways. Luthor doesn't seeing anything wrong about expending all this energy on trying to destroy Superman, or discredit him, or whatever his plan of the month is. He sees it as a useful occupation, because Superman's presence blocks him from something*. If you can call him an enemy, Manchester Black chose to try and drag Superman to his level, rather than the reverse, then killed himself when he failed.

Of course, if Superman has hordes of enemies that have redeemed themselves, this probably all goes up in smoke, but it was the answer I came up with, so I thought I might run it past all of you.

* I just find Bizarro kind of confusing. He's Superman's opposite, so he's evil. Or he's stupid. But he has Superman's powers. Plus some extras. Sometimes. I don't think I've read enough with him to keep track.

** In the past I think Luthor's felt accolades her deserved were given to Superman, or he's been wary of Earthling dependence on this alien for protection, or he wants to commit crimes and naturally Superman is a roadblock to that. I don't know which it is these days. The second one, I think, given the New Krypton arc.

How Miserable Could One Man Make Superman?

I can't recall why I started thinking about this Thursday night, but I did. I actually had to get up to write it on my "blog post ideas" note pad, just to make sure I remembered it.

What happens if Lex Luthor learns Superman is Clark Kent? I know there was a story (by Byrne?) where a computer tells Lex Superman is Clark Kent, and Lex doesn't believe it, but say Lex somehow, someway gets definitive proof, what action does he take?

Does he go all battle-suit crazy, barge over to the Daily Planet, and start laying waste to it, to either kill Superman or wreck his secret identity?

Does he leak the information selectively, and let others rain hell down on Superman for awhile? Lex would administer the coup de grace naturally, as I can't imagine him letting anyone else have that honor.

Does Lex attack loved ones, trying to drive Superman over the edge, into disgrace, then killing him when he's down?

Or does he go the "Wilson Fisk in Born Again" route, and just try and ruin Clark Kent's life? Figure out someway to make it appear Clark Kent is filing stories when he wasn't there, and didn't actually talk to anyone to know what's going on, get him and Lois evicted from their home, try and wreck Lois' career, get the Kent family farm foreclosed, and so on.

I'm not that much of an expert on Lex, and his does tend to undergo radical personality shifts from time to time, so I don't know what approach he might take. Whichever would bring him the greatest satisfaction, I imagine.

Only Took Seven Months

While I haven't been reading it, I have skimmed through 52 pretty much every week. I haven't had much in the way of reactions, mostly because things seem so disjointed. I'm still waiting for some follow-up on "Hawkgirl is 20 feet tall!" from, what Week 4? But finally - finally! - they gave me a moment that really intrigued me.

I speak of Luthor unveiling his Jade right in front of the JSA headquarters, and in front of Alan Scott and Obsidian. Just seeing the name "jade", you just knew something was gonna go down, especially given that one of the parties it would offend is periodically insane.

I was a little disappointed that Obsidian didn't go on a a Batman-esque face-wrecking rampage, but I guess physical violence isn't really Todd's style.

Gotta give points to Luthor though. Makes his squad of doofuses look good, and the old guard look bad. And does it so very smoothly.

Final thought:

So this whole metahuman gene therapy thing seems to be the DC Universe's version of Mutant Growth Hormone (which was a Morrison concept, right?), and given that we know it wears off after a time, and can be deactivated, is Luthor trying to make an army of people addicted to super-powers, all bound to his will? That seems a bit too obvious, but given Luthor's desire for power, not out of the question.

I Thought He Was At Least A 12th Level Intellect

Having watched the JLU finale again on Saturday, I realized that Lex Luthor stopped Darkseid... by giving him the one thing he's always searched for. Darkseid wants the Anti-Life Equation and now he's got it.

Does that seem a bit short-sighted on Luthor's part to anyone else? That maneuver has brought Earth a reprieve, but if Darkseid has the Anti-Life Equation, then isn't it just a matter of time before he uses and conquers the universe, which includes Earth?

And even if Luthor double-crossed him (which is entirely likely given we're talking about Luthor here), doesn't that still mean that an extremely dangerous bit of... whatever the hell the Anti-Life Equation is, is in the hands of an egomaniacal lunatic?