History Characters / SmallvilleLuthorCorp

* AlternateSelf: Has two on [[Series/{{Supergirl2015}} Earth-Prime]] as herself and Red Tornado, one on Earth-X as Red Tornado, and one on [[Series/Titans2018 Earth-9]] as herself.

* AlternateSelf: Three, one on [[Series/{{Supergirl2015}} Earth-Prime]], one on [[Film/BatmanAndRobin Earth-89]] as Floronic Man, and one on an [[Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse unnamed Earth]] as [[{{Film/Shazam2019}} Mr. Sivana]].

In the GrandFinale, Tess is murdered by Lex in an attempt to "make sure she doesn't become him". She in turn introduces a neural gel that wipes his memories, allowing Clark's secrets to remain safe and in the process allow her redemption for her crimes. However, the DNA contact allowed Tess's consciousness to enter Lex's brain, allowing her to appear to him as a hallucination. Eventually, the Justice League managed to extract her consciousness and upload it to the Watchtower computers, allowing her to appear as a VirtualGhost; she later transferred her consciousness into an self-created cyborg body. At the end of Season 11, she was grafted a synthetic skin, allowing her to regain her original appearance.

* AlternateSelf: Has one on [[Series/{{Supergirl2015}} Earth-Prime]].

* [[AbusiveParents Abusive Dad]]: Though more sympathetic than most television examples, Lionel is ''very'' abusive towards Lex. Season 3 implies that he had one himself, meaning that the cycle of abuse is in full swing. It's also worth noting that Lionel's parents were abusive in the opposite way, keeping him down in poverty with them. Lionel, in turn, is trying to be the opposite, believing that pushing his son to succeed is what's best. Though, as Lex points out many times, Lionel doesn't have his best interest in mind, and only cares for himself. For example: having Lex's memory wiped so he can't tell anyone that Lionel killed his own parents. And worse, when Lionel attempts to murder Lex ''twice''.

* InTheBlood: Her being Lionel's daughter explains both her [[ManipulativeBastard manipulative nature]] and her HeelFaceRevolvingDoor.

!!! '''Played by''': Creator/JessicaParkerKennedy (Bette Sans Souci / Plastique), Creator/BrendanFletcher (Rudy Jones / Parasite), Anna William (Eva Greer), Anna Mae Routledge (Leslie Willis / Livewire), Jae Lee (Nathaniel Tryon / Neutron)

!!Alexander Luthor / Lx-15 (Jakob Davies, Connor Stanhope, Creator/LucasGrabeel)

!!!'''Played By:''' Gerard Plunkett

!!! '''Played by''': Creator/JessicaParkerKennedy (Bette Sans Souci / Plastique), Brendan Fletcher (Rudy Jones / Parasite), Anna William (Eva Greer), Anna Mae Routledge (Leslie Willis / Livewire), Jae Lee (Nathaniel Tryon / Neutron)

!!ComicBook/LexLuthor
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lex_luthor_8.jpg]]

!!! '''Played by''': Creator/MichaelRosenbaum | Matthew Munn (young)

->''"I am the villain of the story."''

The son of multi-billionaire Lionel Luthor, Lex befriends Clark after the latter saves him from drowning following a plunge off a bridge in the pilot episode. He is initially Clark's best friend and goes out of his way to protect him, eventually deposing his father and seizing control of [=LuthorCorp=]. However, Clark's refusal to trust him, combined with Lex's inability to overcome his own upbringing and [[LoveTriangle their rivalry over both Lana]] and how to best protect Smallville, cause Lex to slide into villainy, ending in a FaceHeelTurn of epic proportions.

Defined by his obsessions and [[ControlFreak need for control]], Lex can be vengeful, spiteful and, at times, downright [[EvilIsPetty petty]], but also has flashes of pure Machiavellian brilliance. He is a fitting ArchEnemy for a Franchise/{{Superman}}.

Halfway through Season 8, Lex, who spent most of the season on life support due to injuries suffered after pulling the Fortress of Solitude on top of himself and Clark at the end of Season 7, was murdered by Oliver Queen. However, like any good [[TheChessmaster chessmaster]], he had backup plans put into motion. Namely, various clones, designed to essentially resurrect him. After failed models either went AxCrazy or rebelled against his memories, his final clone was born in the GrandFinale with the heart of the Lionel Luthor from another Earth, properly bringing Lex back to life. After this resurrection, and one final confrontation with his eternal enemy Clark, Lex's memories are wiped thanks to a neural gel given to him via ArmorPiercingSlap at the hands of his half-sister Tess, whom he was in the process of murdering at the time. This led to Season 11, where he becomes the primary BigBad, hating Superman, but having no idea why. By the time of the final episode's time jump in 2018, he has become President of the United States.

* AdaptationalAngstUpgrade: This show's version of Lex Luthor has by far the most dysfunctional and miserable relationship with his father as portrayed in any medium. Also, while most versions of Lex are either a CardCarryingVillain or a man assured of his own righteousness, this version of Lex is greatly tortured by his capacity for evil... initially, at least.
* AdaptationalAttractiveness: Michael Rosenbaum is much more conventionally handsome than most depictions of the character, even with the bald head.
* AdaptationalBadass: How physically dangerous Comics!Luthor is can vary DependingOnTheWriter, but ''Smallville'''s portrayal of him as an exceptionally capable BadassNormal with the ability to fight ComicBook/GreenArrow to a draw outdoes all other portrayals in this regard.
* AffablyEvil: Has this vibe even back when he's a good guy, with an inimitable talent for making even the most harmless of good deeds sound vaguely evil, in a cool, polite, [[DeadpanSnarker and often snarky sort of way]]. In between bouts of EvilIsPetty and KickTheDog, he evolves into this in full in his descent into villainy, giving Clark what is actually an astoundingly good motivational speech in the finale, saying that every villain is only as good as their hero - and, arguably, giving Clark the push he needs to become Superman.
* AgentMulder: His belief in, and curiosity for, the paranormal is what starts his descent into villainy.
* AlliterativeName: '''L'''ex '''L'''uthor.
* AlternateSelf: Has three, one on [[Series/Supergirl2015 Earth-Prime]], one on [[Series/Titans2018 Earth-9]], and one on [[Film/SupermanTheMovie Earth]][[Film/SupermanII -]][[Film/SupermanIVTheQuestForPeace 9]][[Film/SupermanReturns 6]].
* AlternateUniverse: In Clark's ItsAWonderfulPlot episode "Apocalypse," we meet PresidentEvil Lex who, as usual, is a VillainInAWhiteSuit with a RedRightHand, but adds TheSocialDarwinist and OmnicidalManiac to his resume via a plan to NukeEm all and re-build the world in his own image.
* AlternateUniverseReedRichardsIsAwesome: Whether or not he's still evil, Lex is far more successful than the [[Series/Supergirl2015 Lex Luthor of Earth-Prime]], what with being President of the United States and all. Clark's reaction to Prime-Lex is just a casual "You're not Lex." (WordOfSaintPaul from Creator/JonCryer is he considers Rosenbaum's Lex his favorite take on the character and [[WhatCouldHaveBeen wishes he'd had the opportunity]] to have met this version and, probably, beat him.)
* AntagonisticOffspring: To Lionel, following the latter's HeelFaceTurn and his own subsequent FaceHeelTurn.
* AntiHero: Lex started the series as a PragmaticHero. His methods were badly flawed, but he was genuinely out to stop his [[ArchnemesisDad father]] [[BigBad Lionel]], and be a better person and a good friend to Clark. By Seasons 4 and 5, he was in AntiVillain territory, becoming antagonistic but remaining sympathetic, before finally [[FaceHeelTurn diving into full-on villainy]].
* ArchEnemy: Well on his way to being Clark's, with the entire show building up to their finally confronting one another.
* BackFromTheDead:
** Thanks to Chloe's healing powers in Season 7's "Fracture."
** And again in "[[GrandFinale Finale]]" by way of a cloned body and Earth-2 Lionel's [[DealWithTheDevil deal with Darkseid]].
* BadassBoast: The section quote above.
* BadassBookworm: He's very well-read and likes to quote great philosophers and relate it to himself.
* BadassInANiceSuit: Especially in the {{Bad Future}}s where he's a ''very'' intimidating VillainInAWhiteSuit.
* BadassLongcoat: Lex's trenchcoat is every bit as iconic as his [[BadassInANiceSuit nice]] [[ManOfWealthAndTaste suit]].
* BadassNormal: Both physically and mentally.
* BadBoss: After his [[FaceHeelTurn turn to villainy]].
* BadFuture: Is PresidentEvil in many of them.
* BaldOfEvil: Courtesy of his FaceHeelTurn.
* BecameTheirOwnAntithesis: Lex has stated once or twice that he doesn't want to become like his father. Sadly, that's what he ends up doing by Season 5.
* BigBad: [[BigBadEnsemble Competes]] with ComicBook/{{Brainiac}} for the title in Season 7. Considered by some to have held it since Season 6.
* BigBadSlippage: One for the series overall as he starts out as a friend to Clark only to become a villain in Seasons 4 and 5 before becoming the BigBad of Seasons 6 and 7.
* BigBadWannabe: Spends much of Seasons 5 and 7 trying to be the BigBad, but gets upstaged by Brainiac.
* BigBrotherInstinct: Towards Clark.
* BigBrotherMentor: He often had a tendency to slip into this trope during the first two seasons with Clark.
* BrilliantButLazy: He's possibly one of the smartest men in the world but is pretty unmotivated to do anything in the early seasons.
* BrokenAce: Very much so. He's rich, successful, brilliant, charming, handsome, self-loathing and caught up in a [[WellDoneSonGuy desire for parental approval]] all at the same time.
* ByronicHero: In the early seasons.
* CardCarryingVillain: While he is usually a VillainWithGoodPublicity, when he is split into good and evil sides, evil Lex utters the classic line:
-->'''Lex''': I am the villain of the story.
** Lex announces his intention to become one of these in the GrandFinale. Tess' mind-wipe may have forestalled this.
--->'''Lex:''' You and I... We will both be great men. Because of each other, we have a destiny together, Clark... [[ArchEnemy only on different sides]].\\
'''Clark:'''I'll always be there to stop you. Always.\\
'''Lex:''' Oh, I'm counting on it. Our story hasn't been written yet, Kal-El. And every villain is only as great as his hero.
* CainAndAbel: With Clark (whom he viewed as a brother) and later with Tess, resulting in the latter's death and his own memory loss.
* TheCasanova: Almost all of his girlfriends or love interests are stunningly beautiful women. This mostly due to Lex's good looks (even with the baldness) and his witty personality. Not to mention the fact that he is obscenely wealthy and cultured.
* TheCharmer: When he wants to be.
* TheChessmaster: Graduates into one, learning from his father how to manipulate and plot with the best of them.
* ChickMagnet: Attracts a bevy of women over the course of the show.
* ClassicVillain: Displays the [[SevenDeadlySins sins]] of {{Pride}}, [[GreenEyedMonster Envy]] and {{Wrath}}.
* CombatPragmatist: Often prefers to use simple defense moves and guns rather than engage in long battles.
* ControlFreak: Lex's need to control everyone and everything around him is the chief cause of his downfall. He came to the conclusion that the only way he could secure a happy existence for himself is if the people in his life are completely under his control (he himself would probably view it as "guidance," but that's a case of BelievingTheirOwnLies). He, like Lana, wants to know Clark's secret and is willing to go to life-threatening lengths to obtain it: sending super-powered murderers to hold Clark's family hostage in an attempt to force him to reveal any superpowers he may have (this ends up being what breaks his and Clark's friendship). He's willing to let his dad stick around, but only as long as he's subordinate to Lex. He also misses his deceased brother and clones him so that he can have him back...but gets insanely angry when the clone no longer wants to follow the script that Lex wants him to live by. Terrifyingly, it is implied that Lex has the clone killed, viewing him as a failed experiment. And, of course, there's the horrifying twist of late Season 6 where we learn that Lex chemically manipulated Lana's body with hormones to simulate a pregnancy in order to help push her into marrying him, and then letting her believe that she had miscarried afterwards, causing her to fall into a deep depression. Through it all, Lex maintains that this is all okay because he views it as simply carving out his world and the people in it to be the way he wants them to be, and he [[BelievingTheirOwnLies tells himself that it's for their own good anyway]].
** Lex's beliefs that influence his behavior this way are possibly best summed up at the end of Season 5's Christmas episode "Lexmas" where, after considering it all episode, he decides to use dirty tricks to try and win the election he's in, saying:
--->'''Lex''': What I want more than anything is to live {{happily ever after}}. And do you know what the secret to living happily ever after is? ([[{{Beat}} pause]]) ''Power''. Money and power. See, once you have those two things, you can secure everything else. And ''keep'' it that way. I want to be Senator. ''I want it all.''
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: After he turns evil.
* CorruptTheCutie: Lionel was determined to teach Lex to be ruthless and Machiavellian...even when Lex was still just a ''child''. For one of his birthdays when Lex was young, Lionel bought a replica of the Battle of Troy and used it to try to teach Lex about ruthless strategy. It's also been mentioned that Lionel once gave Lex a copy of Sun Tzu's ''Literature/{{The Art of War|SunTzu}}'' on another childhood birthday. Arguably, this trope can also be used to describe how Lex affected Lana's personality after they got together, although to be fair, she wasn't exactly a saint beforehand, either.
* DarkLordOnLifeSupport: In Season 8 when his injuries render him completely immobile, and leave him on an IV and a ventilator.
* DeadpanSnarker: Ahh, who forgets his witty comeback to Victoria when he finds out that she was bedding him just to get close enough to spy on him for her father's corporation:
-->'''Victoria:''' It was just business.
-->'''Lex:''' (''without missing a beat'') You call sleeping with me "business"? I hate to think what that makes you.
** Or this gem when he has [[Franchise/TheFlash Impulse]] imprisoned:
-->'''Impulse:''' I want a lawyer.
-->'''Lex:''' And I want a ponytail. Disappointment abounds.
* DeconstructedCharacterArchetype: Of the whole idea of supervillains and how they are made, especially his own comics counterpart.
* {{Determinator}}: Lex never lets anything stop him, whether financial setbacks, political failures, or the near total destruction of his physical body.
* {{Deuteragonist}}: From seasons 1 through 7. The story of Smallville focuses on how Lex became a villain almost as much as it is about how Clark Kent became a hero.
* DeusAngstMachina: After losing his hair and being horribly bullied at school, Lex takes the blame for his mother murdering his infant brother, condemning himself to a future of abuse and hatred from his dad, whom he knows would kill her if he found out.
* {{Deuteragonist}}:
* DiscOneFinalBoss: Season 8. His return is a much anticipated and feared thing, to the point where one expects him to take over as the BigBad...only for him to be blown up and replaced by [[PersonOfMassDestruction Doomsday]].
* TheDreaded: As of Season 8. He drove Oliver to violate ThouShaltNotKill, other characters treat him as though he were a HeroKiller (even though he's really not) and the possibility of his return is always spoken of as though it were a prophecy regarding TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt. Not bad for a BadassNormal who hasn't appeared for two-and-a-half seasons.
* DrivenByEnvy: Outdoing Clark eventually becomes Lex's primary motivation. He's actually relieved when he finds out Clark is an alien and that the competition was never fair.
* {{Envy}}: Of Clark, whose life and later powers Lex desperately wants.
* EvilCounterpart: To Oliver Queen. Both are the sons of wealthy billionaires who strike an unusual friendship with Clark Kent and frequently struggle with their flaws. But while Oliver ultimately overcomes his inner demons, Lex succumbs to them.
* EvilCripple: In Season 8. He's paraplegic, on a respirator and barely able to breathe...and more dangerous than ever, now that he's got the element of surprise on his side.
* EvilFeelsGood: Decides this around Season 5.
* EvilGenius: Very smart and ''very'' nasty.
* EvilHasGoodTaste: Lex is well read and has a taste for fine dining.
* EvilIsPetty: His incredibly petty and vicious plan in Season 8 revolves around breaking up Clark and Lana through [[SadisticChoice the nastiest way possible]].
* EvilSoundsDeep: Season 8, complete with VaderBreath.
* EvilWearsBlack: Lex's attire includes lots of dark clothing, black included.
* EyepatchOfPower: Season 8, as part of his EvilCripple status.
* FaceHeelTurn: Pretty much a ForegoneConclusion. From Season 5-7 he was always tittering the line between the last amount of loyalty he has to his friends, and the monster he was destined to become, with the very final minutes of Season 7 securing his place as a villain.
-->'''Lex''': ''(Cradling a weakened Clark, while the Fortress of Solitude crumbles around them)'' I love you like a brother Clark, but it has to end like this. ''I'm sorry...''
* {{Foil}}: To Clark, with his journey to narcissistic monster progressing in time with Clark's journey to MessianicArchetype and TheCape.
* FreudianExcuse: Courtesy of his dad.
* FriendlyEnemy: Until the events of "Arctic."
* FromNobodyToNightmare: He might have stayed a spoiled, lonely rich kid forever had it not been for that trip to Kansas.
* GambitRoulette: Unbeknownst to Clark and his friends, the entire first half of Season 8 was slowly turning out to be set up by Lex (who is crippled and presumed dead, but still alive and scheming) to manipulate them all into being his {{Unwitting Pawn}}s and facilitating his revenge. It culminates in the situation with the Prometheus suit described above: either '''A:''' Clark and Lana don't discover it, and Lex dons it himself and uses it to murder Clark, or '''B:''' Lana steals it, puts it on, and Lex forces her to choose between letting the city blow up or absorbing the kryptonite and never being able to be with Clark again). Like we said, Lex is truly a ManipulativeBastard.
* GeniusCripple: Season 8.
* TheGhost: Never actually appears during the ''Series/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths2019'', since Rosenbaum turned the CW down. In-universe, Clark seems skeptical that he would have any reason to come back to Smallville.
* GoodCounterpart: Even at his worst, Lex wasn't ever nearly the CardCarryingVillain Earth-Prime Lex is. He still isn't, as evidenced by the fact that Clark gave up his powers and yet he and his family are alive and seem to be perfectly safe.
* GuileHero: Pre-FaceHeelTurn.
* GunsAkimbo: Against Green Arrow and Black Canary in "Siren." Complete with GunKata.
* HandicappedBadass: Season 8, in both the literal and metaphorical sense. Bereft of his [[CorruptCorporateExecutive company]], [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney money]], [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections connections]] and his very mobility, a paraplegic Lex keeps the superhero community quaking in their boots (even the [[TheDreaded mere mention of his name terrifies them]]) and proves that, even trapped in the back of a truck on life support and breathing through a respirator, he's still one of the most dangerous villains out there.
* HardHead: Held ''Series/{{Smallville}}'''s record for being knocked unconscious.
* HasAType: Has a habit of hooking up with hot brunettes because they remind him of his mother.
* TheHeavy: Seasons 6 and 7.
* HeroicSacrifice: Took the blame for his mother murdering his brother, leading to his father's cold(er) treatment of him.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: In the first few seasons, he and Clark exemplified this trope, even if Lex seemed more enthusiastic about it. This was likely due to Clark probably being Lex's first real friend and one of the few who didn't judge him before knowing him.
* HotBlooded: The guy has anger management problems, to say the least.
* HumiliationConga: He's had more than his fair share. He'd be really sympathetic if he weren't such an asshole.
* {{Hypocrite}}: He constantly bitches about Clark keeping his secret from him, while simultaneously keeping an army of skeletons (all of them far, far darker than Clark's) in his own closet.
* IJustWantToBeLoved: It's painfully clear, especially in early seasons, that Lex is just starved for someone to care for him the way Lionel never did. It's why he's so keen on being friends with Clark and why he wants to be a part of the Kent family--they represent what he never had. In later seasons, he still wants love, but his [[{{Pride}} ego]] and [[{{Narcissist}} narcissism]] makes it impossible for him to accept anything less than total control over anyone who gets close to him.
* IJustWantToBeSpecial: Big time. No matter how brilliant or successful Lex is, it's not enough and he believes that he, not Clark, should be the one to save humanity. Clark, to him, serves as a reminder that Lex is still just a man.
* InferioritySuperiorityComplex: Lex's drive to be better than everyone is fueled by his [[WellDoneSonGuy desire for approval from his father]] as well as his jealousy of Clark (whom he subconsciously regards as his superior).
* ItsAllAboutMe: Even early on, Lex had trouble seeing beyond his own needs. By the end of the show, he's completely obsessed with himself, suffers from bad cases of LackOfEmpathy and NeverMyFault, and more or less believes that the universe revolves around him.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: In the early seasons. He was a pleasant, friendly guy, but he acted like a jerk to anyone he disliked, such as his father or Dominic.
* {{Jerkass}}: After his FaceHeelTurn.
* KarmaHoudini: He avoids punishment for all of his crimes, and at the end of the series, is resurrected and ready to become the PresidentEvil we always knew he could be.
* KlingonPromotion: In order to truly become the BigBad, Lex has to kill off his father, whose presence in-universe more or less handicapped him.
* LackOfEmpathy: Has a severe and developing case of it. By Season 7 or so, it's all-consuming.
* LaserGuidedAmnesia: His fate in the GrandFinale. Season 11 has a Lex who hates Superman, and has no idea why.
* LargeHam: Gets increasingly hammy as he becomes [[EvilIsHammy more evil]].
* LonelyRichKid: In Seasons 1-3.
* LoveMakesYouEvil: In the ItsAWonderfulPlot storyline when he decided to become good, Dream!Lana dies.
* MadeOfIron: Courtesy of his low-level HealingFactor.
* ManipulativeBastard: A master manipulator of others' emotions.
* TheManBehindTheMan: To [[TheBaroness Tess]] and [[MadBomber Winslow Schott]] in Season 8.
* ManOfWealthAndTaste: In the later seasons, and the {{Bad Future}}s.
* MeaningfulName: ''Alexander'' means "defender/leader of mankind." Quite fitting for a guy who thinks he's protecting humanity from hostile aliens and meteor freaks, and believes that the best way to do so is for everyone to follow his lead (naturally).
* MoralityPet: Clark is his, while he's capable of doing devious acts, his friendship with Clark Kent usually keeps him from going too far. It's when an enraged Clark denounces his friendship with Lex, that Lex begins to slide down from a good-natured man with a dark side, to an evil maniacal villain.
* MrFanservice: Just ask the fangirls.
* MoralMyopia: No one may do unto Lex as he does unto them. It wouldn't be right.
* MotiveRant: Delivers one to Clark in the GrandFinale, explaining ''why'' [[IJustWantToBeSpecial he has been who he was]], before explaining [[CardCarryingVillain what he plans to be instead]].
-->'''Lex:''' No matter how meticulously I prepared, no matter how strategic I was... [[VillainousUnderdog If only I'd known I never stood a chance.]]\\
'''Clark:''' [[HumbleHero It wasn't a competition.]]\\
'''Lex:''' [[RightForTheWrongReasons Of course it wasn't.]] You were born to be {{the chosen one}}. You're simply better than us.\\
'''Clark:''' And that always killed you.\\
'''Lex:''' No. No, what killed me is that you didn't even ''[[ReluctantHero want]]'' it. You fought it. You ... you hid from it! I would have taken it and relished it, embraced it.
* {{Narcissist}}: From the start of the show, Lex has difficulty seeing others' problems and this only gets worse as time goes by. His narcissism becomes more and more pronounced and increasingly malignant until by Season 7, he's essentially become a [[TheSociopath sociopath]].
* NeverMyFault: Lex blames his father, Clark, Lana and anyone else he can set his sights on for his problems. You've got a FreudianExcuse, Lex, but it doesn't mean you don't have to take responsibility sometimes. To be fair, sometimes it really ''isn't'' his fault, but he gets blamed anyway.
* NiceGuy: Lex always appears to be a pleasant young man, but how real that is fades with time. By the end of the show, it's nothing more than [[BitchInSheepsClothing a facade]].
* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: Things rarely go well for him when he honestly tries to do the right thing.
* NotSoDifferent: Despite being EvilerThanThou, Lex-Prime's outraged rant over Clark renouncing his powers isn't really that different from his own Lex's own MotiveRant about his envy and contempt over Clark's RefusalOfTheCall in the GrandFinale. "Sure haven't missed these chats," indeed.
* NukeEm: In the BadFuture shown in "Apocalypse," PresidentEvil Lex has conspired with Brainiac to [[OmnicidalManiac wipe out the world in a nuclear war]] so that he can unite the survivors under his rule and create a new [[TheSocialDarwinist Social Darwinistic]] paradise.
* OurPresidentsAreDifferent: We don't really know anything about his personality after the MindWipe in the GrandFinale, but it's still Lex, meaning he's at least got to be President Scheming, President Iron and President Geek. It's ambiguous whether he's PresidentEvil, though Clark's relative unconcern over the fact that he is President makes it unlikely.
* PresidentEvil: In several {{Bad Future}}s. He's elected for real in 2018 during the DistantFinale.
* PoisonousFriend: To Clark, pre-FaceHeelTurn.
* PsychopathicManchild: Immeasurably brilliant, wealthy and powerful. He is also extremely [[EvilIsPetty petty]], [[ItsAllAboutMe incredibly self-involved]] and [[NeverMyFault incapable of accepting responsibility or blame]].
* PutOnABus: Yes & No. Michael Rosenbaum departed at the end of Season 7. Lex, through a mix of recycled footage, audio, and body doubles remained until the end of Season 8.
* ReallyGetsAround: More implied for the first few seasons than actually seen, except for Victoria where she slept with him for business, but seen in "Bound," he apparently has had many one-night stands with women where he gave them diamond earrings as a "thank you" gift, something he picked up from his father.
* RedheadsAreUncool: In the pilot, nine year-old Lex is being chastised by his father for being scared and keeping his eyes closed while on the helicopter ride. Once he opens them, he gets more scared and needs to use his inhaler because he has an asthma attack. That day, the meteor shower caused him to lose all his red hair.
* RedRightHand: In every one of the BadFuture episodes, PresidentEvil Lex is shown as a VillainInAWhiteSuit with a single black-gloved hand. Bad!Lex also sports this look during Clark's [[JourneyToTheCenterOfTheMind trip inside his head]] in "Fracture." It finally happens for real following his resurrection in the GrandFinale. One of his hands is mangled, prompting him to don the trademark glove. Might be a ShoutOut to the comics where constantly wearing a Kryptonite ring caused Luthor to develop cancer in one of his hands and have it replaced with a mechanical one.
* {{Revenge}}: Season 8.
* SadisticChoice: Gives Clark and Lana the option of staying together and watching thousands die, or sacrificing their love in order to save Metropolis. They pick the latter.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney: Increasingly comes to see this as the way the world should work.
* SelfMadeOrphan: He murders his ArchnemesisDad Lionel as his [[MoralEventHorizon final step]] into true villainy. Lionel himself was revealed to be one of these earlier in series, having had his friend Morgan Edge kill his [[TheAlcoholic Alcoholic]] AbusiveParents in a gas fire. One can only wonder what Lex's children will do, should he have any...
* ShipperOnDeck: During the early seasons for Clark and Lana. All the while developing feelings for Lana himself...
* SkywardScream: Does one at the end of "Persona" after having an assassin kill off Grant Gabriel, a clone of his dead younger brother Julian.
* TheSocialDarwinist: Picks up many tenets of his father's philosophy as his life goes on. The PresidentEvil Lex seen in "Apocalypse"'s BadFuture actually intends to end the world in nuclear holocaust so that he can rule over the survivors (whom he believes will be the strongest that humanity has to offer).
* TheSociopath: Lex doesn't start out this way, but as the show progresses, his narcissism slowly swallows up the rest of his personality until all that's left is a [[ControlFreak drive to control everybody around him]] and a [[ItsAllAboutMe belief that his needs come before those of everyone else]]. By Season 7, all that's left is a bitter, vengeful psychopath driven by the need to be superior to the rest of the world.
* SuperVillain: The opposite of Clark, who becomes a SuperHero.
* ThenLetMeBeEvil: Originally, he was a genuinely good guy with good intentions, though [[AntiHero with questionable methods at times]]. However, his growing jealousy of Clark (for having good parents and friends, and Lana's love), combined with his resentment towards the world at large, fuel his growing selfishness until he dives into it outright.
* TragicVillain: Few modern villains fit this trope as well as Lex does.
* TraumaCongaLine: He may be a sociopathic bastard, but damn has Lex suffered in life.
* TheUnfavourite: Subverted. Lex thinks he's this, but given Lionel's treatment of [[BastardBastard Lucas]] and [[ParentalAbandonment Tess]], it's clear that he's actually the favorite. It's just that this is [[AbusiveParents Lionel]] we're talking about, so it doesn't really matter.
* UnwittingPawn: Of [[TheChessmaster Brainiac]]. ''Twice''. But by Season 8, he's become so cunning that it's unlikely this will be happening again, and indeed ''all the other characters'' turn out to be unwitting pawns of Lex in Season 8.
* UsedToBeASweetKid: As the flashbacks reveal, he really did. It's even present in the first four seasons at times.
* VaderBreath: Season 8.
* VillainInAWhiteSuit: In the various {{Bad Future}}s where he's PresidentEvil. During Clark's [[JourneyToTheCenterOfTheMind trip inside Lex's head]] in Season 7's "Fracture," bad!Lex wears the same suit. He dons it in real life during the 2018 DistantFinale, after he's elected President.
* WellDoneSonGuy: Lionel withheld affection from Lex so much that not only does he desperately seek Lionel's approval in the early seasons, but also the approval of ''Clark's'' dad!
* WellIntentionedExtremist: Begins his slide into villainy this way, as he himself states in "Descent":
-->'''Lex:''' This is Smallville! Meteor freaks, alien ships, cryptic symbols...somebody HAD to take control to ensure people's safety!
:: It doesn't last; by Seasons 7 and 8, he no longer cares about anyone but himself.
* WeUsedToBeFriends: One of the premises of the show was asking the question "What if Clark Kent and Lex Luthor were best friends before becoming mortal enemies?"
* WickedCultured: Loves to quote great literature and is as bad as they come.
* WouldHitAGirl: As demonstrated in the Season 6 finale when Lana announces she's leaving him.
* XanatosGambit: His SadisticChoice in Season 8. Either Lana absorbs the kryptonite radiation and can't go near Clark again, or they let the bomb go off, thus proving they aren't the heroes they claim to be. One could also add the very creation of the Prometheus skin graft here: either ''A.'' he puts it on, recovers and uses it to kill Clark and attain absolute power for himself ([[NightmareFuel just imagine the sociopathic Lex of the later seasons armed with ALL of Clark's powers]]), or ''B.'' Lana puts it on and the above plan goes into action.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Lionel Luthor]]
!!Lionel Luthor
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lionel_luthor.jpg]]
!!! '''Species''': Human
!!! '''Played by''': Creator/JohnGlover

->''"If you're going to take me on, son, you're going to have to bring your game up to a whole different level."''

Lex's father and the founder of [=LuthorCorp=], Lionel [[RagsToRiches rose from poverty to become one of the wealthiest men in the world]]. Claiming to be descended from Scottish nobility, he raised his son with little warmth and less love, believing that [[VirtueIsWeakness such things only bred weakness]]. He is the chief culprit behind his son's shattered psyche and [[WellDoneSonGuy need for approval]], and is the [[BigBad main antagonist]] in Seasons 1-3.

Imprisoned at the end of Season 3 when Lex and Chloe reveal that he murdered his parents, Lionel is freed by [[EvilMatriarch Genevieve Teague]] and undergoes the beginnings of a HeelFaceTurn. Failing to re-connect with Lex despite his best efforts, he grows closer to Clark, eventually learning his secret and becoming his ally, while at the same time serving as the host body for Jor-El (and nursing an enormous crush on Clark's mother Martha).

For his Earth-2 counterpart, see [[Characters/SmallvilleEarth2 Earth-2]].
----

* ShooOutTheNewGuy: Appeared in just one episode where he had a major role, and it was implied would continue to have a major role in the [[DysfunctionJunction Luthor family dynamic]]. Was PutOnABus at the end of the episode and was never seen or heard from again.

* EvilHasGoodTaste

* TheSociopath: Lex doesn't start out this way, but as the show progresses, his egoism slowly swallows up the rest of his personality until all that's left is a [[ControlFreak drive to control everybody around him]] and a [[ItsAllAboutMe belief that his needs come before those of everyone else]]. By Season 7, all that's left is a bitter, vengeful psychopath driven by the need to be superior to the rest of the world.

* UsedToBeASweetKid: As the flashbacks reveal, he really did. It's even present in the first season at times.

* {{Deconstruction}}: Of his comics counterpart and the whole idea of supervillains and how they are made.

[[folder: Lex Luthor]]

[[folder: Lionel Luthor]]

[[folder: Tess Mercer]]

[[folder: Lucas Luthor]]

[[folder: Regan Matthews]]

[[folder: Alexander Luthor/Lx-15]]

[[folder: Lx-3]]

* FaceHeelTurn: Pretty much a ForegoneConclusion.

* AdaptationalBadass: How physically dangerous Comics!Luthor is can vary DependingOnTheWriter, but ''Smallville'''s portrayal of him as an exceptionally capable BadassNormal with the ability to fight Green Arrow to a draw outdoes all other portrayals in this regard.

* AlternateSelf: Has three, one on [[Series/Supergirl2015 Earth-Prime]], one on [[Series/Titans2018 Earth-9]], and one on [[Film/{{Superman}} Earth]][[Film/SupermanII -]][[Film/SupermanIVTheQuestForPeace 9]][[Film/SupermanReturns 6]].

* AlternateUniverseReedRichardsIsAwesome: Whether or not he's still evil, Lex is far more successful than the [[Series/Supergirl2015 Lex Luthor of Earth-Prime]], what with being President of the United States and all. Clark's reaction to Prime-Lex is just a casual "You're not Lex." (WordOfSaintPaul from Creator/JonCryer is he considers Rosenbaum's Lex his favorite take on the character and [[WhatCouldHaveBeen wishes he'd had the opportunity]] to have meet this version and, probably, beat him.)

** It doesn't last; by Seasons 7 and 8, he no longer cares about anyone but himself.

* XanatosGambit: His SadisticChoice in Season 8. Either Lana absorbs the kryptonite radiation and can't go near Clark again, or they let the bomb go off, thus proving they aren't the heroes they claim to be. One could also add the very creation of the Prometheus skin graft here: either ''A.'' he puts it on, recovers and uses it to kill Clark and attain absolute power for himself ([[{{NightmareFuel}} just imagine the sociopathic Lex of the later seasons armed with ALL of Clark's powers]]), or ''B.'' Lana puts it on and the above plan goes into action.

* AdaptationNameChange: Pre-Crisis, his name is Jules, Post-Crisis: he's mostly nameless.

* AscendedExtra: A recurring villain in Season 1, he was PromotionToOpeningTitles in Season 2.

* CompositeCharacter: [[Film/{{Superman}} Eve Teschmacher]] and [[WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries Mercy Graves]], and Big Barda, and Lena Luthor, and possibly Contessa Erica del Portenza, Luthor's eighth wife in the comics. and as of the season 11 comics, Red Tornado Let's be real, Tess Mercer may just be the Queen of this trope.
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Although in a different way from most, and whether she still qualifies after her HeelFaceTurn is arguable.
** Even before her HeelFaceTurn, she reorganizes [=LuthorCorp=] around the goal of saving the Earth... it's just that her version of "saving the Earth" is not exactly the same definition that Clark and the JLA have. And plus she's willing to use ruthless means to get there.

* ElectronicEyes: Implanted by Lex. It's revealed that [[SeeingThroughAnothersEyes he is actually spying on her through them, which prompts her HeelFaceTurn]].

* InterplayOfSexAndViolence: When Oliver interrupts one her KingpinInHisGym sessions, they get into an aggressive sparring match that [[SexWithTheEx ends up with them in bed.]] She also slept with Zod shortly after they both tried to kill each other.
* InTheBlood: Her being Lionel's daughter explains both her [[ManipulativeBastard manipulative nature]] and her HeelFaceRevolvingDoor]].

* NotSoDifferent: The "evil" side of this for Chloe, {{Lampshaded}} by Tess herself in "Sacrifice." They're both very smart, tough women with more than a little bit of [[BrokenBird damage]] and quickly-waning trust in humanity. This is also noticeable in that they both, at different points in time, run Watchtower.

* SexGoddess: Was able to impress a fully powered Zod with her sexual prowess, who claims she was able to "spar with him on an equal footing" and her ex Oliver comments on her being very passionate.

* TheUnfavourite: Her adoptive father was physically abusive to her and injured her on more than one occasion. And the trope also applies to the way she was treated by her biological father Lionel Luthor, who preferred her brother Lex in both Earth-1 and Earth-2. The Earth-2 version was even more extreme: he explicitly tells her that she's just not as special as Lex, and he tries to murder her to use her heart to resurrect Lex. ''Ouch''.

* HeKnowsTooMuch: She finds out that Clark is the Traveler. Five minutes later, her murderer is staging the scene in order to MakeItLookLikeAnAccident.

For more on Plastique, see "Suicide Squad."

* EvilOrphan:Despite Tess' best efforts.

* AlternateSelf: On an [[Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse unnamed Earth]] as Silas Stone [[spoiler: & J'onn J'onzz]], one on [[Series/{{Titans2018}} Earth-21]] as Silas Stone, one on [[Series/{{Supergirl2015}} as J'onn J'onzz]], and technically one on Earth-167 itself, also as J'onn J'onzz.

* TheSouthpaw.

-->''"If you're going to take me on, son, you're going to have to bring your game up to a whole different level."''

--> ''"Trust never was the golden rule for the kids in this clubhouse."''

--->''"I'm the last Lex Luthor. After I die, there is no coming back."''

-->''"There can only be one ComicBook/LexLuthor!"''

-->''"I am the villain of the story."''

--->''"I am the villain of the story."''

--> ''"If you're going to take me on, son, you're going to have to bring your game up to a whole different level."''

* MonsterSobStory: Though it becomes less and less powerful as the show goes along. This is the point.

--->'''Lex''': What I want more than anything is to live {{happily ever after}}. And do you know what the secret to living happily ever after is? ([[{{Beat}} pause]]) ''Power''. [[FamilyUnfriendlyAesop Money and power]]. See, once you have those two things, you can secure everything else. And ''keep'' it that way. I want to be Senator. ''I want it all.''

* {{Adorkable}}:
** [[TheBaroness Shockingly]], when she actually relaxes and turns off the [[BrokenBird trauma]] and the [[ManipulativeBastard jackass behavior]], she's actually fairly well-suited to this trope. Of course, the only time the audience really sees evidence of this is "Fortune." (Note that it's not just the alcohol talking; she's actually most adorkable at the end of the episode ''after'' the drunken shenanigans.)
** There is another instance of this trait when she nervously tells Clark about Connor in "Scion". That said, trying to explain to him that the Lex clone that previously tried to kill you, has not only lost his memories but is also partial clone of himself would be a pretty awkward situation.

!!Lutessa Lena Luthor
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tess_mercer.jpg https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/flash_bart_allen_sv_s11_smallville_season_11_40_1364566178666.jpg]]

!!! '''Species''': Techno-Organic Human[[note]]Previously human.[[/note]]

In the GrandFinale, Tess is murdered by Lex in an attempt to "make sure she doesn't become him". She in turn introduces a neural gel that wipes his memories, allowing Clark's secrets to remain safe and in the process allow her redemption for her crimes. However, the DNA contact allowed Tess's consciousness to enter Lex's brain, allowing her to appear to him as a hallucination. Eventually, the Justice League managed to extract her consciousness and upload it to the Watchtower computers, allowing her to appear as a VirtualGhost. At the end of Season 11, she was grafted a synthetic skin, allowing her to regain her original appearance.

In the GrandFinale, Lex's memories are wiped thanks to a neural gel given to him via ArmorPiercingSlap at the hands of his half-sister Tess, whom he was in the process of murdering at the time. This led to Season 11, where he becomes the primary BigBad, hating Superman, but having no idea why. By the time of the Grand Finale's time jump in 2018, he has become President of the United States.

[[quoteright:180:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Alexander_Luthor_178.jpg]]

[[quoteright:251:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/LexClone_6771.jpg]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tess_mercer.jpg]]
!!! '''Species''': Human

One of Lionel Luthor's illegitimate children, Lex's half-sister, protégé and his successor as CEO of [=LuthorCorp=], Tess has a complicated history with Oliver Queen and a difficult relationship with Clark Kent, whom she alternately idolizes and fears. [[TheBaroness Domineering]], [[ManipulativeBitch calculating]] and extremely [[BrokenBird broken]], Tess is a force to be reckoned with, though whether it's for good or evil is often up in the air.