So was Luthor ever President in current continuity?

[Ascended]

I know they're not the most popular writers among the Super fandom, but if DC did do a POTUS-Lex retelling I think I'd actually want Rucka and/or Ellis involved.

You use Waid, to make sure the story doesn't completely lose focus on the Super-vibe, and ensure that Clark and the rest of the cast are treated proper.

But then you use Rucka and Ellis for the dirtier, more political subplots. If you're gonna re-tell Lex as President, you want writers who have proven they can write political content in the superhero sphere, and both Rucka and Ellis are more than proven assets.

These weekly books tend to have four writers so I'd include PKJ; he's not an old school creator and he has fresh ideas, his Action run has been popular and successful, and he seems like he could bridge the gap between Waid's classic preferences and the "dirty politics" stuff you'd get from the other guys.

[Vordan]

Actually a really good idea. A 52/Batman Eternal/etc-esque thing with multiple writers/artists (an idea I had not considered at all to be honest). I definitely think you'd want Waid in the mix since he was from that Superman/DC era when Lex got elected in the first place. But I'd also be cool if Williamson and others got involved too.

I think, from DC's perspective, they should ask themselves: why did Smallville pluck that Pres. Lex thing for their show (and leave out so many other elements)? It's because the writers/showrunners read about that part in the comics or news and really liked it and thought the audience would love that element too. I think that wider mass interest in Lex's time as President continues to this day. DC even released a Trumpesque Lex trade during an election cycle to capitalize on that interest.

The Arkham games also had a hint at it, and President Lex was a hugely important plotline in the DCAU. Appeal is obvious: Lex acquiring the highest political office is a natural endgame for the modern Lex being the villain with good PR. It’s also great because it flips the middle finger to Superman in a way that’s sure to piss him off. He’s always talked about letting humanity chart its own destiny, but then they go and give power to one of the most evil men alive. How does Clark respond to that? Does he have a crisis of faith in himself or humanity? Does he change his operating methods? What happens when Lex as President tries to push him around and Clark pushes back? How do they take Lex down? All exciting questions.

I know they're not the most popular writers among the Super fandom, but if DC did do a POTUS-Lex retelling I think I'd actually want Rucka and/or Ellis involved.

You use Waid, to make sure the story doesn't completely lose focus on the Super-vibe, and ensure that Clark and the rest of the cast are treated proper.

But then you use Rucka and Ellis for the dirtier, more political subplots. If you're gonna re-tell Lex as President, you want writers who have proven they can write political content in the superhero sphere, and both Rucka and Ellis are more than proven assets.

These weekly books tend to have four writers so I'd include PKJ; he's not an old school creator and he has fresh ideas, his Action run has been popular and successful, and he seems like he could bridge the gap between Waid's classic preferences and the "dirty politics" stuff you'd get from the other guys.

See my concern, putting aside the PR issues with hiring Ellis again, is that we’re going back to the same old well of aging writers over and over again. There are other, newer and/or younger writers out there who can write dirty political stories just as well as Ellis or Rucka did. A few would be much more enthusiastic about doing a Superman story too. Upon reflection I think I would change my list a little to:

Mark Waid - Keeping him because he knows how to run these big weekly events, he’s done it once at DC and a couple times at Marvel. Plus he loves Clark and loves Lex. He’s a natural fit for exploring the question of how Lex being President affects the more fantastical aspects of Superman’s world.

Tom King - You what someone who can be just as gritty and political as Rucka or Ellis? King is your guy, and he has the added bonus of really wanting to write Superman. Every time he’s asked who he’d want to do a big run on over at Word Balloon, he always answered Superman, he’s giving Gunn notes on the Legacy script. Supes is a character he wants to write, and he has written both Superman and Lex well already. Seeing the guy who wrote Rorschach tackle politics through Superman would be interesting to say the least.

Christopher Priest - I love his Deathstroke and Superman: Lost so far. His Deathstroke opens with Slade paling around with an African dictator who is genociding the Muslim population of his country, as Slade coldly notes that as long as he is just killing Muslims nobody in America will care. Priest is a writer who can absolutely give you that same kind of mean political/social commentary that Ellis gives, and if the solicits for his Lost miniseries are to be believed, he has no problem gleefully shooting the typical Superman sacred cows which I think a story like this would demand be shot.

Dan Watters - He gets Superman as seen by his Red & Blue and Future State stories, he’s great at political and social commentary as seen with Lucifer and Home Sick Pilots, and frankly I’m just dying to see him do some more in-depth Superman work.

That’s one head writer who has a lot of experience writing Superman, two guys who have plenty of experience with minis featuring him, and one newer writer who has only done small stories here and there but shows he understands the ambition of the franchise.

I would not pick PKJ because as much as I enjoy Action, he’s said he prefers his Superman close to perfect. President Lex should be Lex triumphant and ascendant and Superman humiliated, defeated, and pissed off. It should be Superman at his worst, the shiny perfect exterior that Clark typically has completely collapsing to pieces due to just how mad he is at everyone. A story like this should be posing the question about whether Clark can pull himself together before Lex pushes him into the abyss, and not be afraid to take Superman to some grim emotional states. In short I want Clark to go through that long night of the soul where he seriously doubts whether humanity is worth saving, and I don’t think PKJ would want to write that kind of story. If I’m wrong I’d be happy to include him.

[HsssH]

Rucka would just turn entire thing into Montoya weekly.

[Vordan]

Rucka would just turn entire thing into Montoya weekly.

Yes this is also a legit concern

[JBatmanFan05]

Tom King - You what someone who can be just as gritty and political as Rucka or Ellis? King is your guy, and he has the added bonus of really wanting to write Superman. Every time he’s asked who he’d want to do a big run on over at Word Balloon, he always answered Superman, he’s giving Gunn notes on the Legacy script. Supes is a character he wants to write, and he has written both Superman and Lex well already. Seeing the guy who wrote Rorschach tackle politics through Superman would be interesting to say the least.

Christopher Priest - I love his Deathstroke and Superman: Lost so far. His Deathstroke opens with Slade paling around with an African dictator who is genociding the Muslim population of his country, as Slade coldly notes that as long as he is just killing Muslims nobody in America will care. Priest is a writer who can absolutely give you that same kind of mean political/social commentary that Ellis gives, and if the solicits for his Lost miniseries are to be believed, he has no problem gleefully shooting the typical Superman sacred cows which I think a story like this would demand be shot.

Besides Waid, these are two I'd be cool with joining such a hypothetical retelling. And Williamson too. King proved to me in Up in the Sky (and other non-Superman comics) that'd he be perfect to contribute to a story like this, he gets Superman and his principles and that turmoil or lack thereof Superman has with his principles, how to exploit the moral drama in it all. And Priest likes to bring some different perspectives in, which is what you'd want.

[Ascended]

See my concern, putting aside the PR issues with hiring Ellis again

Oh that's right. He did.....a bad thing.....of some kind. Right. Okay, forget Ellis.

Tom King

He crossed my mind. I left him off because I don't know if he could write the kind of Superman this story would require. He does a fine job, but he writes (from what I've seen) a pretty generic "nice guy" Superman, and this would be the story of Clark versus the government. You'd want a little more of the Golden Age social crusader in the mix. I'm not convinced King could do that properly.

Christopher Priest

I'm not sure if I'd ever say no to Priest writing anyone, so I'm sold. But he strikes me as someone who writes "social commentary" more than "political thriller." Which, of course, would have its place here, but I'd want more political thriller than commentary on this. We get social commentary all the time, overtly or covertly, in tons of comics but it's more rare to see the machinations and manipulations on capitol hill.

Dan Watters

Always up for a fresh face (which is why I suggested PKJ) but I'm drawing a blank on his work. What did he write for Red/Blue?

Wait, this is the guy who did Azreal recently right? ****, that book was fantastic.

I would not pick PKJ because as much as I enjoy Action, he’s said he prefers his Superman close to perfect. President Lex should be Lex triumphant and ascendant and Superman humiliated, defeated, and pissed off.

I don't think the two are exclusionary. Clark can still be the same competent, compassionate guy we know and love and still be pissed off as hell and disappointed in America. Now, if you're right and that's too much of a swing for PKJ then yeah, leave him out of it.

Regarding how Lex rising to the office would impact Clark....I'm actually questioning how surprised he'd be. Disappointed and pissed off, yeah absolutely. Ready to go to war against America to pull Lex down? Damn straight. But would Clark be surprised? Would it rock his worldview to the core? We're talking politics, Lex wouldn't be the first crook to be POTUS. I doubt Clark has much trust or faith in politicians in the first place. Hell he might even be a little relieved; at least with Lex, Clark knows for a fact that he's corrupt, and knows what crimes he's committed. There's no question of whether Lex is one of the good ones or not.

[Vordan]

He crossed my mind. I left him off because I don't know if he could write the kind of Superman this story would require. He does a fine job, but he writes (from what I've seen) a pretty generic "nice guy" Superman, and this would be the story of Clark versus the government. You'd want a little more of the Golden Age social crusader in the mix. I'm not convinced King could do that properly.

I don’t know either but I’m willing to take a chance on him. All he’s done so far for Superman has been a brief mini aimed at the mass market with the Walmart comic, guest appearances, and some one shots here and there. His use of WW over in Batman sucked, but I’m still excited to see what he does with her ongoing.

Always up for a fresh face (which is why I suggested PKJ) but I'm drawing a blank on his work. What did he write for Red/Blue?

Wait, this is the guy who did Azreal recently right? ****, that book was fantastic.

He did the Red & Blue story about the 5D imp who steals every color except Red and Blue. I thought it was one of the best ones. And yeah he did Azrael, he also did the excellent Arkham City mini and the FS Superman/WW two parter which remains one of two good works starring Jon as Superman.

Regarding how Lex rising to the office would impact Clark....I'm actually questioning how surprised he'd be. Disappointed and pissed off, yeah absolutely. Ready to go to war against America to pull Lex down? Damn straight. But would Clark be surprised? Would it rock his worldview to the core? We're talking politics, Lex wouldn't be the first crook to be POTUS. I doubt Clark has much trust or faith in politicians in the first place. Hell he might even be a little relieved; at least with Lex, Clark knows for a fact that he's corrupt, and knows what crimes he's committed. There's no question of whether Lex is one of the good ones or not.

I think it should be. I think Lex getting elected needs to be the big event that causes Clark to go “y’know maybe humanity is screwed. Maybe there isn’t hope after all and I’ve been wasting my life on a lost cause.” It’s one thing for Clark know that humanity can be bastards, it’s another thing to see it. Lex getting elected, and what he does with that power, should be the equivalent of Jason Todd dying for Clark. This is the event that takes Superman to a dark place.

Normally Superman is all about hope - much as I think the word has been devalued with regards to him it still holds some merit - but ideally this would be a Superman story focusing on the darker emotions: wrath (his fatal flaw imo) and despair. Specifically how do you keep going when there doesn’t seem to be a point and you don’t believe things can get better. It should be brutal and depressing, at least on par with how dark the Warworld Saga got. Even Lois is taken back by just how selfish and callous people can be, how many people are drawn to Lex’s rhetoric even though he’s been outed as a liar again and again.

Y’know who actually had probably my best take on Lex “beating” Superman? Of all people, Scott Snyder in a freaking Batman story:





Loved how *mean* this was, how cynical it is about humanity’s capacity for good. Even though Clark has the better argument logically, people still sided with Lex because, God help us, part of us just can’t help being attracted to evil.

[Ascended]

I don’t know either but I’m willing to take a chance on him.

I'd be willing....but grudgingly. I got no real issue with King, but what little I've seen of his Superman is just too generic post-Crisis "nice farmboy" for my tastes. I wouldn't be against giving him a shot, but in my experience King writes the "legend" more than the "character" if that makes sense? And a story like this.....I'd want a Superman with an edge and anger problems, not platitudes about forgiveness and second chances.

He did the Red & Blue story about the 5D imp who steals every color except Red and Blue

That *was* one of the best stories. And Azreal was excellent. Sure, I'd happily give Watters a chance here. If his Azreal is any indication he could do some good stuff with the public and how they react/respond to POTUS Lex.

I think it should be. I think Lex getting elected needs to be the big event that causes Clark to go “y’know maybe humanity is screwed. Maybe there isn’t hope after all and I’ve been wasting my life on a lost cause.” It’s one thing for Clark know that humanity can be bastards, it’s another thing to see it.

You've got a good argument. And I'm down for Clark having a "Jason Todd" moment that just breaks him. I'm really digging the idea of that actually. I just don't know if this is it, yknow? You say this is when Clark really sees that humanity can be bastards, but the way I figure it, he already knows that. He sees it, and hears it, all day every day.

I feel like Lex being elected would make Clark give up on trying to get along with institutions of authority. It'd bring him back to his social crusader days when he didn't care if he pissed off the people in charge. Maybe he'd even straight up go to war against Lex, and by extension the United States. I agree it'd make him question things, reconsider how he operates and what kind of role he should play in the world/nation. But would it break his spirit? Make him consider giving up on humanity and the Never Ending Battle? I don't think it would, I think Clark's well aware of how awful people can be and how easy it is to lead even the good folks astray. Especially during election cycles. I think POTUS Lex would be enough for Clark to take the kid's gloves off, but I don't think it would break him.

I think if you want to break Clark's spirit, you have to do it on a personal level. A nation electing a d-bag is.....just politics. I'm sure Clark is disappointed in us every four years (I know I am, even when my guy wins). Breaking his spirit requires, I think, something more intimate (not killing Lois).

[JBatmanFan05]

And a story like this.....I'd want a Superman with an edge and anger problems, not platitudes about forgiveness and second chances.

In Up in the Sky, King has Superman get angry, angry about this little girl being taken by a space tyrant. Superman mercilessly smashes up his army of robots and his plan to take over the Earth.

I think that King gets that Superman is about a lot things in different contexts...righteous anger, principles/platitudes, forgiveness, etc. If the story is Superman vs the govt, I think King would adjust to that context. And editors are there to let writers know what the aim is, what everyone is going for.

[Ascended]

I think that King gets that Superman is about a lot things in different contexts...righteous anger, principles/platitudes, forgiveness, etc. If the story is Superman vs the govt, I think King would adjust to that context. And editors are there to let writers know what the aim is, what everyone is going for.

You're probably right and King would adjust to fit the kind of story being told. Maybe I'm not giving him enough credit, it's not like his Superman has been "bad" or anything.

But I don't believe for a second that editorial would be able to hold him back if he decided to do whatever. That, we'd have to entrust to these other hypothetical writers.

[JAK]

First, on secret service: since Lex has been in Jail, that could possibly have been revoked (off-camera, as I've never seen that in the comics). But it also wouldn't surprise me if Lex simply refused secret service (too many potentially prying eyes) and was powerful enough to make it stick.

I don't think the two are exclusionary. Clark can still be the same competent, compassionate guy we know and love and still be pissed off as hell and disappointed in America. Now, if you're right and that's too much of a swing for PKJ then yeah, leave him out of it.

Regarding how Lex rising to the office would impact Clark....I'm actually questioning how surprised he'd be. Disappointed and pissed off, yeah absolutely. Ready to go to war against America to pull Lex down? Damn straight. But would Clark be surprised? Would it rock his worldview to the core? We're talking politics, Lex wouldn't be the first crook to be POTUS. I doubt Clark has much trust or faith in politicians in the first place. Hell he might even be a little relieved; at least with Lex, Clark knows for a fact that he's corrupt, and knows what crimes he's committed. There's no question of whether Lex is one of the good ones or not.

You've got a good argument. And I'm down for Clark having a "Jason Todd" moment that just breaks him. I'm really digging the idea of that actually. I just don't know if this is it, yknow? You say this is when Clark really sees that humanity can be bastards, but the way I figure it, he already knows that. He sees it, and hears it, all day every day.

I feel like Lex being elected would make Clark give up on trying to get along with institutions of authority. It'd bring him back to his social crusader days when he didn't care if he pissed off the people in charge. Maybe he'd even straight up go to war against Lex, and by extension the United States. I agree it'd make him question things, reconsider how he operates and what kind of role he should play in the world/nation. But would it break his spirit? Make him consider giving up on humanity and the Never Ending Battle? I don't think it would, I think Clark's well aware of how awful people can be and how easy it is to lead even the good folks astray. Especially during election cycles. I think POTUS Lex would be enough for Clark to take the kid's gloves off, but I don't think it would break him.

I think if you want to break Clark's spirit, you have to do it on a personal level. A nation electing a d-bag is.....just politics. I'm sure Clark is disappointed in us every four years (I know I am, even when my guy wins). Breaking his spirit requires, I think, something more intimate (not killing Lois).

I like the general concept, but I tend to agree with all this. Here's my angle:

Lex becomes President, and Clark reacts basically as he did in the books when it happened; he tries to put on a good show but also find a way to show what Lex is. But Lex has too much power and knows how to use it; news isn't reported, politicians rally around him, etc. Superman is fine but goes harder, and it backfires - and the consequences land on Jon. He tries again, and Jon is again blamed, this time arrested (or something like that), with Lex basically telling Superman that he knows he'll just keep trying if just between them, so Jon will always be blamed (and worse) if he continues. He also tells him that he has all the media and politicians in his pocket, and there's nothing he can't make the people believe. Clark, now furious and with no way to publicly repsond without hurting Jon, goes a bit back to his Golden Age roots: after several talks with the more-cynical Lois, starts doing more covert ops at night, working against the corruption by force (maybe we bring his "Gangbuster" copy disguise back for the callback of it?)

That's not a whole idea, but there might be some fun bits in there.

[Ascended]

.....you know what nobody has mentioned yet?

Clark's kind of a politician too, now. Founder of the United Planets, representative of earth.

So how does *that* impact Lex being POTUS?

I know the United Planets hasn't been a major focus in the books outside of that first arc or two, but Clark *did* put the Authority together because the UP wouldn't back him up and we had that subplot during Warworld with Mongul and the UP representative. It hasn't been a plot focus but it's still been mentioned and referenced, it's still an "active" part of canon. Lex getting elected would be a good excuse to focus an arc on it. Unless we're still thinking it should be a flashback re-telling, then obviously it doesn't line up.

...how old would Jon have been when Lex was president?

[JBatmanFan05]

Unless we're still thinking it should be a flashback re-telling, then obviously it doesn't line up.

Yeah, I'd only be game for a flashback retelling or revisiting. And even one that is "take it or leave it" for readers (you can still accept the original version if you want). I don't want current status quo stuff cluttering up or distracting the story. And I'd want some beats from the original in this retelling. I think DC could even face some confused backlash if they don't do this as a flashback retelling. Lex was President already and it was a big DC story involving some top respected creative talent that affected many titles and stories (like Batman NML, Talia, Imperiex, Manchester Black, Amanda Waller, Pete, etc) and got some media attention. Rucka, DeMatteis, Loeb, Joe Kelly, etc shouldn't have their President Lex story just abolished or written out. A lot of the execution problems were problems common for that time (or any time even)...creating comics fast and cheap, keeping them simple enough and safe enough.

My idea is only to give the prior story another chance to flesh it all out more, let it all breathe (off the center stage), take whatever advancements we've made in creating comics since 2001 and apply them to this story, this significant big chapter in Lex's history as a comic character. Revisit and celebrate more this chapter of Lex and this chapter of Superman comics.

[JAK]

.....you know what nobody has mentioned yet?

Clark's kind of a politician too, now. Founder of the United Planets, representative of earth.

So how does *that* impact Lex being POTUS?

I know the United Planets hasn't been a major focus in the books outside of that first arc or two, but Clark *did* put the Authority together because the UP wouldn't back him up and we had that subplot during Warworld with Mongul and the UP representative. It hasn't been a plot focus but it's still been mentioned and referenced, it's still an "active" part of canon. Lex getting elected would be a good excuse to focus an arc on it. Unless we're still thinking it should be a flashback re-telling, then obviously it doesn't line up.

...how old would Jon have been when Lex was president?

Wow, I honestly didn't even think about the UP! lol That would be interesting!

Yeah, I'd only be game for a flashback retelling or revisiting. And even one that is "take it or leave it" for readers (you can still accept the original version if you want). I don't want current status quo stuff cluttering up or distracting the story. And I'd want some beats from the original in this retelling. I think DC could even face some confused backlash if they don't do this as a flashback retelling. Lex was President already and it was a big DC story involving some top respected creative talent that affected many titles and stories (like Batman NML, Talia, Imperiex, Manchester Black, Amanda Waller, Pete, etc) and got some media attention. Rucka, DeMatteis, Loeb, Joe Kelly, etc shouldn't have their President Lex story just abolished or written out. A lot of the execution problems were problems common for that time (or any time even)...creating comics fast and cheap, keeping them simple enough and safe enough.

My idea is only to give the prior story another chance to flesh it all out more, let it all breathe (off the center stage), take whatever advancements we've made in creating comics since 2001 and apply them to this story, this significant big chapter in Lex's history as a comic character. Revisit and celebrate more this chapter of Lex and this chapter of Superman comics.

True - I was thinking if they did it now. But it would be better as an "at the time" story - especially as a stanalone series thing. And in three years, that story will be 30 years old, so it might not be a bad excuse to dive into it.

[Vordan]

I'd be willing....but grudgingly. I got no real issue with King, but what little I've seen of his Superman is just too generic post-Crisis "nice farmboy" for my tastes. I wouldn't be against giving him a shot, but in my experience King writes the "legend" more than the "character" if that makes sense? And a story like this.....I'd want a Superman with an edge and anger problems, not platitudes about forgiveness and second chances.

His Wonder Woman run is going to be interesting because if he can do right by Diana, I think he can do right by Clark. You’re right that his Superman doesn’t have enough “humanity” to him just yet, and I will admit that a lot of his interviews about the character can be… off-putting. He really loves reading old comics, and while there’s a lot of great Superman stuff to mine from the past, the risk is that he’ll just write Clark like Clark has never grown since his Silver/Bronze Age days. One area in particular I do have concerns is that he doesn’t rate Superman’s Rogues very highly. Sure they’ve historically not lived up to their potential but that doesn’t mean there isn’t potential there, the current era is finally digging into them. King doesn’t really read his peers work, and when it comes to Supermam, I think his last couple of years have been some of his best, so I need whoever takes over from Williamson/PKJ to have at least read their runs.

You've got a good argument. And I'm down for Clark having a "Jason Todd" moment that just breaks him. I'm really digging the idea of that actually. I just don't know if this is it, yknow? You say this is when Clark really sees that humanity can be bastards, but the way I figure it, he already knows that. He sees it, and hears it, all day every day.

I feel like Lex being elected would make Clark give up on trying to get along with institutions of authority. It'd bring him back to his social crusader days when he didn't care if he pissed off the people in charge. Maybe he'd even straight up go to war against Lex, and by extension the United States. I agree it'd make him question things, reconsider how he operates and what kind of role he should play in the world/nation. But would it break his spirit? Make him consider giving up on humanity and the Never Ending Battle? I don't think it would, I think Clark's well aware of how awful people can be and how easy it is to lead even the good folks astray. Especially during election cycles. I think POTUS Lex would be enough for Clark to take the kid's gloves off, but I don't think it would break him.

I think if you want to break Clark's spirit, you have to do it on a personal level. A nation electing a d-bag is.....just politics. I'm sure Clark is disappointed in us every four years (I know I am, even when my guy wins). Breaking his spirit requires, I think, something more intimate (not killing Lois).

Hah that’s actually the exact mindset shift I was thinking of. Remember that scene from Birthright where he fired a gun at a dude who sold guns to a school shooter? He essentially reverts to that mindset because of how mad he is, but the problem is Lex will gleefully take advantage of that to portray Superman as dangerously out of control (and… he very well might be!). So Clark is mad and he’s getting more aggressive which only results in Lex goading him all the more which causes Clark to escalate, and now you’ve got this terrifying cycle where it seems like Clark and Lex are locked on a course that’s going to cause the government and the heroes to go to war. And neither one is willing to back down.

.....you know what nobody has mentioned yet?

Clark's kind of a politician too, now. Founder of the United Planets, representative of earth.

So how does *that* impact Lex being POTUS?

I know the United Planets hasn't been a major focus in the books outside of that first arc or two, but Clark *did* put the Authority together because the UP wouldn't back him up and we had that subplot during Warworld with Mongul and the UP representative. It hasn't been a plot focus but it's still been mentioned and referenced, it's still an "active" part of canon. Lex getting elected would be a good excuse to focus an arc on it. Unless we're still thinking it should be a flashback re-telling, then obviously it doesn't line up.

...how old would Jon have been when Lex was president?

If Lex got elected to the Presidency around the same time Clark founded the United Planets, I could absolutely see Lex pushing for Earth to leave the UP, which drives Clark wild because it would basically leave him with zero credibility. If his homeworld bails on the UP, that basically robs him of any authority to speak within the UP, and he’d basically have to leave the organization he founded (which threatens to let someone like Zod step in and turn the UP into something like the Warsaw Pact where the stronger members exploit the weaker ones for their own gain). That could be very exciting to see how Clark deals with that since he’d probably be forced to make concessions to Lex to keep Lex on board.

First, on secret service: since Lex has been in Jail, that could possibly have been revoked (off-camera, as I've never seen that in the comics). But it also wouldn't surprise me if Lex simply refused secret service (too many potentially prying eyes) and was powerful enough to make it stick.





I like the general concept, but I tend to agree with all this. Here's my angle:

Lex becomes President, and Clark reacts basically as he did in the books when it happened; he tries to put on a good show but also find a way to show what Lex is. But Lex has too much power and knows how to use it; news isn't reported, politicians rally around him, etc. Superman is fine but goes harder, and it backfires - and the consequences land on Jon. He tries again, and Jon is again blamed, this time arrested (or something like that), with Lex basically telling Superman that he knows he'll just keep trying if just between them, so Jon will always be blamed (and worse) if he continues. He also tells him that he has all the media and politicians in his pocket, and there's nothing he can't make the people believe. Clark, now furious and with no way to publicly repsond without hurting Jon, goes a bit back to his Golden Age roots: after several talks with the more-cynical Lois, starts doing more covert ops at night, working against the corruption by force (maybe we bring his "Gangbuster" copy disguise back for the callback of it?)

That's not a whole idea, but there might be some fun bits in there.

I love the idea that Lex becoming President flips the traditional PR dynamic between Lex and Clark. Now Lex is the one the papers are fawning over while Clark is fuming and running around going “no HE’S the villain and I’M the hero, how come you idiots don’t see that?!?!?!” Basically puts Clark in Lex’s position and we get to see if Clark can turn things around now that the shoe is on the other foot.