Lex Luthor is a powerful business magnate. The son of Lionel Luthor, he had a high position within LuthorCorp and was sent to the town of Smallville to manage affairs there. He befriended Clark Kent but later became his fiercest enemy.
History
Early Life
Alexander "Lex" Luthor was the oldest son of Lionel and Lillian Luthor. As a child, Lex would play with Oliver Queen, Jason Teague and Patricia Swann, during their parents Veritas meetings.[3] Lex was a frail child, suffering from asthma and frequently abused by his father.[4][5]
The life of Lex Luthor would forever be changed in October, 1989. Then nine years old, Lex had traveled with his father on a business trip to Smallville, Kansas. During their visit, the town was struck by the largest meteor shower in history. Lex himself was in the field, where the first meteorite hit. When his father found him, Lex had lost all of his hair.[4] Following that day, his asthma was gone and he never got sick.[6]
About five days later, Lex had fully recovered and was playing in Luthor Mansion, where he came across and played with a strange boy. The boy was shortly afterwards removed from the mansion.[7]
Lex's childhood was an unhappy one. Other children shunned him and his father believed Lex to be responsible for the death of Julian, his infant brother. Not long after his brother's death, Lex suffered a psychic episode at his boarding school, where he sat in the rain and believed himself to be holding his brother.[8]
As a student at Excelsior Academy, Lex was reunited with Oliver Queen, but even his childhood friend bullied Lex. Lex did make one friend: Duncan Allenmeyer, a kid attending the school on a scholarship. However, their friendship ended in tragedy, when the two witnessed Oliver and his friends steal the results for a test. Duncan wanted to tell the principal, but Lex saw a chance to use this information against Oliver. When Duncan refused to go along with Lex's plan, Lex became violent and beat him. Oliver and his friends had to pull Lex off Duncan, who stepped infront of a car and was seemingly killed.[9]
By 1999, Lex had returned to Metropolis and befriended Amanda Rothman, who was engaged to Jude Royce. Having discovered that Amanda's fiancé, was cheating on her, Lex arranged for Amanda to catch him in the act at Club Zero. An enraged Jude attacked Lex with a knife, causing Amanda to shoot Jude with a bouncer's gun. Wanting to protect Amanda, Lex told Sam Phelan (a corrupt cop, who would clean up messes for Lionel) that it was he who shot Jude.[10]
Season One
In the fall of 2001, Lionel sent Lex to Smallville, to head the local LuthorCorp plant. On his first day in town, Lex got into a car accident with local teen, Clark Kent. According to Clark, Lex ran his car off a bridge and Clark had jumped in and saved him, but Lex was convinced that he had hit Clark with the car. This was the beginning of an obsession, that Lex would have for years. A conviction that there was something strange about Clark Kent.[4]
Lex bought Clark a truck to thank him, for saving his life, but Clark returned it.[4] However, the next few months, Lex would strike up a friendship with the young boy but couldn't let go off the idea that there was something mysterious about Clark.[11] Lex also became envious of the love Clark received from his parents.[12][13]
Lex hired the services of Roger Nixon, a reporter, to investigate Clark. Lex also noticed the strange things going on in town. Things like his exact double robbing a local bank.[14] This lead him to Dr. Steven Hamilton, who was investigating the effects of meteor rocks.[6]
Not long after, Lex was reunited with his old nanny, Pamela Jenkins, whom he learned was dying.[15] Before she died, she revealed to Lex, that he had a half-sister.[1]
When Lionel announced that he was shutting down the Smallville plant, Lex joined forces with the employees and organized an employee buyout, where he set up his own corporation: LexCorp.[16]
Season Two
During the summer of 2002, Lex met Desirée Atkins, a metahuman who used her power to make Lex fall in love with her. After the summer, they got married and Desirée tried to kill him. However, Lex managed to survive and had an annulment.[17]
Lex's life would only get more complicated. First his father, who had recently become blind, moved into the mansion.[18] Then Rachel Dunleavy arrived in town and revealed that Lex had a half-brother. Convinced that said brother was Clark, Rachel took Lex hostage and tried to kill him.[19]
Lex would later lose his company to LuthorCorp.[20] After that, he tracked down his real half-brother, Lucas, and devised a plan that revealed that Lionel had recovered his eyesight and ensured Lex's position within the family company. After that, Lex sent his brother away.[21]
Not long after, Lex became engaged and married Helen Bryce. However, on their honeymoon, Lex found himself alone on a private plane and crashing into the ocean.[22]
Season Three
For the next three months, Lex was stuck on a deserted island, alongside another man named Lewis. Lewis eventually tried to attack Lex, but he fought back. It wasn't until then that Lex realized that Lewis wasn't real, but a figment of his imagination. Afterwards, he was found by a boat and rescued. Upon his return, he confronted Helen, who fled and disappeared. Lex also helped the Kents save their farm.[23][24]
Not long after, Lex began to uncover a dark secret about his father: that Lionel had murdered his parents.[25] Lex attempted to expose his father, but was drugged, causing people to think that Lex was insane. Lex was taken to Belle Reve, but before that he had seen Clark use his powers and now knew his secret.[26] Lionel arranged for Lex to have a treatment, that erased weeks of his memories. This robbed Lex of both the knowledge about Lionel's crimes and Clark's secret.[27] Lex would later attempt to regain the memories of those weeks but fail.[8]
Lex would later get into trouble with the law when he became suspected of the murders at Metron Pharmaceuticals. However, Lex managed to strike a deal with the FBI, giving him immunity, while the FBI would get Lionel Luthor.[28] With the help of testimony from Chloe Sullivan, Lex finally managed to get his father behind bars.[29]
Season Four
Not long after Lionel's arrest, Lex developed a new obsession. He began a global search for three stones, that were said to possess great power. He found one in Egypt, but the stone was stolen from his private jet, mid flight.[30]
However, he hadn't forgotten his past obsession with meteor rocks and people with abilities. Because of this, he had set up Project 33,1 as a means to study metahumans.[31] An experiment with meteor rocks caused Lex to split into two: one good, one evil. The evil one trapped the good Lex in the basement and even managed to uncover the secret of Clark. The two were ultimately merged by Clark, with him having no memory of Clark's secret.[32]
Still on the look for the stones, Lex almost got his hands on two of them: one in the possession of Lana and the other in the possession of Lionel. However, Lana had gotten rid of her stone (what he didn't know was that she had given it to Clark). Lionel was put into a strange coma by his, which Lex tried to put in his vault. However, it vanished minutes later. With Lex finding the door to his vault ripped open and Chloe standing there.[33]
Smallville was about to be hit by a second meteor shower, but Lex was too angry to care. Enraged, he took Chloe to the Kawatche Caves, where the two witnessed a bright light and Lex was knocked out.[33]
Season Five
Upon waking up, he found that Chloe was gone and he was confronted by Aethyr and Nam-Ek. But the two lost interest in him, when they discovered that he wasn't Kal-El and left. Driving back to the mansion, Lex found a shocked and injured Lana, talking about their spaceship. In secret, Lex had the ship moved to a LuthorCorp facility.[34]
On Christmas Eve, Lex was shot and nearly died. A vision of his late mother appeared to him and showed him what his future could be, if he'd choose a different path. However, upon recovering, Lex rejected this vision and decided to run for state senate.[35] He would ultimately lose the election, with Jonathan Kent being elected.[36]
After Clark and Lana Lang broke up, Lex began to develop a romantic relationship with her.[37] However, this interest in Lana might've been an extension of his obsession with Clark Kent.[38]
His interest in the spaceship lead to Lex entering a partnership with government agent Milton Fine. Little did Lex know, that Fine was a humanoid avatar of the ship itself.[39]
Fine would later abduct Lex and grant him Kryptonian powers. This was all part of Fine's plan to get Clark to release General Zod from the Phantom Zone. When Clark fell into Fine's trap, Lex's body was taken over by Zod.[40]
Season Six
After Zod was expelled from Lex's body, Lex didn't retain any of the memories of his time as having had Kryptonian powers.[41][42]
Lex's relationship with Lana continued. Convincing Lana that she was pregnant, Lex managed to manipulate her into marrying him.[43][44] However, he soon arranged for her to have a "miscarriage".[45]
Lex also continued with his 33,1 experiments and planned to create super soldiers.[46] His lead to Lex having confrontations with a group, led by the vigilante known as "Green Arrow", who shut down many of his facilities.[47]
After Lana discovered the truth about what Lex had done, she left him and was seemingly killed by a bomb. Lex was arrested for her murder.[48]
Season Seven
Lex never made it to the police station for Lana's murder. Right after he was arrested, a nearby dam broke and Lex found himself trapped in a police car, underwater. But, he was saved by a mysterious blond woman, with superhuman abilities.[49] When Clark's cousin, Kara, came to Smallville, Lex was convinced that this was the same woman, who had saved him.[50]
Lex was taken into custody for Lana's murder, but was soon released. He managed to track down Lana, still alive, in China and brought her back to the States.[51] Afterwards, the two got a divorce.[38]
After getting shot in the head, Lex began to remember suppressed memories from his childhood about "Veritas".[3] This lead to a new obsession to find this mysterious "Traveler", that the group had waited for. Lex had Patricia Swann killed, to acquire a key in her possession.[52] He also killed Lionel, to acquire a matching key, that was in his possession.[53] With the two keys, Lex managed to get his hands on a cryptograph, that was kept in a safety deposit box in Zurich.[54]
Thanks to the cryptograph, Lex managed to acquire an Orb, that was said to allow him to control the Traveler.[55] The Orb pointed him to a location in the Arctic, where he found a large fortress. Placing the Orb on a panel, he managed to summon the Traveler, who turned out the be Clark. The two had a brief confrontation, before the entire fortress collapsed around them.[56]
Season Eight
Lex managed to survive the collapse of the fortress but found himself in critical condition and went underground. He had the crystal that had created the fortress stolen and arranged for it to be reprogrammed into sending Clark to the Phantom Zone.[57][58][2] When Tess Mercer declared him dead and announced a corporate merger with Queen Industries, Lex hired the services of Winslow Schott to kill both her and Oliver Queen. He also forced Lana (who had recently gained a superpowered nanite suit) to absorb a huge dose of Kryptonite radiation. Making it impossible for Clark to ever be around her again. However, Lex was seemingly killed in an explosion by Oliver.[59]
Season Ten
The exact details remain shrouded in mystery, but some pieces of Lex survived the explosion[60] and were brought to Cadmus Labs. While his soul remained in the abyss between life and death for years,[61] scientists created numerous clones of him. Supplying them with ideal material to construct a new body for Lex, incorporating the surviving pieces of his original body. However, the final piece of his new body, his heart, came from an unexpected source: a version of his father from Earth-2. With his new heart implanted, Lex was restored and made his way to LuthorCorp Plaza, where he confronted Tess and stabbed her. However, with her last strength, Tess exposed him to a neurotoxin, that would paralyze all cognitive recognition. Making it impossible for Lex to remember anything prior to this moment, thus robbing him of the knowledge of Clark's secret.[1]
Season Eleven
The neurotoxin had interfered with his memories, but it didn't change Lex or remove the darkness within him. Within the next six months, Lex had regained full control of LuthorCorp, having undone the merger with Queen Industries, and renamed LuthorCorp "LexCorp".[62] He also managed to recover a remarkable amount of what Tess had stolen from him, by cobbling together existing media.[63]
While not remembering his identity or his history with him, Lex came to regard Superman as a possible threat, as Superman had pushed a planet out of orbit. Showing him to possess great power, that could prove a threat to the world.[62] Furthermore, while he could not remember why, Lex found himself overcome by hatred every time that he saw Superman's shield.[64] Due to the event known as "Contact", Lex worked with General Sam Lane to push through the approval of the LexCorp Guardian orbital weapons platforms.[62] However, due to an interest to keep an eye on Superman, Lex had the space shuttle for the platforms sabotaged. When Superman appeared to save the crew, he was bombarded with radiation, that Lex could track via satellite. Preventing Clark from assuming his secret identity.[65] Eventually, Superman's body was purged of the radiation. Making it no longer possible for Lex to track him.[66]
Superman wasn't the only problem that Lex came to face. Six months after her death, Tess began to appear in front of him. Lex soon discovered that the neurotoxin that Tess had used on him, had caused the creation of a psychic link between the two siblings. Transferring her consciousness from her own body into Lex's brain.[65] Lex had to fight Tess over control of their now shared body, but he also had to fight her, to make her reveal who Superman really is.[67][63] But, before Lex could succeed, her consciousness was extracted from his body and placed in a computer.[66]
Not long after, Lex was drawn into a mystery of a spaceship, that had landed near Smallville. Learning that the ship had been taken to S.T.A.R. Labs, Lex ordered his men to attack the facility. But, the attack was foiled by Tess. However, the incident lead to Lex learning about Earth-2.[68] Investigating things further, Lex learned about the Monitors and their quest to wipe out all realities. Lex attempted to contact his counterparts from the other universes, but his signal was met with silence.[64]
Realizing that he wouldn't be able to save the world on his own, Lex recruited several men to his private security force, whom he equipped with Yellow Lantern Rings, and took over the Higgs Boson supercollider facility, in Antarctica, that had been built by Michael Holt and Ted Kord. Using the facility, Lex was able to contact the Monitors and convinced them to reboot reality, rather than destroying it. However, while at the facility, his "security force" turned on him, but Lex had been prepared for that. And made all their rings self-destruct.[69][70]
What the Monitors hadn't realized was that Lex had secretly mapped their systems, during their encounter. Superman managed to convince him to help him and the other heroes in stopping the Monitors. During the battle in Metropolis, Lex fought alongside the heroes, but tried to stab them in the back. Seeing the Monitors attempt to reboot reality as a chance to reshape the world in his image. But, the heroes had been prepared for this and uploaded a virus into his armor, that destroyed it, foiling his plans. Despite his actual actions, during the battle, Lex came out of the battle regarded as the "people's hero".[71][72][73]
Future
Little is known about the life of Lex Luthor after 2012. In 2013, Lex announced his intent to run for President of the United States and was elected in 2018.[74][1] Lex continued to be the ultimate opponent to Superman. However, in the end, the Man of Steel triumphed over him.[75]
Powers and Abilities
Powers
Abilities
- Business Management: Lex Luthor is a master strategist and is expertly proficient in all fields relating to business management. Lex is more than willing to result to cutthroat and even illegal means to satisfy his objectives, including bribery, blackmail and extortion.
- Charisma: Lex spent a long time developing a "silver-tongue", mostly to earn the trust and respect of those around him. The Luthor name has earned an unsavory reputation in the town of Smallville and Lex has devoted a lot of energy towards reconciling relationships thrown into disarray due to the actions of his father. In later years, Lex's demeanor darkened and he spent less time trying to earn the trust of those around him.
- Fencing: Lex is quite proficient in the art of fencing, though he is by no means an expert. He has trained with a professional and often sparred against his own father, who has proven himself to be more skillful with a fencing blade than his son.
- Genius Level Intellect
- Intimidation
- Leadership
Paraphernalia
Weapons
- Yellow Lantern Ring (Formerly)
Notes
- This version of the character is exclusive to the continuity of the television series Smallville and its tie-in and comic book series, Smallville and Smallville Season 11. It is an adaptation of Luthor. The original character was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster and first appeared in Action Comics #23.
- Lex Luthor was primarily portrayed by Michael Rosenbaum through the run of the series. Other actors also stepped into the role including:
- Matthew Munn portrayed a young Lex in the pilot episode and an episode in the second season. Some of this footage was recycled in an episode of the eighth season and the series finale.
- Wayne Dalglish portrayed a young Lex in flashbacks in the episode "Memoria".
- Lucas Grabeel portrayed a teenage Lex in the flashbacks in the episode "Reunion".
- Connor Stanhope portrayed Lex as a youth in flashbacks and delusions over four episodes during the seventh and early eighth season.
- Kevin Miller portrayed the disfigured Lex in the episodes "Bride" and "Requiem". With his voice dubbed by Matt Adler in "Requiem".
Trivia
- Zachary Levi auditioned for the role of Lex Luthor.[77]
Related
- 208 Appearances of Alexander Luthor (Smallville)
- 28 Images featuring Alexander Luthor (Smallville)
- 22 Quotations by or about Alexander Luthor (Smallville)
- Character Gallery: Alexander Luthor (Smallville)
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Finale, Part II
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Al Septien - Twitter
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Veritas
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Pilot
- ↑ Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Fracture
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Craving
- ↑ Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Eternal
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Memoria
- ↑ Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Reunion
- ↑ Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Zero
- ↑ Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Leech
- ↑ Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Jitters
- ↑ Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Reaper
- ↑ Smallville (TV Series) Episode: X-Ray
- ↑ Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Crush
- ↑ Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Tempest
- ↑ Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Heat
- ↑ Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Red
- ↑ Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Lineage
- ↑ Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Suspect
- ↑ Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Prodigal
- ↑ Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Exodus
- ↑ Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Exile
- ↑ Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Phoenix
- ↑ Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Magnetic
- ↑ Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Shattered
- ↑ Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Asylum
- ↑ Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Crisis
- ↑ Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Covenant
- ↑ 30.0 30.1 Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Crusade
- ↑ Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Jinx
- ↑ Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Onyx
- ↑ 33.0 33.1 Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Commencement
- ↑ Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Arrival
- ↑ Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Lexmas
- ↑ Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Reckoning
- ↑ Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Fragile
- ↑ 38.0 38.1 Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Lara
- ↑ 39.0 39.1 Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Oracle
- ↑ Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Vessel
- ↑ 41.0 41.1 Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Zod
- ↑ Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Sneeze
- ↑ Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Promise
- ↑ Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Progeny
- ↑ Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Combat
- ↑ Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Prototype
- ↑ Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Justice
- ↑ Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Phantom
- ↑ Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Bizarro
- ↑ Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Fierce
- ↑ Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Kara
- ↑ Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Traveler
- ↑ Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Descent
- ↑ Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Sleeper
- ↑ 55.0 55.1 Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Quest
- ↑ Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Arctic
- ↑ Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Instinct
- ↑ Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Bloodline
- ↑ 59.0 59.1 Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Requiem
- ↑ Bryan Q. Miller - Twitter
- ↑ Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Lazarus
- ↑ 62.0 62.1 62.2 Smallville Season 11 #1
- ↑ 63.0 63.1 Smallville Season 11 #9
- ↑ 64.0 64.1 Smallville Season 11: Alien #4
- ↑ 65.0 65.1 Smallville Season 11 #3
- ↑ 66.0 66.1 Smallville Season 11 #12
- ↑ Smallville Season 11 #7
- ↑ Smallville Season 11 Special #3
- ↑ Smallville Season 11: Chaos #3
- ↑ Smallville Season 11: Chaos #4
- ↑ Smallville Season 11: Continuity #2
- ↑ Smallville Season 11: Continuity #3
- ↑ Smallville Season 11: Continuity #4
- ↑ Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Salvation
- ↑ Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Absolute Justice, Part II
- ↑ Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Extinction
- ↑ insideofyoupodcast.com - Zachary Levi
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