I Can’t Believe Lex Luthor Getting Beat Up By Superman Ended Up Being Part Of His Villain Plan On Superman & Lois
Superman & Lois has featured one of the most original versions of Lex Luthor yet, and I continue to be surprised by how much of the events in the series have played into the DC Universe villain"s plans. With
the latest live-action version of Lex Luthor being arguably one of the franchise"s most evil, the villain has made a major contribution to the show, staying two steps ahead of the heroes in each episode. After destroying Superman"s heart with glee in front of Clark"s son, it seems that there is nothing that Luthor is not capable of.
Superman & Lois has featured several excellent villains, and it seems that even the next live-action Brainiac has been revealed for the show"s end. However, it remains likely that this Lex Luthor will remain the ultimate threat for the remainder of the show. Following details of Superman"s death and the slow disappearance of Superman"s powers, Lex seems to be adapting and changing his plans with each subsequent event for his own benefit. This has created a terrifying and brillaint villain.
Superman & Lois Season 4 Revealed How Clark Beating Up Lex Worked In His Favor An Earlier Fight Is Given New Context In The Latest CW Episode Close During Superman & Lois season 4, episode 8, it was revealed that Lex had actually recorded the fight that he had previously had with Superman. Using red solar light, the villain set himself up to remove the hero"s powers, and to be able to take him on in a physical confrontation. This scene did not seem to wind up being to Lex"s favor by its end, as Superman was eventually able to overcome his difficulties and still defeat Lex. However, this was given new context in the recent episode.
On Superman & Lois" in-universe show GODFREY!, footage of this fight was screened, and it painted Superman in a very bad light. While the full context of the fight is divorced from the footage, the way that it was used here was to make Superman look violent and abusive. Removing Lex"s torture of Superman and his family up to this point, the footage provided a perverted look at the Man of Steel that will surely turn some against the hero. This contributes to Lex"s plan to destroy Superman"s reputation.
Superman & Lois' Episode 8 Twist Makes Clark & Lex's Fight Even More Interesting The Conflict Between Lex And Clark Grows Bigger In Each Episode Close Interestingly, before his interview, Lex appears to show relutance going forward with it, implying a discomfort that parts of his plan were in the hands of his ally Amanda as well as Godfrey himself. This suggests the decision to use the footage may not have been his initial intention, and that plans changed on the fly. What is of most importance to the villains is the destruction of Superman, no matter how this is done. While Lex was certainly aware of the recording, it is worth speculating on what his plan for what to do with that footage actually was.
In all likelihood, following Lex Luthor"s story, he had hoped to actually be able to beat Superman in the fight that they had, so long as Clark was de-powered. However, failing that, it seems that the villain planned to have footage of Superman being no better than he was. This thoughtful, planning version of the insidious villain likely had other plans for the future of that footage that would have been equally if not more destructive, such as having a copy to show Clark"s family had they not arrived at the scene while the fight was taking place.
Superman & Lois' Lex Luthor Story Shows How Much More Complicated Clark's Life Could Get Now His Secret Identity Is Public A Secret Identity Is An Important Defense For Many Superheroes Close Living without Superman"s secret identity is sure to be a complex experience for Clark. With him now firmly in the public eye, many now have the opportunity to scheme and to use that against him. Like Lex has done in the recent episode, there are more paths now to destroy the hero"s reputation and to ruin his life. With a unique celebrity status, being held accountable by all members of the society becomes a much more tedious process. This could further complicate Clark"s life in the future, too.
Accountability has been a major part of superhero stories, from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice to Captain America: Civil War. The lines are often blurry with superhero matters, which leads into complex stories for these characters. The bulk of what Superman does is for the good of all, but there can often be less savoury implications that come along with that. Now that Superman"s identity is known to the world, I anticipate that this will lead to more complicated moments and interactions for the iconic hero.