Overview[]
Power! Absolute power and wealth is all that this self-made businessman and high-tech mogul, Lex Luthor lusts after! Absolutely ruthless and absolutely amoral, Luthor's grandiose ambitions have led him to embark of various schemes which has led him into conflict with various superheroes, but most particularly Superman. Luthor has sought the Man of Steel's utter destruction purportedly because he is a major obstacle to his various schemes but the egotistical and vainglorious Luthor really hates Superman for the temerity for being the first person who he couldn't threaten, bully, buy off, blackmail, or intimidate into submission.
Lex Luthor first appeared on September 6, 1996 in Superman: The Animated Series episode, "The Last Son of Krypton, Part 2" and was voiced by Clancy Brown and would go on to reprise his role throughout the series run and into the later Justice League TV series as well, hounding the Man of Steel as his arch nemesis and incidentally threatening the entire world with his schemes.
Background[]
Lex Luthor is a major supervillain and criminal mastermind in the DC Universe and perhaps the most infamous arch-nemesis to Superman. Created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, Luthor debuted in Action Comics #23, published on April of 1940 by DC Comics and has made numerous appearances throughout the decades as Superman's primary enemy utilizing his brilliant mind to nearly destroy the Man of Steel numerous times.
Luthor himself has undergone numerous alterations over the decades. In his earliest appearances, he was depicted as having a full head of red hair. However, a new artist's mistake resulted in Luthor's baldness which has become part of his trademark design ever since.
He was originally a diabolical mad genius who used super-science for various convoluted criminal plots but in the late 1980's, the Superman titles underwent a major revamp with Luthor becoming a corrupt corporate executive who utilized his immense power and wealth against Superman while hiding behind his role as a philanthropist and respected business titan.
Ultimately developing cancer from long-term exposure of kryptonite radiation, which he blames Superman because he used it extensively against the Man of Steel; Luthor used stolen technology to create a clone of himself, masquerading as his illegitimate son, Lex Luthor II. His ruse was ultimately revealed but Luthor resumes his "old identity" by proclaiming that he had been kidnapped and replaced by an insane clone. Luthor would subsequently use his newfound legitimacy to run for political office, becoming the US President for a time and exploit his new political position against his old enemy.
Despite the fact that he lacks superhuman powers, Lex Luthor is considered to be Superman's number one enemy with his brilliant and cunning criminal mind and his various resources such as his scientific creations, wealth, immense resources, and even political power against the Man of Steel. He has made numerous appearances in various Superman comic titles over the decades but also has been adapted in a number of various films, animated cartoons, and television series starring the Last Son of Krypton as well.
Major Plots[]
Personality and Traits[]
Appearances[]
TV Series[]
Superman: The Animated Series[]
Season 1
- The Last Son of Krypton, Part 2
- The Last Son of Krypton, Part 3
- A Little Piece of Home
- The Way of All Flesh
- Stolen Memories
- The Main Man, Part 1
- My Girl
Season 2
- Blasts From the Past, Part 1
- Livewire
- Identity Crisis
- Target
- Action Figures
- Solar Power
- Brave New Metropolis
- Ghost in the Machine
- Father's Day
- World's Finest, Part 1
- World's Finest, Part 2
- World's Finest, Part 3
- Prototype
- Apokolips...Now, Part 2
Season 3
- A Fish Story
- Legacy, Part 1
- Legacy, Part 2
Justice League[]
Season 1
- Injustice For All, Part 1
- Injustice For All, Part 2
- Legends, Part 1
Season 2
- Tabula Rasa, Part 1
- Tabula Rasa, Part 2
- Only A Dream, Part 1
- A Better World, Part 1
- A Better World, Part 2
- Hereafter, Part 1
Season 3
- The Return
Season 4
- The Doomsday Sanction
- Clash
- Question Authority
- Flashpoint
- Panic in the Sky
- Divided We Fall
Season 5
- I Am Legion
- To Another Shore
- Dead Reckoning
- The Great Brain Robbery
- Grudge Match
- Alive!
- Destroyer
Trivia[]
Quotes[]
- "You see, uh... Super-man... I own Metropolis. My technology built it, my will keeps it going, and nearly two-thirds of its people work for me whether they know it or not. Even you have to admit, it's a model of efficiency. And yet, I've often thought... why limit myself to just one city?" ―Lex Luthor to Superman; Superman: The Animated Series, "The Last Son of Krypton, Part 3"
Other Versions[]
- Lex Luthor (Super Friends)
- Lex Luthor (Superman 1978)
- Lex Luthor (Lois & Clark)
- Lex Luthor (Smallville)
- Lex Luthor (Young Justice)
- Lex Luthor (DCEU)