WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for "Pilot," the series premiere of Superman & Lois.
Meet the Arrowverse's new Lex Luthor, who is nothing like the old Lex Luthor. In the Superman & Lois series premiere, Clark Kent found himself fighting a mysterious Stranger (Wolé Parks), who drew him out by attacking nuclear plants. When they faced off, Clark discovered this Stranger knew much about him -- enough to even defeat him in battle. It wasn't until the end of the episode, however, that the Stranger revealed his true identity as Captain Luthor.
Throughout the episode, Lois' father General Sam Lane brought Superman in to deal with near-meltdowns at several nuclear plants. As the army examined the pattern behind the attacks, they made a discovery that Sam brought to Clark right away. "My team analyzed security camera footage from both nuclear plants where the ruptures occurred. This is the only commonality," he explained to Clark, showing him an image of a blurry figure.
"Whatever did this, it's moving fast," Clark pointed out.
"That's not all. We also discovered a submicroscopic etching at both sites," Sam continued, showing him a new photo. "Thought maybe it was a fingerprint at first. It wasn't."
Upon closer inspection, Clark beheld a Kryptonian message etched in metal. "'You are not a hero, Kal-El,'" he read aloud. "Whoever did this knows who I am."
"He's studying you, Clark," Sam confirmed, then urged him to take action. Clark opted to stay home with his family in that moment, but he soon found himself drawn back out when Luthor attacked another nuclear plant.
When Clark landed at the nuclear plant, he immediately assessed why Luthor had chosen it. Because of the lead lining in the walls, he couldn't see through them, allowing Luthor to observe without being observed. So, in response to Luthor's disembodied voice, Clark demanded to know how Luthor knew his name. "I know everything there is to know about the last son of Krypton," Luthor intoned. "Where I come from, let's just say the two of us have history."
"And where is that, exactly?" Clark asked, only for Luthor to hiss, "Nowhere, now. My world was destroyed, but somehow I managed to survive. I eventually arrived here, where I learned you were here too."
With that, Clark got a lock on Luthor's location and leapt into action. They scuffled, breaking down walls and other fixtures, but soon the plant could not contain their battle. Eventually, they ended up in space, where Luthor unveiled more knowledge about Clark's life, even as he overpowered him: "Like me, your home was destroyed. You were sent here as an infant, to a world where you'd spend your whole life trying to prove your worth, convince yourself you were one of the, but you're not! You're still that scared, lost child, desperate for the love of people that will never accept you! And the only remnants of your real home -- Kryptonite -- make you sick."
As he spoke, Luthor broke out his secret weapon: a Kryptonite knife. With a grunt, he stabbed Clark with it. Clark plummeted back to Earth, drifting in and out of consciousness. However, a cry for help from Lois brought him back around. He managed to pull the Kryptonite knife out of his chest and caught himself before he slammed into the ground, then took off for home to help his sons in their time of need.
While Luthor did not feel the need to pursue Clark after this point, this was not the last time he appeared in the episode. After the battle, he returned to the peak of a snowy mountain, where a glowing green pod awaited him. As he walked inside, he spoke aloud, saying, "We need to improve tactile function and speed if I'm going to end this."
"We also need Kryptonite," a computerized voice replied. "That was the last of your supply."
"Then we'll have to go get some," he shot back, removing his helmet.
"I'll start the upgrades to your armor right away, Captain Luthor," the voice announced, confirming the Stranger's identity for the audience.
Obviously, Parks portrays a much different Lex Luthor than the one who appears in Supergirl, as played by Jon Cryer. However, there's a pretty simple reason why two Lex Luthors can exist on the same universe: "Crisis on Infinite Earths." In that five-show crossover, the multiverse was destroyed by the Anti-Monitor, only to be rebuilt by the heroes of shows like Arrow, The Flash, DC's Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl and Batwoman. It's possible, then, that Superman & Lois' Captain Luthor somehow managed to survive the collapse of his own universe in a ship of his own design -- much like how Clark was saved by his parents just before Krypton was destroyed.
In fact, Crisis on Infinite Earths by Marv Wolfman and George Perez set a precedent for one such version of Lex Luthor. In the comic book event, Alexander Luthor Jr. survived the destruction of Earth-3 when his parents -- Lex Luthor and Lois Lane-Luthor -- sent him away as an infant, just before the anti-matter wave hit. In addition to saving his life, this move also put him in the hands of the Monitor and his adoptive daughter Harbinger, who raised him as a hero.
Notably, Crisis on Infinite Earths' Alexander Luthor Jr. came from a world where his father Lex was the only hero to stand against the Crime Syndicate, an evil version of the Justice League. Similarly, this could be why Superman & Lois' Captain Luthor wants to destroy Superman. Alternatively, perhaps Captain Luthor blames Superman for the destruction of his world. After all, the Man of Steel was involved as the Paragon of Truth -- or the Brandon Routh version of him was, before Cryer's Lex replaced him by rewriting the Book of Destiny.
Superman & Lois stars Tyler Hoechlin, Elizabeth Tulloch, Dylan Walsh, Alex Garfin, Jordan Elsass, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Inde Navarrette and Wolé Parks. The series airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on The CW.