While it may be surprising to some, the DC Comics presidency of longtime Superman villain Lex Luthor may have actually been one of the best the nation had ever seen. Coming from a background in corrupt business and Kryptonian murder schemes, it didn't seem like Luthor becoming the leader of the free world would have resulted in anything remotely beneficial. On the contrary, if not for his obsession with the Man of Steel, Lex Luthor would have been one of the United States' most effective and best presidents ever in the DC Universe, much to the chagrin of Superman himself.
While the world was justifiably surprised when Luthor announced his intentions to run for the presidency in 2000 (Adventures of Superman #581), it was equally surprising when Lex managed to garner so much support from voters, despite the fact that he was running neither as a Republican nor a Democrat. Instead, he created a new party known as the Tomorrow Party, which focused on the creation of a better future for all. Luthor also chose Peter Ross as his running mate, a Kansas Senator (and childhood friend of Clark Kent). On the night of the election, Lex Luthor was victorious, beating out George W. Bush and Al Gore to become the next president of the United States.
While Superman was incredibly against his arch-foe gaining such as high seat of power, he congratulated President Luthor nonetheless and would assist him in keeping the nation safe all the same. While in office, Luthor actually did a lot of good for the American people and the world at large. He was the first world leader to officially recognize Atlantis as a nation and world power, and also created the Justice League Spending Act, which ensured that the greatest team of superheroes on the planet would have ample funding to make use of. He even fostered and improved several international relations during his administration as well. Not only that, but Luthor also coordinated a joint strike against the villain known as Imperiex that saw the Justice League working in tandem with the U.S military to repel the otherworldly attack. While Luthor did several good, even great things for the U.S during his time as its president, it would ultimately end with impeachment trials, due to Luthor's obsession with ending Superman.
Luthor was unable to complete his four years in office because of his hatred toward the Man of Steel. The Luthor Administration blamed Superman and Batman for the arrival of a world-ending kryptonite meteor during the Superman/Batman: Public Enemies storyline. However, the meteor was ultimately destroyed and the World's Finest were revealed to be innocent. Enraged by this failed attempt to implicate and destroy Superman, Luthor reverted back to his old ways, donning a suit of power armor to fight the Man of Steel. This caused the majority of the American people to call the president's motives and state of mind into question. This resulted in impeachment trials, and a swift end to to the Luthor administration.
Ultimately, Luthor would end up skipping town during the hearings, and he used the vast resources at his disposal to carefully craft a fiction that it was a doppelgänger responsible for Luthor's crimes, and there was even a deceased body found matching Luthor's DNA. In this way Luthor was exonerated, avoided prison, and was able to return to Lexcorp as a successful businessman once more. However, had Luthor been able to let go of his Superman obsession, it's more than likely that Lex would have continued to be a great President of the United States and have also gone on to have a second term in office. If his presidency proves one thing, it's that Lex Luthor could have been a great man in the DC Universe had Superman never arrived to Earth. Thanks to the Man of Steel, Luthor can only flirt with goodness and greatness before reverting back to his evil ways.
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December 28, 2020 at 04:17AM
