Man of Tomorrow: How Strong Lex Luthor’s Power Suit Will Make Him Compared to Superman

James Gunn is hard at work on his next Superman movie, Man of Tomorrow, and, as usual, the DC Studios head is marketing the film as he makes it, with clever teases from the set of the Superman (2025) sequel. As Gunn had promised from the very first teaser image for Man of Tomorrow, Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor is getting his iconic “warsuit” armor, and the first image made it look like it had stepped right off the comic book page.

Longtime DC fans know about all the iconic battles that Lex Luthor has fought in his warsuit, but for new fans about to experience it for the first time, there’s probably one big question you want answered: Can any suit of armor stand up to the power of Superman?

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Lex Luthor’s Warsuit Is An Alien Upgrade

Like any classic element of the Superman mythos, Lex Luthor’s warsuit armor has undergone many changes and retcons over the years, and most fans tend to have a particular version from either comics, gaming, or animation that they rock with the most. However, there are some commonalities between the different versions, starting with how Lex builds the suit.

In the most popular telling, Lex both repurposes a Kryptonian armored suit and adds his own state-of-the-art technological flourishes (or steals them from others). With that combination of advanced and alien tech, Lex effectively becomes a true “super” villain, with formidable powers, including:

• Kryptonite-powered weaponry – Pretty much every version of Lex’s warsuit comes with Kryptonite built into the weapons system. Lex can fire Kryptonite blasts, and as time has gone on, he’s added guns capable of cycling through different colors of Kryptonite, which each affect Superman differently. Lex also packs Kryptonite energy spikes and blades capable of cutting or impaling Superman, as well as handheld Kryptonite weapons like an axe, spear, or other bladed weapons infused with the element. It’s key to understand that this Kryptonite-powered arsenal is the key decider in how a battle with Superman will go. But more on that, below.
• Enhanced Strength – Lex’s suit can overpower most enhanced individuals, and has even defeated the likes of highly-trained fighters like Batman or Deathstroke. It is not, however, able to match Superman, even at his standard power level.
• Enhanced Durability – Given the combination of alien and high-tech alloys, the warsuit can withstand a ton of battle damage, and can even hold its own against Superman’s powers. It often comes down to Superman having to peel the armor off in pieces or layers, eventually getting to Luthor himself.
• Flight – Rocket boosters in the boots let Luthor fly
• Force Fields & Energy Projection – Luthor can manipulate energy to create force fields to protect himself (including Kryptonite-powered fields), as well as projecting energy out of the armor as force blasts or other forms of heat or lasers.

Is Lex Luthor’s Warsuit Armor Stronger Than Superman?

Yes and no. Lex Luthor has never truly bested Superman in battle, so there’s that overwhelming fact to consider. That said, Lex has had some of his most decisive (momentary) victories against Superman using the armor and particularly its Kryptonite weaponry. With the Kryptonite active, Lex truly levels the battlefield by making Superman weaker as the suit makes him stronger. With Superman and Lex at equal levels of power and durability, Lex actually can beat his nemesis in a fight. With certain enhancements (like from Darkseid’s planet, Apokolips), Lex’s armor and his ability to counter Superman’s power get even greater.

However, comic books being what they are, Lex can never maintain the suit’s full power long enough or stop Superman and his allies from cutting off or blocking the debilitating effects of the Kryptonite. Without those key advantages, Lex cannot maintain a level of power necessary to even hope of keeping up with Superman.

The real question in James Gunn’s film will be: Can Lex Luthor’s warsuit stand up to Brainiac (Lars Eidinger), or will a tech-based suit be a major weakness?

Man of Tomorrow has a release date of July 9, 2027. Discuss the latest progress on the film with us on the ComicBook Forum!