The Man of Steel’s supporting cast follows a certain pattern: nearly every major player in Superman’s life has the initials “L.L.” Fans of the character have seen the number of Superman’s “L.L” friends grow seemingly without end, but the reasons given for the pattern are few and far between. However, an explanation of sorts appears in The Adventures of Superman #646, written by Greg Rucka with art by Karl Kerschl and colors by Tanya Horie, and it’s delivered by one of Superman’s strangest villains ever.
Superman writers’ fascination with the L.L. naming scheme began quite early in the hero’s history, with Lois Lane and Lex Luthor appearing in 1938 and 1940 respectively. Lana Lang (Superman’s first girlfriend) and Linda Lee (the civilian identity of Supergirl) soon followed, and before long a veritable avalanche of L.L. names appeared: Lara Lor-Van, Lori Lemaris, Letitia Lerner, and many others. No explanation was ever given in the Silver or Bronze Age of comics – although Superman would frequently comment on the sheer coincidence of almost everyone he met having the same initials. Many fans assume the L.L. initials point to an important issue concerning Superman’s past – and in The Adventures of Superman #646, they got their answer from none other than Mr. Mxyzptlk himself.
Mr. Mxyzptlk runs into Clark Kent and is in a terrible state. He has difficulties with his memory – he can’t even remember his own name – and is unable to return home to the 5th dimension. Clark buys Mxy a meal at a local bar and the two talk; while Clark takes an angry call from his editor, Mxy considers the nature of names possessing power, and considers the fact that so many of Superman’s acquaintances have the same initials. “In the Kryptonian alphabet, the nearest approximation to the letter ‘L’ is the symbol ‘Q’” he thinks to himself. “Ram two of them side by side and you’ve got something that looks like a lemniscate, the symbol for infinity.”
Even when suffering from amnesia, Mr. Mxyzptlk possesses otherworldly knowledge – he is from the 5th dimension, after all, and thus perceives time and space quite differently. Perhaps Mxy is commenting on the fact that Superman’s adventures are often cyclical in nature: Superman fights villains and saves cities from natural disasters, but those same threats always return. Myx is also one of a select few DC characters capable of breaking the fourth wall, so there’s a chance he’s even aware of Superman’s multiple reboots throughout his history.
It’s interesting to note that DC editorial has never officially stated the reason behind so many L.L. names in Superman’s circle of friends (and enemies), but, given his interdimensional nature, Mr. Mxyzptlk is the perfect character to explain the meaning behind the mystery. More of a trickster than a malicious supervillain, Mxy is in an excellent position to view Superman’s history as a whole - and all the times Superman‘s history seems to repeat itself.
