Luthor's Choice
Apr. 30th, 2011 02:35 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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Date: 2011-04-30 10:07 am (UTC)Of course, the idea doesn't bear much examination as a plot point as I'm not sure how the "universal bliss" would work in a universe where there are those for whom bliss involves the destruction of everything.
The Joker's usual idea of bliss involves a dead Batman and an large pile of dead Robins, sorted by body part. Circe's would involve a dead Wonder Woman, so what would happen to them?
Plus, since when is entropy automatically a BAD thing? Were people who were dying in pain suddenly left with no pain, but now immortal in wrecked bodies as suggested here? Would they starve? Could they heal?
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Date: 2011-04-30 10:17 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-04-30 10:35 am (UTC)You could, but given there's a guy lying there with a broken neck happily chatting with Death, apparently Luthor didn't.
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Date: 2011-04-30 10:58 am (UTC)He's a bit of a cock, is what I'm saying.
(Also, he's only had that power for a few moments at this point -- he might not have figured out how or gotten around to it yet.)
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Date: 2011-04-30 11:09 am (UTC)Now there's an interesting metaphysical conundrum; Can omnipotence have a learning curve? :)
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Date: 2011-04-30 11:51 am (UTC)If the original Infinity Gauntlet is anything to go by, yes.
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Date: 2011-04-30 12:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-04-30 12:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-04-30 11:34 pm (UTC)So it depends on how the universe in question sees this. In Marvel cosmicdom they have degrees of omniscience/-potense, and the example above has been used to describe it. It hasn't really been established how it works in DCU proper, I think.
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Date: 2011-04-30 01:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-04-30 08:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-02 05:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-04-30 10:36 am (UTC)I can't blame Luthor. Did he mention omniescence along with his omnipotence? Because if he didn't have that, I can excuse him for making the very human choice.
Plus, eternal bliss may be good on paper but it makes it so that life isn't life anymore. A bit screwy, really.
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Date: 2011-04-30 11:50 am (UTC)And personally, since that 'very human choice' is still 'denying the entire universe eternal happiness for no other reason than to spite one man' (and for all the debate about eternal bliss versus the necessity of suffering, that's all it boils down to here), I honestly can't really see Luthor's actions here as anything laudable.
Ooo... I just realized something.
Date: 2011-04-30 11:37 am (UTC)Foreshadowing!
Re: Ooo... I just realized something.
Date: 2011-05-01 01:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-04-30 12:35 pm (UTC)This was the second greatest part of this story. I'd wanted to post the very greatest, but it would have maxed out the scan limit here. Namely, the entire section on Lex tormenting Superman, who--as an alien godlike being--couldn't possibly understand loss.
In that scene, Lex going from seeming like the most badass character in the world to the callous dickhole he always was. The heartwrenching irony is that he honestly had no idea that he's genuinely hurting Clark, and when he does learn... oh, it's so great.
That's the moment we learn that, thank to the Kents, Superman is more human than Lex could ever be or even understand. I wanted to hug the issue right there.
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Date: 2011-04-30 01:24 pm (UTC)Throughout Lex Luthor's entire run in Action Comics, I've been fascinated by the fact that such a good story can be told without following what I always thought was a key rule of writing: have a sympathetic protagonist.
Lex Luthor has been a warped, deluded human being through this entire thing. We've seen him ordering a man murdered for hitting him (after unjustly being fired). We've learned that his sexual fantasies apparently involve doing bizarre things to his Loisbot - not Lois herself, but the robot. Lex has been just so warped in this story that it's fascinating to read. Now he makes the ultimate dick decision, knowingly throwing away eternal bliss over his grudge against Superman (driven on in no small part that he thought that Clark Kent had been laughing at him for years).
Lex has been completely unsympathetic through this entire story, but in a way that's been fascinating to read. It's a shame the tale had to end.
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Date: 2011-04-30 09:06 pm (UTC)Also, there's a lot of literature out there that's built around the concept of unsympathetic protagonists. If you want recommendations, I'm sure people can and will oblige.
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Date: 2011-04-30 09:23 pm (UTC)This story really shows Lex's delusions in a pretty fascinating manner. Of course, it also helps that he's got the Lois-bot around for most of it, since she's awesome.
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Date: 2011-04-30 04:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-01 05:21 am (UTC)Oh and I really hope when he comes back he retains the knowledge that Clark is Superman, seriously fucking brilliant stories can come out of that.
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Date: 2011-04-30 01:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-04-30 03:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-04-30 06:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-01 06:17 pm (UTC)For example, when the Waynes or Jonathan Kent or Stephanie Brown (before the retcon) or Lian Harper died, who do you think would be a better person for them to meant after they passed on?
Death, or a foreboding and scary figure like the Black Racer looming over you?
This also has the sideeffect of characters who are still alive suddenly getting huge crushes on her and her moral counterparts when she manifests once a century. Like that Italian soldier in her short story in Endless Nights.
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Date: 2011-04-30 01:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-04-30 03:49 pm (UTC)Though I am reminded of Delirium in a passing comment in a Sandman issue, when she comments that when a girl seemed sad, she made it so the girl could see bright pretty colours... then spoils it all by adding that she would ONLY bright pretty colours... forever and ever. Which is frankly horrifying..
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Date: 2011-05-02 05:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-04-30 02:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-04-30 03:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-04-30 04:16 pm (UTC)I feel sad for that dude, tho. :/
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Date: 2011-04-30 04:29 pm (UTC)Didn't Jim Shooter already do this one back in Secret Wars II in the mid-80s?
Though there, the consequences were that making the Universe into Paradise, no death or confict or hunger or anything bad, was creating the ultimate entropy. Everything would be at an eternal standstill, since there was no reason for individuals, or species, to continue evolving.
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Date: 2011-04-30 10:33 pm (UTC)"Santa claus? Santa claus!"
He's looking very Von Trapp family in that, is what i'm saying.
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Date: 2011-05-01 10:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-01 01:32 am (UTC)What I hated? That Lex will never learn his lesson until he's on his death bed. Perhaps not even then. Sometimes I pity the man.
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Date: 2011-05-01 02:35 am (UTC)But in all seriousness, it's Lex's mortal failing. I'm not sure I hate it so much as I recognize and acknowledge it. Oh well.
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Date: 2011-05-01 05:52 pm (UTC)"Perhaps"? Luthor will be in Hell trying to take over because "IT'S ALL SUPERMAN'S FAULT THAT I'M HERE!"
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Date: 2011-05-01 03:09 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-01 04:31 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-01 06:58 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-01 12:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-03 05:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-01 07:09 am (UTC)Jeez, he could at least threaten to renounce the power and leave the universe to misery unless Superman nobly kills himself. Worth a try.
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Date: 2011-05-01 05:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-01 05:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-01 05:48 pm (UTC)