First Look: DC’s Absolute Universe Debuts a Radically Different Lex Luthor

DC’s rebooted Absolute Universe finally unleashes Lex Luthor — and he’s nothing like the bald billionaire you remember. After Ra’s Al Ghul stole the early spotlight in Absolute Superman, Luthor crashes the Absolute Evil special with a radical new look and attitude poised to redefine Superman’s greatest foe.
DC's new Absolute Universe has been rolling out piece by piece, and one very conspicuous no-show so far has been Lex Luthor. Absolute Superman even swapped in Ra's al Ghul as Superman's main headache, which is wild on its own. Now Lex finally walks on in Absolute Evil #1, and... he is not the guy you expect.
So what is Absolute Evil?
Written by Al Ewing with art from Giuseppe Camuncoli, Absolute Evil is basically the origin story of the Absolute Justice League — which, despite the name, is not a charity. It's a cabal of ultra-rich villains who are terrified that the rise of metahumans will scramble the status quo and mess with their money. Layered on top of that: the team is already being puppeteered internally by Brainiac, an alien cyborg who appears to be working under Ra's al Ghul's thumb. Very comforting.
The coda that flips the table
In the issue's closing scene, Brainiac talks strategy and the whole concept of reflections with Mirror Master — a little on-the-nose, but it fits the theme. Then we finally meet this universe's Lex Luthor. He has a full mane and a beard, which flies in the face of the iconic bald, clean-shaven look. The visual swerve matches the character swerve.
Meet Absolute Lex (yes, he has hair)
We do not get much time with him, but what we do get is surprising: he lives on what looks like a farm, he is happily married to a woman named Dora, and he has kids. He also admits he used to be an angry, envious guy — the classic Luthor headspace — but the vibe now is calmer, more grounded. The man literally picks up the phone with:
"How can I be of help?"
That's a line you expect from Superman, not Lex. And that seems to be the point.
- Married to Dora; has children
- Lives on a farm (from what little we see)
- Calls himself a former angry, envious young man
- Current demeanor is helpful, almost altruistic
- Full head of hair and a beard, not the classic bald look
Why Brainiac wants him on the team
This is where the inside baseball gets fun. Brainiac lays out a plan to neutralize the Absolute Justice League by counterbalancing personalities. Example: Ra's al Ghul's zealotry gets canceled out by Hector Hammond's bored apathy. And for the Joker problem, Brainiac recruits Lex.
About that Joker: we barely know him either, but the irony is heavy. He reportedly despises humor, and in this world he is a corrupt billionaire with investments in gross ventures, including the Ark M prison. In other words, a malignant mogul. Brainiac seems to want Lex — a seemingly benevolent billionaire — as the equal and opposite weight to keep Joker in check. A morally adjusted Lex Luthor is not a sentence I expected to type, but here we are.
The bottom line
If the Absolute line is about mirror images and inversion, this Lex is a clean example: same ambition in the past, different destination now. Whether he stays on the side of the angels or gets dragged back into the mud by Brainiac's game is the hook. Absolute Evil #1 is out now in comic shops.