Warning! Spoilers ahead for Superman #7!Superman’s most notorious enemy, Lex Luthor, has reunited with his family, and it’s changing everything fans know about the villain. A near-death experience brings Lex’s mother and his daughter back into his life, and the multiple Luthor generations shed a tragic glimpse into the unfortunate cycle Lex was born into.
In Superman #7 by Joshua Williamson, Gleb Melnikov, Dan Jurgens, Norm Rapmund, and Edwin Galmon, Lex Luthor is on the mend and demands to be let go to help Superman stop the Chained, a powerful enemy from Lex Luthor’s past. Lois stops by to interrogate Lex and figure out what his ultimate game is. However, Lois isn’t Luthor’s only visitor as Leticia Luthor, Lex’s mother, comes to see her son.
Leticia hasn’t come to wish her son well, but rather investigate his recent transfer of LexCorp to “that alien.” Leticia isn’t alone as she’s brought someone else from Lex’s past: Lena Luthor, Lex’s long-lost teenage daughter.
Lex Luthor’s Mother and Daughter Have Come Back Into His Life
Lex Luthor has spent a generous portion of his life antagonizing Superman, but after being imprisoned for the death of Manchester Black, Lex had a change of heart. Lex decided to start working with the Man of Steel and gave him the keys to Lex’s business empire, rechristening LexCorp to SuperCorp. Together, Superman and Lex Luthor have made dramatic improvements to Metropolis and have even managed to improve the lives of iconic Superman foes like Parasite and Livewire. But few are buying Lex’s change of heart, especially his old antagonists Dr. Pharm and Mr. Graft
Lex Luthor’s family connections have always been murky, but here, fans are seeing three generations of Luthors together. Like most teenagers, Lena is fairly aloof, but from what readers see of Leticia Luthor, it seems that Lex is a chip off the old block. She’s professional, loves dishing out backhanded compliments, and expresses similar xenophobic views towards Superman that Lex espoused for years. Despite her brief time, her interactions with Lex reveal where he got much of his notable personality traits. This small glimpse into Lex’s family dynamic paints a tragic picture of Luthor’s background and sheds light on why Lex is trying to change for the better.
Lex Luthor Wants to Break His Horrific Family Cycle
While poor upbringing doesn’t absolve Lex Luthor of his horrendous actions over the years, it certainly does explain where his behavior came from. Lex sees a lot of his worst traits in his mother, which may be why he’s kept her at a distance for so long. While many of Superman’s allies don’t think that Lex is earnest about his desires to change, Lex seems like he really does want to be a better person and not continue the awful cycle he was born into.
Hopefully, Lex Luthor’s desires to grow and change for the better are true, because it may be his only way to overcome the generational trauma he’s incurred.
Superman #7 is on sale now from DC Comics.
