In Infinite Frontier #4, President Superman learns about the death of his greatest adversary – but he’s not at all happy about what has happened.
Warning: The following contains spoilers for DC’s Infinite Frontier #4, available now from DC Comics.
Since his first appearance in 1940’s Action Comics #23 by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the brilliant Lex Luthor has proven himself as one of Superman’s most powerful and compelling adversaries of all time. The mad scientist has gone toe to toe with the Man of Steel in almost every corner of the multiverse. What Luthor lacks in superpowers, he makes up for with his nearly unrivaled intelligence. But in Joshua Williamson, Paul Pelletier, Jesus Merino, Xermanico, Norm Rapmund, Raul Fernandez and Hi-Fi’s Infinite Frontier #4, President Superman discovers that his Earth’s version of Lex Luthor has come to an abrupt and violent end.
In Infinite Frontier #4, President Superman and Thomas Wayne continue to study the pieces of the bizarre multiverse-traveling ship that they have been investigating. The President of Steel remembers that his old nemesis Lex Luthor had been attempting to construct a similar ship, so he and Thomas Wayne’s Batman head to Luthor’s secret lair to see what he knows. When they get there, the heroes easily their way past the villain’s defenses only to find Luthor’s lifeless corpse propped up in a chair in his office with a gaping wound in his chest.
Although Lex Luthor was a danger to President Calvin Ellis and the people of Earth-23 for years, the heroic Kryptonian is clearly upset. Despite their contentious and tumultuous history, President Superman recognized Luthor’s potential to be a positive force in the world. He seems genuinely sad for his fallen adversary, gently closing Luthor’s eyes and lamenting that he wished the villain could have used his mind for something better. Luthor’s death registers to President Superman as a legitimate loss rather than any sort of victory.
Later in the issue, the heroes discover that Luthor was able to successfully build a ship capable of traveling between worlds in the multiverse – another example of his brilliance. This achievement, which may have been his last, cements his legacy on Earth-23 as an inventor, not just a simple evildoer. As the conspiracy at the heart of Infinite Frontier continues to unravel, it may be safe to assume that this incredible invention also had something to do with Luthor’s untimely demise.
Lex Luthor’s rivalry with countless versions of Superman has defined him as a supervillain for years. But President Superman seems determined to remember Luthor as a nuanced and well-rounded person capable of both good and evil.
Ellis clearly has a great deal of respect for Luthor despite their obvious differences and combative relationship. He doesn’t defend his enemy or attempt to revise the negative elements of their history together, but he acknowledges Luthor’s potential and mourns the loss of his intellect. This sort of grace highlights just how noble Superman is, and serves as a reminder that the Lex Luthors of other Earth’s could prove to be vital allies for the heroes as they navigate the ever-changing multiverse.
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