WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Superman: Villains #1, by Brian Michael Bendis, Matt Fraction, Greg Rucka, Jody Houser, Steve Lieber, Mike Perkins, Bryan Hitch and Eduardo Pansica, on sale now.
Since Superman revealed his civilian identity, Clark Kent, the Daily Planet has been under massive scrutiny, turned upside down by critics who feel the newspaper's morality and ethics are blurred. Clark Kent has been a Daily Planet reporter for decade, with personal relationships with members of staff. At the end of the day, this reveal could also make the likes of Jimmy Olsen and Perry White targets.
It gets even crazier, thanks to Superman: Villains #1, as the institution itself has come under attack by none other than its own Lois Lane. Make no mistake, when she drops a bombshell about its new owner, the consequences aren't light -- this could well be the end of DC's most popular newspaper outlet.
This story in Superman: Villains follows Lois and Clark as they investigate the Superman: Heroes reveal wherein Lex Luthor left them a gift that highlighted the truth behind the invisible mafia running Metropolis. Lex entrusted Lois with a box containing sensitive details and after accessing the information within the Fortress of Solitude, the cat's out the bag -- the new Daily Planet owner, Marisol Leone, is actually the leader of this sinister society.
That's right. DC's female version of the Kingpin is running the Planet and Lex provided irrefutable proof. It's information Clark and Lois have to publish because if it gets to a rival, they could lose ground and seem like they were covering things up. It's why they go to Perry to expose the news, even if it means the end of Daily Planet for good. After all, they have to be committed to reporting the truth, even if it costs them their jobs.
They know they just can't hide Leone's shady deals. Using Red Cloud -- who's secretly fellow Daily Planet reporter Robinson Goode -- as her enforcer, Leone has controlled the flow of crime under everyone's noses. Even though Lex did recruit Red Cloud, Leone is a different hand to play in his revenge scheme. It's a checkmate that tests Perry because he feels guilty about his greed in accepting Leone's buyout, which allowed her to change the narrative in the media. Admittedly, he didn't know about her real agenda, but now he wants to make amends. As he, Lois and Clark struggle to get a comment from Leone, they know the clock is ticking and people might turn on them if someone else breaks the news.
With the heart and soul of Metropolis at stake, Lois makes the decision to publish the story, with Perry and Clark playing key roles in the eventual editorial. Other outlets catch wind of it as it sets off like wildfire, with Leone's "no comment" pinning her in a corner. Now, it's not all a bed of roses. Paired with Clark hiding on staff as the Man of Steel, it's hard to see the Planet bouncing back.
Lois reported on events knowing her husband was Superman; Perry took the first set of big cash thrown at him to boost the company without doing proper background checks; Clark duped everyone and hid in plain sight. Separately, the Daily Planet could possibly recover from these occurrences. However, on top of all three, a gangster owner could be the final nail in the coffin. Metropolis may rally behind the paper, but it doesn't seem likely. The media swarmed like sharks at the first hint of blood and Lex is surely enjoying what's unfolding as one of Metropolis' pillars and beacons of hope crashes hard. Still, Lois made the right choice with her dogged need to keep the public informed.