DC Comics Just Set Up the Most Powerful Version of Superman’s Archnemesis

Superman has been DC Comics’ shining beacon of hope for over 85 years. Of course, just two years after his 1938 debut, the Man of Steel encountered Lex Luthor for the first time – the billionaire criminal mastermind who would become his greatest archnemesis and plague him for decades to come. Together, Superman and Lex Luthor stand as one of the most iconic hero and villain rivalries in all modern fiction. Where Superman represents the best of humanity, Luthor represents its worst. Even across numerous retellings and alternate universes, the thing that remains constant is that Luthor hates Superman. However, the Elseworlds story Father of Tomorrow not only presents a different version of Superman but sets up the most powerful and deadliest incarnation of Lex Luthor ever seen.

Everyone knows that Superman was originally a baby named Kal-El from the planet Krypton who was jettisoned off his homeworld by his scientist parents, Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van, to save him from their planet’s destruction. After crash-landing on Earth, Kal-El was adopted by the Kansas farmers Jon and Martha Kent, who named him Clark. However, Father of Tomorrow shows a world where Jor-El landed on Earth instead of his son. Seeing a world in dire need of help, Jor-El decides to use his newfound powers and knowledge of Kryptonian technology to elevate all of humanity as the hero Superman. Yet, even with a different person holding the Superman mantle, Lex Luthor still finds himself determined to destroy this version of the Man of Tomorrow.

Sorcerer Supreme Lex Luthor

Father of Tomorrow originally presents a unique interpretation of Lex Luthor that’s never been seen before: one who initially idolizes Superman. When Jor-El begins sharing Kryptonian technology with the people of Earth, Luthor surprisingly praises Superman’s work and even gives up his company and inheritance to help achieve the hero’s vision of a better tomorrow. However, despite being like a surrogate son to Jor-El, Luthor betrays his hero’s trust by using Kryptonian technology to build weapons. Jor-El then promptly kicks his former protégé out. It’s at this point that Luthor dedicates his life to the goal every other version of himself across the multiverse has pursued: destroying Superman.

In most universes, Lex Luthor uses his vast intelligence and wealth to develop technology capable of killing Superman by using Kryptonite. However, Father of Tomorrow #3 reveals that this incarnation of Luthor instead chooses to exploit Superman’s other significant weakness: magic. To destroy Jor-El, Luthor traveled the world to study under some of the most powerful magic-users in DC Comics. His teachers included Zatanna, Swamp Thing, Madame Xanadu, John Constantine, Deadman, Etrigan, Raven, and Nightmaster. Even the Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Fate, took Luthor under his wing. And once Doctor Fate caught onto his pupil’s true desire for revenge, the story heavily implies that Luthor took him out. Having combined countless magic forms, Luthor becomes the strongest sorcerer in the world and Jor-El’s greatest threat.

A Lex Luthor with Magic is Unstoppable

In almost every universe, Lex Luthor has prided himself on being a man of science who could use his intellect to destroy the Man of Steel. However, because Jor-El is just as smart as Luthor, if not more so, it makes sense that this incarnation of the iconic villain would use something other than science to destroy his former idol. Early teasers for Father of Tomorrow #5 describe the villain with the nickname “Hex Luthor.” With this new identity and newfound power, this Lex Luthor is sure to become the deadliest version of Superman’s nemesis that DC Comics has ever created.

Considering how much Luthor despises Superman, it’s honestly surprising that no previous version has ever tried to learn magic. However, Father of Tomorrow shows an incarnation of Luthor reaching his true potential by abandoning his bias towards science and using every tool at his disposal to annihilate Superman. A sorcerer version of one of DC Comics’ most notorious supervillains creates nearly limitless destructive possibilities. The knowledge and abilities granted by Luthor’s mystical teachers provide him with one of the most powerful and versatile magical arsenals in DC Comics. With countless spells at his command, Luthor could easily overwhelm nearly any version of Superman, including Jor-El. Additionally, by combining this magic with his calculating intelligence and advanced technology, Luthor could truly become DC Comics’ equivalent of Doctor Doom.

For now, we have yet to see the full extent of Lex Luthor’s worldwide studies into the mystic arts. However, if Luthor’s already capable of defeating the reality-warping Sorcerer Supreme Doctor Fate, then he may be far stronger than any previous incarnation of Superman’s nemesis. More importantly, this Lex Luthor holds just as much hatred for the Man of Tomorrow as his science-based counterparts. Luthor undoubtedly won’t stop until everything Jor-El has built for the betterment of humanity is destroyed. Like countless versions of Superman before him, Jor-El is about to experience firsthand the wrath of Lex Luthor. And even with his immense strength and intelligence, Jor-El will have to fight for his life to survive DC Comics’ malevolent new master of magic.

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