WARNING: Contains Potential Spoilers for Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong 2 #2 (2025)
DC has just made an update to Superman and Lex Luthor lore that further solidifies how deeply obsessed this hero and villain are with each other. It’s such a cool detail that it would be absolutely epic to see it honored in James Gunn’s upcoming Man of Steel movie, set to release on July 11, 2025.
Brian Buccellato, Christian Duce, and Luis Guerrero’s Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong 2 #2 continues to follow Superman and the rest of the League as they search for Lex Luthor on Skull Island, home to King Kong and other kaiju-sized monsters.
After a brutal encounter with Kong and a giant Killer Croc, Clark is snapped back to their primary mission when he suddenly announces that he can hear Lex Luthor’s heartbeat. This moment carries both epic and slightly stalkerish implications, as it reveals that Superman has Lex’s heartbeat memorized. It adds to a very specific and niche element of their dynamic that highlights how closely Clark is attuned to Lex’s bodily functions.
The Many Times Canon Has Confirmed Superman’s Unhealthy Obsession with Lex Luthor
From Memorizing His Voice to the Timbre of His Pulse Rate and More
As most Superman fans know, Clark has a select list of friends, family, and villains that he has trained himself to pay special attention to using his super-hearing. In other words, he is always somewhat listening for a specific group of people in his life. This was first established in Superman #1 (2023) by Joshua Williamson during a conversation between Clark and Lois on the roof of the Daily Planet.
During this moment, Clark says, “For years I trained my hearing to keep an extra focus on certain people. You. Jon. My parents.” Lois then interrupts to add Bruce to the list, with Clark agreeing and including Lex as well. This gives readers a confirmed, although not complete, list of people whose voices Clark’s hearing is specifically tuned to, with Lex Luthor notably included.
The idea that Superman can locate Lex’s voice anywhere in the world was reinforced in Superman #27 (2025), also by Williamson, when Clark says, “I told you this before. I keep tabs on you, our family and friends… I can hear anyone in the world… But right now… I can’t hear Lex.” However, DC has also shown that Superman pays attention to more than just Lex’s voice.
In Superman: The Last Days of Lex Luthor #1 (2025) by Mark Waid, Bryan Hitch, and Kevin Nowlan, Clark’s internal monologue reveals, “Long ago, I memorized the exact timbre of Luthor’s pulse rate and the neural patterns of his prefrontal cortex.” This is another example of the way Superman has memorized Lex Luthor’s bodily functions, although it is still not quite the same as having his heartbeat committed to memory.
Lex Luthor Joins Batman and Lois Lane on Superman’s Most Elite List
“I Can Hear Lex’s Heartbeat”: Superman Confirms He Has Luthor’s Heartbeat Memorized
One of the most beloved factoids in Superman lore is that, in addition to having memorized his wife’s heartbeat, he has also memorized the heartbeat of his best friend: Batman. This was revealed in Scott Snyder’s Dark Nights: Metal (2017–2018) when Superman tells Batman, “We’ve been friends so long, I know your heartbeat nearly as well as Lois’.”
While Superman has trained himself to focus on certain people’s voices and learned the general patterns of their bodily functions, Bruce and Lois have always stood out as the rare few whose heartbeats he has fully memorized. However, DC fans now have another name to add to that list: Lex Luthor.
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In Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong 2 #2, it is heavily implied that Superman has memorized Lex’s heartbeat just as he has for Bruce and Lois. When Clark says, “I can hear Lex’s heartbeat,” it suggests that he can pick out Lex’s pulse from every other being on Skull Island. This indicates a deliberate effort on Superman’s part to train himself to recognize it.
This marks the first explicit confirmation that Superman has memorized Lex Luthor’s heartbeat. It’s an epic addition to the duo’s lore and underscores just how closely Clark is attuned to Lex. The fact that Lex amplified his heartbeat, fully aware that Superman would recognize it and come to him, only adds another epic layer to their intense, fan-favorite, and often toxic dynamic.
James Gunn’s Superman Movie Has the Perfect Chance to Use One of Clark Kent’s Coolest Powers
From Lois to Lex, Superman’s Ability to Memorize Heartbeats Needs to Be DCU Canon
The fact that Superman has specific people’s heartbeats memorized would be an exceptionally cool piece of comic lore to include in James Gunn’s upcoming movie. While the Man of Steel hasn’t met Batman yet in this universe, he is already familiar with Lois Lane and Lex Luthor, making this the perfect opportunity to introduce that detail.
From a timeline perspective, it might be more believable for Superman and Luthor to first build up their legendary rivalry before Clark is able to memorize his heartbeat. Still, this is definitely a piece of Superman lore that should be kept in mind when further developing the Man of Steel and Lex Luthor’s infamous dynamic in future films and content within the new DCU.
Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong 2 #2 is available now from DC Comics!
- Created By
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Joe Shuster, Jerry Siegel
- First Appearance
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Action Comics
