DC Announces Lex Luthor's New Villain Codename Ahead of Superman Return

Lex Luthor, the iconic nemesis of DC's Superman, has a new design and supervillain codename just revealed by DC. Shockingly, with technology failing against the Man of Steel, Lex has turned to mysticism for his next attack.

Lex Luthor first debuted in 1940, two years after DC introduced Superman. Despite the late start, the malevolent mogul has earned his place as Superman's deadliest enemy, using his technological brilliance and endless resources to take advantage of every possible vulnerability the Man of Steel could possess... except one.

Luthor doesn't usually try to wield magic against Superman, except by hiring the odd mage to cause trouble for him. However, with a radical change to the Man of Steel, so comes a shocking change to Luthor, who is embracing the Dark Arts to strike back against his hated foe.

Superman's Lex Luthor Is HEX LUTHOR After Magic Upgrade

In recently released solicit information for Superman: Father of Tomorrow #5, DC has revealed Lex Luthor's rebirth as Hex Luthor. Danny Earls' cover shows Lex in green armor and a hooded cloak, wielding a massive sword against Jor-El. The summary for Kenny Porter and Danny Earls' issue reads:

After Jor-El's battle with General Sam Lane and his WildC.A. T.s goes sideways, he retreats to the Kent farm to heal and come up with a new plan of action. But is the Man of Steel ready for a new threat looming on the horizon in the form of his old partner, fresh from his magical walkabout? Enter: Hex Luthor!

Superman: Father of Tomorrow is an alt-universe story depicting a timeline where Superman's father escaped Krypton and fell to Earth in Kal-El's place. Living in secrecy on the Kent farm, Jor-El was unable to save Jonathan Kent's life, and losing his adopted brother motivated him to reveal himself to the world and share Kryptonian technology with humanity.

As Superman, Jor-El has elevated humanity in a way his son never did, however he's made enemies in the process, among them Lex Luthor. In this timeline, Lex was originally a true believer in Jor-El's technological revolution, giving up his family fortune to help his hero (and surrogate father) make the world a better place.

However, after Lex weaponized Jor-El's tech without his consent, he was rejected, vowing to kill his former mentor. The comic is following their divergent journeys, as Superman attempts to save the world through technology and Lex tries to empower himself through magic. Fans now know this journey is heading for an epic clash of the gods.

Lex Luthor Has Dragged Constantine into Superman's New Timeline

So far, fans have only seen the beginning of Lex Luthor's pursuit of power, but it began with a familiar face. In Superman: Father of Tomorrow #2, Lex reached out to John Constantine, who told him the "ultimate secret of magic" - anyone can do it.

Superman: Father of Tomorrow #3 (coming July 22) will continue Lex's journey into mysticism, setting up his rematch with Jor-El as Hex Luthor. In the meantime, Jor-El will continue to clash with General Sam Lane - the man who recruited Lex to corrupt Kryptonian tech in the first place.

Father of Tomorrow has followed a far more interventionist Superman, as Jor-El learns different lessons to his son. However, by influencing Lex Luthor to embrace mysticism and estranging the evil genius, he may have created an even deadlier nemesis. Earls' cover shows Metropolis burning beneath Jor-El and Hex as they fight, and with this being an isolated Elseworlds story, there's no telling how this saga ends.

Before then, Jor-El's Superman will forge an alliance with this universe's Batman and attempt to gift the entire world clean energy. And with Lex Luthor on the warpath and wielding a power against which Kryptonians have no defense, this new Superman will need all the allies he can summon to stand a chance at survival.

Superman: Father of Tomorrow #5 is coming from DC Comics.