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In Superman ’78 #3, the Man of Steel’s greatest movie villain just showed that deep down inside he secretly has the heart of a hero.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Superman ’78 #3, on sale now from DC Comics.
Superman: The Movie was the first film to successfully cut to the heart of DC’s most iconic characters, with actor Christopher Reeve putting in a seminal performance in the title role alongside Gene Hackman’s top-notch portrayal of his arch-nemesis Lex Luthor. Superman ’78 #3 (by Robert Venditti, Wilfredo Torres, Jordie Bellaire, and Dave Lanphear) further explore these characters, giving this Lex Luthor a rare chance at redemption.
Issue #3 reveals that Luthor’s self-proclaimed criminal genius might qualify him to be uniquely capable of taking down Brainiac in a way even Superman did not see coming. It turns out that his criminal talents can have heroic applications when he puts his deviously clever mind to it.
As the title of the series implies, Superman ’78 continues the story that originated in the original film franchise. While Lex Luthor served as the main antagonist in the first film, he ended that story in prison and in the current comic has been given the opportunity to turn over a new leaf. The parole board allows Luthor to go free under the stipulation that Superman will perform periodic checkups on the criminal mastermind.
However, it may now be Superman who needs Luthor’s help in an odd reversal of fortune. A sudden attack by Brainiac threatens Metropolis, with the alien robot holding the entire Earth hostage until Superman agrees to be taken prisoner. Just before Superman leaves on Brainiac’s ship, Luthor bids his greatest foe a farewell with a meaningful pat on the back that could well prove to be the Last Son of Krypton’s saving grace. He plants a tracking device Brainiac is unaware of, showing that underhandedness and deception may be what is needed to save the day in this case.
This makes for a great dynamic between the two characters, and showcases an aspect to their rivalry critical to other stories like Superman: Red Son and All-Star Superman. In both of those stories Luthor demonstrates his characteristic larger-than-life ego in displaying how his superhuman intelligence can best Superman’s unparalleled brawn. Those story’s mimic the Luthor of Superman ’78 in that his selfish desire to prove his superiority surpasses the possible benefit the villain could offer the world. However, in Superman ’78 Luthor gains a chance to help save the world by making use of his criminal genius and a villainous bit of deception.
Superman’s commitment to truth and justice limits his options when sheer power isn’t enough to overcome his foe, but Luthor does not suffer from such limitations. At the end of the day Luthor is more willing to go to greater lengths than Superman is, and the rare moments where he is able to align his personal benefit with that of the world can prove just how stunning of a combo they can be when used in unison. By tagging Superman with a tracking device he is able to take the fight right to Brainiac’s doorstep while simultaneously removing the threat of the massive casualties that a fight with the robot on Earth would possibly invoke.
Although the full implications of Luthor’s actions are still unclear, he still rarely does anything that does not benefit himself in some way. He may be seeking to save the Earth simply because that means saving his own skin, but it’s also tremendously in character for the megalomaniac to use any opportunity as a chance to gloat.
If Superman is able to defeat Brainiac and save the world because of Lex Luthor’s help, it’s a good bet that the criminal genius will spin his actions into a “selfless act of heroism,” even he ends up being the one who gains the most from his actions.
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