Editing Lex Luthor (section)

===== "The Black Ring" =====
After the conclusion of the ''New Krypton'' event, Luthor became the lead character in ''[[Action Comics]]'' until issue No. 900.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2010/06/22/paul-cornell-on-action-comics-890-and-beyond/|title=Paul Cornell on Action Comics #890 and Beyond @ DC's The Source|publisher=Dcu.blog.dccomics.com|date=June 22, 2010|access-date=December 25, 2010}}</ref> Written by [[Paul Cornell]], the first storyline "The Black Ring" explores Luthor's new desire to locate the energy of the [[Black Lantern Corps]].<ref>{{Cite comic|Writer = [[Paul Cornell|Cornell, Paul]]|Title = [[Action Comics]]|Volume =|Issue = #890|Date = June 2010|Publisher = DC Comics}}</ref> Aiding him in this quest is a robot duplicate of Lois Lane. To distract Superman and his closest allies from interrupting him, Luthor releases several [[Doomsday (comics)|Doomsday]] duplicates.

Luthor's quest involves a conversation with [[Death (DC Comics)|Death]] herself and finally leads him to face a powerful and deadly entity released from the Phantom Zone. Luthor infuses himself with Kryptonian technology and grapples with the creature. The two fuse and Luthor learns it evolved in the Phantom Zone and now seeks to escape, driven mad by sensing the grief and anger of the Zone prisoners. With the creature's power at his command, Luthor draws out Superman to him and attempts to drive the hero mad by forcing him to experience real human emotions, believing that Superman only fakes humanity to be trusted. The ploy fails and Luthor's new abilities reveal that Superman is really Clark Kent, a well-meaning man raised by Earth people who loved him and who still mourns the loss of [[Jonathan and Martha Kent|Jonathan Kent]]. Luthor is enraged by how this upbringing and emotional nature clashes with his own motivations, unhappy childhood and anger towards his own father.

It becomes clear that the Phantom Zone entity has the power to create a feeling of peace and bliss throughout the entire universe, at the cost of never allowing him to cause any harm to another being. Superman appeals to Luthor to make this a reality, thus giving the universe a gift and achieving something beyond the Man of Steel's abilities. Unwilling to create a universe of bliss when it would mean Superman would also be rewarded instead of suffering, Luthor loses his connection to the entity and its power, as well as his memory of everything he learned merged with it. The entity departs for another reality and Lex falls into a Phantom Zone portal.<ref>''Action Comics'' No. 900</ref> Shortly afterward, the [[Flashpoint (comics)|''Flashpoint'']] timeline is created and the DC Universe rebooted.<ref>'' [[Flashpoint (comics)|Flashpoint]]''</ref>