The most powerful upgrade Superman’s ever received is all thanks to the person who hates him more than anything. Whether you’ve been reading comics for years or just saw the new Superman, you’d know that Lex Luthor absolutely loathes the Man of Steel. He’s dedicated everything to making sure he either ends Superman altogether or makes his life that much more difficult. Is it the best use of Lex’s genius and free time? No, but Lex simply can’t stand the idea of Superman thriving when Lex is certain he can beat him.
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Which is exactly why Lex has sneaked into the tournament featured in DC K.O.. Though the heroes took all possible precautions to ensure villains couldn’t enter, Lex and a handful of others made it to the preliminary round. They even snagged a few spots in the competition intended for heroes. Now Lex has an honest-to-God chance at achieving victory over his most hated enemy. But as they always tend to, Lex’s plan is majorly backfiring, and he’s accidentally helping Superman become more powerful than he’s ever been.
Lex Luthor Helps Superman Discover Darkseid’s Ultimate Power
Weeks after the debut issue, we finally have DC K.O. #2 by Scott Snyder, Joshua Williamson, Javi Fernández, and Xermánico. I know we’ve all been waiting to see some good one-on-one matches, but the first round of the tournament is less of a battle and more of a free-for-all. The Heart of Apokolips transports the 32 fighters to a battlefield where 16 powerful items like the God Killer Sword and Thor’s Hammer have been hidden. There’s also one mystery item that can be claimed by “following the example of Darkseid“.
Superman is less concerned about finding an item and spends his time trying to ensure Lex doesn’t get one. However, Lex has come prepared with kryptonite and uses it to not just weaken Superman, but also chop off the Man of Steel’s hand. As Clark tends to his wound, Lex delivers a venom-laced speech about how Clark isn’t capable of winning this tournament because he can’t do what he must to win it. Lex fires a shard of kryponite into Superman’s body and leaves to claim the item Lex wants the most: A Black Lantern Power Ring.
After seeing Lex raise an army of undead elder gods, Superman suddenly understands what the Heart of Apokolips meant when it said to follow Darkseid’s example. Just as Darkseid gave up his hand and then his life to gain incredible power, Superman must do the same. He takes the kryptonite shard and pierces his chest. Superman’s gambit works, and his sacrifice is rewarded with the mystery item, Darkseid’s Omega Sanction. Superman’s powerful new form prepares to use his god-level ability on Lex, but the last item is found, and, fortunately for Luthor, the round comes to an end.
Lex Luthor is Accidentally Helping Superman in DC K.O.
There’s a lot of dramatic irony in this issue. Had Lex left well enough alone, he could have just snagged the Black Lantern Ring while Superman grabbed something like the Medusa Mask or a Mother Box. Instead, he pushed Superman to look inward, causing Clark to ask himself how far he was willing to go to ensure that the fate of the universe didn’t fall into the wrong hands. In a roundabout way, Lex’s presence helped Superman find the fire he’ll need to survive in a tournament as brutal as this one.
Lex wasn’t exactly wrong in calling Superman out in this issue. The tournament everyone’s fighting in demands brutality and selfishness, ideas that don’t gel with who Superman is. But rather than do what he must, Superman tried to play it his way, and all that got him was kryptonite in the chest. Lex may hate Superman, but he’ll never miss an opportunity to highlight Superman’s flaws. And for Clark, hearing his most bitter enemy essentially tell him to get his head in the game actually worked and helped Superman find the most powerful item in the scavenger hunt.
Now I don’t know if the Omega Sanction will play a bigger role in future DC K.O. issues (honestly, it seems like it’d make Superman a little OP). But I can seriously appreciate the dramatic irony of Clark tapping into incredible cosmic power, all because Lex called out Superman. Motivation can sometimes come from the strangest places, even from an enemy. Maybe with Lex and Superman both advancing, Superman will remain inspired all the way through to the end of DC K.O..
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