WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Future State: Superman vs. Imperious Lex #1 by Mark Russell, Steve Pugh, Carlos M. Mangual and Romulo Fajardo Jr., on sale now.
Future State: Superman vs. Imperious Lex #1 has really shown what a tyrant Lex Luthor can be. We've seen him manipulate heroes and villains and goad the public into making him the President of the United States in modern stories, but this Future State tale sees Luthor losing everything and fleeing Earth before claiming the planet Lexor and turning it into his personal utopia.
On this alien world, people worship Lex like a god, feeding his ego every second of every day. However, the narcissist has built an empire built on war, death and theft which convinces this reality's Superman to act. And as he was soon surprised to learn, the shocking key to saving this alien planet would be his beloved Lois Lane.
This adventure focuses on the United Planets, which has made their headquarters in Metropolis. The alliance is blossoming with worlds helping each other out and sharing resources, but the assembled aliens are rocked when Kal-El arrives with a weird request. He wants the council to entertain Lex's plea for membership, something they laugh off the debate table.
But the cosmic-trotting Man of Steel reveals why it's necessary and it's a tragic take that shows how much propaganda, media and politicians can corrupt and blind the masses. Lex has been using sentient robots called Reticulants to plunder and loot various worlds, stealing their resources to enrich his own, with these bots even enslaving people to mine what they can't reach. Lex, fully in control of his media, then paints an infallible picture that has his citizens treating him like a god-king, when really they don't realize they're languishing in squalor. He's the only one reaping the benefits, which brings Superman to the planet.
Superman already destroyed most of Lex's insectoid bots, placing them on Lexor's moon until they could be reprogrammed, but when he arrived and fought under the red sun, he realized these people needed help from the brainwashing. Billions have been gaslit and conditioned mentally, so a weakened Kal speeds off but before he exited, Superman burned Lex Robotics to the ground.
That's why he wants the United Planets to take them in, so they can help rebuild society. He doesn't care if Lex is their leader, but they need to work with him for the sake of innocents who Lex knows may turn on him now. The coalition reluctantly agrees to Lex's desperate request and decides Earth will sponsor Lexor, as long as Lois Lane operates as their ambassador to Lexor. It shocks Kal, but the alliance needs someone they can trust to help fix things. However, it places Lois in danger as the inhabitants hate Superman but it's for the greater good. Still, it'll leave Superman wary as he might not be able to oversee things as much with the red sun there.