Lex Luthor: Man of Steel
Encyclopedia
Lex Luthor: Man of Steel (later collected as simply Luthor) 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
who looks down on humanity, and believes that in order to "save" the human race from extraterrestrial threats, Superman must be stopped.
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 Hope, a woman floating inside a vat. Sometime later Orr threatens the union leader into complying with his demands while Lex flies to Gotham City to try to arrange a deal with Bruce Wayne.
As a gift, Lex presents Bruce with kryptonite
and asks him to consider how the public only has Superman's word that he won't turn on them and that he wants a recent development Bruce's company has came up with. That night Batman is looking at the kryptonite when Superman arrives in Gotham and uses his breath to blow the kryptonite away. After a prolonged fight, Superman hits Batman, and later that evening Bruce calls Lex and tells him he will give the research to Luthor.
At the opening for the Science Spire, Lex announces the arrival of a new superhero by introducing Hope to the public, the result of the scientist's work and Wayne's medicinal breakthroughs. 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. Orr approaches Winslow Schott (aka Toyman
) with an offer on behalf of Lex. 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 over seventy adults and children, including, coincidentally, the Russian scientist and his family are killed). Orr realizes that was the orders he carried to Schott. Lex urges Hope to bring the criminal to justice.
Inside his warehouse, Toyman is confronted by Superman, who is immediately met by Toyman's soldiers as Hope grabs Schott, and soars into the sky with him. In a separate location, Lex clicks imagery of Hope's hand and it causes her to drop Schott, making many watchers of the footage happy. 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 attacks Superman and flies away, towards the Science Spire as Superman intercepts her with the realization that she is a robot, something Hope realizes as well as she attacks Superman. Lex then uses his computer program to detonate Hope, destroying her body and blowing up the Science Spire.
Superman flies to Lex's office, where he is waiting with his back turned. Lex says that not one person in Metropolis wanted to see Schott live after his destruction, and that even with his many visions, Superman can't see his soul. Lex is infuriated by Superman’s silent judgment and demands he say something. Superman simply says, "You're wrong...I can see your soul." Taken aback, Lex pounds the window in defiance, then tries to regain composure, saying that if Superman could, he would see a man who sacrificed everything, including hope, for "A world without a Superman" and if just one person out there saw Superman saving a condemned man 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, leaving Lex with the thought "I am a man. I hope."
, sparking fan speculation about a possible "villain spotlight" trend due to their works with Superman and Batman's greatest foes.
American comic book
An American comic book is a small magazine originating in the United States and containing a narrative in the form of comics. Since 1975 the dimensions have standardized at 6 5/8" x 10 ¼" , down from 6 ¾" x 10 ¼" in the Silver Age, although larger formats appeared in the past...
limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
written by Brian Azzarello
Brian Azzarello
Brian Azzarello is an American comic book writer. He came to prominence with the hardboiled crime series 100 Bullets, published by DC Comics' mature-audience imprint Vertigo.-Career:...
and illustrated by Lee Bermejo
Lee Bermejo
Lee Bermejo is an American comic book artist whose published work includes interior illustrations and cover art. His career began in 1997 as an intern at Wildstorm...
, which features Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
's nemesis Lex Luthor
Lex Luthor
Lex Luthor is a fictional character, a supervillain who appears in comic books published by DC Comics, and the archenemy of Superman, although given his high status as a supervillain, he has also come into conflict with Batman and other superheroes in the DC Universe. Created by Jerry Siegel and...
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
Demigod
The term "demigod" , meaning "half-god", is commonly used to describe mythological figures whose one parent was a god and whose other parent was human; as such, demigods are human-god hybrids...
who 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, one of Lex's operatives, 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 Hope, a woman floating inside a vat. Sometime later Orr threatens the union leader into complying with his demands while Lex flies to Gotham City to try to arrange a deal with Bruce Wayne.
As a gift, Lex presents Bruce with kryptonite
Kryptonite
Kryptonite is a fictional material from the Superman mythos —the ore form of a radioactive element from Superman's home planet of Krypton. It is famous for being the ultimate physical weakness of Superman, and the word kryptonite has since become synonymous with an Achilles' heel —the one weakness...
and asks him to consider how the public only has Superman's word that he won't turn on them and that he wants a recent development Bruce's company has came up with. That night Batman is looking at the kryptonite when Superman arrives in Gotham and uses his breath to blow the kryptonite away. After a prolonged fight, Superman hits Batman, and later that evening Bruce calls Lex and tells him he will give the research to Luthor.
At the opening for the Science Spire, Lex announces the arrival of a new superhero by introducing Hope to the public, the result of the scientist's work and Wayne's medicinal breakthroughs. 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. Orr approaches Winslow Schott (aka Toyman
Toyman
The Toyman is the name of three comic book supervillains and one adolescent superhero in the DC Comics universe. They mostly appear in Superman stories. The first Toyman appeared in Action Comics #64 . His real name is Winslow Schott.The Toyman uses toy-based or toy-themed devices and gimmicks in...
) with an offer on behalf of Lex. 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 over seventy adults and children, including, coincidentally, the Russian scientist and his family are killed). Orr realizes that was the orders he carried to Schott. Lex urges Hope to bring the criminal to justice.
Inside his warehouse, Toyman is confronted by Superman, who is immediately met by Toyman's soldiers as Hope grabs Schott, and soars into the sky with him. In a separate location, Lex clicks imagery of Hope's hand and it causes her to drop Schott, making many watchers of the footage happy. 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 attacks Superman and flies away, towards the Science Spire as Superman intercepts her with the realization that she is a robot, something Hope realizes as well as she attacks Superman. Lex then uses his computer program to detonate Hope, destroying her body and blowing up the Science Spire.
Superman flies to Lex's office, where he is waiting with his back turned. Lex says that not one person in Metropolis wanted to see Schott live after his destruction, and that even with his many visions, Superman can't see his soul. Lex is infuriated by Superman’s silent judgment and demands he say something. Superman simply says, "You're wrong...I can see your soul." Taken aback, Lex pounds the window in defiance, then tries to regain composure, saying that if Superman could, he would see a man who sacrificed everything, including hope, for "A world without a Superman" and if just one person out there saw Superman saving a condemned man 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, leaving Lex with the thought "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 JokerJoker (graphic novel)
Joker is an original graphic novel written by Brian Azzarello and illustrated by Lee Bermejo. It was published in 2008 by DC Comics. It is based on characters from DC's Batman series, focusing primarily on the title character...
, sparking fan speculation about a possible "villain spotlight" trend due to their works with Superman and Batman's greatest foes.