Hello, Superman fans! First off, I want to say that if you haven’t begun reading the DC comics do yourself a favor and set about picking them up. It’s not too late to dive into the tales of your favorite DC heroes.

In this issue of 'Superman,' we’ll see how Darkseid’s absence since the "Darkseid War" has affected Apokolips. We'll also see how Lex Luthor could become an even more menacing threat than Darkseid, but first, some here's some backstory.

'Darkseid War'

For those of you haven’t caught up, the "Darkseid War" is a series of Justice League comics that tell the story of how Darkseid was reborn and how the Justice League became Gods.

I won't go into full detail on how those events unraveled, but I will say that because of the war Lex ended up becoming the new God of Apokolips after Darkseid’s death.

The previous Superman left Lex on Apokolips. He was found by two residents of Apokolips named Adora and Prophet. Adora claimed that Prophet's vision saw a human hero from earth arrive on Apokolips on the day that Darkseid died and that the human would become the new ruler of Apokolips. Accepting himself as the human in the prophecy, Lex became the new God of Apokolips and gained the omega effect, powers granting him the same abilities as Darkseid. However, those powers were taken away by Apokolips’ daughter near the end of the war.

This event left Lex to rule Apokolips without the omega effect before returning to Metropolis.

Godslayer

One day an alien named L'Call, a.k.a. Godslayer kidnapped Lex. Godslayer is an assassin who executes people whom he has seen committing major crimes with his future vision. According to L'Call, Lex will commit horrors that were far worse than Darkseid's including destroying the Earth along with the Justice League.

Superman works with Lex, despite these allegations.

Superman asks Godslayer to allow Lex to live. Superman asks L'Call to look into his future to ensure him that he won't allow anything to happen to earth. He then makes a promise to L’Call saying, “ I will never let Lex Luthor----or anyone else--ever----get to the point where they destroy earth or any other world." L’Call looks into the Man Of Steel's future and agrees to let Lex live.

Apokolips

In the current issue, we see Lex and Superman working together. With them on good terms with one another, the duo seems to be in high spirits as they take out a group of petty thieves calling themselves the “Justice League of Armed Robbery.” As Lex leaves returning to his home and Superman to spend time with his family, Adora and Prophet use a boom tube to capture Lex to take him back to Apokolips. Apokolips is in a civil war without a leader. The different factions that were under Darkseid are fighting against one another. Adora and Prophet are taking Lex back to end the civil war and have him fulfill his destiny as the ruler of Apokolips.

Superman, back with his family, receives a message that only Kryptonians can hear from Lex to meet him on top of a building that Lex owns.

Superman ignores the message saying, “He’s been signaling me with these for weeks. The last time it was to show off his fancy upgraded chest shield. I’m sure he’s fine.”

After the movie, Clark, John, and Lois discuss the events of the film in the park. Suddenly, three of Lex's robot arrive in front the family. The robots tell Superman- in a recorded message from Lex- that they have no intention of harming Superman, but since he ignored Lex’s message he has the choice to either come with them peacefully or for them to take him by force. Superman refuses to leave with them, which causes the robots to attack him and son John. The family is captured, transported, and separated via boom tube.

Speculations

From the comic panel, we can see that John is left surrounded by the dog cavalry, which is under the control of Steppenwolf one of Darkseid’s generals. Earlier in the comic, there is an image of what seems to be Steppenwolf dangling John from his cape. It’s possible that we’ll see John captured and dependent upon Steppenwolf for survival since Apokolips doesn’t have a yellow sun. However, because John has fought side by side with the newest Robin, Damian Wayne, it is possible that he’s picked up some tricks that he could use to survive his time on Apokolips.

Then there’s Lois. She seems to be behind Granny Goodness and her elite warriors, the Female Furies. Lois has proven that she knows how to defend herself in a dire situation from her previous encounters with Deathstroke and the Eradicator.

She has always been a very intellectual and morally strong character, and I’m hoping this separation from Superman allows her a moment to shine.

Finally, we have the man of steel himself who has no one around him. Superman is almost powerless without a yellow sun, which doesn’t exist on Apokolips. Without his powers, Superman will have to rely on his intelligence and clues that Lex possibly left to find his way out of Apokolips, save his family and get him, his family, and Lex back to Earth. There’s also the possibility that we’ll be able to see Mister Miracle help Superman again. It would be a great way to cross over the character and catch up on his exploits.

Lex's future

Now, there’s the biggest question: Will Lex rule over Apokolips again?

Future sight, the ability that Godslayer and Prophet possess, only shows a possible future, which means that the futures L'Call and Prophet saw is not a definite future. Lex seems to have improved as a hero, but his ego is still the most dominant feature.

However, he’s also shown to have humility when he returned the former Superman's cape to the Daily Planet after his fight with L’Call. His ego could cause him to take the throne of Apokolips and complete his alternate future, but his new sense of morality and humility could keep him centered as a hero. Whether Lex continues to be a hero or decides to become the new ruler of Apokolips, his growth as a character through his intelligence and power will be a sight to behold.
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