LEX LUTHOR

'Lex Luthor' is a fictional supervillain owned by DC Comics and the noted archenemy of Superman. Created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, he first appeared in ''Action Comics'' #23 (1940).
Lex Luthor has played varied roles within the shifting continuities of the DC universe, ranging from a pulp-inspired mad scientist to unrepentant killer,^[1] but is always depicted as a genius who is unregulated by morals or conscience. Following a makeover to the character during the 1960s, an origin story portrays Luthor as an embittered scientist who blames Superman for a lab accident that left him bald. In the 1980s, he was rewritten as a Machiavellian industrialist and white-collar criminal, even briefly serving as President of the United States. In 2006, ''Wizard'' magazine rated him the 8th greatest villain of all time.^[2]
Luthor was portrayed in the 1978 ''Superman'' film by Gene Hackman, who reprised the role in two sequels. The role was inherited by Kevin Spacey in the 2006 film ''Superman Returns''. The part of Lex Luthor been played by several actors on American television, including Sherman Howard in the television series ''Superboy'', and John Shea in ''. Michael Rosenbaum currently portrays Lex as a young man on the CW series ''Smallville''.
Lex Luthor is one of many Superman characters with the initials "LL" - others include Lois Lane, Lana Lang and Lori Lemaris.

Fictional character biography

Pre-Crisis

Alexei Luthor

Luthor as seen in ''Superman'' #4. Art by Paul Cassidy.

When Luthor first appeared in 1940,^[3] he was portrayed with a full head of red hair. In the following year, Luthor came to be completely bald after an artist's mistake in ''Superman'' #10.^[4] Following approval by Shuster and Siegel, the more striking appearance was adopted and became a Luthor trademark. Interestingly, Siegel and Shuster's original short story, "''Reign of the Superman''", featured a bald extraterrestrial villain.^[5]^[6]
In his first appearance, Luthor is a megalomaniacal dictator who plots to ignite a war between two European nations, thereby plunging the world into chaos.^[7] His first name and origin are not explored in his Golden Age incarnation, and he remains known only by surname for some time. Using a vast array of sci-fi weaponry, Luthor attempts to sabotage a critical peace conference, but is stopped by Superman. Although he discovers Superman's weakness to kryptonite, Luthor ultimately fails to kill him.
When the DC multiverse began to take hold in the 1960s, the red-haired Luthor was rewritten as Lex Luthor's counterpart from a parallel universe, specifically Earth-Two. In the lead-up to the multi-issue series ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'', Alexei joins forces with his Earth-One counterpart, each attempting to defeat the other's version of Superman. When Alexei challenges Brainiac's partnership with Lex, Brainiac determines that one Luthor is enough, and vaporizes Alexei to settle the dispute.^[8]

Lex Luthor

The Bronze Age Lex Luthor attacking Superman, from the cover of ''Superman'' (Vol. 1) #292, October 1975. Art by Curt Swan.

The 'classic' Lex Luthor is a pulp-inspired mad scientist who typically plots to take over the world, or destroy it, through the use of fantastic machines. In 1960, Jerry Siegel wrote an origin story that revealed that Luthor's hate for Superman stems from a past encounter:^[9]^[10] During his youth, a young Lex had been friends with Superboy. While attempting to create a serum that will erase the danger posed by kryptonite forever, a laboratory accident destroys Lex's work and causes his hair to fall out. Lex blames Superboy for the incident and, in trying to exact revenge, devolves into a criminal; Over time he becomes Superman's greatest enemy. Although he is routinely sent back to prison, Lex always manages to escape to threaten the world again (Luthor's early stories often begin with him sitting in prison and wearing a gray uniform).^[11]
Although he is an infamous criminal on planet Earth, Luthor is a hero and savior of the planet Lexor. Lex uses the alien world as a retreat, eventually marrying and siring a son there; both of them die when Luthor's vendetta toward Superman backfires on him (see "Hero of Lexor", below). Taking up Lexorian armor, a vengeful Luthor renews his campaign against Superman until the ''Crisis on Infinite Earths''. Following the change in ''Detective Comics'' continuity, Lex Luthor's creation and personality were altered to become the modern-day malevolent businessman.
Lex Luthor's originally-stated goals were to kill Superman and to take over Earth as a stepping stone to dominating the universe.^[12] In addition to using his inventions to combat Superman's powers, Luthor shows an affinity for disguises, adopting wigs and aliases on a number of occasions. Although none of these attempts to kill Superman work permanently (though a classic non-canonical story from 1961 entitled "''The Death of Superman''" has Luthor finally killing Superman after lulling him by pretending to go straight), Luthor's persistence makes him Superman's most troublesome foe.

Origin

In ''Adventure Comics'' #271, published in 1962 (and written by Jerry Siegel), the Silver Age origin of Luthor is retroactively explained, and Luthor is finally granted a first name, "Lex." When Luthor is a teenager, his family moves to Smallville, and he becomes a big fan of Superboy. In gratitude and to encourage Lex's scientific pursuits, Superboy builds Lex a fully-stocked laboratory. There, Lex begins experiments in creating an artificial new form of life, along with a cure for kryptonite poisoning.

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However, when a fire catches in Lex's lab, Superboy mistakenly uses his super-breath to extinguish the flames, spilling chemicals which cause Luthor to go prematurely bald; The botched rescue also destroys Lex's artifical lifeform, along with any hope for a kryptonite cure.^[13] Angered, Lex attributes Superboy's actions to jealousy and vows revenge. He first tries to show Superboy up with grandiose inventions that will improve the lives of Smallville's residents, but each goes dangerously out of control time and again and requires Superboy's intervention. Unwilling to accept responsibility for these catastrophes, Lex rationalizes that Superboy is out to humiliate him, and pledges to devote his life to proving he is Superboy's (and later Superman's) superior by eliminating the hero.
This origin makes Luthor's fight with Superman a personal one, and suggests that if events had unfolded differently, Luthor might have been a more noble person; these elements were played up in various stories in the 1970s and 1980s, particularly in Elliot S. Maggin's text novel ''Last Son of Krypton''.

Hero of Lexor

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Though a fugitive on Earth, Luthor is revered on the alien world of Lexor—which in fact renamed itself in honor of him—where he used his scientific genius to rediscover the planet's lost technology and rebuild the inhabitants' ruined civilization. As a result, he becomes a hero in the eyes of Lexor's people, whereas Superman is detested as a villain.^[14] At one point, Luthor actually endows himself with superpowers and becomes the 'Defender'. He eventually marries a local woman named Ardora,^[15] with whom he fathers a son.
After its debut,^[16] Lexor appears sporadically in various Superman comics as Luthor's base of operations, where he wages assaults on Superman. During one such battle, Lex flees Earth and returns to Lexor to draw Superman to his destruction. But when an energy salvo from Luthor's battlesuit accidentally overloads the "Neutrarod" (a spire Luthor had built to counter Lexor's geological instability), the result is the total destruction of the planet, killing all of its inhabitants, including Luthor's wife and son there. Superman initially assumes Luthor has also been killed in the blast, but this is due to his unfamiliarity with the rugged design of Luthor's battlesuit. Luthor eventually returns to Earth, unable to accept his own role in Lexor's destruction and blaming Superman for it.^[17]
Although the post-crisis "reboot" removed Lexor from continuity, Lex's trademark battlesuit from that era; a heavily-armored, flight-capable suit with kryptonite fixtures embedded in its gauntlets,^[18] has reappeared in modern continuity, most notably during ''Infinite Crisis''.

''Crisis on Infinite Earths''

During the ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' Luthor allies himself with fellow Superman foe Brainiac in order to recruit an army of super-villains spanning the DC Multiverse, taking advantage of the confusion caused by the ''Crisis'' for their own benefit. However, once it becomes clear that it is as much in their interests to save the multiverse as anyone else, Luthor and Brainiac reluctantly ally their faction with Superman and the other heroes. The Bronze Age Luthor is involved in a battle on Maltus with other super-villains to prevent Krona from beginning the experiment which created the multiverse in the first place; instead, reality is altered so that the different universes fall into their proper place, converging into one. Afterwards, Luthor is returned to prison with all his memories of the alliance forgotten. Luthor remains a foe of Superman until the DC Comics continuity is retconned in the months following the ''Crisis''.

Personality

Superman himself acknowledged that the Silver Age Luthor was a man of his word who would honor promises he made. On occasion, he comes to the aid of innocents, even when doing so will lead to his capture and inevitable return to prison. Also, he genuinely cares for the people of Lexor. Shamed by his criminal acts, Lex's parents, Jules and Arlene, disown him, move away and change their name to the anagram "Thorul". Luthor has a younger sister named Lena, an empath who grows up unaware of her familial connection with him.^[19] Protective of his sister, Luthor takes measures to hide his fraternity, and is assisted towards this end by both Superman and Supergirl. Luthor considers Albert Einstein a great personal idol, and makes a special effort to escape prison around the anniversary of Einstein's birthday each year, and visit places of significance in Einstein's life.^[20]^[21]

Post-Crisis

Modern Luthor

In 1986, John Byrne's "reboot" of Superman's mythos in the limited series, ''The Man of Steel'', rewrote the character of Lex Luthor from scratch, intending to make him a villain that the 1980s would recognize: a corporate white-collar criminal. This idea is credited to Marv Wolfman.^[22]

Origins

Cover detail of ''Lex Luthor: The Unauthorized Biography'' graphic novel, 1989. Art by Eric Peterson.

In the post-''Man of Steel'' mythos, Luthor is born in the Suicide Slum district of Metropolis. In his teens, Alexander Joseph "Lex" Luthor grows up in an abusive household. His closest friend is schoolmate Perry White, who encourages Lex's aspirations of escaping the slums. To survive in this harsh environment, Lex cultivates friendships with criminals, instilling in himself a ruthless savvy and talent for manipulation. He takes out a large insurance policy on his parents without their knowledge, then sabotages their car's brakes, killing them.^[23]
Lex is sent to live with equally-brutal foster parents, where he will wait until he became of legal age to collect the insurance money; when he does, he places it in a secret account. His foster parents scheme to steal his money, forcing their daughter (and Lex's foster sibling) into seducing Lex so they can learn of its location. Lena, who has romantic feelings for Lex, refuses to cooperate, and for her trouble is beaten to death by her enraged father. Lex is absent from the home at the time of the murder, having been talked into going to a football game by Perry. Lex blames Perry for keeping him from Lena's side, and the former friends become avowed enemies.^[24]
Decades later, on the day Lex's child is born, Lex finally avenges himself on his foster father by hiring him to assassinate the Mayor of Metropolis. In the wake of the successful hit, Lex meets with Lena's killer in an alley (under the pretense of payment) and personally slays him with a handgun. Following this incident, he names his newborn daughter Lena.^[25]
Upon graduating from MIT, Lex launches his own business, LexCorp, which grows to dominate much of Metropolis.^[26] Still harboring bitterness toward Perry White, Lex begins an affair with his wife, fathering a baby with her. The offspring Jerry White later learns of his true parentage during his late teens, shortly before being killed by a local street gang he was associated with.^[27]

Superman

Several months after Superman first appeared on the scene, terrorists attack a society gala aboard Lex Luthor's yacht.^[28] Luthor observes Superman in action, and once the gunmen are dispatched, hands the hero a personal check. But when Luthor admits that he had not only anticipated the attack, but had ''arranged'' for it to occur in order to lure Superman out, Mayor Berkowitz deputizes Superman to arrest Luthor for reckless endangerment.^[29] Luthor's temporary incarceration left him seething, and he vows to make Superman pay for this humiliation. Since then, Luthor's hatred for the Man of Steel has escalated to an obsession; When Superman was apparently slain in battle with the alien monstrosity Doomsday, Luthor felt "cheated" that a "lifeless monster" had robbed him of his life's work,^[30] and sank into a chronic depression state until Superman debuted again.

Cancer and cloning

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Luthor acquires his first prized sample of kryptonite from the cyborg Metallo, who is powered by a "heart" of kryptonite rock. Fashioning a ring from the alien ore deadly to Superman, Luthor wears it as a symbol that he was untouchable, even to the man of steel. He eventually suffers from a severe cancer in the 1990s, caused by long-term radiation exposure to his kryptonite ring.^[31] (Before this, kryptonite was assumed to produce a 'clean' radiation that was harmless to humans). Luthor's hand required amputation to prevent the cancer's spread, but by then it has already metastasized; it is determined that his condition is terminal.
As he slowly dies, Luthor's amputated hand is replaced with a robotic prosthetic. While mulling over his fate, he visits the grave of his deceased illegitimate son, Jerry White.^[32] Luthor soon fakes his own death by taking a jet on a proposed trip around the world and crashing it in the Andes; this is merely a cover for the transplant of his brain into a healthy clone of himself, which he passes off as his hitherto unknown, illegitimate son and heir, Lex Luthor II; This deception is helped by a vibrant new body and full head of red hair.^[33]^[34]
Luthor II inherits control of LexCorp and seduces Supergirl,^[35] all so he can continue to torment Superman. However, Luthor's new clone body begins to deteriorate and age at a rapid rate (a side-effect of a disease that affects all clones). Meanwhile, Lois Lane discovers proof that the "senior" Luthor had years earlier murdered a female LexCorp employee and framed an innocent man for the murder.^[36] This leads Lois to the truth regarding Lex's faked death and false identity; with help from Superman, she exposes the truth. By the end, Luthor becomes a permanent prisoner in his cloned body, unable to even blink, and swearing vengeance on Superman.
However, aid comes in the form of the demon Neron; Luthor promptly sells his soul in exchange for Neron restoring his body to vibrant health, although he once more loses his hair.^[37] Returning to Metropolis, Luthor freely turns himself over to the police and is put on trial. He is acquitted on all counts when Luthor claims to have been kidnapped by renegade scientists from Cadmus Labs, who replaced him with a violent clone that is allegedly responsible for all the crimes Luthor is charged with.^[38] The emergence of an insane "clone" Luthor during his testimony cements his innocence in the eyes of the law, and he is released.

Relationships

Lex Luthor and the Contessa. Art by Stuart Immonen.

Although Lex has pledged vengeance on Lois Lane for temporarily crippling his reputation, Lex has an unspoken love for her. On several occasions he has commented that had Superman not arrived in Metropolis, he would have used his time and energy instead to win Lois and marry her (indeed, in his very first post-''Crisis'' appearance he is actively pursuing her; Marv Wolfman originally planned for the two to have been actually romantically involved, with Lois leaving him for Superman, giving Luthor another reason to hate his foe, but Byrne modified the plan when he wrote the actual issue).
The post-''Crisis'' Lex Luthor has been married eight times, though the first seven marriages occurred off-panel in Luthor's past. His eighth and final marriage to Contessa Erica Alexandra Del Portenza,^[39] (otherwise known simply as "The Contessa") is based on mutual manipulation and greed. The Contessa buys controlling interest in LexCorp after Luthor is indicted, compelling Lex into marrying with her in order to regain control of his company. The Contessa becomes pregnant^[40] and starts using the unborn child to dominate Lex into doing her bidding. Luthor's response is to imprison her while she is drugged during childbirth, then lock her up, keeping her in a permanently-drugged unconscious state. The Contessa later escapes to an island mansion,^[41] but upon being elected President, Luthor targets her home with a barrage of missiles and destroys it.^[42]

President of the United States

Cover to ''Lex 2000'' #1, featuring Lex Luthor as president of the United States. Art by Glen Orbik.

Lex became the president of the United States in 2000, winning the election on a platform of promoting technological progress (his first action as president was to take a proposed moratorium on fossil-based fuels to U.S. Congress).
Luthor is assisted by the extreme unpopularity of the previous administration's mishandling of the Gotham City earthquake crisis. Ironically, Batman ultimately learns that the entire debacle was the fault of Luthor alone, which results in Bruce Wayne severing all commercial ties between the U.S. government and his company, Wayne Enterprises, in protest of Luthor's election as President. Luthor responds in turn by ordering the murder of Wayne's lover Vesper Fairchild, and .
An early triumph of Luthor's first term is the ''Our Worlds At War'' crisis, in which he coordinates the U.S. Army, Earth's superheroes and a number of untrustworthy alien forces to battle the main villain of the story arc, Imperiex. However, as it is eventually revealed, Lex knew about the alien invasion in advance and did nothing to alert Earth's heroes to it, which led to Topeka, Kansas being destroyed by an Imperiex probe, along with global devastation.

Fall from power

Luthor outfitted in armor reminiscent of his Silver Age "War Suit", from ''Supergirl'' #0.

In an attempt to blame Superman for a kryptonite meteor approaching the Earth, Luthor unwittingly brings his Presidential chapter to a close; his schemes to cover up the Imperiex invasion and deceive Batman into thinking John Corben (the man who became Metallo) murdered Thomas and Martha Wayne are exposed. In response, a cadre of superheroes storms the White House to remove him from power. In desperation, Luthor uses a variant combination of the "super-steroid" Venom (a chemical closely associated with the Batman villain Bane), liquid synthetic green kryptonite, and an Apokoliptian battlesuit to fight Superman directly. The madness that is a side effect of Venom takes hold, and Luthor admits he had traded the creature Doomsday to Darkseid in return for weapons during the ''Our Worlds at War'' crisis; this provides a confession which is captured on video by Batman.
Returning to LexCorp headquarters to regroup, Luthor finds that the acting C.E.O., Talia Head, has sold the entirety of the company assets to the Wayne Foundation (owned by Batman, Talia's past love interest). Disgraced, Luthor goes underground, and vice president Pete Ross steps forward to take his place as national leader. Ross later resigns, however, leaving the presidency to a Senator named Jonathan Horne.

''Birthright''

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The 2004 12-issue limited series '' provides an alternate look at Luthor's history, including his youth in Smallville and his first encounter with Superman, with a few elements lifted from the 2001 television series ''Smallville''. Examples of the show's influence include Lex's problematic relationship with his wealthy father, Lionel Luthor. Birthright also reinvents the Silver Age notion of Lex originally befriending Clark Kent, who shares his interest in astronomy. During a failed experiment to communicate with a lost alien civilization (Krypton), an explosion erupts which singes off Lex's hair and kills his father. By the time Clark meets him again in Metropolis years later, Lex has launched a billion-dollar business and is the foremost astrobiologist in the world, but has also become corrupt and misanthropic.
Mark Waid has gone on the record as stating that his original outline for "Birthright" had Waid restoring Luthor's pre-''Crisis'' background as a mad scientist and jettisoning the notion of Luthor being a respected but evil businessman. In the retrospective section of the published "''Birthright''" graphic novel, Waid described his view that Luthor operating free and unchallenged in Metropolis for years makes Superman look "ineffectual".^[43]

The Insiders

Lex Luthor went into hiding, preparing to activate a mind control program planted inside the brain of the current Superboy Conner Kent (created with 50% of Lex's and 50% of Superman's DNA) to help him gain revenge against Earth's mightiest heroes. Luthor has also been carefully surveiling the new Supergirl, but his attempt to split her personalities using black kryptonite backfired when the "evil" incarnation of Kara Zor-El rebelled against Luthor and nearly killed him.

The New Secret Society

Alexander Luthor, Jr., the son of Earth-Three's Lex Luthor, returned to the DC Universe along with other survivors from ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' as part of a scheme to create a perfect Earth, under the pretense of restoring Earth-Two. To this end, he assumed Lex Luthor's identity and created a new Secret Society of Super Villains.
The real Lex Luthor took on the identity of Mockingbird and formed a super-villain version of the Secret Six, whose purpose was to subvert the new Secret Society created by Alexander. Lex swore vengeance against the impostor for taking his place.

''Infinite Crisis''

In ''Infinite Crisis'' #3, Lex confronted Alex Luthor after tailing him for several months. Alex's identity was exposed to Lex during the following fight. He and Superboy-Prime managed to destroy his battlesuit, but Lex escaped via short-range teleporter.
Luthor then visited Conner Kent (in recovery at Titans Tower). Lex gave words of vengeance against Alex Luthor and Superboy-Prime, and slipped onto Conner's person a crystal shard (collected during his fight with Alex) showing the location of Alexander's Arctic Fortress. Conner later went to Nightwing and the two agreed to stop Alexander. At the end of ''Infinite Crisis'' #7, Lex Luthor oversees the Joker's execution of Alexander.
Luthor has shown an unusual (at least by his standards) compassion for Conner Kent; it seems that by watching Superboy throughout the course of his short life, Lex came to see Conner as his son. At one point, Luthor is shown visiting a memorial statue of Superboy in Metropolis and placing flowers there.

Cover art for ''52'' Week Thirty-Nine, by J.G. Jones.

''52''

Main articles: 52 (comic book)

In 52 Week Three, the Gotham City Police Department finds what appears to be Luthor's body in an alley. John Henry Irons examines the body at S.T.A.R. Labs and notes that the corpse was altered postmortem to make it resemble Lex Luthor. During a press conference, the genuine Luthor publicly states that the body is that of an impostor from another Earth, and the man truly responsible for the crimes Luthor is being charged with. Though Alexander's body had a missing finger and a different appearance from Lex at the time of his death, ''52'' editor Stephen Wacker has confirmed that the body found in Gotham is indeed Alex, and that Luthor had it altered before the police discovered it.^[44]
Lex strives to rebuild his fallen reputation; He becomes spokesman for a new procedure, created by the Everyman Project, that engineers ordinary citizens to develop superpowers. However, during the autopsy of Alex Luthor, Lex secretly exposes John to the chemicals involved in his creating his new army of super-heroes, turning John into a literal man of steel. When approached by John's niece Natasha Irons, Lex gladly allows her to be one of his first test subjects. Using Natasha and several other test subjects, Luthor forms his own team of super-powered "heroes", which are introduced as the new Infinity Inc. In week #21, this new Infinity Inc. is in the midst of a battle with Blockbuster (which Luthor has created as well), when he demonstrates that he can 'shut off' the powers of each of his agents; this results in the death of his speedster, Trajectory.
At the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve, Luthor sets in motion a calculated plot to discredit Supernova, a new hero who has taken over defending Metropolis in Superman's absence: Luthor triggers a mass-shutdown of the powers of everyone who has undertaken the Everyman program, except for the members of Infinity Inc. As multiple flight-powered Everymen plummet to their deaths, underground gas mains rupture from the impact, which adds civilians to the death toll. However, Luthor's plot ultimately fails when Supernova is able to spectacularly minimize the disaster.
In week 39 of the series, Natasha Irons (in an attempt to better learn Luthor's motives) discovers that, in fact, Lex has been testing himself to see if he is compatible with the artificial meta-gene treatment. The scientist in charge had fabricated evidence to deceive Luthor into thinking he was incompatible with the procedure, but Luthor subsequently learned the truth and performed it on himself. In week 40, John Henry Irons leads an assault on Luthor's building; despite the destruction of his armor during the fight, he confronts Luthor - only to find himself badly outclassed, as Luthor demonstrates nearly all of Superman's powers in a matter of moments - heat vision, x-ray vision, invulnerability, super-strength, flight, super-hearing, and the ability to see well beyond the visible spectrum. However, Natasha uses her uncle's hammer to trigger an electromagnetic pulse which shuts down the synthetic metagene long enough for Steel to knock Lex unconscious. Lex is disgraced, and later faces indictment when the members of the Everymen realize they have been used.

''One Year Later''

Main articles: One Year Later

Luthor, from ''Action Comics'' #837 (May 2006). Art by Pete Woods.

One year after the events of ''Infinite Crisis'' Luthor is cleared of over 120 criminal counts ranging from malfeasance to first-degree murder relating to the New Years Eve massacre from "52". However, his role in the massacre has permanently ruined his public image and thanks to the machinations of Doctor Sivana, he has lost control over his newly reformed LexCorp. He blames Clark Kent for writing articles unraveling his schemes, and pledges vengeance on Metropolis after an angry mob jeers him on the courthouse steps.
After amassing large quantities of kryptonite, including kidnapping the supervillains Metallo and the Kryptonite Man, Lex uses it to power a kryptonian battleship controlled through a "sunstone" crystal. Superman manages to destroy the kryptonite-powered ship and recover the crystal, but Lex manages to escape custody yet again.

Countdown

Lex is set to play a large role in the upcoming Countdown tie-in event, Salvation Run.

Earth-Three

Alexander Luthor of Earth-Three, reacting to the death of Superwoman, from ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' #1 (April 1985). Art by George Pérez.

In much the same way that Superman and other heroes have evil analogs on the parallel world of Earth-Three, Luthor had a heroic counterpart there. Alexander Luthor was the only superhero in that world's history, and reluctantly decided to adopt a heroic identity to combat his world's analog of the Justice League, the evil Crime Syndicate of America. This version, who eventually married the Lois Lane of Earth-Three, died in ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'', but was survived by their son, Alexander Luthor, Jr., one of the most pivotal figures in ''Infinite Crisis''.
In the late 1990s '' graphic novel, an updated version of Earth-Three and its version of Luthor were reintroduced to the post-Crisis DC Universe. The physical appearance of this Lex resembles the pre-Crisis Earth-One version from 1983s ''Action Comics'' (down to the battlesuit he wears). In this version of events, the heroic Luthor traveled from his Earth (located in the anti-matter universe rather than being an alternate positive-matter one) to the mainstream DC Earth, captured and posed as his villainous counterpart, and subsequently asked the Justice League to help him rebuild his world. However, since "evil always wins" in this alternate world, the attempt failed, and Luthor resigned himself to being the only noble character on his Earth, although the Syndicate Rules story arc in JLA showed another group of heroes on this world named the Justice Underground; there was also a mention of the Luthor of Earth Two awaiting a mock trial before his public execution.
However, at the end of the story, the JLA released all the CSA's prisoners before returning to Earth One. It is not known, although very probable, that Luthor was among the released prisoners.

All-Star Superman

The Lex Luthor of ''All-Star Superman'' seems closer to his past Silver Age incarnation, as he is seen plotting Superman's downfall and world domination schemes while in prison.

Super Dictionary

Lex Luthor was also featured in the 1978 book ''The Super Dictionary''. Luthor appeared in the entry for 'forty'. The artwork showed Luthor (sporting his classic 70's green and purple jumpsuit) stealing forty cakes (which looked suspiciously like pies).^[45] The text of the entry described this deed as "terrible."

In other media

''Atom Man Vs. Superman''

Luthor was revealed to be the mystery villain in the second ''Superman'' serial which aired in 1950, titled ''Atom Man vs. Superman''. He was played by Lyle Talbot.

Film series

''Superman: The Movie''

Gene Hackman as Luthor in the 1980 film ''Superman II''.

Actor Gene Hackman played the role of Lex Luthor in the 1978 movie ''Superman'', and in two of its three sequels (''Superman II'' and '').
Hackman's portrayal of Luthor is that a comedic villain; he is mainly motivated by money, as well as a desire to swindle as big a fortune as possible to prove how smart he is; Luthor tends to punctuate each sentence with self-aggrandizing statements. He is apparently also insecure about his baldness, and wears a variety of wigs to conceal it (he does not appear bald at all during ''Superman IV''). When not in complete control of a given situation, Luthor has a habit of trying to talkhis way out of trouble, as he does repeatedly with General Zod.
In the first film, Luthor's high-tech hideout harkens back to the secret lairs of his "Golden Age" comic counterpart;^[46] it is located in an abandoned railway terminal deep beneath the Metropolis streets. Luthor's schemes are offset by a tendency to surround himself with unsatisfactory help; He is burdened by his bumbling henchman Otis, and his conscience-stricken girlfriend Eve Teschmacher. Luthor attempts to divert missiles to hit the San Andreas fault, causing California to sink into the ocean, and turning its neighboring states into beach front property owned by Lex Luthor Incorporated.^[47] Although he nearly kills Superman using kryptonite, in the end he is thwarted and sentenced to prison. He escapes with Miss Teschmacher's help in ''Superman II'', in which he is relegated to comic relief. After journeying to the Fortress of Solitude using sled dogs (a plot point that recurs in ''Superman Returns''), he allies himself with General Zod in a bid to rule his own continent once the evil Kryptonians take over Earth. Lex does not appear in ''Superman III'', although an evil businessman named Ross Webster fills a similar role.
In 2006, an alternate version of ''Superman II'' was released as ''. This film includes additional sequences that were filmed by director Richard Donner but were cut from ''Superman II'' when another director took over the project. The Donner Cut is edited so that, to the casual observer, it appears as if Luthor is killed when Superman uses his heat vision to destroy the Fortress of Solitude. However in a deleted scene, Lex tries to negotiate with Superman into letting him be his partner before he's taken by the police. In another deleted scene (also not reinstated into the Donner Cut), Luthor subsequently escapes from prison again with the aid of Miss Teschmacher.
Luthor reappears in ''Superman IV'', escaping from prison once more, this time with the aid of his nephew Lenny. Once again, Lex allies himself with other villains, in this instance a cadre of war profiteers and arms dealers who are worried about what Superman's efforts to disarm the world's nuclear arsenals will do to their business. Lex uses his own DNA, combined with strand of Superman's hair that is stolen from a museum, to create a hybrid clone which he dubs "Nuclear Man." The radioactive villain possesses abilities similar to Superman, but receives his power from ''direct'' sunlight, whereas Superman can still operate in darkness. Superman exploits this weakness in the end, killing Nuclear Man and returning Lex to prison.

''Superman Returns''

Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor.

In the 2006 film ''Superman Returns'', Luthor is played by two-time Academy Award winner Kevin Spacey. At one point he compares himself to Prometheus in that, in taking the Kryptonian technology from the Fortress of Solitude for his own use, he is taking fire from the gods and giving it to the people. He still enjoys promoting himself through hyperbole, but has apparently grown comfortable with his baldness, and only wears wigs for the purpose of disguise.
In the film, Lex Luthor has spent five years in prison, intensifying his desire for revenge on Superman. During Superman's absence, he is released from prison and funds his criminal operations by seducing a wealthy, elderly benefactor Gertrude Vanderworth (portrayed by Noel Neill, who played Lois Lane in the ''Superman'' serials as well as the 1950s television series, and has made several cameo appearances in later Superman productions). Lex also recruits several goons who had allied with him in jail.
His machinations once again concern real estate, as they did in the first two films. Luthor plans to use crystals (like the one Superman used to create the Fortress of Solitude) stolen from Superman to create a new continent off the East Coast of the United States, destroying all surrounding landmass in the process and killing billions of innocent civilians. By fusing the crystal together with kryptonite, the landmass also has the added effect of sapping Superman's powers when he is in proximity, giving Luthor the advantage. After his scheme fails, Luthor uses a helicopter to escape capture, but it runs out of fuel, stranding him on a deserted island.
Luthor is confirmed to return for the 2009 sequel, with Spacey reprising the role.

Television

''Superboy''

In the late 1980s and early 1990s syndicated television show ''Superboy'', Luthor merely began as a rich, scheming college student played by Scott Wells. At the beginning of the second season, Superboy inadvertently spills chemicals that cause Luthor to go bald^[48] (this incident is near-identical to Lex Luthor's classic origin). Convinced that Superboy intentionally caused the accident, a deranged Lex kills a businessman and tries, unsuccessfully, to take his place via plastic surgery.^[49] Prematurely aged and bald-headed, he is replaced for the remainder of the series by actor Sherman Howard.

''Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman''

John Shea as Lex Luthor in ''Lois & Clark''.

In the television series '' (1993–1997), Lex Luthor is played by actor John Shea. In the eyes of the public, he is a beloved humanitarian, but Superman knows the truth. During the show's first season Clark Kent/Superman spends a good deal of time trying to prove that Luthor is corrupt, while Luthor tests Superman to find his weakness. He also comes up with dangerous plots to turn the public against Superman. At the end of season one, he manages to acquire a rare piece of kryptonite; he then devises a trap for Superman that almost kills him, but Superman narrowly escapes when Luthor leaves him to his fate. Just as Luthor is about to marry Lois Lane, the truth about his evil nature is exposed and he takes his own life rather than face imprisonment.^[50] Ironically, due to exposure to Luthor's kryptonite, Clark's powers are too weak and he cannot save him.
Following the season one finale, Lex's corpse disappears from the coroner's office. Later on, the body resurfaces in a lab where a devoted scientist (played by Denise Crosby) freezes Luthor's remains and labors to bring him back from the dead. She eventually succeeds, but as a side effect of his resurrection, Lex loses his hair.^[51] He is quickly disenchanted with the changes that have happened during his absence, particularly the emergence of Intergang, and by the news that his former fiancee Lois Lane is now dating Clark. Lex hides underground, again seeking kryptonite. But after kidnapping Lois in an attempt to reclaim her, he is traced to his sewer lair by Superman. This time however, Superman prevents Lex from taking his own life again to "cheat justice" and sends him to prison.
Luthor later escapes through a convoluted plot involving clones; first using a clone of the President to grant him a pardon, then kidnapping the real Lois Lane and replacing her with a clone just before her wedding to Clark.^[52] Luthor hopes to transfer the minds of himself and the genuine Lois into clone bodies so they may never be found. Although he tricks Lois' clone into divulging Superman's secret identity, he still fails in destroying Superman, and is killed the destruction of his lab.
Unbeknownst to anyone, Luthor has illegitimate sons, two of whom try to kill Superman over the course of the last two seasons. The second one, played by Keith Brunsmann, is facially deformed and disowned by his father, reduced to living in a furnished sewer/transit station beneath Metropolis. Lex Luthor Jr. hires a handsome stand-in (played by Patrick Cassidy) to impersonate him; The imposter poses as Lex Jr.'s public persona as he murders the CEOs of his father's old companies and rebuilds LexCorp.^[53] While Lex Jr. and his imposter manage to get their hands on a recording of the elder Luthor (John Shea's voice) revealing Superman's secret identity, both men are later killed in an explosion that levels the crypt. Lois is initially skeptical that Lex could have fathered these adult men, but Clark insists that no one can be sure of Luthor's true age since he was "a master of deception".

''Smallville''

Michael Rosenbaum as young Luthor on ''Smallville''.

The television series ''Smallville'' features a younger Lex Luthor, played by Michael Rosenbaum. Although his history echoes previous incarnations, this version of Lex did not begin as a bona fide villain.
Lex's full name is Alexander Luthor, modeled after Alexander the Great; his father, nefarious business mogul Lionel Luthor, idolizes the legendary general, and applies Alexander's tactics to the world of modern business. At the age of 9, Lex accompanies his father on a business trip to Smallville, unwittingly getting caught in the meteor shower that brings Kal-El to Earth; he survives, but loses his hair as a result (Superman's indirect involvement in Lex's hair loss resembles the Silver Age comic mythos). Lex later believes that the exposure which left him bald also gave him a "super" immune system and was the reason that he had never been sick after the event. Lex is the heir to LuthorCorp, and lives in an ornate mansion on the edge of Smallville.
Lex first meets his future nemesis Clark Kent when he loses control of his Porsche, slamming into Clark and plummeting off a bridge. It is after Clark saves his life that the two bond and become friends. ''Smallville'' plays on his relationship with Clark and how that deteriorates into the mutual enmity that they will have in life. Lionel Luthor exhibits many of the same characteristics as Lex's comic-book counterpart, and it is through his dysfunctional relationship with Lex that ''Smallville'' attempts to characterize how Lex eventually succumbs to his truly evil side; early seasons focused on Lex's severely traumatic and loveless upbringing, a stark contrast to Clark's own idyllic childhood.
In the second episode of Season Five, Lex's relationship with Clark finally ends when he arranges for Clark, his parents, and Lana Lang to be taken hostage, in an effort to prove that Clark is hiding some secret abilities. He nearly manages to record evidence of Clark's superpowers, but Clark's powers were taken away by his father, Jor-El, and Lex's efforts come to nothing. As resentment between the former friends grows, Lex further alienates Clark by becoming romantically involved with Lana.
At the end of season five, Milton Fine/Brainiac manipulates Lex into being possessed by the consciousness of General Zod. After recovery at the beginning of season six, Lex focuses on a secret project called 33.1 based around capturing and studying people who have been infected by kryptonite in order to recreate their abilities, ostensibly to protect the world against further alien threats. This puts him at odds with Clark and his new ally, billionaire vigilante Oliver Queen, aka the Green Arrow. At the same time, Lex becomes engaged to Lana after she supposedly becomes pregnant with his child (it turned out that she had been drugged with a synthetic hormone to simulate pregnancy). At the end of season 6, Lex is arrested for the murder of his wife, Lana Lang, who is (seemingly) caught in an explosion triggered by a car bomb.^[54]

Animation

''Super Friends''

Luthor was a recurring villain in Hanna-Barbara's ''Superfriends'' franchise that ran from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s. In the series ''Challenge of the Superfriends'' season, Luthor was head of the Legion of Doom, a coalition of villains who plotted the downfall of the titular heroes.^[55] Luthor appeared in his pre-''Crisis'' purple jumpsuit. He was voiced by Stan Jones.

''Ruby-Spears'' animated series

In the short-lived 1988 animated series produced by Ruby-Spears Enterprises, Luthor was shown as an evil businessman for the first time in other media. He is voiced by Michael Bell.

''Superman: The Animated Series''

.'']]
In the 1990s cartoon '' and the subsequent ''Justice League'' animated series Luthor was voiced by actor Clancy Brown of ''Highlander'' and ''Buckaroo Banzai'' fame (Brown originally auditioned for the role of Superman/Clark Kent, but that part went to Tim Daly instead).
Luthor in this version was again a corrupt businessman like his post-''Crisis'' comic book counterpart, and again his jealously and hatred of Superman ultimately brought down his empire.
According to the creators' commentaries on the First set of DVDs, this version of Luthor was inspired by Telly Savalas' interpretation of Bond villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld in ''On Her Majesty's Secret Service''.^[56]

''Justice League''

It is revealed early in the series that Luthor is suffering from a rare Blood Cancer caused from long term exposure to the radioactivity in the Kryptonite Shard he carried. While in prison, he bribes the Ultra-Humanite to free him, and the two band together as a two-member Injustice Gang to kill the Justice League. The Gang fails to live up Luthor's expectations, but the Joker joins the gang and reveals that Luthor has been bugged by Batman. Batman is taken hostage by Luthor, but is left alive, something that even the Joker (ironically) thinks is crazy. Luthor's attempts to destroy the Justice League Watchtower fail, and he miserably resorts to a last ditch effort. Using Humanite's technology he is able to give Lex a suit that will lower the attacks from his cancer as well as give him a fighting chance against Superman. However, Humanite betrays him when approached with an offer by Batman. After being exposed as a criminal and losing his business empire, Luthor's characterization turns more toward the original conception of a criminal genius obsessed with destroying Superman. He is eventually pardoned from his crimes after assisting the Justice League in defeating their alternate evil counterparts from a parallel universe, the Justice Lords. Afterwards, Luthor is interviewed by the press and implies that he is thinking of going into politics.

''Justice League Unlimited''

Luthor merged with Brainiac.

In the first season of ''Justice League Unlimited,'' Luthor announces he was running for President of the United States; This is later revealed to be a ruse to enrage Superman. In reality, Luthor is reality financially backing Project Cadmus, a shadow government organization devoted to stopping the League if they ever turn on Earth's population. Luthor ultimately betrays them, hijacking the League's space-based laser to take out Cadmus leaving the impression the League had attacked the United States government. While attempting to place his mind in a duplicate of A.M.A.Z.O., he is thwarted by Amanda Waller of Cadmus. At this point, it was revealed that Brainiac had possessed Luthor long ago, secretly manipulating his actions. After the two merge into a more complete being using alien nanotechnology, Luthor/Brainiac attempts to destroy the world, but they are halted by The Flash.
Luthor returns later to join the Legion of Doom, but, ironically, not as the leader (Gorilla Grodd). Luthor agreed to join in order to obtain the last remaining piece of Brainiac, which Grodd has in his possession. Luthor is obsessed with rebuilding Brainiac, as what is left of him is inhabiting Luthor's mind, giving him a sort of multiple personality disorder.^[57] It is unclear to the viewer, however, if Brainiac really exists and inhabits his mind, or if he is simply a mad figment of his imagination. Later on, using the failure of Gorilla Grodd's silly master plan to turn all humans into apes as pretext, Lex Luthor shoots Grodd and imprisons him, then assumes his place as leader.
After taking over as leader of the Legion, Luthor returns to trying to resurrect Brainiac. Using the power of the Legion headquarters, Luthor spends tireless hours trying to bring a fragment of Brainiac back online. At one point (seen in the episode ''The Great Brain Robbery''), believing that Grodd holding the pivital information, using his mind reading technology to read the villain's mind, but only to be accidentally switch bodies with the Flash, who are also trying to find information from Grodd of the whereabout of the Legion. Finally, with the help of Tala, Luthor tracks down Brainiac's base (seen in the episode "Twilight") and reconfigures the Legion base into a starship with which to seek out the remnants Brainiac's base. During the journey, Tala frees Gorilla Grodd, who mounts an insurrection against Luthor with his fellow Legion members. Just as Grodd moves to use his telepathic power on Luthor, Luthor uses his belt to take over Grodd's mind. Afterward, Luthor forces Grodd into an airlock and jettisons him into space.
The Legion, back under Luthor's power, returns to their task of resurrecting Brainiac. Luthor hooks Tala up to a machine, reminiscent of Brainiac's machine used against Superman, to transmutate remnants of Brainiac's base back into a working body of Brainiac. Before Luthor begins the process, Metron stops time and appears to him warning that he may be unleashing something that will affect the past, present and future. Luthor, still obsessed with becoming a god, ignores him, and the process begins.
Although the process is seemingly successful, Luthor actually ends up resurrecting Darkseid, who attempts to destroy the Legion. The remnants of the Legion, under Luthor, go to the Justice League Watchtower to warn the superheroes of the threat and insist on a temporary alliance in the defense of the planet. With the aid of the New God Metron, Luthor manages to acquire the Anti-Life Equation long sought by Darkseid, and uses it on the lord of Apokolips, (apparently) sacrificing his own life in the process. Batman, however, suspects that either one or both of them survived.

''Superman: Brainiac Attacks''

Lex Luthor was also featured in the direct-to-video animated movie ''. Lex's character designs from ''Superman: The Animated Series'', his job as a criminal businessman and his bodyguard Mercy Graves were used for this movie, but this version of Luthor acted similar to Gene Hackman's Luthor from ''. He constantly spouted one-liners and at one point threw a Tiki Torch Luau to celebrate Superman's presumed death. Lex Luthor was voiced by Powers Boothe in this movie.
Luthor's role in this movie had him forming an alliance with Brainiac (this is also treated as the first meeting between the two). He placed Brainiac in a new robot body and sent him to destroy Superman. Afterwards Brainiac would pretend to be defeated by Luthor and then leave Earth to conquer a different planet, while Luthor would appear as a hero to a people and then continue his quest to rule Earth. Naturally this plan failed, and it ended with a usual "Luthor under investigation" ending.

''Superman: Doomsday''

'']]
Lex Luthor will feature in the direct-to-video animated movie ''. Lex's character design is similar to those seen in ''Superman: The Animated Series'', but appears to be more along the lines of his Silver Age "evil genius" appearance than his more recent characterization as a corporate tycoon. Luthor will be voiced by James Marsters in this movie; Marsters also portrayed villain Milton Fine (Brainiac) in the fifth season of ''Smallville''.

''Legion of Super Heroes'' animated series

In the ''Legion of Super Heroes'' episode "Legacy", the young Superman meets Alexis, the "richest girl in the galaxy" in the 30th century, who also has a knack with machinery and access to powerful technology. A redhead who wears a purple jumpsuit (echoing Lex Luthor's original hair color and classic costume), Alexis starts out as a friend of Superman, but is scorned when he refuses to neglect his duties with the Legion in favor of spending time with her.
To get rid of the "competition" for Superman's time, Alexis equips enemies of the Legion with cutting-edge weaponry and, after luring Superman away with a fake distress call, personally dons a suit of robotic armor and leads an attack on the remaining Legion members. Superman returns in time to aid his friends and makes it clear to Alexis in no uncertain terms that he wants nothing more to do with her. Alexis decides to kill Superman, reasoning that if he won't be her friend, he won't be anybody else's either. In the struggle, the barrel of Alexis' gun overloads and her suit blows up. Superman pulls her free in time to save her life, but in addition to the injuries she sustained from the blast, all of her hair is seared off.
Instead of showing gratitude, Alexis is incensed. In the final scene, she has recovered and appears to be regrowing her hair while in prison. Her prison uniform displays the name "Luthor" written in the Interlac alphabet. While rebuilding her butler/bodyguard, the sinister Alexis states that she is actually grateful to the Legion, since they helped her realize her potential as a supervillainess. Alexis is voiced by Tara Strong. She is seen again in the season one finale where the Legion break out the Fatal Five. When she sees Superman she sticks her tongue out at him.

''Krypto the Superdog''

In the animated series, ''Krypto the Superdog'', Luthor (who is also portrayed as a rich businessman in the series, though he is only rarely seen) has a pet iguana named Ignatius. Like Luthor, Ignatius is intelligent, vain, and morally ambivalent. Ignatius is voiced by Scott McNeil.

''The Batman''

Luthor will appear in the fifth season of ''The Batman''. Reportedly, Clancy Brown will reprise his role from the DC animated universe.

Video games

Lex Luthor has appeared in every electronic game featuring Superman since the first ''Superman'' game released for the Atari 2600 with the exception of ''The Death and Return of Superman''. Most recently, he has appeared in the ''Superman Returns'' video game, but is only seen in cut scenes.

Name

Lex Luthor's full first name has over the years been variously spelled as Alexis, Alexei, and Alexander (currently his official first name), but originally "Lex" was not intended to be short for anything. In Latin, the name "Lex" translates as "law."
In ''Smallville'', his full name is Alexander Joseph Luthor. He is named after Alexander the Great, the historical general whom Lionel Luthor most admires and encourages his son to pattern himself after.

References

External links

★ The Unofficial Guide to the DC universe - The Unofficial Lex Luthor Chronology

★ Superman Homepage - Lex Luthor - A summarized history of the post-''Crisis'' Lex Luthor (3 parts)

★ ''Luthor Wins!'' - announcement of Lex Luthor's victory in the 2000 Presidential election, on the official DC Comics site

★ The Captain's Unofficial Justice League Homepage:Lex Luthor

★ Supermanica entry on the Pre-''Crisis'' Lex Luthor

★ The Justice League Watchtower - Lex Luthor

★ The Remaking of Lex Luthor From the Quarter Bin

★ Secret Files Entry for Lex Luthor from the official DC Comics website (requires Adobe Acrobat)

★ Lex Luthor Guilty AND Innocent! - "News article" on how Luthor had his name cleared in ''52''

★ The religion of Lex Luthor, Superman's arch-enemy

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LEX LUTHOR

Fictional character biography

Pre-Crisis

Alexei Luthor

Lex Luthor

Origin

Hero of Lexor

''Crisis on Infinite Earths''

Personality

Post-Crisis

Modern Luthor

Origins

Superman

Cancer and cloning

Relationships

President of the United States

Fall from power

''Birthright''

The Insiders

The New Secret Society

''Infinite Crisis''

''52''

''One Year Later''

Countdown

Earth-Three

All-Star Superman

Super Dictionary

In other media

''Atom Man Vs. Superman''

Film series

''Superman: The Movie''

''Superman Returns''

Television

''Superboy''

''Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman''

''Smallville''

Animation

''Super Friends''

''Ruby-Spears'' animated series

''Superman: The Animated Series''

''Justice League''

''Justice League Unlimited''

''Superman: Brainiac Attacks''

''Superman: Doomsday''

''Legion of Super Heroes'' animated series

''Krypto the Superdog''

''The Batman''

Video games

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References

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