10 Times Lex Luthor Outsmarted Everyone
4. When He Created Global Peace And Unity
Superman: Red Son was an Elseworlds three-issue miniseries that answered the question, what would the world be like had Kal-El crash-landed in the USSR instead of Kansas? The story is all about nature vs. nurture and does an amazing job at reimagining a Soviet Union with the Last Son of Krypton as its protector.
In this reality, Lex Luthor has dedicated his mind to combat Superman, but not because he hates him; rather, it's due to his love of country. Luthor's still a bad guy—he killed his staff at S.T.A.R. Labs before founding LuthorCorps for the purpose of killing the Man of Steel.
Luthor hatches numerous plans involving Brainiac, Batman, and many more, but they fail, one after the other. Meanwhile, Superman has created a society free from war, poverty, and crime, but at the cost of personal freedom. Eventually, Superman is defeated by Brainiac, and the world believes him dead.
As the world descends into chaos, Luthor steps in and founds a new philosophy called Lutherism. He then unites the planet into a Global United States, and with a benevolent world government, the planet enters into a Golden Age in which Luthor cures all disease, and aids in the colonization of the solar system.