Superman and Lex Luthor are bitter opposites, but one surprising thing they share in common is their biggest fear. Superman came to Earth from the dying planet of Krypton, and he fears that he may have brought the death he escaped with him. Lex Luthor hates Superman for a number of reasons, but one of the biggest is that he believes Superman might end to the world.
Action Comics #2 – by Grant Morrison, Rags Morales, Brent Anderson, Rick Bryant, and Patrick Brosseau – delivered readers a new take on Superman’s first encounter with Lex Luthor, setting the context for their long, storied rivalry with a surprising moment of connection.
This is where the surprising common ground between Superman and Lex was first seen, with Lex remarking that Superman’s rocket wasn’t just a rocket. Lex posits the idea that it was actually a bullet, aimed at Earth to symbolize an alien invasion. While this obviously isn’t true, one of Superman’s nightmares would later confirm that the Man of Steel holds the same worries.
Superman Fears He Doomed The Earth By Landing On It
Superman was fired from the dying planet of Krypton in a rocket that brought him to Earth. Over the years, a lot of dangerous people have found their way to Earth because of Superman’s presence on it. Characters like Zod and Doomsday would’ve never come to Earth if it wasn’t for Superman’s presence there; it is because of this that Superman worries his existence on his adoptive planet might be dooming it. It’s an understandable worry, but other villains like Darkseid would’ve found the planet regardless and destroyed it by now. While Superman’s existence does bring danger to the planet, he’s also kept it safer than it would be without him.
While Lex Luthor’s assessment of Superman’s ship being a bullet might just seem like a hurtful paranoid statement from Lex at first, it actually resonates with Superman, in a way that suprisingly connects him with his longtime antagonist. As seen in Knight Terrors: Superman #1 – by Joshua Williamson, Tomy Reilly, Nathan Fairbairn, and Ariana Maher – readers see Superman’s nightmare that reflects Lex’s words. Superman fears that the death of Krypton is a curse that will follow him, and his ship landing on Earth was simply a bullet from Krypton to Earth, signifying that he will eventually cause the death of his new home planet as well.
Lex Luthor Believes Superman Is Bad For Humanity
Action Comics #2 shows Lex as having legitimate concerns about Superman – but it also shows that Superman and Lex Luthor likely could’ve put aside their differences much earlier had they simply talked to one another. One of the main reasons Lex is so infuriated when he finds out Superman is Clark Kent is because of their shared history in Smallville. Despite their differing views on the fate of humanity, the two have a ton in common. During their youth, they both felt like outsiders that didn’t belong, and now it’s been revealed that Superman and Lex Luthor even have the same major fear.
Action Comics #2 and Knight Terrors: Superman #1 are available from DC Comics.
