Summary
Warning! Spoilers ahead for Superman #15!They’ve been at each other’s throats for nearly a century, butSuperman’sgreatest enemy just gave up something extremely valuable to save the day.Lex Luthor has beensaying for months that he’s turned over a new leaf, now he’s finally proved just how serious he is.
After spending months observing Superman and the various metahumans living in Metropolis,Brainiac attacked and kidnappednearly every superhero except for the Man of Steel. The Coluan villain also got his hands on Lex Luthor, along with his daughter Lena. With things going off the rails quickly, Lex Luthor makes a sacrifice that shows just how far he’s truly come.
Lex Luthor Just Gave Up His Mind to Save Superman
InSuperman #15by Joshua Williamson, Rafa Sandoval, Alejandro Sánchez, and Ariana Maher, Brainiac’s ship is in crisis mode. While Superman and his fight Brainiac and his forces, Lex and Lena’s minds are plugged into the ship’s computer system. The system is guarded by several defenses, but Lex fights to keep himself and his daughter safe. Thankfully,Lex defeats the last of the sentries and the two make their way to the most prized thing on Brainiac’s ship, the core of Brainiac’s hive mind.
Lex connects to Brainiac’s mind and begins to purge everything.
Lex marvels at the hive mind and thinks how he once would have given anything to possess its knowledge. But Lex recognizes that there’s more to life than knowledge and power. Lex tells his daughter that he’s going to erase Brainiac’s brain to his own and wipe it completely. Lena warns her father that he’s not powerful enough to survive such a thing. However,the elder Luthor says it’s worth it to save his daughter and his friends. Lex connects to Brainiac’s mind and begins to purge everything.
Lex’s gambit works and causes Brainiac’s ship to destabilize. While Brainiac scrambles to save his Queen, the Super Family gets everyone else to safety. After things calm down in the wake of Brainiac’s attack, Lena approaches Superman with her father in tow. Clark says that he was wrong to ever doubt Luthor’s intentions and tells his oldest enemy how proud he is of the person Lex has evolved into. However, Superman’s words fall on deaf ears asLex Luthor’s mind has been erased and he doesn’t remember who he is.
How Lex Luthor Went From Superman’s Enemy to His Ally
For decades, there’s been bad blood between Lex Luthor and the Man of Tomorrow. But after Lex went to prison for killing Manchester Black (an action that helped Superman regain his secret identity), the villain gave his nemesis an unbelievable offer. Lex handed LexCorp over to Superman, rechristening it as Supercorp, and told him how Lex wanted to work together for the betterment of humanity. Clark was skeptical, of course, but ever the saint,Superman agreed to collaborate with Lex.
Things were rocky at first as Superman severely doubted that Lex actually wanted to improve himself. But Lex was true to his word and from a prison cell, Luthor assisted Superman, offering up advice or technology he had created to help Clark deal with his more problematic foes. Things got a bit complicated though when two of Lex’s enemies, Doctor Pharm and Mister Graft, returned to take their revenge on Lex Luthor. They even roped in Lex’s mother Leticia and a powerful villain called the Chained to help them. Butthrough teamwork, Lex and Superman saved Metropolis.
As challenging as the Lex Luthor Revenge Squad was, Brainiac proved to be an even greater threat. The information pirate assembled an army of drones and Czarnians to round up Metropolis’ metahumans to give life to the Brainiac Queen. Lex was accidentally taken, but with Lena’s life at risk, Lex made it seem like he was willing to betray Superman to save her. However, after being saved by Supergirl,Lex Luthor revealed that he was still on the side of the angels and working to take Brainiac down at any cost.
The “House of Brainiac” crossover takes place betweenAction Comics #1064-1066 (2024)andSuperman #13-15 (2024)!
Where Does Lex Luthor Go Now That His Mind’s Been Erased?
There have been several moments that looked like Lex’s recent behavior was part of some long con or scheme. But as the finale of “House of Brainiac” shows, he really has changed and become a better person. Lex has a tendency to be vain, especially when it comes to his intelligence. The old Luthor would never do anything that could potentially put his mind at risk. But here,he does it without so much as a second thought, knowing he’ll be keeping Lena and Superman safe.
…Luthor has a great support system now.
Of course, the real tragedy of this event is that Lex has seemingly suffered long-term damage from his actions here. While it’s hard to say what his intelligence level is exactly, Lex has lost all sense of who he is. This is awful because while it doesn’t necessarily undo all the heroic things he’s done in the last year, it does make him incapable of remembering them. It’s not like he’s going to suddenly turn back into a villain,but it does throw a wrench in Lex Luthor’s path to redemption.
Fortunately, while Lex is probably going to be paying for his actions in “House of Brainiac” for a while, Luthor has a great support system now. Lena is back in his life and the two are on much better terms than they’ve ever been. Not to mention Superman isn’t just going to let Lex suffer all on his own. Clark no doubt appreciates all the good Lex has done and the hard work he’s done to become a better person. Clark values Lex more than he ever did andSuperman’s almost certainly going to help his former enemy.
Lex Luthor is Finally on the Cusp of Redemption
Lex having his memory wiped is unexpected, but the positive thing to note is that all the good that Lex did came from within. He wasn’t forced or mind-controlled into changing for the better, he did that himself. Lex does have the capacity to be good and while he’s got a long road to recovery ahead of him, he’s got friends and family who want him to get better and will no doubt be there for him. It’s hard to imagine an era whereSupermanand Lex Luthor have truly become allies, but it seems to be happening.
Superman
The icon who launched the entire world of superheroes, the last son of Krypton escaped his dying world to crash land on Earth and be raised as Clark Kent. The world knows him better as Superman, the Man of Steel, the leader of the Justice League, and the most well-known hero in the DC Comics Universe. Blessed with the powers of a demigod, Kal-El of Krypton fights enemies both small and cosmic in his endless pursuit of truth, justice, and a better tomorrow.
