Lex Luthor: Man of Steel

Lex Luthor: Man of Steel
Cover of Lex Luthor: Man of Steel #1 (March 2005), art by Lee Bermejo.
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
Schedule	Monthly
Format	Limited series
Publication date	March 2005 - September 2005
No. of issues	5
Main character(s)	Lex Luthor Superman Batman
Creative team
Written by	Brian Azzarello
Artist(s)	Lee Bermejo
Collected editions
Softcover	ISBN 1401204546

Lex Luthor: Man of Steel was a five-issue monthly American comic book limited series written by Brian Azzarello and illustrated by Lee Bermejo, which features Superman's nemesis Lex Luthor as the main protagonist.

It explores Luthor's motivations behind being a constant foe to the Man of Steel inside a city that has largely embraced him. Luthor views Superman as a demigod that looks down on humanity, and believes that in order to "save" the human race from extraterrestrial threats, Superman must be stopped.

Plot

At the onset of the series, the story seems to be narrated from Luthor's point of view, one depicting himself as someone much different than the ruthless, corrupt killer that readers are accustomed to. He displays a charitable nature by giving a loyal employee an invitation to Luthor's own "Science Spire", a new Metropolis attraction still under construction. By contrast, many of the 'heroes' Luthor encounters during his story (Superman, Batman) are depicted as duplicitous and unworthy of trust. Luthor watches footage of Superman engaging criminals with heat vision and wonders to himself why the public invests so much trust in an alien simply because he looks human. Meanwhile, in Chechnya, Mr. Elias Orr leads a group of mercenaries in a raid to free a Russian scientist who is to assist Lex Luthor in a new project.

While holding a meeting, it is brought to Luthor's attention that the union workers building the Science Spire want a higher wage. Luthor tosses his business plan and decides to unveil the attraction as non-profit, which undercuts the union's demands. Upon leaving the boardroom full of stunned executives, Luthor arrives at his lab where he observes a woman with short black hair floating inside a vat. Sometime later, Mr. Orr, one of Luthor's operatives, ruthlessly threatens the union leader into complying with his demands.

At the opening for the Science Spire, Lex announces the arrival of a new superhero by introducing "Hope", the woman from earlier. Hope displays abilities of super-strength and flight, essentially replacing Superman and becoming a corporate-sponsored hero. Over a short period, Hope takes on duties normally reserved for Superman and gains a following. Meanwhile a Chechyan operative named Mr. Orr approaches Winslow Schott (aka Toyman) with an offer. Hope and Lex are in bed together when a news bulletin breaks that Schott is wanted for a bombing at the Metropolis Daycare Center (in which many adults and children, including, coincidentally, the Russian scientist and his family are killed). Lex urges Hope to bring the criminal to justice.

Inside his warehouse, Toyman is being protected by life-size toy soldier robots and is confronted by Superman, who is immediately met with a hail of bullets. Hope appears during the barrage, but rather than assist Superman, she bursts in, grabs Schott, and soars into the sky with him. In a separate location, someone's hand clicks a mouse button, and Hope suddenly releases Schott, sending him falling to his imminent doom. At the last moment, Superman flies up and catches Toyman.

Hope wonders why she involuntarily let Toyman go just as Superman confronts her for attempted murder. Hope sends electricity bolts through her fingers at Superman's way. The attacks leaves Superman dazed long enough for Hope to escape. She heads for at the Science Spire (perhaps suspecting Lex is to blame) as Superman intercepts her. Superman sears her body with heat vision, revealing sizzling circuitry (Superman must have seen through her flesh with his x-ray vision). The realization that she is robotic is a shock even to Hope. She sheds a tear before grimacing and attacking Superman with full force. Far away, Luthor watches the event unfold on a screen - it is he who is controlling Hope's every move. The screen reads 'DETONATE' and he clicks his mouse. Hope's body explodes, taking Luthor's gift to Metropolis, the Science Spire, with her.

Luthor fully expects Superman to glare at him from his window and turns his back to it. He states that even with his x-ray vision, Superman can't see into his soul. Superman watches silently from outside the building, with Lex daring him to believe that not one person in Metropolis wanted to see Schott hit the ground once Hope dropped him. With still no response, Lex is infuriated by Superman’s silent judgment and demands he say something (reacting much like the Luthor in Superman: The Animated Series). Superman simply says, "You're wrong...I can see your soul." Taken aback, Lex pounds the window in defiance, then tries to regain composure. He rejects this statement, saying that if Superman could, he would see a man who sacrificed everything for "A world without a Superman." He starts to say that if just one person out there saw Luthor's staged broadcast and "realizes what you are" then it was worth it. Luthor turns away from the window, asking him to "Please, just fly away." Superman obeys, soaring off with a sad expression.

Now alone at his desk, Luthor's closing thought is, "I am a man. I hope."

Reception

Man of Steel received mostly positive reviews upon release and garnered attention to the team of Azzarello and Bermejo, who had previously worked together on Batman/Deathblow: After the Fire. The team would reunite in 2008 for the hardcover graphic novel simply entitled Joker, sparking fan speculation about a possible "villain spotlight" trend due to their works with Superman and Batman's greatest foes.