Superman: The Last Days of Lex Luthor (2023-2025) #3

by Mark Waid, Bryan Hitch (Artist)

Lex is on death’s door as a new threat emerges to finallytake down the Man of Steel. Will Superman be able toface down this danger and save Lex, or will this be theworld’s greatest hero’s biggest failure? Don’t miss thispulse-pounding conclusion!

Genres: Comics, Superman, Dc Comics

Kindle Edition

Published April 23, 2025

About the author

Mark Waid is an American comic book writer widely known for shaping modern superhero storytelling through influential runs on major characters at both DC Comics and Marvel Comics. Raised in Alabama, he developed an early fascination with comic books, particularly classic stories featuring the Legion of Super-Heroes, whose imaginative scope and sense of legacy would later inform his own writing. He first entered the comics industry during the mid 1980s as an editor and writer for the fan magazine Amazing Heroes, before publishing his first professional comic story in Action Comics. Soon afterward he joined DC Comics as an editor, contributing to numerous titles and helping shape projects across the company. After leaving editorial work to focus on writing, Waid gained widespread recognition with his long run on The Flash, where he expanded the mythology of the character and co-created the youthful speedster Impulse. His reputation grew further with the celebrated graphic novel Kingdom Come, created with artist Alex Ross, which imagined a future DC Universe shaped by generational conflict among superheroes. Over the years he has written many prominent series, including Captain America, Fantastic Four, Daredevil, and Superman: Birthright, bringing a balance of optimism, character depth, and respect for comic book history to each project. Waid has also collaborated with notable artists and writers on major ensemble titles such as Justice League and Avengers, while contributing ideas that helped clarify complex continuity within shared superhero universes. Beyond mainstream superhero work, he has supported creator owned projects and experimental publishing models, including the acclaimed series Irredeemable and Incorruptible, which explored moral ambiguity within the superhero genre. He later took on editorial leadership roles at Boom Studios, guiding creative direction while continuing to write extensively. In subsequent years he expanded his involvement in publishing and digital storytelling, helping launch online comics initiatives and advocating for new distribution methods for creators. His work has earned numerous industry awards, including Eisner and Harvey honors, reflecting both critical acclaim and enduring popularity among readers. Throughout his career Waid has remained a passionate student of comic book history, drawing on decades of storytelling tradition while continually encouraging innovation within the medium. His influence extends across generations of readers and creators, and his stories continue to shape the evolving language of superhero comics around the world today through enduring characters imaginative narratives and thoughtful reinventions of familiar myths within popular culture and modern graphic storytelling traditions.

Reviews

[whoknowswhynot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super story! (pun intended)

This series does for Lex Luthor what “Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow” did for Superman. It is the quintessential Lex Luthor story. Kudos to Mark Waid and Bryan Hitch.

[Kamen Rider Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

¿Valió la pena la espera?

valió cada maldito segundo

La narrativa escrita por Mark Waid alcanza aquí un clímax emocional y dramático, mientras que el arte de Bryan Hitch, cargado de detalle y espectacularidad, complementa la historia con una estética cinematográfica. La secuencia en la que Luthor derrota a Brainiac es sencillamente brillante, Por dios a menos que seas Batman los tres Jokers el sello black label de DC parece sinónimo de calidad, realmente creo que será un nuevo clasico e imprescindible para Superman

[Cybernex007 · Rating 4 out of 5]

What shockingly twisting ending, that is not how I expected that to turn in the slightest. Utterly epic and so heartbreaking. As we left the last issue, Lex and Superman are now face to face with brainiac as he leads a full scale invasion of Earth. Every major city is occupied by his drones and they are now taking humans for processing as he plans to harvest their brains and use them for storage space, as brainiac has also taken and shrunk down the rest of the worlds heroes so they pose no threat. But of course we also just discovered that Superman doesn’t have his powers either, turns out brainiac was the one to infect Lex so he would act as a human furnace burning away Superman’s powers as they two stayed close together. Brainiac saw it as a gift to Luthor finally allowing him to kill Superman, while killing Luthor on the process. As brainiac was monologuing, Superman and Lex slipped out of the fortress using a legion flight ring. Superman only has minimal amounts of energy left and has decided to use it very sparingly. Even after using bits of Superman strength, and Lex used his intellect to take tech from the fortress to build anti brainiac weaponry…they are still severely outmatched. That is when Lex directs Superman to one of his hidden bases to fall back and develop a way out of this. Lex discovered that brainiacs main ship is near the sun, taking its power and transmitting it to the rest of the drones and ships. That’s where they need to target brainiac and Lex has a few ideas, but he is still dying and way too weak to build anything. Which is why he directs Superman on how to do it. Once they are done Superman has built a strange looking machine, that Lex reveals has the ability to mesh their be genetic code and transfer over what Superman needs to get his powers back…but it will ultimately kill Luthor during the process. This idea is still unacceptable to Superman but Luthor sees it all for the greater good, when it comes to the argument of Superman trading one life for 8 billion the answer is easy…you trade the life without question. Ultimately the two stand there in sorrow as they to through the operation. As Lex and Superman lay sprawled on the floor, Superman picks up Lex’s body and carries him to the roof where he lays Lex’s body in the sun…only for Lex to wake up better than ever before! Superman modified the device, fully transitioning over his DNA to Luthor. Superman is now incapable of having his powers, while Luthor has all of his! Superman knows that Luthor is capable of doing the right thing, and now is the time to prove it. Superman still has the flight ring and minimal amounts of his power left. It’s now time for the two of them to fly together to take on brainiac directly! Luthor of course led the fight against brainiac, even though their goals technically align…Luthor has a few hilarious moments where he talks about how he could ever accept brainiac getting the one up on him. Luthor ends up facing a lot of similar challenges Superman does, as Brainiac leverages red Sun energy to weaken Lex. But as Lex distracted brainiac, this allowed Superman to fight through the drones and get close enough to the core to deliver one final powerful blast that blew the entire ship up. Lex acted quickly while brainiac was thrown off balance to weld closed the red Sun generators and start fighting brainiac again. Lex even leveraged their close proximity to the sun to enhance his laser vision to the point of gamma vision capable of cutting through brainiac’s shield, destroying this body of his and crash landing it at Mach speed on earth. Superman came down to earth and met Lex holding the head of brainiac in the crater they left. Of course brainiac isn’t fully defeated, he uploaded his intelligence to a remote site, but Lex Luthor has saved the world! But that isn’t the end of it, as brainiac has the fail safes necessary to detonate the red solar energy on his body in one giant explosion! And Lex wasn’t quick enough to get out of it. We conclude this issue as Clark Kent, mild mannered and powerless reporter, writes of the last moments Lex was seen, and how Superman was found just on the edge of the blast radius. The her heroes were saved and the recovery effort began. Superman held a press conference where he explained everything and stepped down from the league, leaving them in their more than capable hands to take his place. But we see as Clark Kent remembers back to those true final moments with Lex. As the red Sun bomb went off, Lex scooped up Clark and got him right to the edge of the blast radius. Asking him to tell no one that he actually saved Superman’s life…before succumbing and dying to the blast horrifically himself. Lex always held the capability to be good, I believe we all win with that knowledge.

[Raymond Paquette · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the fight with Brainiac, Superman is dying. Poisoned by Lex, he chooses to save his enemy's life by sacrificing his own. Superman refuses to give up his principles and proves once and for all that he is the better man. Lex's takedown of Brainiac, however, was a thing of beauty.

And scene.

[Thedefarted · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic ending which is usually my least favorite part of a book. I've read a shitton of Supes books and it's really nice to be surprised by the creative team's take.

The story and art has been great throughout the series. All the Brainiac stuff looks awesome, great coloring.

[James B · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm torn, the ending was GREAT!! The middle kind of sucked, droning on about Superman always saving everyone no matter what, and yet a few pages earlier, he left a bunch of humans because Lex said they didn't have time.

[Richard A · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am enjoying this series as it is interesting in an "Elseworlds" kind of way (allot of that going around these days with the All In stories). This issue was good though seemed to take a "weird" turn and I have no idea where it goes from here. I do not even know how we got here.

[Mikey Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

1000000/10 Lex Luthor who is dying teams up with Superman to fight Brainiac. Superman changes Luthor’s DNA to give him his powers. Lex defeats brainiac, and sacrifices himself to SAVE superman. amazing.

[Andy Waldron · Rating 5 out of 5]

just fantastic. a generational supes story.

[alejandro galvez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very very good.

A must read! Very captivating story. Lots to love here. The art. The writing. Brainiac. Enough said. Now go read the book!

[Chris Ismail Jabbar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Idea of giving Lex an opportunity to be the hero that’s incredible.
Well I loved the depiction of Clark and Lex teenage years.
The trauma Lex endured and being that brilliant.

[Steven Shinder · Rating 4 out of 5]

The "Tell no one" bit was weirdly satisfying.

[Em · Rating 4 out of 5]

wtf dawg

[Obi Juan · Rating 5 out of 5]

🥹

[Jesse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite good. Lex is a great character here, and this book does an amazing job of exploring Superman's ethics, better than any other I can think of offhand.

[Ryan Gässer · Rating 4 out of 5]

…and he lived happily ever after.

[F. P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was a fantastic read--it made me cry! If only in the past...argghhhhh....

Fabulous series.