Lex Luthor facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lex Luthor |
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| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Action Comics #23 (April 1940) |
| Created by | |
| In-story information | |
| Full name | Alexander Joseph "Lex" Luthor |
| Species | Human |
| Place of origin | Metropolis |
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Lex Luthor (full name: Alexander Joseph Luthor) is a fictional supervillain from the comic books published by DC Comics. He is the biggest enemy of Superman. He is also an enemy of Batman and other superheroes in the DC Comics.
The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster. He first appeared in Action Comics #23 (April 1940). He has been adapted into movies, tv shows and video games as well. Several actors have played Lex Luthor in motion pictures as well as in TV shows such as Lyle Talbot, Gene Hackman, Clancy Brown, Michael Rosenbaum, Kevin Spacey, Jesse Eisenberg and Jon Cryer.
Lex Luthor wishes to rid the world of Superman, ostensibly because he views Superman as a threat to humanity, but in reality envies Superman's popularity and influence. Given his high profile as a supervillain, however, he has often come into conflict with Batman and other superheroes in the DC Universe. Lex Luthor is physically an ordinary human and has no natural superpowers, but has genius-level intelligence with a high aptitude for business and politics and a deep command of science and technology. He occasionally wears his Warsuit, a suit of mechanized armor that gives him enhanced strength, flight, advanced weaponry, and other capabilities. While Lex is primarily depicted as a supervillain allied with other villains in the likes of Metallo, Parasite and Bizarro, and frequently leading DC supervillain teams such as the Legion of Doom, he has also been portrayed as an antihero who will ally himself with Superman and other heroes when the situation calls for it.
The character was ranked 4th on IGN's list of the Top 100 Comic Book Villains of All Time and as the 8th Greatest Villain by Wizard on its 100 Greatest Villains of All Time list.
Fictional character biography
Whether he is a mad scientist, corrupt businessman, or both, Luthor's ego is a defining trait in all his incarnations; he believes he is entitled to both popularity and power. While each incarnation initially wants the adoration of others and control over either Smallville or Metropolis, the goal eventually rises to control over Earth and possibly universal domination. Luthor's other defining trait is his obsession to destroy Superman and humiliate the alien hero. Many times, Luthor has claimed he could create a better way of life for the entire human race if not for Superman's interference with his work.
Powers and abilities
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Lex Luthor has the physical capabilities of a normal adult human with no metahuman abilities. However, for virtually his entire publication history, he has been depicted as one of the most intelligent humans in the DC Universe, and one of the most intelligent beings of any planet. He possesses an eidetic memory and has mastered seemingly every known form of science, including space travel, extra-dimensional travel, biochemistry, robotics, computers, synthetic polymers, communications, mutations, transportation, holography, energy generation, spectral analysis, and time travel. With the exception of the extraterrestrial entity known as Brainiac (and occasionally Batman), Luthor does not view any other being as an intellectual peer. His exceptional intellectual gifts act as his "superpowers", allowing him to craft advanced weapons and equipment, outthink opponents much stronger and more powerful than himself, and manipulate others into doing his bidding.
His genius also extends to business (he is one of the world's wealthiest people) and politics (he was elected U.S. president, and he is often the leader of super-villain groups he has belonged to). Luthor has been trained in hand-to-hand combat, specifically Karate. He has also been occasionally trained by the Amazons of Themyscira.
Weaponry
Over the years, Luthor has created (either on his own, using alien technology he acquires, or with the resources of LexCorp and the military) many highly advanced weapons, machines, and robots to carry out his plans or destroy his enemies. He has made liberal use of kryptonite weapons capable of injuring Superman and other Kryptonians, and he has often created synthetic kryptonite (not as lethal as real green kryptonite but still capable of weakening a Kryptonian). Since the Bronze Age, he has also utilized various high-tech "war-suits" in many stories.
Luthor often wore a kryptonite ring on his right hand in Post-Crisis stories, but abandoned this tactic after prolonged exposure to its radiation resulted in cancer, requiring him to transplant his brain into a cloned body to survive. While masquerading as his own son Lex Luthor II, Lex occasionally wore high-tech "LX-20 body armor." During the Blackest Night crossover, he wore an orange power ring of avarice created by Ganthet, a former member of the Guardians of the Universe.
Images for kids
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Luthor, during his debut in Action Comics #26 (April 1940). Art by Joe Shuster.
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Luthor as he appears in Superman #4 (1940)
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Cover of The Man of Steel #4 (1986), art by John Byrne
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Lex Luthor in his Lexorian warsuit from Action Comics #544 (June 1983), art by George Perez
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Cover of Supergirl and Team Luthor #1 (April 1993), art by Kerry Gammill
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Lex 2000 #1, featuring Lex Luthor as President of the United States, cover art by Glen Orbik
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52 Week 39, cover art by J.G. Jones
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The New 52 Lex Luthor on the cover of Superman Unchained #4 (Dec. 2013), art by Jim Lee, Scott Williams and Alex Sinclair
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Lex Luthor in his warsuit as a member of the Justice League, art by Ivan Reis, Joe Prado and Rod Reis (2014)
See also
In Spanish: Lex Luthor para niños
