Lex Luthor has finally devised a plan to defeat Superman, and it involves his most diabolical weapon yet. Superman and Lex Luthor are longtime adversaries, with their rivalry helping to define superhero comics. We’ve watched Superman and Lex battle across comics, movies, TV shows (live-action and animated), and video games. Recently as in the pages of Superman, they’ve also found themselves unlikely allies. But you always knew that the time would come when Superman and Lex Luthor would find themselves on opposing sides. As an added bonus, their rematch prepares readers for the Summer of Superman.
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DC released a preview of Superman #25 by Joshua Williamson, Jamal Campbell, Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira, Dan Mora, Alejandro Sanchez, and Dave Sharpe. The preview takes readers back in time to right before Superman #1 dropped at the beginning of 2023. That issue found Lex Luthor behind bars, and his company LexCorp, transformed into SuperCorp. Later issues would find Superman and Lex working together, but as we quickly discover, it was all a ploy by Lex to get Superman to trust him.
Lex has everything planned down to the finest details. He already knows he’s going to prison, that Superman will help Lex defeat his enemies, and that Superman will finally believe in him. When Lex’s assistant Mercy asks him about a backup plan called Project X-EL, Lex shoots it down. He calls X-EL too dangerous and unstable. And besides, he doesn’t need a backup plan because that would imply he’s going to lose.
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Lex’s final words before we jump to the present day are, “Whatever happens next… X-EL must never be unleashed.” Of course, that’s exactly what is about to happen, with X-EL appearing to be a cloned body of Lex Luthor with a Kryptonian black jumpsuit on with the House of El crest on its chest.
Superman, Superwoman (Lois Lane), and Lena Luthor confront Mercy in front of X-EL, with Superman and Superwoman rendered powerless by Kryptonite. Mercy begins revealing more details on X-EL, like how she’s been feeding X-EL the information they’ve gathered at SuperCorp while studying Superman, Superwoman, Doomsday, Parasite, and even Lena. Mercy intended to use X-EL to access Lex’s buried memories trapped inside it, but now she intends for X-EL to be the Lex Luthor they need.
“REMATCH OF THE CENTURY: SUPERMAN VERSUS LEX LUTHOR!” the solicitation for Superman #25 reads. “Superman and Superwoman are still reeling from their epic battles against Doomsday and Time Trapper, but a bigger problem just appeared… Lex is back! Lex’s memory was erased during the House of Brainiac arc, but now Superman’s greatest enemy has returned with a twist, and he’s ready for a fight to control Supercorp and Metropolis. Is this the end of Supercorp?! Prepare for a shocking oversize issue that celebrates the last two years of Superman, connects to the Summer of Superman, and sets up a brand-new storyline!”
This new storyline pitting Lex Luthor against the Man of Steel comes just in time for DC’s new Superman movie, arriving in theaters on July 11th. David Corenswet plays Clark Kent/Superman, and he’s joined by Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor. DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn writes and directs.
Superman #25 goes on sale Wednesday, April 23rd. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
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