Few villains that have gotten as personal with Superman as Lex Luthor. Luthor can’t stand the idea of Superman existing; Lex believes that humanity can achieve anything by itself, but with the over-reliance on Superman to solve every problem, humanity will never get the chance. In one alternate universe story, set outside the main DC continuity, this finally led Lex to breaking Superman.
Lex Luthor: Year of the Villain #1 – by Jason Latour, Bryan Hitch, Andrew Currie, Tomeu Morey, and Tom Napolitano – featured the villain finally pushing Superman to his breaking point. This story saw Lex traveling through the Multiverse, visiting various Lex Luthors, seeing what they’d accomplished.
One Lex Luthor gave Superman the ultimate insult by trapping Clark inside the Black Mercy, a plant that creates a perfect reality for the victim. Clark dreamed of a Krypton that never exploded, a society where he truly belonged. Lex then intentionally freed Superman from the Black Mercy, so he’d lose Krypton all over again, and Superman responded by lobotomizing Lex.
Superman Didn’t Kill Lex – He Did Something Worse
Lex Luthor and Superman have been fighting for decades; Superman believes humanity can be greater, but they just need a helping hand. Lex also believes that humanity can be greater, but in order to overcome adversity, they must first face it. Humanity can not learn to deal with an alien invasion if Superman and the Justice League sweep in and save the planet constantly. Lex would gladly let a few million die if it meant humanity became greater as a whole, which is not a sacrifice Superman is willing to make. This fundamental disagreement has pushed them to endless conflict, with Lex continually trying to find a flaw in Clark’s “perfect” persona.
Losing Krypton as a child prevented Clark from developing an authentic Kryptonian identity. While Superman doesn’t have the trauma of Supergirl, he still has an intense longing for a place to belong. Krypton was more than a planet; it was a culture and people that he belonged to, but never got to be part of. It’s been shown many times that Superman’s biggest desires is simply to have lived his life on Krypton. Giving Superman a version of what he wants most might not seem like Lex Luthor’s most nefarious plot ever – except the crux of it involves Lex intentionally releasing Superman, taking Krypton from him once more.
Clark Couldn’t Bear To Lose Krypton As An Adult
In the context of having never truly experienced life on Krypton, Clark can manage his desire. However, when he is deprived of his dream life as an adult, this pushes him over the edge. In a horrifying, and irreversible, escalation of their perennial conflict, Superman lobotomizes that universe’s version of Lex. Lex hurt Superman in many ways over the years; from manufacturing Kryptonite weapons, to giving Lois Lane cancer. None of these things have pushed Superman to put a permanent end to Lex Luthor, but the Black Mercy incident went too far. Superman brutally bypassed his no-killing rule, finally putting Lex Luthor out of commission for good.
