Every fan of Superman knows the tense relationship between the Man of Steel and his archenemy Lex Luthor, whether in the movies or comics. A new story from DC now provides the true reason for his hatred.
Lex Luthor is one of Superman’s greatest, certainly the most well-known enemies. In countless stories, the two have faced off, and Superman hasn’t always emerged victorious from a fight.
No matter what the conflicts between them looked like, one question was always exciting: Why does Lex Luthor hate his opponent so much? Sure, he regularly exposes his vile deeds, but can that really be the only reason?
Until now, there was another reason: Lex Luthor believes that Superman intervenes too much in people’s lives. He prevents their mistakes or rectifies them. This way, humanity cannot learn from these mistakes, improve itself, and realize its true potential.
Superman holds people back – thinks Lex Luthor. However, in a new comic, the villain takes a step further and retracts this opinion. His new reason is just as intriguing.
Is Superman a Coward?
What kind of story is this? DC K.O. #2 is a new comic book that first appeared on November 26, 2025. It revolves around the King Omega tournament of the villain Darkseid.
Famous heroes and villains compete against each other there, trying to advance through several rounds. The candidates must find powerful items and prevent themselves from being eliminated early.
Caution Spoiler: Anyone who wants to read the story themselves and learn the true reason for Lex Luthor’s hatred must stop reading at this point.
Why does Lex Luthor hate his enemy? In one moment, the villain manages to overwhelm Superman. He uses this moment to share his true motives.
He always thought he hated Superman because he does too much for humanity. But now he understands that the opposite is true: Superman does too little.
He could help humanity achieve a better world. But because he believes in the autonomy of humanity, he holds back and leaves progress and development up to them. This frustrates Lex Luthor immensely and has created a deep hatred within him. Just think: How far would humanity be if Superman used all his power for them?
That Superman has no interest in overly intervening in the affairs of the world is also shown in another scene: The participants of the tournament see in a vision how they could freely shape the world in the event of their victory.
Superman saw that too, but rejected the vision of a perfect world shaped by him. He prefers that everything remains as it is. Evil must be fought, but only so that peace can be restored and the status quo reestablished.
For these reasons, Lex Luthor hates the Man of Steel and calls him a coward. The villain claims that people need a leader and presents himself as such. He wants to win the tournament and save the world in this way.
Whether he will succeed remains to be seen. The next installment of the story will not be released until early 2026. What do you think about Lex Luthor’s motives? Feel free to share your opinions in the comments. For those wanting to learn more about the villain’s actions, read more here: Lex Luthor is quite a bad guy, but one act was so vile that it didn’t make it into the new Superman movie
