Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for DC K.O. #2
After 87 years, DC’s making the case that Superman…is a failure? With several heroes and villains having entered the King Omega tournament to claim the power of Darkseid and save the DC Universe, Superman and Lex Luthor went head-to-head during the tournament’s second round, where Lex finally forced Kal-El to listen to him.
In DC K.O. #2, the second round of the King Omega tournament required combatants to secure major items of power to progress to the next round and not be eliminated. Although Superman tried to prevent Lex Luthor from moving on, the classic villain gained the upper hand, providing an opportunity for Luthor to share his true problem with Kal-El.
Lex Luthor Reveals The REAL Reason He Hates Superman
Before the beginning of the King Omega tournament, several villains over a certain power level were rounded up to be held in the Phantom Zone. However, many of these villains still managed to escape and enter the first round, including Lex Luthor.
Cutting off Superman’s right hand with a blade forged from the Phantom Zone itself, Luthor fired Kryptonite shards into the Man of Steel’s chest while sharing his latest epiphany with Superman.
As we learn in the first few pages of DC K.O. #2, Lex Luthor reveals he recently realized he doesn’t actually hate Superman for doing too much and holding back humanity’s potential to learn from its failures, a key criticism we’ve seen Luthor share plenty of times in past comics.
Instead, Luthor has admitted to himself that he actually hates Superman for doing too little. If he’s honest with himself, Luthor wishes that Superman would use his power to do more to improve the world, and can stand the fact that Kal-El so often holds back, never wanting to overreach or inhibit humanity’s autonomy to lead itself.
While this is a common criticism of the Man of Steel, it’s pretty remarkable to see Luthor admitting that that’s actually his core frustration with the Man of Steel as well.
Lex Luthor Wants To Do What Superman Never Could
Doubling down, Lex Luthor reveals that every combatant was given a vision of what the world could be like if they won, remade in their image, however they see fit.
Knowing his arch-foe all too well, Luthor knows that Superman rejected the vision he was shown of a better world and that his goal is to restore the world and ensure that the status quo remains the same, struggles and all.
Luthor confirms that things have changed. People want someone to save them from all the war, death, terror, and chaos. Calling Superman a coward, Lex Luthor vows to claim the King Omega power and save the world, doing what Kal-El seemingly never will.
It’s a pretty heavy indictment on Superman’s legacy, as he’s always been careful not to overstep with his power. However, it’s pretty easy to see where Luthor’s coming from, who’s definitely making a compelling case that people are now wanting/needing Superman to do more and bring about major global improvements (which we all know Superman could achieve if he wanted to).
By the end of the issue, Superman ends up claiming the Omega Sanction as the second round’s mystery item, choosing to follow “the example of Darkseid”. However, while this darker choice was the right one to continue in the tournament, it essentially supports Luthor’s point at the same time.
If he’s going to win this tournament, Superman is going to have to do and be more. The question now is whether Superman’s experiences in the King Omega tournament will have a lasting effect on his character in the aftermath.
Has Superman taken Luthor’s criticism to heart? Is there some sort of middle ground where Superman could start doing more to improve the world’s status quo without “overstepping”? Time will tell.
DC K.O. #2 is on sale now from DC Comics.
- Created By
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Joe Shuster, Jerry Siegel
- First Appearance
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Action Comics
- Alias
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Kal-El, Clark Kent, Jonathan Kent
- Alliance
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Justice League, Superman Family
- Race
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Kryptonian
- Franchise
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D.C.
