One of Superman's oldest villains is eschewing their friendship to return to their old criminal ways just months before the Man of Steel's DCU debut. Clark Kent has spent the last two years forging a surprising friendship with an unexpected enemy, but this foe is throwing that alliance away to seize Metropolis by any means.

DC Comics just unveiled the first peek at the Summer of Superman, a new publishing initiative dedicated to iconic hero. This year, the publisher is hyping up Superman's new film with new books and new creative directions, including one huge revelation set for Superman #25.

The solicited information for the issue reveals that Lex Luthor has regained his memory after it was wiped fighting Brainiac. But all's not well in Metropolis as Lex is going up against Superman and his allies to retake control of his old company, endangering everything he and Clark have done for the world with Supercorp.

Lex Luthor is Back as a Villain, and He's Fighting Superman

This Unlikely Friendship was Destined to Fail

After years of antagonizing Superman, Lex surprised him with an outrageous peace-offering. Lex gave Superman the keys to LexCorp and offered his longtime enemy a truce so that they could work together and improve Metropolis. Though skeptical, Superman gave Luthor a chance and, surprisingly enough, Lex rose to the occasion. He genuinely helped the Super-Family deal with a number of threats to Metropolis and helped reform villains like Parasite and Livewire. Luthor even helped stop Brainiac's last invasion, though at the cost of Luthor's memories. Since then, he's been trying to regain his memories and relearn who Lex Luthor was.

While it's sad to see Lex backslide like this, it's not completely unexpected. Superman's about to have a new movie in theaters that pits him against Lex. It's not uncommon for comics to pivot slightly so that they somewhat resemble movies or television shows. But even if there wasn't a Superman movie to synergize with, chances are Lex was always going to go back to his old ways. At his core, Lex is an egotistical and power-hungry person. Parts of him may want to be better, but he's always going to let his worst instincts get the better of him.

Can Superman's Greatest Enemy Still Be Saved?

Or Is His Partnership with Lex Luthor 100% Finished?

Of course, solicitations can be misleading. Much of the new Superman run has emphasized that Lex isn't a monster, he's just very, very flawed. Perhaps he's going to lose sight of how far he's come after regaining his memories and simply fall back into old ways. If that's the case, it's up to Superman to remind his partner and friend (yes, friend) that Lex can break the cycle once and for all. While it'd be nice to see Lex Luthor permanently get over his demons, he's giving into them, with Superman left as the only person who could help him.

Superman #25 is available from DC Comics on April 23rd, 2025.