Lena and the Luthor Poison
I honestly find it odd that people do not want to explore more Lena’s current relationship and perception of the Luthor’s poison for blood.
I have read many posts commenting on the possible differences between Lena’s and Lex’s upbringings, and while they are definitely right about certain points (especially on Lillian’s treatment of Lena), that definitely does not mean that she did manage to escape the anti-alien rhetoric or generally unpleasant elitist behaviors in the Luthor household. Especially with the amount of gaslighting that Lillian subjects her to in canon, I find it especially awing that she managed to escape being a bigot at all.
In fact, I headcanon that had Lex not turned into a mass-murdering maniac, Lena will have never realized just how toxic her mother was to them. She could have so easily turned evil like the rest of her family.
Can you just imagine a Tiny Lena watching her mother and father have conversations about just how dangerous and menacing those aliens are to society? Imagine dinner table conversations that revolve around less-than-honest business deals. Especially with the way Lena may have craved her mother’s validation, she could have just as easily felt compelled to act on the similar sentiments of her family just to feel like she belonged.
With the history of the Luthors, it is not so farfetched to believe that their entire bloodline is cursed with madness. Messages ingrained in childhood are usually long-lasting, and they exist more as subconscious impressions instead of conscious thoughts. These messages could still be at the back of her mind despite all her efforts to do good.
Intrusive thoughts and self-doubt are not uncommon to victims of gaslighting. While there might be no real danger to Lena turning evil, the doubts in her head do not just go away overnight. Her fears exist and, as far as she is concerned, are both rational and valid.
More than her possible turn to evil, I think (hope) that Damage is all about Lena’s fears about herself turning into a reality and she deals with such a difficult possibility.