The new Lex Luthor on Superman & Lois comes from a world that has an evil Man of Steel, who could well be from the Arrowverse's version of the Injustice universe. While Jon Cryer has been portraying Clark Kent's ultimate nemesis on Supergirl, the latest Arrowverse spinoff has introduced another Lex. Wolé Parks was initially cast as the mysterious character, The Stranger, but this was obviously a cover name for his real identity - as, when actors land roles with ambiguous titles in a comic book property, it's almost always someone who is already in the comics. Superman & Lois is no exception, as the series premiere concluded with the reveal that Parks is actually playing a new version of Lex.
The latest episode revealed a lot more about the Arrowverse's second Lex, as he is still pursuing his goal of proving Superman's evil nature. The ending of the latest Superman & Lois episode did, however, reveal a lot more about why Lex has hatred towards Krypton's last son. In a brief, but informative flashback, Lex is seen fighting with an army, alongside General Sam, that are all killed by a black-suit-wearing Superman. It's the same suit Tyler Hoechlin wore in the Elseworlds crossover in 2018 when John Deegan used the Book of Destiny to rewrite reality and make him Earth-1's Superman.
The flashback, while short, did give a lot of insight into why Lex is determined to expose Clark as being naturally evil. Based on Lex's past dialogue thus far, it seems that Superman somehow destroyed the Earth he came from. This confirms that Superman & Lois season 1 deals with a Multiverse story of some kind in a post-Crisis on Infinite Earths. Normally, whenever Superman is wearing a black costume, it's more related to the Death of Superman or Superman: Lois & Clark comics. In this instance, however, the Arrowverse is dealing with a Superman that is killing people, including soldiers. With this violence in mind, there's a chance this Superman could be the one from the Injustice universe, utilizing the popularity the comics and games developed around this particular part of the DC multiverse.
Injustice's Universe Explained
The Injustice franchise takes place on an alternative Earth where the world was forever changed the day Superman lost the love of his life: Lois Lane. After The Joker manipulates Superman in getting Lois, Lois' unborn child, and 5 million people killed, Clark breaks his biggest rule and murders the Clown Prince of Crime. This choice changes Superman as he goes on to kill more criminals and within 5 years, before becoming the Earth's dictator. Superman has formed the One Earth Regime that consists of not just heroes, but also villains who believe in his cause. But not everyone agrees with Superman's new world, as Batman forms the Insurgency to go up against the Regime.
Justice League characters from another universe are teleported to Earth-Injustice as they become part of helping stop the corrupted Superman. The first game ends with Clark's defeat as he gets locked up in a cell that has red sunlight making him almost powerless. with a little hint that he still has some of his abilities. Injustice 2 focuses on the Insurgence trying to restore the world after Superman's tyranny, with Brainiac and the Society as the villains of the story. Because of Brainiac's plan to collect Earth, Batman is forced to rely on Superman. While Injustice 2 has two alternative endings, there's one that sees Clark sent to the Phantom Zone after losing his powers for good through Gold Kryptonite, concluding his story.
The Arrowverse's Evil Superman Is Like Injustice
Based on the flashback that has been shown so far, something must have gone horribly wrong for Clark to murder soldiers. The way Superman & Lois has portrayed him thus far is, through Lex's POV, that he was responsible for getting their world destroyed. It's unclear if this was pre-or-post-Crisis on Infinite Earths. Given that Lex explicitly calls this version "Superman", it's definitely an iteration of Clark that somehow is dominating the world. The scene of him killing soldiers could be, from Superman's POV, an act to stop wars, or a show or power against an army trying to oppose him. More flashbacks will certainly come throughout the season, but currently there are already parallels to be made with the Injustice Superman.
Lois has always been integral to Superman's character, as she grounds him and reminds him of his inner humanity. It's not entirely impossible that on Lex's Earth, the reason Clark has turned dark is that he - similar to Injustice - lost Lois too. The only reason Superman would kill Lois' father is if she isn't alive anymore and he somehow opposed Clark.
How The Arrowverse Can Draw Further From Injustice
With the potential of Superman & Lois setting up an Injustice-like universe in the Arrowverse Multiverse, it opens the door for other characters too. While there is no way a big crossover is happening this year, with the global pandemic still in large, that doesn't mean they couldn't still begin to set one up. One of the benefits of Oliver Queen rebooting the Multiverse is that the creators of all the shows can explore new stories whenever they want. It doesn't even have to be in a massive crossover in order for it to happen- for example, it would be fascinating to see various Arrowverse cast members play new versions of themselves.
The idea of seeing a divided version of Arrowverse's Justice League would also bring a new layer to the franchise. While Lex believes his world is gone, that doesn't have to be the case, thanks to Crisis. The most possible scenario is that this Lex lost his world in a pre-Crisis timeline before coming to Earth-Prime. But since Oliver restored the Multiverse and also altered it, Lex's Earth could actually still exist with the evil Superman still at large. Depending on what relationship Superman and Lex had, perhaps the Arrowverse could get a visit from some Injustice characters in search of Luthor.
Lex Luthor Could Also Be From Earth-3
Another fitting DC concept that the Arrowverse could be alluding to is the Crime Syndicate of America, who come from Earth-3. While Arrowverse's Earth-3 was originally Jay Garrick's world, Stargirl season 2 is changing that thanks to Crisis on Infinite Earths as he'll now be from Earth-2. In the comics, Earth-3 follows a reality where DC's heroes are evil, and the villains are good. In that reality, Superman operates as Ultraman and is one of the most dangerous members of the Crime Syndicate. Despite the fact that the flashback saw Hoechlin in the black Superman suit, that doesn't mean that he didn't perhaps become Ultraman later, or that Crisis didn't potentially rewrite that Earth's continuity. A perfect twist would be that Lex's Clark comes to Earth-Prime and reveals that he's now Ultraman instead of Superman.
Crime Syndicate is a concept that would, in a post-Crisis Arrowverse, be doable since Earth-3 isn't Jay Garrick's universe anymore. The tricky thing at this point is that it's unknown if Lex came to Earth-Prime during Crisis, or sometime after the five-part crossover. It's not out of the question that - despite not knowing how he got here - this Lex came long after Oliver rebooted the Multiverse. Superman "destroying" their world doesn't need to have taken place before or during the last Arrowverse crossover.
If Lex does indeed come from Earth-3, Superman & Lois could do a slow build-up towards the Crime Syndicate by first focusing on Ultraman. With a scenario like that, the show could also even introduce heroic versions of some iconic villains that fans have seen in the past. Whether it's the Injustice universe or Earth-3 that this evil Superman comes from, Superman & Lois has double the potential to explore some big concepts for the Arrowverse as it progresses forward.