Warning: this article contains spoilers for Dark Nights: Death Metal #7!
Few comic book rivalries are as iconic as that of Superman and Lex Luthor. First appearing in Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster’s Action Comics #23 in 1940, Lex Luthor has undergone a multitude of changes over the years. He’s been portrayed as a mad scientist, a businessman, and even the President of the United States, but one constant in the villain’s lengthy history is his hatred for the Last Son of Krypton. Luthor’s resentment towards Superman may not be as strong as fans suspected, however, as he just sacrificed his own life to save the Kryptonian.
Prior to DC’s Dark Nights: Death Metal event, Luthor was working as Perpetua’s second-in-command until that position was taken over by the Batman Who Laughs. Luckily, being abandoned by Perpetua caused Luthor to team up with Earth’s heroes to atone for his actions, along with getting some revenge. Using his genius-level intellect, Luthor proved himself valuable to his newfound allies as he devised a plan to defeat his successor, who had successfully overthrown Perpetua to become the Darkest Knight. After making sure that everyone knew their part in the mission, Luthor continued his heroics by fighting alongside the Man of Steel in the final battle to save the multiverse.
That’s where things pick up in Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s Dark Nights: Death Metal #7, as an alliance of Earth’s heroes and villains fight the Darkest Knight and his army. Among the enemy forces, one of the most powerful opponents is the Last Sun, an evil version of Superman who is described as a living star bent on destruction. Even the combined forces of every member of the Superman family and many of Superman’s greatest villains aren’t enough to take him down. As the Last Sun continues to smash through everyone standing in his way, Superman decides to take matters into his own hands and tackles his corrupted counterpart out of Earth’s atmosphere.
As Superman pushes the Last Sun farther from the battle, the villain’s unique physiology quickly overwhelms the hero’s cells and begins killing him. Luckily, Lex Luthor arrives in a power suit to help his dying foe. Before Superman can even finish asking what he is doing, Luthor replies, “No way this universe ends without me getting to kill at least one damn Superman.” With that, Luthor slaps Superman back toward Earth and faces off with the Last Sun. He reveals that his suit is powered by a miniature black hole, but the Last Sun scoffs as that would make the suit unstable. Luthor sarcastically remarks, “Huh. I guess that’s why I’ve never worn it… until now,” before initiating the suit’s self-destruct sequence. The ensuing black hole manages to kill the Last Sun, but it takes Luthor’s life as well.
Luthor’s sacrifice is certainly shocking considering how long he’s been trying to get rid of Superman, but some of that disdain still surfaces in this final act. He blatantly expresses his delight in killing a version of Superman and even throws a couple of insults toward the Man of Steel before sending him back to Earth. Still, it seems that Luthor’s days as a villain may be ending, especially considering the comic’s ending. Since the outcome of Death Metal’s final battle served as a reboot for DC Comics, Lex Luthor is already back in the land of the living. His heroics may not be over either, as he has joined a new team of heroes and villains to protect the world from new threats on DC’s new Infinite Frontier. He may not be done trying to take down Superman, but hopefully Lex Luthor’s redemption will continue in DC’s future, since he’s finally shown there are things he values more than his own survival and success.
