SPOILER WARNING: The following article contains major spoilers for Superman #36 by Patrick Gleason, Peter J. Tomasi, Doug Mahnke, Jaime Mendoza, Wil Quintana and Rob Leigh, on sale now.

Lex Luthor is one of the most recognizable villains on the planet, and certainly one of the most iconic. It’s impressive that compared to the visual panache of a Doctor Doom, Joker or Loki, a bald man in a nice suit is just as intimidating, but there's a reason Lex has thrived for 80 years as Superman’s number one nemesis: He's one of the scariest, most manipulative villains in all of fiction.

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However, for the past year and a half, Lex has served as Superman’s ally as a fellow protector of Metropolis and wearer of the S-Shield. That is until the latest issue of Superman, week when the Man of Steel and Luthor’s tenuous friendship finally came to a head. In the end, Luthor ripped the crest of the House of El from his own chest, seemingly hinting at a return to the dark side in the near future.

I Need A Hero

Lex’s heroic journey started way back in 2013 with the first major crossover of The New 52, Forever Evil. When the Crime Syndicate of America ravaged the world and the Justice League were nowhere to be found, Lex Luthor stepped up to save the day from the League's evil interdimensional doppelgängers. He worked alongside Captain Cold and Bizarro to bring down the CSA and save the captured Justice League, earning his place on the team in the process. After proving to Batman that he had figured out his identity as Bruce Wayne, Lex Luthor was granted a probationary membership on the team and seemed to revel in the accolades that come with heroism; even when given the chance to let Superman die due to a deadly metahuman virus, Lex Luthor saved his arch-enemy and proved himself as a worthy member of the Justice League.

Darkseid-War-Lex-Luthor

When both Superman and Lex Luthor were transported to Apokolips during the war between Darkseid and the Anti-Monitor, Lex was discovered by The Forgotten People and convinced them he was the savior their prophecies spoke of. He ended the event on Apokolips on a throne, in his very own Superman armor while his personal Mother Box’s traditional “ping ping ping” transformed into “Lex Lex Lex” -- but by the time DC Rebirth rolled around, Lex was back on Earth. He chose to return home to prove himself as Metropolis’ Superman following the death of the New 52 Superman, but quickly had competition in the form of the pre-Flashpoint Superman who had been in hiding since the destruction of his universe. This was a Superman who had known a Lex Luthor on his world and considered him his greatest enemy, a problem for Luthor for sure, but also a fresh chance to prove himself to be better than his multiversal counterparts.

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Super Friends

Lex and Superman learned to work together, going up against threats such as Doomsday and The Godkiller, and when Cyborg Superman put together a new Superman Revenge Squad, Lex Luthor was there with Supergirl, Superwoman and Steel as part of the extended Superman family to save the Man of Tomorrow. However, Lex’s old ghosts finally caught up to him when the Forgotten People of Apokolips brought him back to their world to rule as their leader, and Lex admitted he had defrauded them. Superman was the leader their prophecies spoke of, so Superman and his family were dragged to the hellish world and separated; while they were triumphant in ending the Apokoliptian civil war and Superman did take the throne, he blamed Lex for his carelessness.

Superman confronted Luthor and called him out as being the same Luthor he’s always known: A hypocrite, and one of the most dangerous men on the planet. Lex’s defense was some what justifiable; if someone needs help, Superman answers the call, but after all they’ve been through, Superman still had to be dragged against his will to save Lex when he needed him. Rather than Superman telling Lex that he’s not worthy of the symbol of the House of El, Lex decides that it isn’t worthy of him. Lex rips it from his own armor, signaling a new dynamic between the two and a hinting at a villainous turn for the once heroic Lex Luthor, who embraces this new dawn with a sinister grin as only Doug Mahnke can draw.

Better The Devil

Lex Luthor hasn’t spent a lot of time as a villain in the past decade, when you think about it. Prior to the New 52, he was the star of Action Comics in the underrated but highly enjoyable “Black Ring” story which saw a rare appearance from Neil Gaiman’s Death. He showed up as a background antagonist in Grant Morrison and Rags Morales’ Action Comics and played a role in Scott Snyder and Jim Lee’s Superman Unchained, but we haven’t had a really big Lex vs Superman story in quite sometime. This new development allows writers to finally tap into one of the most gripping and resonant rivalries in all of Superman comics and gives the DC Universe back one of its all time great villains. Lex has been a good guy for too long, it’s way past time for him to go bad.

Superman-36-Lex-Luthor

It’s an interesting set-up for a new Superman/Lex Luthor status quo, because it provides a whole new reason for Lex to hate the Man of Steel and set out to ruin his life. Unlike previous incarnations where Lex doesn’t trust Superman due to his alien nature and his jealousy towards Superman’s natural abilities, this is a Lex spurned by Superman. It’s almost more akin to the Mr. Fantastic/Doctor Doom relationship; they were once friends, but the villain feels slighted and is out to prove his superiority. In the past it was Lex who couldn’t bring himself to trust Superman. But here, after finally letting Lex in, Superman can’t bring himself to trust his former foe, and as a result, it’s destroyed the still-new hero. It’s a small twist on a familiar tale but it has the potential for some great stories, particularly as next year's blockbuster anniversary issue Action Comics #1000 draws closer and closer.