# Comics: Did Superman ever have to deal with a corrupt US government? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 27, 2020, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comics-did-superman-ever-have-to-deal-with-a-corrupt-us-government/854520 "2020-05-27T01:49:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2020, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comics-did-superman-ever-have-to-deal-with-a-corrupt-us-government/854520/1 "2020-05-27T01:49:01Z")
If so, what did he do, if anything? I believe there were time/plotlines where he collaborated with such (got corrupted himself Knight Templar style). ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2020, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comics-did-superman-ever-have-to-deal-with-a-corrupt-us-government/854520/2 "2020-05-27T01:58:19Z")
Once upon a time, however, there was some discussion asking why Superman didn’t intervene in World War II to bring it to a faster and less deadly end (in a manner to the liking of the Allies of course). I think the editors answered that Superman felt he shouldn’t interfere or take sides to such an extent in human affairs, which were better left for the Earth Humans to work out among themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2020, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comics-did-superman-ever-have-to-deal-with-a-corrupt-us-government/854520/3 "2020-05-27T02:03:13Z")
Well, Lex Luthor has been president in a couple timelines. In the Justice Lord timeline (DCAU variant), he killed him and the Justice League set up an authoritarian state. In the comics main timeline (at the time), he…mostly dealt with it. He tried to convince people Luthor couldn’t be trusted, but never actually acted against the government, himself, until Luthor went ahead and declared him and Batman to be outlaws. Though even then, he mostly just worked on clearing himself. Eventually Luthor went nuts due to taking Kryptonite-infused Venom, and the issue worked itself out. (It did hurt Clark’s relationship with Pete Ross, who was Luthor’s VP, some.) ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2020, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comics-did-superman-ever-have-to-deal-with-a-corrupt-us-government/854520/4 "2020-05-27T03:45:23Z")
[hijack with a trivia question] What is Lex Luthor’s full first name? In some of the sources (I’m thinking of some of the Superman movies as well at the Smallville TV series) his name is given as Alexander. This seems wrong, as it violates the tradition that all Superman’s nemeses (and lovers) have initials of L. L. However, in the first Christopher Reeve movie, his name is given as Lexington Luthor. Was that just a mistake? [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2020, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comics-did-superman-ever-have-to-deal-with-a-corrupt-us-government/854520/5 "2020-05-27T09:59:26Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > [hijack with a trivia question] > What is Lex Luthor’s full first name? In some of the sources (I’m thinking of some of the Superman movies as well at the Smallville TV series) his name is given as Alexander. This seems wrong, as it violates the tradition that all Superman’s nemeses (and lovers) have initials of L. L. However, in the first Christopher Reeve movie, his name is given as Lexington Luthor. Was that just a mistake? > [/hijack] In the first Reeve movie, “Lexington” is among the big guy’s plans for the West Coast: replacing some of the richest real estate in the world — San Diego and Los Angeles and San Francisco — with Luthorville and Marina del Lex and Otisburg. \ …Otisburg? ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2020, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comics-did-superman-ever-have-to-deal-with-a-corrupt-us-government/854520/6 "2020-05-27T11:50:55Z")
> [@Kamino\_Neko](#): > > Eventually Luthor went nuts due to taking Kryptonite-infused Venom This was a Marvel crossover comic? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2020, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comics-did-superman-ever-have-to-deal-with-a-corrupt-us-government/854520/7 "2020-05-27T12:38:29Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > [hijack with a trivia question] > What is Lex Luthor’s full first name? In some of the sources (I’m thinking of some of the Superman movies as well at the Smallville TV series) his name is given as Alexander. This seems wrong, as it violates the tradition that all Superman’s nemeses (and lovers) have initials of L. L. However, in the first Christopher Reeve movie, his name is given as Lexington Luthor. Was that just a mistake? > [/hijack] Lex is the L. What the full version is doesn’t violate it, since he always goes by Lex. And the Lexes typically have full names that start with A, and would, under most cases, be shortened as Alex - [Alexis](https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Alexis_Luthor_(Earth-One)), [Alexei](https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Alexei_Luthor_(Earth-Two)), or [Alexander](https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Alexander_Luthor_(Prime_Earth)). > [@MrDibble](#): > > This was a Marvel crossover comic? 😃 [Venom](https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Venom) is the drug which Bane gets his abilities from…Introduced in 1991, along with Bane, it’s not much more recent than Marvel’s symbiote (revealed as more than a costume in 1988). ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2020, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comics-did-superman-ever-have-to-deal-with-a-corrupt-us-government/854520/8 "2020-05-27T12:51:44Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > [hijack with a trivia question]This seems wrong, as it violates the tradition that all Superman’s nemeses (and lovers) have initials of L. L. Also, addressing this - the LL tradition isn’t his lovers and nemeses - it’s people who are connected to him, and it’s actually really rare among his enemies who aren’t somehow related to Luthor (I can’t think of a single example). It’s also not quite universal among his love interests - he dated Cat Grant for a long time. Examples that fit neither - Lucy Lane (Lois’s sister), Linda Lee (Earth One Supergirl’s secret identity), Lara Lor-Van (his mother), Leticia Lerner (his babysitter in a comedic one-shot story)… ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2020, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comics-did-superman-ever-have-to-deal-with-a-corrupt-us-government/854520/9 "2020-05-27T13:21:37Z")
Lori Lemaris, too. For presidents, Superman told JFK his secret identity. He went against crooked politicians (not presidents) in the early years. The second issue of Action Comics had this as a mail plot. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2020, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comics-did-superman-ever-have-to-deal-with-a-corrupt-us-government/854520/10 "2020-05-27T16:24:36Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > [hijack with a trivia question] > What is Lex Luthor’s full first name? In some of the sources (I’m thinking of some of the Superman movies as well at the Smallville TV series) his name is given as Alexander. This seems wrong, as it violates the tradition that all Superman’s nemeses (and lovers) have initials of L. L. However, in the first Christopher Reeve movie, his name is given as Lexington Luthor. Was that just a mistake? > [/hijack] Like Zod, Doomsday, Mr. MXYZTPLK, Bizarro, and Brainiac…all L.L. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2020, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comics-did-superman-ever-have-to-deal-with-a-corrupt-us-government/854520/11 "2020-05-27T16:27:27Z")
Clark’s parents taught him to respect authority, to say “Yes, sir” and do what is asked. Bruce’s parents taught him a very different lesson. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2020, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comics-did-superman-ever-have-to-deal-with-a-corrupt-us-government/854520/12 "2020-05-27T16:56:37Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > Bruce’s parents taught him a very different lesson. That if your parents are gunned down in an alley, become a vigilante? ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2020, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comics-did-superman-ever-have-to-deal-with-a-corrupt-us-government/854520/13 "2020-05-27T23:55:07Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > Bruce’s parents taught him a very different lesson. “Shaking in shock…dying for no reason at all…” ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2020, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comics-did-superman-ever-have-to-deal-with-a-corrupt-us-government/854520/14 "2020-05-28T00:36:10Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > For presidents, Superman told JFK his secret identity. And that’s why he had to kill him. The other assassin was actually 100 feet above the grassy knoll. It’s a well know fact that laser eye-beams don’t show up in black and white film. /youcanthandlethetruth ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2020, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comics-did-superman-ever-have-to-deal-with-a-corrupt-us-government/854520/15 "2020-05-28T01:13:16Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > And that’s why he had to kill him. The other assassin was actually 100 feet above the grassy knoll. It’s a well know fact that laser eye-beams don’t show up in black and white film. /youcanthandlethetruth I postulated that back in the 90s. Told it to Gerald Posner, author of _Case Closed_ and he wrote back “Case reopened!” BTW, the very Superman story was about his capturing the murderer of Jack Kennedy.