Superman: The Last Days of Lex Luthor is a 2023 three-issue DC Black Label miniseries by Mark Waid and Bryan Hitch.
Superman's greatest enemy, Lex Luthor, is dying. A victim of his own endless scheming to destroy the Man of Steel, Luthor has been diagnosed with a terminal condition after an experiment with kryptonite went awry, something that even his intellect is unable to find a cure for. Desperate to save his own life, Lex turns to the one person who might be able to save him, the one person he hates more than anyone else in the world: Superman. While the rest of the world urges Superman to let Lex die, Superman finds he cannot turn his back on Lex, and resolves to try to save him. Their quest will take them through time and space, from the Bottled City of Kandor, to the far future of the 30th century. But just why does Superman feel a sense of obligation to save his hated foe? And can Lex be saved?
Superman: The Last Days of Lex Luthor provides examples of:
- Attention Whore: While flying Lex to the Fortress, Superman's mind drifts back to his childhood past with Lex, which causes Lex in the present to complain that he's not used to not being the center of Superman's attention.
- Can't Kill You, Still Need You: Why Lex saves Superman from death at the hands of Zod and the Phantom Zone prisoners. If Kal-El dies then the Kandorians will have zero reason to save him, or ever let him out of the Phantom Zone.
- Genius Bruiser: Superman uses his intellect along with his powers to save an island from earthquakes that Lex creates to destroy it.
- Get Out!: After Luthor thwarts their efforts to kill Superman, Zod rallies his followers to concentrate all their will on forcing him out of the Phantom Zone. Amazingly they succeed.
- Insufferable Genius: Per usual Lex's time in Smallville was marked mainly by him disdaining the intelligence of everyone around him. Even when he does things to help them, he does it without talking to them about it at all, earning their ire when he condescends that it's for their benefit. Clark is the only one patient and compassionate enough to give him a chance and try to encourage him to be nicer.
- No Kill like Overkill: Lex's idea of getting Superman's attention was to cause a devastating tectonic event that could have killed an entire nation of people.
- Scenery Porn: Hitch's depiction of the Fortress of Solitude in the first issue is a gorgeous showcase of the trophies and memorabilia that Superman has acquired over his career.
- Spiritual Antithesis: To All-Star Superman, here it is Lex who is dying from cellular degradation (ironically due to his own actions) and has to confront his own impending demise instead of Superman.
- Ungrateful Bastard: Par the course for Lex Luthor in that he finds a way to weaponize Superman's charity against him. He needs Superman to save him, but he intentionally makes sure the world will know that Superman is doing so, despite Superman wanting to keep it a secret, all to get people angry at Superman for helping them.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Invoked by Lex by broadcasting Superman agreeing to save his life to the entire world, causing global outcries against Superman that he can hear.
