After 84 years, Superman finally proves his greatest nemesis can be redeemed

Warning! Spoilers ahead for Superman #15!They have been at each other’s throats for nearly a century, however Superman’s The greatest enemy just gave something extremely valuable to save the day. Lex Luthor has been saying for months that he has turned over a new leaf, now he has finally shown how serious he is.

After spending months observing Superman and the various metahumans living in Metropolis, Brainiac attacks and kidnaps almost every superhero except for the Man of Steel. The Kolwan villain also got his hands on Lex Luthor, along with his daughter Lena. With things quickly going off the rails, Lex Luthor makes a sacrifice that shows just how far he’s truly come.

Lex Luthor just gave up his mind to save Superman

in Superman #15 By Joshua Williamson, Rafa Sandoval, Alejandro Sánchez and Ariana Maher, Brainiac’s ship is in crisis mode. While Superman and his fight Brainiac and his forces, Lex and Lena’s minds are plugged into the ship’s computer system. The system is guarded by several defenses, but Lex fights to keep himself and his daughter safe. luckily, Lex defeats the last of the sentries and the two make their way to the most prized item on Brainiac’s shipThe heart of Brainiac’s hive mind.

Lex marvels at the hive mind and thinks he would give anything to possess his knowledge. But Lex recognizes that life is more than knowledge and power. Lex tells his daughter that he will delete Brainiac’s brain to his own and wipe it completely. Lena warns her father that he is not strong enough to survive such a thing. however, The elder Luthor says it was worth it to save his daughter and his friends. Lex connects to Brainiac’s mind and begins cleaning everything up.

Lex’s gambit works and causes Brainiac’s ship to destabilize. While Brainiac scrambles to save his queen, the Super Family gets everyone else to safety. After things calm down in the wake of Brainiac’s attack, Lena approaches Superman with her father in tow. Clark says he was wrong to ever doubt Luthor’s intentions and tells his oldest enemy how proud he is of the man Lex has evolved into. However, Superman’s words fall on deaf ears Lex Luthor’s mind has been erased and he doesn’t remember who he is.

How Lex Luthor went from Superman’s enemy to his ally

For decades, there was bad blood between Lex Luthor and the Man of Tomorrow. But after Lex went to prison for killing Manchester Black (an action that helped Superman regain his secret identity), the villain gave his nemesis an unbelievable offer. Lex handed over LexCorp to Superman, rebranding it as SuperCorp, and told him how Lex wanted to work together for the betterment of humanity. Clark was skeptical, of course, but ever the saint, Superman agreed to cooperate with Lex.

Things were rocky at first as Superman severely doubted that Lex really wanted to improve himself. But Lex was true to his word and from a prison cell, Luthor assisted Superman, offering advice or technology he had created to help Clark deal with his more problematic enemies. Things got a little complicated though, as two of Lex’s enemies, Doctor Pharm and Mister Graft, returned to exact their revenge on Lex Luthor. They even shopped in Lex’s mother Leticia and a powerful villain called The Chained to help them. But By working together, Lex and Superman saved Metropolis.

As challenging as the Lex Luthor Revenge Squad was, Brainiac proved to be an even greater threat. The information pirate assembles an army of drones and Chernians to round up metahumans from Metropolis in order to give life to the Brainiac Queen. Lex was accidentally taken, but with Lena’s life at risk, Lex made it seem like he was willing to betray Superman to save her. However, after being saved by Supergirl, Lex Luthor reveals that he is still on the side of the angels and working to take Brainiac down at any cost.

Where does Lex Luthor go now that his mind has been erased?

There were several moments that looked like Lex’s recent behavior was part of a long con or scheme. But as the finale of “House of Brainiac” shows, he really changed and became a better person. Lex has a tendency to be outspoken, especially when it comes to his intelligence. The old Luthor would never do anything that could potentially put his mind at risk. but here He does it without so much as a second thought, because he will keep Lena and Superman safe.

Of course, the real tragedy of this event is that Lex has seemingly suffered long-term damage from his actions here. Although it’s hard to tell what exactly his intelligence level is, Lex has lost all sense of who he is. This is terrible because while it doesn’t necessarily undo all the heroic things he’s done in the past year, it does make him unable to remember them. It’s not like he’s going to suddenly turn back into a villain, But it throws a wrench in Lex Luthor’s path to redemption.

Fortunately, while Lex will probably pay for his actions in “House of Brainiac” for a while, Luthor has a great support system now. Lena is back in his life and the two are on much better terms than they’ve ever been. Not to mention Superman wasn’t just going to let Lex suffer all on his own. Clark, no doubt, appreciates all the good that Lex has done and the hard work he has done to become a better person. Clark values ​​Lex more than he ever has and Superman is almost certain to help his former enemy.

Lex Luthor is finally on the cusp of redemption

That Lex had his memory wiped is unexpected, but the positive thing to do is that all the good that Lex did came from within. He was not forced or mind-controlled into changing for the better, he did it himself. Lex has the ability to be good and although he has a long road to recovery ahead of him, he has friends and family who want him to get better and will no doubt be there for him. It is difficult to imagine an era where Superman And Lex Luthor have truly become allies, but it seems to be happening.

Superman #15 is available now from DC Comics.

Superman #15 (2024)
	Writer: Joshua Williamson Artist: Rafa Sandoval Colorists: Alejandro Sánchez Writer: Ariana Maher Cover artist: Rafa Sandoval