Superman & Lois: Captain Luthor’s Real Identity Explained

While Wolé Parks was believed to play Captain Lex Luthor, Superman & Lois season 1 finally reveals his true DC Comics character in the Arrowverse.

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WARNING: This article has major spoilers from Superman & Lois season 1, episode 7, “Man of Steel.”

Superman & Lois has finally unveiled the major DC Comics twist behind Wolé Parks’ Captain Luthor in the Arrowverse. Ever since the pilot, one of the biggest mysteries has been Captain Luthor, a.k.a. The Stranger. From the moment Luthor showed up, he has made it clear that he hates Superman with a passion. But unlike Supergirl’s Lex Luthor, played by Jon Cryer, this Luthor has different motivations for why he wants to kill Kal-El. While little is known about his Earth, this Luthor came from a world where the Man of Steel did turn on humanity.

Through flashbacks, Superman & Lois has given the viewers glimpses of Luthor’s world. In this reality, Luthor served in the military and was married to Lois Lane. But for reasons that have yet to be revealed, his Superman, sporting a black suit, has been seen executing soldiers. When Luthor and Superman first fought in the pilot, he knew a lot about Krypton’s Last Son, including his weakness. While the show hasn’t established how Luthor got to Earth-Prime, he has made it clear that Superman destroyed his world.

But Superman & Lois season 1, episode 7, titled “Man of Steel,” gave the Arrowverse its biggest twist yet. As things get more heated between him and Superman, it’s revealed Parks’ Luthor is none other than DC Comics’ John Henry Irons, a.k.a. Steel, a huge Superman family character. This is the first time Steel has been depicted in live-action since the not-so-well received Shaquille O’Neal movie in 1997. Instead of being Alexander Luthor from a world that seems based on DC’s Earth-3, the Arrowverse has its take on Steel instead.

Captain Luthor Is John Henry Irons – Real Identity & Superman & Lois Twist Explained

In “Man of Steel,” Superman & Lois went further into John’s background on his Earth, whose designation hasn’t been determined yet. As Earth-Prime’s Lois discovered that Luthor’s Marcus Bridgewater persona was fake, she begins to get to the bottom of who he really is and what he wants. The way Lois learns who Luthor really is through the Department of Defense, which had records of Earth-Prime’s John Henry Irons dying in 2015. In the alternative reality, John was married to Lois and had a kid with her named Nat Irons. But on his Earth, Superman was the leader of an X-Kryptonite army, which is seen destroying Metropolis during the flashbacks. The evil Superman ends up murdering John’s Lois after she reported on the news that Kryptonite is their weakness.

While her report was crucial to the world, this forces John and Nat to see Kal-El kill Lois on live TV. At some point on John’s Earth, he and Nat begin to work on an exo-suit, the same one The Stranger has been wearing throughout Superman & Lois season 1. The reason why the A.I. referred to John as Captain Luthor the entire time was thanks to Nat reprogramming it to trick it into thinking her father was him. After having seen what his evil Superman did to their world, this is why John is convinced that it is only a matter of time before Earth-Prime’s Kal-El turns on humanity, too.

Who Is Steel? DC Comics Origins & Powers Explained

Created by Louise Simonson and Jon Bogdanove, Steel first debuted in June 1993, depicted as a gifted weapons engineer who worked at AmerTek Industries, which exists in the Arrowverse. After being saved by Superman, John is inspired to become his own hero. During The Death of Superman saga, John becomes Steel, who tries to help Superman defeat Doomsday. Following Superman’s death, Steel becomes one of Metropolis’s new protectors during the Reign of the Supermen arc. Once Clark was resurrected, Steel became a frequent member of DC’s Superman family. Steel has gone on to have his own adventures in the DC universe throughout his existence, including starring in Steel solo comics. Similar to his fellow Superman family members, Steel has also been part of the Justice League.

While Steel doesn’t have any superpowers in the comics, John’s incredible engineering skills are what led to the creation of the iconic powered armor he sports. The Steel suit allows him to fly and gives him enhanced strength, which lets John take on super-powered threats. John’s Arrowverse costume is significantly different but could be regarded as a prototype before potentially getting a more comic-accurate design. One of Steel’s most popular aspects, which “Man of Steel” introduces, is the kinetic hammer, whose creation was revealed on Superman & Lois. The comic iteration of Steel’s advanced hammer has been shown to follow voice commands, fly on its own, and generate electromagnetic waves.

What Captain Luthor’s Identity Twist Means For Superman & Lois’ Future

Following the big reveal in “Man of Steel,” what does Captain Luthor’s Steel twist mean for the rest of Superman & Lois season 1? Based on what the show has established thus far about John’s backstory on his Earth, he is definitely not the big bad that many thought he would be. Having Parks portraying Steel also makes Cryer’s Supergirl character the only Lex Luthor in the Arrowverse. While it would have been intriguing to see Luthors of two worlds, the Steel concept is a lot more compelling. Since the Steel film in 1997 didn’t exactly do John justice, the Arrowverse gets to do a proper live-action treatment for the Superman family hero.

While it is certainly a different background from the comics, Superman & Lois hasn’t closed the door on Steel becoming an ally to these characters. Understandably, John would resent Superman this much after what his Kal-El did in their world, including murdering the mother of his child on live television. Since there is still so much left to tell of his story, it remains to be seen where the show is going with John. As the series reveals more about him, it feels like it’s heading in a direction where John and Superman will find common ground.

The true main antagonist for Superman & Lois season 1 is Morgan Edge and, potentially, the evil Man of Steel from the other universe. As Morgan is pursuing his villainous plans with X-Kryptonite, he is the force they will need to stop. That is where John and Superman will potentially join forces, with the former seeing Earth-Prime’s Kal-El not necessarily being destined to become like his Superman. Whether or not Superman’s dark doppelgänger still exists remains to be seen, but it wouldn’t be shocking if he somehow factors into the overall story before Superman & Lois season 1 reaches its end.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/superman-lois-captain-luthor-steel-identity-explained/