The following article contains spoilers from Action Comics #1050, on sale now.
All of Lex Luthor's scheming these last few months seemed to have been in anticipation of his next great battle with the man of steel. Action Comics #1050 (by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Tom Taylor, Joshua Williamson, Mike Perkins, Clayton Henry, Nick Dragotta, Frank Martin, and Dave Sharpe) shattered these assumptions when it revealed that he actually wanted the opposite. Lex Luthor now wants to work with Superman, with his recent experiences convincing him that the world needs the man of steel to survive.
This might seem like a good thing at face value, but as always, Luthor's actions prove that he is still very much an enemy of Superman. What's fascinating about this though is that Lex might be having a harder time accepting this new belief about his oldest enemy than anyone realizes. Looking back on his behavior, Luthor has gotten increasingly reckless and unstable. Perhaps trying to ally himself with Superman is simply too much for his mind to reconcile with, resulting in his lack of caution.
Lex Luthor Is Becoming Too Careless
There have been a couple of key examples of Lex's newfound recklessness while he was building up to his "Project Blackout". Aside from his more vocal approach to portraying Superman and his family as aliens rather than humans, Lex has also been demonstrating a lack of emotional control. A taunt from Metallo about how often Lex fails sent him into a blind fury that caused him to flip the table. A year ago, Luthor would never have lost his composure like that. It was an admission that his opponent was correct and that he lacks control over himself, much less the world.
The biggest indicator of his growing indiscretion was the very act that landed him in prison: the murder of Manchester Black. Luthor was still trying to convince Superman to work with him, but in the process, he brazenly admitted that his mindwipe of the Earth's population had killed Manchester. This gave Superman all the proof he needed to throw Luthor in jail. Before he believed in Superman, he would never have even approached admitting he was involved in someone's death, much less in front of his greatest enemy. This lapse in judgment is inexplicable save for the thought that Luthor is now fighting his worst impulses in an attempt to reconcile with his new beliefs.
Lex Luthor's Belief In Superman Is Destroying Him
There's a certain irony to the idea that by trying to be Superman's ally, Lex Luthor is actually less efficient than normal. It's not too far a stretch to speculate that after so many years of blindly hating and being envious of Superman, accepting that his place is following the man of steel into the future would be a hard pill to swallow. So much time, money, and effort were spent trying to destroy what he now feels is humanity's best chance at having a prosperous future.
Aside from invalidating most of his life's work, now Luthor had to adjust the way he fought his battles to work alongside his former enemy. Every instinct that has guided him throughout his life is now in conflict with the idea that he needs to hold himself up to Superman's standards. As his grip loosens on his villainous tendencies though, mistakes are becoming more and more obvious. His lack of emotional control, his admission to a crime, and now, landing in prison. Accepting that the world needs Superman is slowly destroying Lex Luthor.