Commonly thought of as Superman's greatest foe, Lex Luthor has been pushing for the downfall of the Man of Tomorrow since their first meeting. Luthor, one of the richest and most powerful men in the free world, was fascinated with Superman's amazing abilities and wanted to have them at his disposal. Hiring a crew of terrorists to attack a party he held on his yacht, the Sea Queen, Luthor waited for Superman to break up the attack and offered to put Superman's services to work for Lexcorp. Superman was outraged that Luthor would purposely subject innocent people to danger and had him arrested. Charged like a common criminal, Luthor was humiliated and from that day forward vowed revenge on the noble Superman.
During Superman's first meeting with Metallo, he was at the brink of death before Luthor whisked Metallo back to a Lexcorp facility. If anyone was going to kill Superman, Luthor wanted to make sure it was him. From Metallo, Luthor took possession of the only fragment of Kryptonite on Earth and fashioned it into a signet ring which he wore at all times to keep Superman at bay. Luthor continued to dig up information on the Man of Steel; from Metallo, he learned of where Superman's spaceship landed and subsequently interrogated Lana Lang and Mr. and Mrs. Kent.
However, Luthor's thirst for power led him to miss out on the greatest secret of all: when one of his employees, Amanda McCoy, put together all of the data on Superman and concluded that Superman and Clark Kent were one and the same, Luthor fired her. His rationale was that none of such an immense degree of power as Superman would ever masquerade as a normal human being.
Luthor and Superman clashed many times over the next two years, but it was Luthor's near-fanatical spite for the noble Kal-El that would ultimately knock him from his throne atop Metropolis. Unbeknownst to him, kryptonite radiation was not as harmless to humans as he had first theorized. The signet ring that he kept on his finger gave him cancer, and he eventually needed to replace his left hand with a metal prosthesis. Blaming Superman for this turn of events, his hatred ran even deeper; he formed an uneasy alliance with the evil Braniac to increase his chances against his foe. Time and time again, however, Luthor failed to destroy Superman... but because he was so skilled in covering his tracks, Superman never had any proof that the man seen as Metropolis' greatest benefactor was a spiteful criminal.
The cancer that had taken Luthor's hand continued to ravage his body, and he began to realize his fate was irreversible. Taking off in a model of the airplane that had propelled (no pun intended) him to his grand stature, the Lex-Wing, Luthor crashed the plane in a remote island and all that was found in the rubble was his charred metal hand. Without Luthor at the helm of Lexcorp, Metropolis was thrown into financial turmoil. Rumors began to circulate around Lexcorp Tower about a possible will left by Luthor, and during the midst of a major blackout in Metropolis , the heir to the Lexcorp empire was revealed. Luthor had had an illegitimate son with his personal physician, Dr. Gretchen Kelley, who had been in Australia for years. The existence of Luthor's offspring had been a secret to everyone, and Lex Luthor the Second took the reins at Lexcorp just in time to guide Metropolis through the blackout. Still suspicious, Superman searched for signs that Lex Luthor, Jr. was just as ornery and shifty as the first Luthor. He found none. Luthor II seemed to have the same business sense as his father, but with a benevolent side. Luthor II helped the heroes of Earth on numerous occasions, including designing weaponry to battle Brainiac during Panic In The Sky. When Supergirl met Lex Luthor II, with his husky physique and long, red locks, she swore that he looked like the Lex Luthor of her parallel world and immediately fell in love with him. Luthor the Second and Supergirl became one of the hottest items in Metropolis, and she became head of Team Luthor, a unit of highly-trained, highly-armed mercenaries working for Lexcorp to protect Metropolis. For a while, it looked like things had taken a turn for the good at LexCorp.
It didn't last long. When a strange disease began to affect the clones housed in the Cadmus government DNA research facility beneath the city, Luthor felt the effects as well. Desperately trying to find a cure, Luthor the Second began to act like his father: evil, vengeful, and manipulative. Supergirl began to see him for what he really was and left him. A series of articles by Lois Lane uncovered the real truth behind Lex Luthor, Jr.: Luthor II was not Lex Luthor's son. Instead, Luthor had had a body genetically engineered for himself, a body which was grown around Luthor's brain while a stand-in for Luthor went down in the plane crash in the Andes. His body once again breaking down on him, Luthor blamed the Cadmus Project for the clone disease and ordered his Team Luthor troops to attack their headquarters. The war between Cadmus and Lexcorp shook Metropolis, while Luthor was being kept on life support in a remote location. A cure for the plague was found, but not before Luthor's body was left in a vegetative state. Upon attempting to apprehend Luthor--finally revealed for the villain that he was--Superman was sidetracked when one of Luthor's loyal aides, Sydney Happersen, triggered sonic torpedoes that Luthor had installed under the city as failsafe devices should he ever be cornered. Superman stopped as many of them as he could (with some help from Superboy and Supergirl), but not before most of downtown Metropolis had been levelled. Luthor was taken to the hospital and held there under maximum security until he could recuperate enough to stand trial.
That day would not come, however. While bedridden, Luthor was approached by Neron, who most acknowledge as the DC Universe's equivalent of the devil himself. Neron offered Luthor renewed youth in exchange for his soul; Luthor, contending that if he had a soul it belonged to the devil already, accepted Neron's deal. In a burst of mystical green smoke, Lex Luthor was young and healthy once again. He served as a member of Neron's Inner Council for a short time, until Neron was vanquished from Earth (in the Underworld Unleashed storyline).
Upon returning to Metropolis, Luthor found that LexCorp had been taken over by a mysterious woman from Luthor's past. Excited by her ability to manipulate people almost as well as himself, Luthor married the Contessa and now, a wanted criminal, continues his position as the greatest of Superman's archnemeses.
Powers and Abilities: Luthor is a normal human, yet he possesses an intellect and charisma far above the average. Resourceful, cunning, and ruthless, Lex Luthor constantly keeps the mightiest man on the planet on his toes
Who could possibly instill more fear in Superman than Doomsday? The result of a cloning experiment that took place on the planet Krypton thousands of years ago, Doomsday began its existence as a normal lifeform. The guinea pig for an experiment conducted to create the ultimate being, Doomsday was released outside the safety of the forceshield housing the science lab and subjected to the harsh conditions of the planet. It was instantly killed. The remains of the body were then collected back into the lab, used to clone a new lifeform, and sent out into the harsh atmosphere once again. And again. And again.
The experiment continued for many years until finally, one day, the lifeform was released into the atmosphere and did not die. Attacked by the fierce predators that inhabited the planet, the lifeform quickly exterminated them all. The scientist who had headed the experiment--Bertron--dubbed this new lifeform the "Ultimate," and was quickly murdered by the rocky behemoth. Hitching a ride on a space freighter, the Ultimate began a long journey through space that would eventually lead him to his destiny with Superman. The Ultimate made a name for itself through the universe, laying waste to numerous planets. The creature was thought unstoppable. The Ultimate caused the first pang of fear in the mighty Darkseid, tearing his friend and mentor limb from limb while the future King of Apokolips could do nothing but teleport away before being slain as well. The Ultimate made its way to Khundia, decimating most of the planet before the two warring factions of the planet joined forces to rocket the armageddon creature far off into space. The Ultimate encountered a Green Lantern while in space, and gained the power of a Green Lantern ring before the Guardians of the Universe combined their powers to vanquish it. The Ultimate, beyond death, found its way to Calaton, where the people of the city were forced to join their magical energies and create an energy-being to defeat the creature. Bound in ceremonial Calatonian funeral garb, the Ultimate's lifeless body was once again rocketed into space, embedding itself deep into the planet Earth. However, the Ultimate was not dead for long... after years and years of genetic retooling, the Ultimate had evolved past death.
The Ultimate pounded its way out of the steel coffin it had been buried in, surfacing in the middle of Ohio. It began carving a path of wreckage throughout the state, heading towards Metropolis, until the Justice League intervened. Maxima attempted to mentally probe the monster's mind, only to find that the creature personified hate, rage, and death... nothing more. Unprepared for the Ultimate, the Justice League was quickly dispatched. By this time, however, Superman had heard of the monster's death-march through Ohio and was on his way to combat it. Dubbed "Doomsday" by Booster Gold, the monster and Superman fought each other all the way from Ohio to Metropolis, and it was in front of the Daily Planet building that their final blows were thrown. Doomsday's rampage had finally been stopped; it had cost the Man of Steel his life.
Shortly after the four pretenders to the Superman name sprang up in Metropolis the Cyborg-Superman retrieved Doomsday's lifeless corpse from S.T.A.R. Labs and chained it to an asteroid, hurling it deep into space. After the real Superman was resuscitated and the Cyborg's evil plan to rule Earth was scrapped, the Cyborg transferred his consciousness into a small mechanical device he had fastened to the asteroid carrying Doomsday--who, unable to die, was alive once again as well. The Cyborg and Doomsday made their way to Apokolips, where Darkseid finally got his chance to meet Doomsday in hand-to-hand combat... and it was only Superman's timely arrival with the healing powers of a Mother Box that saved Darkseid from death. Superman learned of Doomsday's origins from his friend Waverider, and also learned that Doomsday had now evolved beyond Superman's capacity to kill him; in other words, Superman could never physically kill Doomsday again. Superman tangled again with Doomsday in close combat, but the monster's sheer force was too much for the Man of Steel. Together with Waverider, Superman brought Doomsday to the end of time, where the forces of entropy destroyed him... forever?
Sidebar: During Zero Hour, it was brought to the attention of the readers that the end of time and the beginning of time are both connected by the force of entropy. During Zero Hour, Hal Jordan (a.k.a. Parralax) used his infinite powers to join the ends of time in order to recreate the universe. Now, I'm no physicist, but if Doomsday was destroyed at the end of time, and the end of time is linked with the beginning of time, is it possible that he'll be back?
Powers and Abilities: Doomsday possesses a level of strength and invulnerability at least as great as Superman himself. It also has some degree of super-speed, although Superman is certainly faster. Doomsday cannot fly, but it can use its super-strong legs to take huge leaps that can cover a mile or more. Doomsday is not superbly intelligent, but has displayed reasoning powers and a keen memory. If killed, Doomsday will resurrect and evolve beyond the capacity to die in that manner again.
Metallo holds the distinction of being the first villain to appear in the current Superman title. Involved in a fatal car accident, the human who was once Metallo was recovered and operated on by a crazed scientist, a scientist who had witnessed Superman's rocketship land on Earth and who retrieved a chunk of Kryptonite that had landed near the ship. Using this strange radioactive mineral to fuel Metallo's robotic body, the scientist told Metallo that he would be able to rule the world with the strength and agility he possessed. Metallo responded by killing the scientist who had created him.
Metallo and Superman ran into one another at a bank in Metropolis, where Metallo had made a robbery attempt. The Kryptonite that fueled Metallo slowly took its toll on the Man of Steel, who had not known that Kryptonite even existed. Superman was at the verge of death when Metallo was suddenly whisked away mysteriously. Of course, the man who had suddenly taken Metallo was none other than Lex Luthor, who wanted to be sure that if Superman were to die it would be by his hand alone. Luthor proceeded to rip the Kryptonite from Metallo's chest, using it in various forms against the Man of Steel. His power source cut off, Metallo apparently died. However, he was not dead. Metallo popped up numerous times to combat Superman--most recently as a pawn of Conduit during the 'Death Of Clark Kent' storyline--but he has never presented as much of a problem to Superman as he did the first time they faced, when he was powered by deadly Kryptonite. Metallo made a cameo appearance in Underworld Unleashed, but it is not known at this time whether he made a deal with the dreaded Neron or not.
Powers and Abilities: Metallo's robot body offers him tremendous strength and agility. His most dangerous power--the ability to transmit Kryptonite radiation--was taken from him by Lex Luthor, and Metallo has not been quite as formidable since.
Mr. Mxyzptlk is a mischievous imp from the fifth dimension whose magic-based powers can affect the entire world, including Superman. Normally, he has used his powers for pranks and not for evil (thankfully). The portal between his dimension and ours opens once every ninety days. Being a gambling man, Mr. Mxyzptlk usually provides a condition that Superman must fulfill in order to get Mxyzptlk to return to his dimension. Some of these conditions have included getting Mxyzptlk to say his name backwards, getting Mxyzptlk to paint his face blue, or punching out Lex Luthor.
Mxyzptlk became a more ruthless foe during a visit to Earth he made while Superman was in outer space. During this visit, he told Lex Luthor that he would return to his dimension if Lex could get Mxyzptlk to shave his head bald. Luthor, not one for games, instead invited Mxyzptlk to a barber shop and had his staff open fire on the little imp. While the bullets did no harm to Mxyzptlk, he has since learned to lie and has not always kept his word.
Mxyzptlk was responsible for the first Superman/Flash race in Post-Crisis continuity as well as Superman's power loss during the Crisis of the Krimson Kryptonite.
Powers and Abilities: Mxyzptlk's magic can affect just about anything in our dimension. He has used his powers to entrance others, to turn Superman into a cartoon character, and even to animate buildings. Hopefully, he will continue to be mischievous rather than malevolent.
Rudy Jones was an ordinary janitor at S.T.A.R. Labs until a canister of radioactive waste gave him the ability to absorb both electrical and human energy, turning him into a living parasite. The Parasite first plagued Firestorm and Starman before coming to Metropolis to battle Superman. After their first clash, the Parasite was imprisoned in S.T.A.R. Labs.
After regaining his powers fighting the Cyborg in the remains of Coast City, Superman found that he had absorbed a strange kind of radiation that caused his Kryptonian cells to process too much solar energy. Superman's powers began raging out of control, and his body began to mutate due to the massive amounts of solar radiation he was now absorbing. Superman saw his only chance at a cure was the Parasite. Allowing the villain to absorb a vast amount of radiation from him, Superman found that he was back to normal--but the Parasite was now more powerful than he had ever been before. Knocking Superman out with one punch, the Parasite went into hiding and was eventually returned to his cell by Superboy.
Later, Lex Luthor, following orders given to him by Neron , broke into S.T.A.R. Labs and freed the Parasite, who absorbed the life energy from a doctor at S.T.A.R. Labs. The doctor's persona was absorbed by the Parasite as well, and his strong ego caused his personality to become dominant within the Parasite's body. The Parasite, now with the intelligence of a doctor to match his brute strength, lured Superman to S.T.A.R. Labs and absorbed a good portion of his energy.
Weakened, Superman was subsequently arrested by the intergalactic judiciary council known as the Tribunal, leaving Alpha-Centurion to defeat the Parasite. The Parasite escaped capture, and now with the mental prowess to match his physical power, will be an extremely difficult foe for the Man of Steel in the future. Powers and Abilities:
Initially able to only siphone human and electrical energy, because of the immense power he gained from Superman, the Parasite can now absorb kinetic energy as well. He once drained the momentum from a car thrown at him, and also drained the momentum from Superman as he flew near
