Lex Luthor's Secret 'Magic' Redefines His Relationship With Superman

Lex Luthor has been a thorn in Superman's side for years, possibly because he secretly exploited one of Clark's greatest weaknesses.

Lex Luthor has been out there to take on his worst foe almost since Superman came along. New Superman #18 may reveal why one man is always closer than anyone else to defeating Iron Man.

As the greatest protector of the DC Universe, Clark has many enemies, both on Earth and in the furthest reaches of space. But of all the Darkseids, Doomsdays, and Monguls, there's only one villain who has made it his life's work to completely destroy the Big Blue Scouts. Ever since Superman came along, Lex Luthor has gone out of his way to try and kill his enemy, or at least bring him down, to become the world's greatest savior. Unlike most of the other members of Superman's rogues' gallery, Lex doesn't have any powers. He did, however, pull through with his intellect and penchant for invention.

But there's probably a reason why Lex's sheer genius might allow him to keep up with such a formidable foe as Superman. In Gene Luen Yang and Brent Peeples' New Super-Man #18, Kong Kenan is manipulated and inadvertently helps open the door to The realm of demigods. With the portal to the realm now open, powerful gods are roaming the Earth intent on destroying humanity in order to rebuild things from scratch. Elsewhere, Superman and Lex Luthor are trapped in Luthor's compound by a magical force field that Clark can't break through. Lex refuses to be captured and summons his newest armor. Robinbot, China's Batman sidekick, is amazed at Luthor's ability to generate suits, and insists on adding "magic" to Lex's abilities, though Luthor insists it's all about him and his brain.

Magic Would Explain Some Things About Lex And Superman

Superman has many magical enemies, and Lex Luthor doesn't fit the classic definition of them. This is more like a villain like Silver Banshee or Mister Mxyzptlk. That said, it's important to note that, aside from kryptonite and red sun rays, magic is one of the few things Superman is noticeably weaker on. Even though Lex doesn't use traditional magic, his technology has reached the point where it's almost indistinguishable from magic.

The idea that science is an advanced form of magic has been explored several times in the comics. of course Often more of a Marvel concept than a DC Comics one, but it's an apt comparison when looking at the dynamic of Superman and Lex Luthor. Despite all of Superman's powers, Lex tops Clark's list of enemies, even defeating powerful foes like General Zod or Brainiac. It's hard to believe that a genius, even one as impressive as Luthor, would do something like this. But if Lex Luthor is an "advanced magic" user, it makes sense that exploiting Superman's weaknesses has made him such an iconic threat.