Ending Battle Conclusion

Although it appeared to start out as a Lex Luthor story, the real mastermind of Ending Battle is neither Luthor nor even the Master Jailer, who gets the most airtime of any of the villains in this story.

Superman #187

Ending Battle part 5

Superman races back to Metropolis looking for Manchester Black, only to find the entire city has been cut off from the outside world with metallic bars like a giant prison.  Several villains--the Prankster, Neutron, Bizarro, and a new female Puzzler--are a minor inconvenience to the Man of Steel.  Neutron returns in a new suit, but Superman throws him into orbit.  As if there haven't been enough villains in this story already, even Mr. Mxyzptlk coincidentally chooses this moment to return to this dimension for some mischief, but he changes his mind when he sees Superman is too distracted by everything else.  

Instead of Manchester Black, Superman finds the Master Jailer in the heart of the imprisoned city, surrounded by half-naked citizens chained and ball-gagged in a strange BDSM fantasy.  Superman learns the prison has been designed not to keep him out, but to keep him inside. And then he's attacked by Metallo.

Adventures of Superman #609

Ending Battle part 6

Superman tosses Metallo into the bay so the villain can't get close enough to hurt him with his Kryptonite heart.  But then Superman is surrounded by an army of never-before-seen Marvel-esque villains resembling a female Galactus, the Green Goblin, M.O.D.O.K., Dr. Octopus, Stilt-Man, and more.  None of these supervillains are ever seen again after this story arc.  After quickly plowing through these new enemies, Superman locates the Master Jailer, now with Bizarro, Mongul, and the Silver Banshee in his entourage.

Lois gets impatient at the Steelworks and decides to sneak out to try to assist her husband and cover the story.  She makes a stop at her apartment but while she's there she's surprised to get a knock on the door.  She sees her elderly neighbor through the peephole, but when she opens the door it's actually Manchester Black!

Superman: The Man of Steel #131

Ending Battle part 7

While the Man of Steel struggles against more powerful enemies, Manchester Black emotionally tortures Lois Lane in her apartment with illusions of her disappointed father.  Superman leads the villains to a remote island away from the city so they can fight.  The Master Jailer's allies nearly defeat him, but Superman unexpectedly times it for Neutron to fall to Earth on them in an atomic explosion.  

Seeing this explosion in a hallucination, Lois reaches her lowest point of despair when she imagines Superman embracing Wonder Woman in a passionate kiss.  After disposing of the nuclear fallout, Superman races to their apartment, but he breaks through the door to find Manchester Black patiently waiting beside Lois Lane's dead body.

Action Comics #796

Ending Battle part 8

Gloating over Lois Lane's corpse, Manchester Black becomes a comic book villain stereotype and reveals his entire plan in a flashback.  Regaining his powers after their last encounter, Black was recruited by the U.S. government where he was able to manipulate President Luthor by revealing Clark's secret identity.  This elaborate scheme was all just to try to get Superman to kill him, but even with the apparent death of his wife Superman still refuses.  Failing once again to corrupt the Man of Steel, Manchester Black leaves and it turns out Lois was alive and unharmed all along.  Manchester Black erases Lex Luthor's memory of Superman's identity, then he goes to a run-down empty apartment and blows out his brains with his finger.  Lois and Clark spend several days in bed cuddling to recover from the ordeal until Superman is read to go out in the world unafraid.

This issue bills itself as "The death of Lois Lane," but it didn't really fool anybody at the time.  There hadn't been any advance marketing of such an important character death, and it technically would've already happened off-panel in the previous issue anyway.