Ask almost any DC Comics fan and they'll tell you that Superman disagrees. Fans have often speculated that heroes like Mister Terrific, Blue Beetle or the Atom might deserve the 'smartest DC hero' crown, but it turns out there's someone we've been forgetting.

In a preview of Superman: The Last Days of Lex Luthor #2 - from Mark Waid, Bryan Hitch, Kevin Nowlan, David Baron, Richard Starkings and Tyler Smith - Superman's nemesis continues to suffer from a fatal disease that even he can't cure. Deciding to help Lex despite his legacy of evil, Superman dons a flight ring and charts a course for the future.

For any hardcore DC fan, it's clear that there's only one hero that Superman could be referring to as "the smartest man I've ever met." The issue's summary confirms that Superman is heading for the 30th century - the home of the Legion of Super-Heroes and DC's real smartest hero of all time, Brainiac 5.

Superman Acknowledges Brainiac 5 as DC's Smartest Hero

But Why Would a Super-Genius Help Save Lex Luthor?

The Legion of Super-Heroes are an intergalactic team of young heroes who first appeared in 1958. In Adventure Comics #247's 'The Legion of Super-Heroes' by Otto Binder and Al Plastino, a young Superboy meets Saturn Girl, Cosmic Boy and Lightning Boy. The Legion quickly made Clark Kent a member, solidifying his bond with the heroes of the far future. DC has retconned the team several times since, but the basics remain the same - they're a huge alliance of far-future heroes inspired to heroism by the superheroes of DC's modern day.

Is Brainiac 5 connected to Superman's alien nemesis Brainiac? Yes, but DC has changed the link between the two over the years - Brainiac 5 was originally a descendant of the villain, later retconned as a descendant of Brainiac's adopted son when it was revealed the original villain was non-organic.

One of the Legion of Super-Heroes' key is Brainiac 5 - a Coluan hero with a "12th-level intellect." Brainiac 5's genius "computer mind" has produced several key inventions essential to Legion lore, including both the Flight Ring that Superman is using in this comic and the Legion's time travel device, the Time Bubble. Most Coluans sur any human intellect, but Brainiac 5 is their greatest mind - an expert in science, engineering, medicine and tactics who can apply his genius-level intellect to multiple thought tracks simultaneously.

While Batman is still likely DC's smartest human hero, Brainiac 5's entire purpose is being the smartest mortal to ever exist, so it makes sense that Superman is seeking him out to help Lex Luthor. However, the Legion of Super-Heroes have the advantage of historical knowledge, possessing records of how many events in the present play out. While they're a genuinely altruistic group, it's possible that the historical view of Lex Luthor will make them reluctant to help. After all, Lex has committed most of his life to trying to kill Superman - the Legion of Super-Heroes are the only people who know whether he actually succeeds.

Superman: The Last Days of Lex Luthor #2 is coming March 19 from DC Comics.