Lex Luthor: character description, characteristics, photos and films

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

In our next article dedicated to popular comic book and superhero movie characters, we will talk about Lex Luthor - a fictional supervillain and ardent opponent of Superman from the DC Universe. The creators of the hero were Jerome Siegel and Joe Shuster in 1940. Luthor first appeared before readers in the 23rd issue of the Action Comics series as a banjo player.

Despite the fact that the character is the main enemy of the Man of Steel, he also manages to appear in the story arcs of other famous heroes, such as Batman.

General description of the character

Lex Luthor is the image of an obsessed billionaire, tycoon, humanist, gifted scientist and inventor. The character lives in a fictional American city called Metropolis, where he is actively involved in social activities. Luthor sees Superman as a threat to the population of the Earth, and also considers him an obstacle in achieving personal plans and goals.

The main distinguishing features of the external image: a bald head and a business suit, which the hero often changes to a more high-tech version. Technology endowsLexa with superhuman strength, help him fly and provide him with the best advanced weaponry. In addition, the hero owns the influential corporation "LexCorp" (English name - LEXCORP). Thanks to the unlimited resources received from the corporation, Luthor is able to support and implement his own projects.

Pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths look

At the beginning of his arc, the character only had a last name and was referred to simply as Luthor. His first appearance took place in 1940, outwardly the artist depicted him with thick red hair. A little later, in 1941, there was a small mistake, and Lex Luthor appeared before comic book readers in a new look for himself - completely bald. After the new look was approved by Siegel, Schuster continued to portray Luthor without hair, turning this feature into a true trademark of the character.

There is no information about the origin and nationality of the villain, it is known that his surname has German roots. Using his scientific genius, Luthor tried to stop the European Peace Conference, but was confronted by Superman. Even then, Lex knew about kryptonite and what effect this substance can have on a superhero.

In the 1960s, during the formation of the DC multiverse, it was stated that the bald Luthor had a copy of himself (the same character with red hair) that existed in the Earth-two dimension under the name Alexei. The twins meet each other after a few years, with eachof them trying to deal with their version of Superman. These events are followed by the Villain War, during which Lex and Brainiac form a partnership. Alexei questions this alliance and dies at the hands of Brainiac.

The image after the events of "Crisis"

In 1986, a limited series of comics called Man of Steel was released - a kind of "reboot" of the Superman story from John Byrne. The changes also affected the character of Luthor, who turned into a villain who personified the era of the 80s - a corporate white-collar criminal. A little later, several other authors had a hand in the image. As a result, Lex Luthor began to play the role of a real think tank of the criminal world, ubiquitous and almost invincible. He is very cunning and prefers to play his game "on the other side of the stage." Being comfortable within the law allows him to take on Superman without getting his hands dirty (although there are exceptions).

Besides this, the authors managed to add some details from the "pre-crisis" era to the new look. Among them is a combat suit that readers may have seen in several issues of ActionComics.

Character Story

If you believe the backstory from the Man of Steel comic book, then Luthor's birthplace can be considered the Suicide Slums - one of the districts of the city of Metropilis. Throughout his childhood, the hero grew up under the control of his cruel and quick-tempered father, who neglected his mother and ruined any hopes for a better life. The only friendshipthe boy struck up a classmate Perry White, thanks to whom he never stopped striving for a successful future.

Unfavorable surroundings have raised Lex to be a ruthless genius and an excellent manipulator. Secretly, he insured the lives of his parents for a large amount of money, after which he provoked a car accident by cutting the brakes. The orphaned boy was adopted by a foster family who, as it turned out later, planned to take the insurance payment into their own hands. Then Luthor prepared bank documents that were supposed to ensure the safety of his savings. When the adoptive parents found out about this, the head of the family ordered his daughter Lena to seduce Lex. However, the heroes had feelings for each other, so the girl refused to participate in her father's machinations, for which she immediately paid with her life.

The murder of his beloved not only inflicted serious mental trauma on Luthor, but also finally convinced him of his intention to become a person with unlimited power and absolute control over other people. Lex was at the football game that day, where Perry talked him into going. Ten years later, the hero managed to establish contact with his former stepfather, hiring him as a hitman for the local mayor. At the time of the transfer of money for the work performed, Luthor shot Lena's father, thereby avenging her death.

About ability

In the comics, Lex Luthor is an ordinary human without any superhuman powers. The intellect of a genius puts him on the same level as the smartest people on the planet.planet. It is believed that Luthor alone could plunge the whole world into a state of Utopia, but his main goal has always been and still is Superman.

Lex is well versed in all known sciences, besides, he is an excellent businessman and strategist. The only one who can compare with him in intelligence, according to the hero himself, is an extraterrestrial being called Brainiac.

In his research and development, Luthor actively used kryptonite, eventually creating a unique weapon against Superman and other Kryptonians. During the Silver Age story arc, he continually resorted to the help of various inventions and weapons of his own production. He also used makeshift battle suits designed specifically to fight back against the Man of Steel and other superhumans. Thanks to such suits, the hero can not only fly, but also protect himself with an invisible energy shield. Lex also uses kryptonite to create equipment and additional weapons.

Modern Luthor

Today, the image of the main antagonist Superman continues to be actively used in the works of various authors of comics, films and other multimedia. He is always warmly received by fans of the DC multiverse, whether it's Man of Steel or story arcs of other characters, and even parsed for quotes. Lex Luthor can be called the Joker from the world of Batman - without them, the stories of world-famous and popular superheroes would simply be incomplete. Dedicated and passionate fanswork on their creativity, creating unique art or describing the confrontation between Superman and Lex Luthor in fan fiction (note - literary fan fiction).

In 2009, the character received an honorable fourth place in the list of 100 cult villains from the world of comics, compiled by the portal IGN.

Cartoons

Luthor first appeared on TV in The New Adventures of Superman, where he was voiced by Jackson Beck. This was followed by cameos in "Super Friends" and several episodes of "Adventure Hour" with other famous superheroes.

Lex began appearing as a regular character in Superman (on air since 1996), Justice League (2001), Batman, Batman: The Brave and the Bold (2008) as well as "Young Justice" (2010).

Full-length animated films

In "Doomsday" (2007), Lex Luthor (voice actor - James Marsters) appeared as one of the main antagonists of Superman, who also worked on creating several clones of the Man of Steel.

After that, the audience was able to see the character in the cartoon "Public Enemies" (2009), where this time Luthor challenged two superheroes at once - Superman and Batman.

Other memorable appearances of the genius villain have been in the following animated films:

• "Supernew Superman" (2011).
• Justice League: The Cause of Conflict Paradox (2013).
• Justice League: Time Trapped (2014).
• Justice League: Throne of Atlantis (2015).

In "Gods and Monsters" (2016), another animated feature in the Justice League series, Lex Luthor steps away from his usual role as a villain and plays a key role in the superheroes' victory over William Magnus.

Appearance in TV shows

Perhaps the most famous Superman series featuring Lex Luthor's character is Smallville (2001). The role on the screens was embodied by American actor Michael Rosenbaum. The events of the series show the early, teenage years of the characters. Lex Luthor and Clark Kent (the earthly alter ego of the Man of Steel) are on friendly terms with each other. And they arose after one saved the other from death.

Lex Luthor in the movies

This character has appeared in feature films since 1950. The first picture was the black-and-white film "Atom Man vs. Superman", where the role of Luthor was performed by actor Lyle Talbot. After that, Gene Hackman took over the baton - he managed to play Lex in three films about the Man of Steel from 1978 to 1987.

In 2006, Bryan Singer's "Superman Returns" was released, where the role of the brilliant villain was played by popular actor Kevin Spacey. The release of the latest film to date, which depicted the confrontation between two iconic characters of the DC Universe,came in 2016. The picture was called "Batman v Superman", in the director's chair was the Sign Snyder, and the role of Lex Luthor went to Jesse Eisenberg.