Absolute Superman Finally Unleashes Lex Luthor As A True Supervillain

Jason Aaron, Rafa Sandoval, Carmine Di Giandomenico, Ulises Arreola, and Juan Ferreyra’s work on Absolute Superman delivered an outstanding climax to the biggest saga to date. The quest to stop Brainiac’s personal quest to break Superman is over, at least for now, but one of the reasons it is the case is because one new villain has emerged. Lex Luthor has commonly been Superman’s greatest nemesis, but thanks to Brainiac’s dark intervention in Absolute Superman , he’s put his unused brilliant mind to work. Rather than proving his human intellect could place him above the godly presence that is Superman, Absolute Lex Luthor seeks revenge against Brainiac.

It’s utterly unsurprising that Luthor would be out for blood against the man who butchered his whole family while forcing him to watch, erroneously believing the trauma would awaken the classic Superman-hating supervillain. Seeing Brainiac get his head blown off by Lex was in equal parts gratifying yet horrifying, as it seems the torturous alien menace’s threat is extinguished in place of a new terror flying across the stars. Absolute Lex Luthor is here, and he isn’t even interested in Superman, but rather, forcing Brainiac’s captive, barely responsive remnants to watch the rest of his kind be exterminated.

Absolute Lex Luthor Is Here, And He’s Out For Blood

Lex Luthor was revealed in Absolute Superman to be broken by his family’s massacre, and stepping away from Lois Lane as she attempted to interview him, Lex left a trail to his basement where it was clear he wanted to kill the one responsible. With a hastily shaved head and brand-new tech, Lex made his way to Brainiac’s ship, blowing his head off, and commandeering the vessel. Fans knew this particular origin was coming, and we even predicted this would create more of a twisted vengeance arc than the usual calm outward persona clouded by insecurities in other stories.

Now, Lex has escaped Earth, activating Starslide Engines to leave the solar system at a speed Superman couldn’t match. He’s even contacted by other pockets of the Brainiac Collective, taunting the last surviving drone’s remnants as he plans to massacre the rest of his kind like Brainiac did to Lex. It’s a particularly dark version of the classic villain, not even interested in the usual motivations of this classic legacy character. Lex doesn’t want to be President or rule the Earth here. He just wants to kill every last living being bearing the name Brainiac. It very well could be what draws Superman out to space in future issues.

This Version Of Lex Luthor Has One Key Difference

Upon meeting Superman while shooting Brainiac and stealing his ship, Lex doesn’t even realize who Superman was, despite Brainiac trying to prime him for their first encounter. What’s more important, Lex isn’t even concerned by him, knocking Kal-El out of the ship and steering it away before he could react. Lex doesn’t know or even care who Superman is, and doesn’t even seem to be phased by his powers. All he cares about is his personal vengeance, putting that same brilliance to use but for a far different purpose than usual.

For those who have read other Superman stories, this can be unusual, even jarring to see. There’s always been some resentment about Superman, whether as a godlike alien who wins the hearts and trust of the public, or even just that someone is out there constantly overshadowing his immense presence, shattering his narcissistic ego. None of that is present in Absolute Superman, as that ego died along with the Luthor family. For those who have been following this whole time, Superman has made it a personal mission to bring back wayward souls from the brink, but this particular wounded soul has fallen off, is no longer innocent, and doesn’t appear to want saving.