An unexpected act of heroism cost Lex Luthor his memory during HOUSE OF BRAINIAC, 2024). Now, Lex appears to be a much gentler soul. But with his daughter, Lena Luthor, and his bodyguard, Mercy Graves, both working to restore the old Lex, can a return to villainy be far behind?
Meanwhile, Superman continues to make the most of fighting alongside Lois Lane under her new guide as the metahuman Superwoman (see RISE OF SUPERWOMAN, 2024-2025), while the future incarnation of Doomsday who’s become the Time Trapper faces the growing threat of the Legion of Darkseid…
Crossover: The events of the ‘Superman: Lex Luthor Special’ leads directly into the main ‘Superman’ series.
Must-Reads: Issues in bold in the Core List or marked with a ✔ in the Full Reading Order are must-read stories from this event; in the Fallout section, issues marked with a ✔ are the stories that are most heavily impacted by this event.
Spoilers: The issue descriptions and fallout section contain spoilers, so be warned!
Previous events that directly impact this story:
- HOUSE OF BRAINIAC (2024) – Lex Luthor loses his memory
- ABSOLUTE POWER (2024) – Mercy shows a heroic side
- RISE OF SUPERWOMAN (2024-2025) – Lex & Mercy get close
Want to keep it simple? Here’s the chronological reading order without story descriptions, or spoilers:
- Superman: Lex Luthor Special #1
- Superman #24-27
| Title, Issue & Synopsis |
| Superman: Lex Luthor Special #1 Mister Terrific needs Lex Luthor’s help to learn more about the Elseworld. But Lex is a new man since he lost his memory (during HOUSE OF BRAINIAC, 2024) and doesn’t want to be his old self. However, Lena Luthor’s continues to try to use music to bring her father back to work. Mister Terrific receives designs for a multiversal transmitter. Superman realises those designs must’ve come from Lex. Also see ALL IN 1st appearance: Maximums (Bug, Hornet, Monster, Robot, Soldier, Viking) (cameo, unnamed) |
| Superman #24 Superman and Superwoman discover Lex Luthor and Mercy Graves’ relationship. Superman’s trust in Lex Luthor diminishes as Lex’s memories slowly return. Lena Luthor reveals the vehicles, robots and weapons SuperCorp have been building and now want to sell! Lex is arrested by Chief Neo Kekoa due to his memories returning. Superman admits to Lena he told Kekoa. Superwoman joins the Justice League on a mission in the ruins of Markovia (destroyed during EVENT LEVIATHAN, 2019-2020 and SHADOW WAR, 2022) which the alien Khunds are claiming for themselves! Superwoman and Creepee find out Mercy’s been selling SuperCorp weapons to the Khunds. When confronted, Mercy’s chest opens and reveals the Kryptonite heart she took from Metallo! Also see ALL-IN 1st appearance: X-El (unnamed), Smart Drones, Super-Gun, Thermoskeleton |
| Title, Issue & Synopsis |
| Superman #25 Soon after Lex Luthor erased the world’s memory of Superman’s secret identity (during KAL-EL RETURNS, 2022-2023), Lex set a plan in motion to coerce the Man of Steel! Mercy wants the evil Lex back and activates the next best thing… the X-El clone! Marilyn Moonlight breaks the real Lex out of prison. He dons the Warsuit and takes the fight to his metahuman clone. Superwoman unleashes all her powers at X-El when he threaten to kill Jon Kent, leaving her powerless. The real Lex blows X-El’s head off! Also see ALL IN and SUMMER OF SUPERMAN 1st appearance: X-El (named) |
| Superman #26 Lex is incarcerated again. Lois Lane returns to Earth from the Justice League Watchtower without her powers. In space, the Khunds use the super-weapons against the Legion of Zod. Superman orders Mercy Graves to shut down SuperCorp. Lena leaves Metropolis for Midvale. At the End of Time, the Legion of Darkseid torture and taunt the Time Trapper/Doomsday. Lex turns to Pharm and Graft for help freeing Superman from the Red Kryptonite‘s control. Marilyn Midnight show up to end the threat of the rampaging Superman! Also see ALL IN and SUMMER OF SUPERMAN |
| Superman #27 Jimmy Olsen’s out of the hospital, but Silver Banshee still blames Superwoman for his injuries. Lex returns to SuperCorp and offers Mercy either the business or to come with him. Lex messages Superman, confessing to freeing Pharm and Graft and giving them Super Nanobot Armour. But he also sent Marilyn Moonlight to cure Superman of Red K. Lex leaves Metropolis and Mercy remains, restoring SuperCorp to LexCorp as CEO. Lex is beyond Superman’s senses in Nanda Parbat. In the future, the Legion of Darkseid now have Booster Gold and the Time Trapper as prisoners. But Time Trapper breaks free and escapes through a portal in search of the World Forger! Also see ALL IN and SUMMER OF SUPERMAN |
| Must Reads | Issue & Fallout | Event / Crossover |
| Supergirl #2 (2025) Lena Luthor arrives in Midvale. | ALL IN SUMMER OF SUPERMAN | |
| ✔ | Justice League Unlimited #8 (2025) Having escaped the Legion of Darkseid, the Time Trapper/Doomsday finds the World Forger. | ALL IN WE ARE YESTERDAY |
| ✔ | Superman #28-30 (2025) The Legion of Darkseid track Lex Luthor down in Nanda Parbat; Superman and the Time Trapper rescue Booster Gold from the Legion of Darkseid; Superboy-Prime becomes the leader of the Legion of Darkseid. | ALL IN LEGION OF DARKSEID SUMMER OF SUPERMAN |
| ✔ | DC K.O. #1 (2025) Superman #31-33 (2026) DC K.O. #4-5 (2026) Lois Lane’s Superwoman powers return when she’s exposed to Sun Boy of the Omega Legion; the question regarding Lex Luthor’s current mental state and if he’s returned to his old ways is answered; Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman emerge from the future of the Elseworld (aka the Absolute Universe) and meet their Prime Earth counterparts for the first time. | ALL IN DC K.O. |
| Collected Edition Title | Collects… |
| Superman: Love and Mercy (vol.6) | Superman #24-27 Superman: Lex Luthor Special #1 |
Reading Order © Omniverse Comics Guide 2026
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