Lex Luthor has enacted many sinister schemes over the years. Even ignoring his efforts to kill Superman, Luthor has indulged in shady business practices and dirty dealings. He even traded his only daughter to Brainiac in exchange for advanced technology. However, Luthor’s lowest low was unveiled in Superman #11 by Joshua Williamson and David Baldeón.
The issue found Lex Luthor under siege by the villains Doctor Pharm and Mister Graft. Former employees of LexCorp, they had a grudge against Luthor and had assembled a Revenge Squad to take him down. This team included Lex’s mother, Leticia Luthor, and a Superman driven berserk by the influence of Red Kryptonite.
Luckily, the enraged Superman was just as angry at Pharm and Graft as he was at Luthor. This gave Luthor the chance he needed to neutralize the Red Kryptonite and save the Man of Steel. Unfortunately, the attack on Luthor was only the start of Pharm and Graft’s plan.
The villains unleashed a strange gas on Metropolis. They boasted it was a Green Kryptonite that could harm humans as it did Kryptonians. Superman demanded to know how Pharm and Graft, who had been experimenting with new Kryptonite formulas, could have created something so deadly.
Lex Luthor Created A Kryptonite That Hurts Humans
Quietly, Lex Luthor admitted that the Kryptonite gas was not Pharm and Graft’s creation. It was a weapon of his own design. Pharm and Graft confirmed this, saying their goal was to destroy Lex Luthor’s legacy. It was their intention to make it known to the world that one of Lex Luthor’s creations was responsible for the deaths of millions.
The issue ends before it can be revealed just why Luthor created this Kryptonite. It would be perfectly in character for him to create a gas that could hurt Superman and he would gladly kill millions to destroy the Man of Steel. However, there is no obvious benefit to mass murder on such a scale executed through a specialized form of Kryptonite.
Superman #11 is now available at comic shops everywhere.
