History ComicBook / LexLuthor

Luthor has appeared frequently in other media, featuring in video games, the original ''[[Film/SupermanTheMovie Superman films]]'', ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'', ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'', ''Film/SupermanReturns'', the television series ''Series/{{Smallville}}'' and the ''Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse''. He has also appeared in the animated films ''WesternAnimation/SupermanDoomsday'', and ''WesternAnimation/SupermanBatmanPublicEnemies''. He is easily the most recognisable, and best known, member of Superman's RoguesGallery, and was rated IGN's "4th Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time." Comic book critic Peter Sanderson has described Luthor as one of the few genuine megavillains, whose adventures cross genres, putting him in a league alongside Professor Moriarty, Count Dracula, Hannibal Lecter, Doctor Doom, and Darth Vader.

* CassandraTruth: Flatly refuses to believe that Clark Kent is Superman regardless of how reliable the source or irrefutable the evidence is.

* {{Greed}}: Lex has long had greed as one of his defining vices. The Orange Lantern ring that he get in ''Blacklist Night'' ends up worsening his greed, leaving him with a yawning gulf inside when he loses it.

* HeelFaceTurn: Is a member of the Justice League in the ''New 52'' and ''Rebirth''. Despite maintaining his somewhat snobby attitude, he seems to genuinely want to help Metropolis this time around [[spoiler:in honor of the New 52's Superman death.]]

* IJustWantToBeYou: Why he especially loathes Superman. When he wore the Orange ring, it caused him to bluntly admit it.

* MoralityPet: His sister Lena during UsefulNotes/{{the Silver Age|of Comic Books}} and UsefulNotes/{{the Bronze Age|OfComicBooks}}. Luthor went out of his way to shield her from any knowledge of his criminal lifestyle. [[spoiler:It appears she's this again in the New 52; he tried and failed to save her when she fell ill, leaving her an invalid.]]

* PsychologicalProjection: In some continuities, like the New 52, he presumes Superman is the one obsessed and conspiring against him.

** To his niece, Laurie, Post-Crisis.

* ''Series/LoisAndClark'' (played by John Shea)

* ''[[Characters/TitansverseSupervillains Titansverse]]'' (played by Rayne Novak)

* AlternateUniverseReedRichardsIsAwesome: Luthor saved the world of Lexor Pre-Crisis, and is the greatest superhero on the Crime Syndicate's homeworld, Pre-and-Post-Crisis. ''ComicBook/SupermanRedSon'' also has a heroic, alternate universe Luthor, who manages to stop a Stalinist Superman from taking over the world, although Superman had altruistic reasons to take over, and Luthor's good deeds are shown to be for his own ego. "VideoGame/InjusticeGodsAmongUs" also features a heroic Luthor. It's actually kind of a running theme that, when Superman's bad, Lex Luthor is the one who steps up as humanity's greatest hero.

* AlternateUniverseReedRichardsIsAwesome: Luthor saved the world of Lexor Pre-Crisis, and is the greatest superhero on the Crime Syndicate's homeworld, Pre-and-Post-Crisis. ''ComicBook/SupermanRedSon'' also has a heroic, alternate universe Luthor, who manages to stop a Stalinist Superman from taking over the world, although Superman had altruistic reasons to take over, and Luthor's good deeds are shown to be for his own ego. "VideoGame/Injustice:GodsAmongUs" also features a heroic Luthor. It's actually kind of a running theme that, when Superman's bad, Lex Luthor is the one who steps up as humanity's greatest hero.

* AlternateUniverseReedRichardsIsAwesome: Luthor saved the world of Lexor Pre-Crisis, and is the greatest superhero on the Crime Syndicate's homeworld, Pre-and-Post-Crisis. ''ComicBook/SupermanRedSon'' also has a heroic, alternate universe Luthor, who manages to stop a Stalinist Superman from taking over the world. It's actually kind of a running theme that, when Superman's bad, Lex Luthor is the one who steps up as humanity's greatest hero.

[[caption-width-right:350:If there was ''ever'' a job for Franchise/{{Superman}}...this is it.]]

* TheLeader: Of a number of supervillain collectives over the years.

** A notable example was when during a JLA storyarc featuring Luthor's Injustice Gang taking on the Justice League, Luthor bashes The Joker with the Rock of Ages to express his disgust at Joker tampering with the bodies of child victims. Later in the same storyline, Lex tricks Joker - who is currently holding the Rock of Ages - into undoing all the murders the Injustice Gang had caused. Though this resulted in there being nothing the Justice League could charge Luthor and the rest of the criminals with, Superman still said he believed it because some part of Lex drew the line at killing innocent children and that it wasn't just to save his own skin.

* AlternateUniverseReedRichardsIsAwesome: Luthor saved the world of Lexor Pre-Crisis, and is the greatest superhero on the Crime Syndicate's homeworld, Pre-and-Post-Crisis. ''ComicBook/SupermanRedSon'' also has a heroic, alternate universe Luthor, who manages to stop a Stalinist Superman from taking over the world. It's actually kind of a running theme that, when Superman's bad, Lex Luthor is the one who steps up as humanity's greatest hero. Same thing happened in ''VideoGame/InjusticeGodsAmongUs''

* EvilGenius: Almost goes without saying.

* BreakoutVillain: He was originally a minor, yet powerful adversary, but when he become so popular the creators decided to make him the primary nemesis to Superman.

* ''Film/SupermanReturns'' (played by Creator/KevinSpacey)

Luthor has appeared frequently in other media, featuring in video games, the original Superman films, ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'' and ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'', ''Film/SupermanReturns'', and the television series ''Series/{{Smallville}}''. He has also appeared in the animated films ''WesternAnimation/SupermanDoomsday'', and ''WesternAnimation/SupermanBatmanPublicEnemies''. He is easily the most recognisable, and best known, member of Superman's RoguesGallery, and was rated IGN's "4th Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time." Comic book critic Peter Sanderson has described Luthor as one of the few genuine megavillains, whose adventures cross genres, putting him in a league alongside Professor Moriarty, Count Dracula, Hannibal Lecter, Doctor Doom, and Darth Vader.

* ''Film/SupermanTheMovie'', ''Film/SupermanII'', and ''Film/SupermanIVTheQuestForPeace'' (played by Creator/GeneHackman)

* Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse:
** ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice'' [[spoiler:and ''Film/JusticeLeague2017'']] (played by Creator/JesseEisenberg)

Alexander "Lex" Luthor is the {{archenemy}} of Franchise/{{Superman}}, and one of the oldest villains in comic book history, making his debut in ''Action Comics'' #23 in April of 1940. Created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the same team who created Superman himself, Luthor was an instant success, and ensured himself a permanent place in the Last Son of Krypton's RoguesGallery. Since then he's gone onto be a major player in the DC Universe, serving as one of its most iconic villains, alongside the likes of [[ComicBook/TheJoker the Joker]].

* DirtyOldMan: In the Post-Crisis era, very much so. When a fifteen-year-old Lois Lane breaks into Lexcorp to get some dirt on him, Luthor has her strip searched and makes a point of keeping the security footage for himself.

* TheSociopath: Often referred to as such, though he doesn't necessarily hit all the requirements for the psychiatric diagnosis.
* StalkerWithATestTube: Towards Superman, resulting in many different clones.
* StrawHypocrite: Whether Luthor believes his pro-human rhetoric, or whether it's a cover for his hatred of Superman is a case of DependingOnTheWriter.