WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Superman #18 by Brian Michael Bendis, Ivan Reis, Joe Prado, Alex Sinclair and Dave Sharpe, on sale now.
For months, DC has teased that its flagship hero, Superman, will publicly announce his secret identity to the world in a new comic book storyline kicking off this month aptly titled "The Truth." True to the publisher and creative team's promise, the Man of Steel does indeed go public, with a climactic, televised event confessing his identity that is broadcast around the globe.
While the character's extensive supporting cast and fellow DC Universe superheroes certainly witness the announcement, so does the Legion of Doom -- including longtime Superman foes Brainiac and Lex Luthor. And it's Luthor reaction that proves to be the most ominous for the Last Son of Krypton, hinting at dark days ahead.
Watching the global broadcast from their shadowy base of operations in the Hall of Doom, Brainiac is visibly infuriated, demanding an explanation from Luthor as to how a civilian who was such a long-running thorn in his side could maintain his secret identity from the criminal genius for years. Rather than respond or show any noticeable emotion, Luthor quietly shifts from his Apex Lex form -- the resurrected Luthor given omnipotent powers by the villainous Perpetua in the pages of Justice League -- back into his normal civilian appearance and sits down, clearly pondering the revelation and plotting his next move accordingly.
For a significant part of the year, Apex Lex has been the sinister face of DC's Year of the Villain. He's rallied and upgraded the various ne'er-do-wells within the DCU as part of Perpetua's plot to defeat the Justice League and reshape the DC Multiverse in her insidious image. While Perpetua's fate will remain unknown until the conclusion of Scott Snyder's run on Justice League in January, the silent shift from Luthor signals that he is no longer interested in carrying out other people's agendas or orchestrating ambitious schemes against the assembled heroes.
No, for Luthor, the transformation back to his normal self hints at the simmering rage beneath his restored appearance and a renewed focus on his most hated nemesis of all: Superman. While Luthor has certainly faced down the Man of Tomorrow in his Apex Lex form, it was all part of a larger plan. Meanwhile the hero's identity remained elusive to him, frustrating him to no end. The idea of Superman fearlessly revealing himself to the general public is one of the greatest humiliations that Luthor has had to endure in his entire life; Clark Kent is a fellow transplant from Smallville who has faced him as an investigative journalist, meaning his true identity was right under Luthor's nose the whole time.
In the DCU, immediately following the reality-altering effects of Crisis on Infinite Earths, Luthor funded the creation of a super-computer programmed to determine Superman's secret identity. While the computer successfully reached the conclusion that Clark Kent was the Man of Steel, Luthor angrily rejected the results. He was unable to comprehend that his powerful nemesis would bother maintaining such a mild-mannered alter ego instead of embracing his full potential at all times.
DC and writer Brian Michael Bendis have teased that the months following Superman's identity reveal will reverberate with consequences from across the DCU. Luthor has just been handed another grand humiliation by his longtime foe, leaving him disgraced within the Legion of Doom for letting such a vital secret so close to him elude him for so long. Fueled by thoughts of revenge and with one of the greatest criminal minds of his time, a silently plotting Luthor is sure to bring a world of hurt to the Man of Steel as he goes public for the first time in his life.