Lex Luthor
Lex Luthor from Superman Birthright #5. Art by Leinil Francis Yu. Leinil Francis Yu (born July 1977 is a Filipino Comic book artist, who began working for the American market through Wildstorm Productions
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Action Comics #23 (April, 1940)
Created by	Jerry Siegel Joe Shuster
In story information
Full name	Alexander Joseph "Lex" Luthor
Team affiliations	LexCorp Injustice Gang Injustice League Secret Six
Notable aliases	Mockingbird
Abilities	Genius-level intellect Vast resources and personal wealth Access to advanced technology Expert level machiavellian

Lex Luthor is a comic book supervillain published by DC Comics. DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company In Comic books and other stories with a long history first appearance refers to the first occurrence to feature a Fictional character. Action Comics is an American Comic book series which introduced Superman, the first major Superhero character as the term Jerome "Jerry" Siegel (October 17 1914 – January 28 1996 who also used pseudonyms including Joe Carter, Jerry Ess, Siegel was a fan of movies Joseph "Joe" Shuster (July 10 1914 - July 30 1992 was a Canadian -born American Comic book Artist best known for co-creating the DC Comics LexCorp (originally styled Lexcorp) is the Fictional company founded by billionaire Lex Luthor in the popular DC Comics Superman The Injustice Gang (also known as the Injustice Gang of the World) is a group of fictional Supervillains in the DC Comics universe. The Injustice League is the name of two Fictional teams of Supervillains in the DC Comics Universe. The Secret Six is the name of three distinct Fictional Comic book teams in the DC Comics universe, plus an alternate universe's fourth Mockingbird is the Code name of several characters in the DC Comics Universe, denoting whoever is in charge of the Secret Six. A genius is a person of great Intelligence or remarkable abilities in a specific subject who shows an exceptional natural capacity of intellect and/or ability especially A comic book (often shortened to simply comic and sometimes called a comic paper or comic magazine) is a Magazine or Book of narrative A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the Villain character type commonly found in Comic books, Action movies and DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company Co-created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, he first appeared in Action Comics #23 (1940) as the archenemy of Superman. Jerome "Jerry" Siegel (October 17 1914 – January 28 1996 who also used pseudonyms including Joe Carter, Jerry Ess, Siegel was a fan of movies Joseph "Joe" Shuster (July 10 1914 - July 30 1992 was a Canadian -born American Comic book Artist best known for co-creating the DC Comics In Comic books and other stories with a long history first appearance refers to the first occurrence to feature a Fictional character. Action Comics is an American Comic book series which introduced Superman, the first major Superhero character as the term Year 1940 ( MCMXL) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Superman is a fictional Comic book Superhero widely considered to be one of the most recognized of such characters and an American Cultural icon Originally written as a pulp magazine-inspired mad scientist with red hair, the character underwent an abrupt makeover one year later, after an artist mistakenly depicted him as bald. Pulp magazines (or pulp fiction; often referred to as "the pulps" were inexpensive Fiction magazines This article is about people with red hair also sometimes called redheads Baldness involves the state of lacking hair where it often grows especially on the head In spite of the error, the striking appearance was adopted and became the character's trademark. Following the release of John Byrne's limited series The Man of Steel, Luthor was re-envisioned as a Machiavellian industrialist and white-collar criminal, even briefly serving as President of the United States. John Lindley Byrne (born July 6 1950) is a British -born Canadian - American author and artist of Comic books Since the A limited series is a term originated by Marvel Comics referring to a Comic book series with a set number of issues Machiavellianism is the term that some social and personality psychologists use to describe a person's tendency to deceive and manipulate others for personal gain A business magnate, sometimes referred to as a mogul, tycoon, baron, or industrialist, is a person who has reached a prominent place in The President of the United States is the Head of state and Head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in United States by In 2006, Wizard magazine rated Lex Luthor the 8th greatest villain of all time. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Wizard or Wizard The Magazine of Comics Entertainment and Pop Culture (originally titled Wizard The Guide to Comics and ^[1]

Though initially known only by his surname, Luthor was retroactively given the name "Lex" in a back-story written by Jerry Siegel in 1962. A surname is a name added to a Given name and is part of a Personal name. Retroactive continuity is the deliberate changing of previously established facts in a work of serial fiction In Narratology, a back-story (also back story or backstory) is the history behind the situation extant at the start of the main story Year 1962 ( MCMLXII) was a Common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Luthor's origin reveals him to be a friend-turned-enemy of Superboy, whom he blames for an incident which resulted in his baldness. Creation mythIn comic book terminology, an origin story is an account or Back-story revealing how a character or team gained their superpowers or the circumstances This article is about the original pre-Crisis Superboy For similarly-named DC Comics characters see Superboy. In the Modern Age, Luthor is commonly shown as having no past connections with Superman, though re-tellings of his classic origin have appeared in Superman: Birthright and the CW television series Smallville. The Modern Age of Comic Books is an informal name for the period in the history of mainstream American comic books generally considered to last from the mid-1980s until Superman Birthright is a twelve-issue Comic book Limited series published by DC Comics in 2003 and 2004, written by The CW Television Network ( The CW) is a Television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006-2007 television season.

Contents 1 Concept and creation 2 Fictional character biography 2.1 Golden Age 2.2 Silver / Bronze Age 2.2.1 Crisis on Infinite Earths 2.2.2 Personality 2.3 Modern Luthor 2.3.1 Origin 2.3.2 Man of Steel 2.3.3 Cancer and cloning 2.3.4 Relationships 2.3.5 President of the United States 2.3.6 Removal from office 2.3.7 Birthright 2.3.8 The New Secret Society 2.3.9 Infinite Crisis 2.3.10 52 2.3.11 One Year Later and Countdown 2.3.12 New Earth Origin 3 Powers and abilities 4 Appearances in other media 5 See also 6 References 7 External links

Concept and creation

The character who would become Lex Luthor first debuted in Action Comics #23. Known only by his surname, "Luthor", he appeared as a middle-aged man with red hair. That following year, Luthor was depicted as completely bald in a newspaper strip. The reason for this unexplaned change switch is attributed to Leo Novak, a substitute artist hired by Joe Shuster. Some speculate that Novak confused Luthor's appearance with that of a bald henchman in Superman #4. ^[2] Sure enough, Luthor's fourth appearance in Superman #10 depicts him as substantially heavier, with visible jowls. Others suspect that the artist mistook Luthor for the Ultra-Humanite, a bald supervillain with a similar modus. The Ultra-Humanite is a Fictional character, a Supervillain appearing in stories published by DC Comics. For reasons unknown, the mistake went uncorrected, and Luthor's baldness became canonical. His new look may have also been inspired by Siegel and Shuster's original short story, The Reign of the Superman, which showcases a bald villain with telepathic powers. The short story is a literary genre of Fictional Prose Narrative that tends to be more concise and to the point than longer works of fiction such The subject of this article is not to be confused with the Reign of the Supermen storyline published by DC Comics Telepathy ( Greek τηλε tele meaning "distant" and πάθεια patheia meaning "to be affected by" describes the purported transfer ^[3][4]

Fictional character biography

Golden Age

In his first appearance in Action Comics #23, Luthor (who is only referred to by his surname) is a self-professed genius who makes his home in a flying city suspended by an airship. A genius is a person of great Intelligence or remarkable abilities in a specific subject who shows an exceptional natural capacity of intellect and/or ability especially He first tries to ignite a war between two fictional European nations as part of a larger plan for world domination. World domination (sometimes world conquest, global domination, or Colloquially taking over the world) in which a single political authority In Superman #4, he is later found hiding out in an underwater city, where he has been terrorizing the planet with man-made earthquakes. When confronted by Superman, Luthor challenges him to a contest of strength versus science. ^[5]

When the DC multiverse began to take hold in the 1960s, this "Golden Age" Luthor was rewritten as Alexei Luthor, Lex Luthor's counterpart from a parallel universe, specifically Earth-Two. The DC Multiverse is a Fictional continuity construct that exists in stories published by Comic book company DC Comics. The Golden Age of Comic Books was a period in the history of American comic books generally thought as lasting from the 1930s until late 1940s during which Comic books Retroactive continuity is the deliberate changing of previously established facts in a work of serial fiction Parallel universe or alternative reality is a self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own 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. Crisis on Infinite Earths is a twelve-issue American comic book Limited series (identified as a "12-part maxi-series" and crossover When Alexei challenges Brainiac's partnership with Lex during the Crisis, Brainiac kills Alexei to settle the dispute. Brainiac is a DC Comics Supervillain that appears in the Comic books published by DC Comics. ^[6]

Silver / Bronze Age

In his classic appearances, Lex Luthor is a mad scientist who typically plots to take over the world, or destroy it, through a number of diabolical schemes. In Adventure Comics #271 (1962), Jerry Siegel retroactively wrote an origin story that reveals that Luthor's hate for Superman stems from a past encounter:^[7][8] During his youth, Lex had been an aspiring scientist and a friend of Superboy. Adventure Comics is a Comic book series published by DC Comics from 1935 to 1983 This article is about the original pre-Crisis Superboy For similarly-named DC Comics characters see Superboy. Lex begins experiments in creating an artificial new form of life, as well as a cure for Kryptonite poisoning. Kryptonite is a mineral from the Superman mythos originating in the Superman Radio show series An accidental fire breaks out in Lex's lab; Superboy uses his super-breath to extinguish the flames, inadvertently spilling chemicals which cause Luthor to go prematurely bald. The botched rescue also destroys Lex's artificial lifeform, along with the Kryptonite cure.

Believing that Superboy intentionally caused the accident, Lex attributes his 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 and requires Superboy's intervention. Unwilling to accept responsibility for the catastrophes, Lex rationalizes that Superboy is out to humiliate him. He continues to seek revenge, and in the process devolves into a criminal; over time he becomes Superman's archenemy. Although he is routinely sent back to prison, Lex always manages to escape to threaten the world again (early Luthor stories often begin with him sitting in prison and wearing a gray uniform). ^[9]

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. Elliot S Maggin, also spelled Elliot S! Maggin (born 1950 is an American writer of comic books film television and novels Last Son of Krypton is a novel written by Elliot S! Maggin and based on the DC Comics character Superman.

Luthor's originally-stated goals were to kill Superman and to take over Earth as a stepping stone to dominating the universe. ^[10] In addition to using his inventions to combat Superman's powers, Luthor also shows an affinity for wigs and disguises. Although none of his 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. This article is not about Literary canons of influential works of fiction but about the concept of a canon which defines the world of a particular fictional series

Though he is a notorious fugitive on Earth, Luthor is revered on the alien world of Lexor — renamed in honor of him — where he rediscovered the planet's lost technology and rebuilt society for its inhabitants' ruined civilization. As a result, he becomes a hero in the eyes of Lexor's people, whereas Superman is detested as a villain. ^[11] He eventually marries a local woman named Ardora,^[12] with whom he fathers a son.

After its debut,^[13] 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. A spire is a tapering conical or pyramidal structure on the top of a building particularly a church Tower. 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. ^[14]

Crisis on Infinite Earths

During the 12-issue limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths, Luthor allies himself with fellow Superman foe Brainiac to recruit an army of supervillains spanning the DC Multiverse, intending to take advantage of the confusion caused by the Crisis for their own benefit. A limited series is a term originated by Marvel Comics referring to a Comic book series with a set number of issues Brainiac is a DC Comics Supervillain that appears in the Comic books published by DC Comics. The DC Multiverse is a Fictional continuity construct that exists in stories published by Comic book company DC Comics. However, once it becomes clear that it is as much in their interests to save the multiverse as anyone else's, 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 places, converging into one. The Bronze Age of Comic Books is an informal name for a period in the history of mainstream American comic books usually said to run from the early 1970s to the mid 1980s Maltus (often spelled Malthus) is a Fictional Planet, that has appeared in various Comic book series published by DC Comics Krona is a Fictional character that appears in Comic books published by DC Comics. 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 mini-series. Henceforth, the Silver Age Lex Luthor is referred to by readers as the "Pre-Crisis" Luthor.

Luthor's trademark battlesuit from this era - a heavily-armored, flight-capable suit with kryptonite fixtures embedded in its gauntlets^[15] - has reappeared in the form of several redesigned homages in modern continuity, most notably during Infinite Crisis. Kryptonite is a mineral from the Superman mythos originating in the Superman Radio show series Infinite Crisis is a seven-issue Limited series of Comic books written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George

Personality

Superman himself acknowledged that the Pre-Crisis Luthor is a man of his word who honors promises he has made. On occasion, he has come to the aid of innocents, even when doing so will lead to his capture and inevitable return to prison. Shamed by his criminal acts, Lex's parents, Jules and Arlene, disown him, move away and change their name to the anagram "Thorul". An anagram ( Greek anagramma 'letters written anew' passive participle of ana- 'again' + gramma 'letter' is a type of Word play Luthor has a younger sister named Lena, an empath who grows up unaware of her familial connection with him. Empathy is the capacity to recognize or understand another's state of mind or Emotion. ^[16] Protective of his sister, Luthor takes measures to hide his fraternity, and is assisted towards this end by both Superman and Supergirl. Supergirl is a fictional Comic book superheroine that is depicted as a female counterpart to the DC Comics iconic Superhero Superman

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. Albert Einstein ( German: ˈalbɐt ˈaɪ̯nʃtaɪ̯n; English: ˈælbɝt ˈaɪnstaɪn (14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955 was a German -born theoretical ^[17][18]

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. John Lindley Byrne (born July 6 1950) is a British -born Canadian - American author and artist of Comic books Since the Collaborator Marv Wolfman recalled:

“

I never believed the original Luthor. Marvin A "Marv" Wolfman (born May 13, 1946) is an award-winning American Comic book Writer. Every story would begin with him breaking out of prison, finding some giant robot in an old lab he hid somewhere, and then he'd be defeated. My view was if he could afford all those labs and giant robots he wouldn't need to rob banks. I also thought later that Luthor should not have super powers. Every other villain had super powers. Luthor's power was his mind. He needed to be smarter than Superman. Superman's powers had to be useless against him because they couldn't physically fight each other and Superman was simply not as smart as Luthor. [19]

”

Origin

Like many supervillains, the Lex Luthor envisioned in the six-issue Man of Steel comic series had an abusive childhood which warped his worldview. He was born to cruel parents in the Suicide Slum district of Metropolis, his only friend was a schoolmate named Perry White. Suicide Slum is a notorious fictional Slum in publications from DC Comics. Metropolis is a Fictional city that appears in Comic books published by DC Comics, and is the home of Superman. Perry White is a Fictional character who appears in the Superman comics. In his teens, Lex takes out a large insurance policy on his parents without their knowledge, then sabotages their car's brakes, killing them.

Lex is sent to live with equally-brutal foster parents, Casey and Emily Griggs, where he will wait until he reaches legal age to collect the insurance money. His foster parents conspire to steal his money, forcing their daughter (and Lex's foster sibling), Lena, into seducing Lex so they can learn of its location. Because she has romantic feelings for Lex, Lena refuses to cooperate, and is beaten to death by her father. Lex is absent from the home at the time of the murder, having been talked into going to a football game by Perry. Following this event, Lex blames Perry for keeping him from Lena's side. ^[20]

"He's the part of us that's the most evil, the most human, and the most brilliant. He's great; he's just really bad. " Grant Morrison[21]

Upon graduating from MIT, Lex builds the LexWing airplane, the basis of his own business, LexCorp, which grows to dominate much of Metropolis. 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.

Decades later, on the day Lex's own daughter is born, he 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 Griggs in an alley (under the pretense of payment) and personally slays him with a handgun. Following this incident, he names his newborn daughter Lena. ^[22]

Man of Steel

Luthor's presence is hinted at in issue #2 of Byrne's Man of Steel series, but he is not fully seen until issue #4, over a year after Superman's arrival in Metropolis. When Lois Lane and Clark Kent are invited to a society gala aboard Luthor's yacht, terrorists seize the ship without warning. Lois Lane-Kent is the primary love interest in the DC Comics ’ Superman stories Clark Joseph Kent (middle name is also Jerome according to some versions is a Fictional character created by Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel. ^[23] 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. Luthor's temporary incarceration leaves him seething, and he promises to make Superman pay for the humiliation. The rivalry escalates in Man of Steel #5, when Luthor attempts to clone Superman with the assistance of Dr. Human cloning is the creation of a genetically identical copy of a Human being human cell, or human tissue. Teng. Upon completion, the clone proves itself to be flawed and dangerous, eventually degenerating into Bizarro. Bizarro is a Fictional character that appears in Comic books published by DC Comics.

With Luthor's "Silver Age" origin gone, Man of Steel required the villain to hold a new motivation for opposing Superman, being that he had been the most powerful and respected man in Metropolis prior to the hero's arrival and was unseated from this position by the aforementioned humiliating arrest. Ego and jealousy became the primary cause behind his hatred of Superman, coupled with indignation that the Man of Steel was the only man he could not buy off, threaten or otherwise control. When Superman is apparently slain in battle with the alien monstrosity Doomsday, Luthor feels "cheated" that a "lifeless monster" had robbed him of his life's work,^[24] and sinks into a chronic depression until Superman debuts again. Doomsday is a Fictional character that appears in Comic books published by DC Comics.

Cancer and cloning

Luthor acquires his first prized sample of kryptonite from the cyborg Metallo, who is powered by a "heart" of kryptonite rock. A cyborg is a Cybernetic Organism ( ie, an organism that has both artificial and natural systems Metallo is a Comic book Supervillain and Cyborg who appears in Superman stories published by DC Comics. 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. Cancer (medical term Malignant Neoplasm) is a class of Diseases in which a group of cells display uncontrolled ^[25] (Before this, kryptonite was assumed to produce a 'clean' radiation that was harmless to normal humans. ) Luthor's hand requires amputation to prevent the cancer's spread, but by then it has already metastasized and his condition is terminal. Amputation is the removal of a body extremity by trauma or Surgery.

While mulling over his fate, Luthor visits the grave of his deceased illegitimate son, Jerry White. ^[26] He 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 removal of his brain from his cancer-ridden body and the growing of a new cloned body around it, whereupon he passes himself off as his hitherto unknown, illegitimate 21-year-old son and heir, Lex Luthor II; This deception is helped by a vibrant new body with a beard and full head of red hair, as well as assuming an Australian accent as part of his fake backstory. The Andes form the world's longest exposed Mountain range. They lie as a continuous chain of highland along the western coast of South America. Human cloning is the creation of a genetically identical copy of a Human being human cell, or human tissue. ^[27] Luthor II inherits control of LexCorp and seduces then-Supergirl the Supergirl (Matrix). Supergirl is a fictional Comic book superheroine that is depicted as a female counterpart to the DC Comics iconic Superhero Superman Matrix is a Fictional character and a Superheroine, best known as the 1987 to 2002 Supergirl, published by DC Comics. ^[28] However, after some time Luthor's new clone body eventually begins to deteriorate and age at a rapid rate (a side-effect of a disease that affects all clones). Meanwhile, Lois Lane discovers proof of Luthor's clone harvesting and false identity;^[29] with help from Superman, she exposes the truth, and finally a despondent Supergirl (Matrix) brings him down violently. In the end, Luthor becomes a permanent prisoner in his cloned body, unable to even blink, and swearing vengeance on Superman.

Aid comes in the form of the demon Neron; Luthor promptly sells his soul in exchange for Neron restoring his body to vibrant health, though he once more loses his hair and a return to an older age than his 21-year-old cloned form, albeit one that is apparently still younger than before his cancer, or at any rate in far better shape. Neron is a Fictional character in the DC Comics ' universe. Neron was a Demon prince of great power ^[30] Returning to Metropolis, Luthor freely turns himself over to the police and is put on trial. Police are agents or agencies usually of the executive, empowered to enforce the law and to effect public and social order through the legitimatized use of force 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. Project Cadmus is a Fictional government Genetic engineering project in the DC Comics Universe. ^[31]

Relationships

Although Luthor holds a grudge toward Lois Lane for exposing his criminal dealings, he also has an unspoken love for her. On several occasions Luthor has commented that had Superman not arrived in Metropolis, he would have used his time and energy to win Lois instead; indeed, Luthor is actively pursuing her as early as Man of Steel #2. Marv Wolfman originally planned for the two to have been romantically involved, with Lois leaving him for Superman, giving Luthor another reason to hate his foe, but John Byrne modified the story when he wrote the actual issue. John Lindley Byrne (born July 6 1950) is a British -born Canadian - American author and artist of Comic books Since the

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,^[32] (otherwise known simply as "The Contessa") is based on mutual greed. The Contessa buys controlling interest in LexCorp after Luthor is indicted, compelling Lex into marrying her in order to regain control of his company. The Contessa becomes pregnant^[33] 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-unconscious state. The Contessa later escapes to an island mansion,^[34] but upon being elected President, Luthor targets her home with a barrage of missiles and destroys it. ^[35]

President of the United States

Deciding to turn to politics, Lex becomes President of the United States, winning the election on a platform of promoting technological progress. The President of the United States is the Head of state and Head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in United States by His first action as president was to take a proposed moratorium on fossil-based fuels to the U.S. Congress. The United States Congress is the bicameral Legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses

Luthor is assisted by the extreme unpopularity of the previous administration's mishandling of the Gotham City earthquake crisis. Gotham City is a Fictional City appearing in DC Comics, and is best known as the home of Batman. Batman No Man’s Land is an American comic book crossover storyline that ran for the whole of 1999 through the Batman comic book After six months, Gotham is restored and rejoins America. 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. Batman (originally referred to as the Bat-Man and still referred to at times as the Batman) is a fictional Comic book Superhero co-created S. government and his company, Wayne Enterprises, in protest of Luthor's election as President. Wayne Enterprises (formerly WayneCorp) is a Fictional company in the DC Universe. Luthor responds in turn by ordering the murder of Wayne's lover Vesper Fairchild and framing Wayne for the murder. " Bruce Wayne Fugitive " is a storyline that ran through the Batman comic books in 2002

An early triumph of Luthor's first term is the Our Worlds At War crisis, in which he coordinates the U. Our Worlds at War was a Comic book crossover, published by DC Comics during the summer of 2001 S. Army, Earth's superheroes and a number of untrustworthy alien forces to battle the main villain of the story arc, Imperiex. Imperiex is a Fictional character that appears in Comic books published by DC Comics. 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. Kansas ( is a Midwestern state in the central region of the United States of America, an area often referred to as the American "

Removal from office

A cadre of superheroes eventually break ranks from the Justice League to oppose Luthor. Batman, who had previously forbid any attempt to unseat Luthor from office by force, led the storming of the White House. This was predicated by an attempt on Luthor's part to link Superman to a kryptonite asteroid that is hurtling toward Earth. In a desperate gambit, Luthor uses a variant combination of the "super-steroid" Venom (a chemical associated with the Batman villain Bane), liquid synthetic Kryptonite, and an Apokoliptian battlesuit to fight Superman directly. A steroid is a Terpenoid Lipid characterized by a Carbon skeleton with four fused rings generally arranged in a 6-6-6-5 fashion Bane is a Fictional character that appears in Comic books published by DC Comics. The madness that is a side effect of Venom takes hold, and during the ensuing fight with Superman and Batman, Luthor admits he had traded the creature Doomsday to Darkseid in return for weapons during the Our Worlds at War crisis; this inadvertently provides a confession, which is captured on video by Batman. Darkseid is a Fictional character that appears in Comic books published by DC Comics. Returning to the LexCorp building 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 Bruce Wayne, the alter-ego of Talia's past love interest). A chief executive officer ( CEO) or chief executive is typically the highest-ranking corporate officer ( executive) or administrator Talia al Ghul (طليعة الغول - "Vanguard of the Demon" is a Fictional character in the DC Comics universe, the now-estranged Following Luthor's bankruptcy and total disgrace, Vice President Pete Ross briefly assumes his place as President. Pete Ross is a Fictional character who appears in the Superman Comic books published by DC Comics. Based on the Timeline of the DC Universe, Luthor serves less than three years. The DC Universe Timeline is a

Birthright

The 2004 12-issue limited series Superman: Birthright 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. A limited series is a term originated by Marvel Comics referring to a Comic book series with a set number of issues Superman Birthright is a twelve-issue Comic book Limited series published by DC Comics in 2003 and 2004, written by Examples of the show's influence include Lex's problematic relationship with his wealthy father, Lionel Luthor. Appearances Television In 1989 Lionel and his son Lex come to Smallville with Lionel intending to buy the Ross Creamed Corn company Birthright also reinvents the Silver Age notion of Lex originally befriending Clark Kent, who shares his interest in astronomy. The Silver Age of Comic Books was a period of artistic advancement and commercial success in mainstream American comic books predominantly those featuring the Superhero 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. ^[9] 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 dangerously misanthropic. Astrobiology (from Greek grc ἄστρον astron, "constellation star" grc βίος bios, "life" and grc -λογία

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. Mark Waid (born March 21 1962 in Hueytown Alabama) is an American Comic book Writer. 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. "^[36]

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. Alexander Luthor Jr is a DC Comics character who turned from a hero to a villain To this end, he assumed Lex Luthor's identity and created a new Secret Society of Super Villains. The Secret Society of Super Villains ( SSoSV) is a group of Comic book Supervillains that exist in the DC Universe. In response, the real Lex Luthor took on the identity of Mockingbird and formed a super-villain version of the Secret Six in order to counter Alexander's organization. Mockingbird is the Code name of several characters in the DC Comics Universe, denoting whoever is in charge of the Secret Six. The Secret Six is the name of three distinct Fictional Comic book teams in the DC Comics universe, plus an alternate universe's fourth

Infinite Crisis

Lex confronts his impostor In Infinite Crisis #3, but is intercepted by Superboy-Prime, who is allied with Alexander. Infinite Crisis is a seven-issue Limited series of Comic books written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Luthor later visits Conner Kent, who is in recovery at Titans Tower. Superboy, also known by his Kryptonian name Kon-El and his human alias Conner Kent, is a fictional Superhero in the Titans Tower is a fictional building in the DC Comics universe Lex slips Conner a crystal shard which shows the location of Alexander's Arctic Fortress. At the end of Infinite Crisis #7, Lex oversees the Joker's execution of Alexander. The Joker is a fictional character appearing in Comic books published by DC Comics.

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. ^[37]

52

Main article: 52 (comic book)

In the opening weeks of 52, the Gotham City Police Department finds what appears to be Luthor's body in an alley. The Gotham City Police Department (GCPD is a Fictional Police department servicing Gotham City in the DC Universe. 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. Dr John Henry Irons is the third hero known as Steel, a fictional Superhero in the DC Universe. This article is about the fictional organization in DC Comics 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. ^[38] 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. ^[39]

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. Infinity Inc is a team of Comic book Superheroes in the DC Comics universe, mostly composed of the children and heirs of the Justice A superpower is a State with a leading position in the international system and the ability to Influence events and project power on a worldwide scale 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. Natasha Irons is a Fictional character, a Superhero in the DC Universe and the niece of John Henry Irons (the superhero Steel Using Natasha and several other volunteers, Luthor forms his own team of superheroes which are introduced as the new Infinity Inc. In week #21, Infinity Inc. Infinity Inc is a team of Comic book Superheroes in the DC Comics universe, mostly composed of the children and heirs of the Justice 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. Blockbuster is the name of three Fictional characters in the DC Comics Universe.

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. Booster Gold is a Fictional character, a Superhero in publications from DC Comics. As multiple flight-powered Everymen plummet to their deaths, underground gas mains rupture from the impact, which adds civilians to the death toll. Luthor's plot ultimately fails when Supernova is able to minimize the disaster with a spectacular rescue.

While investigating Luthor in order to root out his motive, Natasha Irons discovers that Luthor has been testing himself to see if he is compatible with the artificial meta-gene treatment. ^[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. 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. ^[41] Lex is disgraced as a result, and later faces indictment when the members of the Everymen realize they have been used.

One Year Later and Countdown

Main article: One Year Later

One year after the events of Infinite Crisis, Luthor has been cleared of over 120 criminal counts ranging from malfeasance to first-degree murder relating to the New Years Eve massacre from "52. One Year Later was a 2006 event running through the DC Universe. " However, his role in the massacre has permanently ruined his public image and thanks to the machinations of Doctor Sivana, he has lost most of his wealth and all of his control over his newly reformed LexCorp, which is now being run by Lana Lang. Doctor Thaddeus Bodog Sivana is a Fictional Comic book Supervillain. He blames Clark Kent for writing several 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. Metallo is a Comic book Supervillain and Cyborg who appears in Superman stories published by DC Comics. The Kryptonite Man is the name of several Supervillains who appears in stories published by DC Comics. ^[42] Superman manages to destroy the Kryptonite-powered ship and recover the crystal, but Lex manages to escape custody yet again. ^[43]

Lex later sends Bizarro after the newly arrived "Superboy" only for the creature to be defeated by Superman. Undaunted, Lex gathers together a "Revenge Squad," to fight against the invading Kryptonians led by General Zod.

In JLA, Lex Luthor (alongside Joker and Cheetah III) gathers together a new "Injustice League" and, outfitted in a new version of his warsuit (although still green and purple, it no longer has clear design derivations from the pre-Crisis warsuit as the McGuinness design did), sets out to destroy the Justice League with them. The Cheetah is a Fictional character, a Supervillainess appearing in DC Comics publications and related media The Injustice League is the name of two Fictional teams of Supervillains in the DC Comics Universe. On a related note during this section, he was responsible for creating the third Shaggy Man and the third Blockbuster. Shaggy Man is the name of fictional characters in the DC Universe that are foes of the Justice League of America. Blockbuster is the name of three Fictional characters in the DC Comics Universe.

Lex plays a large role in the Countdown to Final Crisis tie-in event, Salvation Run. Countdown to Final Crisis, known as Countdown for its first 25 issues is a Comic book Limited series published by DC Comics Salvation Run is a seven-part 2007 - 2008 DC Comics Limited series which was designed to tie in to the company's major event series Having been sent to the prison planet after his Injustice League was defeated, Lex quickly assumes control of the amassed villains, receiving competition only from Joker and Gorilla Grodd, who convince half of the villains to join them. Gorilla Grodd is a fictional Supervillain appearing in DC Comics, primarily as an enemy of The Flash. He does fight the Joker until the battle was interrupted by an attack by Desaad's Parademons. In DC Comics ' Comic books, Desaad is one of the followers of Darkseid from the planet of Apokolips in Jack Kirby's Fourth World In the DC Universe, Parademons are monstrous shock troops of Apokolips used by Darkseid to maintain the order of Apokolips

In Justice League of America #21 he can seen associating with Libra's Secret Society of Super Villains. Libra is a Fictional character, a Supervillain in the DC Comics universe.

New Earth Origin

Countdown #34 presents a concise origin page for Lex Luthor as a backup (part of a series which began in 52), representing the new continuity for the Superman mythos as primarily outlined in Action Comics #850, elaborating on the details of this new continuity as pertaining to Lex. Countdown to Final Crisis, known as Countdown for its first 25 issues is a Comic book Limited series published by DC Comics His origin now seems to consist of aspects from pre-Crisis continuity, Man of Steel and Birthright, as well as the TV show Smallville. Crisis on Infinite Earths is a twelve-issue American comic book Limited series (identified as a "12-part maxi-series" and crossover He is shown to be the son of business mogul Lionel Luthor and his socialite spouse Leticia. As in Birthright and the pre-Crisis DC, Lex spends part of his adolescence in Smallville, Kansas (under the care of his aunt, Lena), where he meets Clark Kent, Lana Lang, and Pete Ross.

Lex is described as having left Smallville "under a cloud of rumor and suspicion. " He later resurfaces in Metropolis, creates the company LexCorp, and becomes an enemy of Superman (who, ironically, and unknown to Lex, is his former acquaintance--Clark Kent). Luthor's rise to the Presidency and his removal from office are also recounted in the origin. This Lex is described as both a "shrewd businessman" and scientist, as well as a criminal mastermind. He is not shown losing his hair in Smallville (as in Birthright), instead it is shown as receding over time.

Powers and abilities

Lex Luthor has no super human powers himself, although at times he has used many ingenious weapons and devices, including several similar suits of formidable green power armour on occasions. A powered Exoskeleton is a powered mobile machine consisting primarily of a skeleton-like framework worn by a person and a power supply that supplies at least part of the

However, Luthor's greatest ability lies in the fact that he is genius, alternately possessing fantastical acumen in the fields of either science or business, and in the most recent revisions, both. Between 1986-2004 (and sporadically since) he was depicted as one of the most wealthy and powerful men on the planet, having access to all the technology developed by his company LexCorp and the wealth to buy anything he desires, supplemented from 2000-2004 by the even greater power and influence afforded him by holding the office of President of the United States of America. The President of the United States is the Head of state and Head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in United States by Even after his fall and newly-found criminal status (apart from a brief period of exoneration in 52), Luthor retains access to considerable technological resources and maintains an influential status as a default leader in the supervillain community. A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the Villain character type commonly found in Comic books, Action movies and

Appearances in other media

Main article: Lex Luthor in other media

See also

• Alternate versions of Lex Luthor

References

External links

• Lex Luthor at DCComics.com
• Lex Luthor chronology index
• Superman Homepage - Lex Luthor biography
• Supermanica entry on Lex Luthor
• The Justice League Watchtower - Lex Luthor
• [2]

Newsarama is an American Website that publishes News, Interviews and Essays about the American comic book

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