Lex Luthor
Description
Lex Luthor is a DC Comics supervillain created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. He first appeared in Action Comics #23 (1940) and is Superman's most enduring adversary.
Originally depicted as a red-haired mad scientist, Luthor was redrawn as bald in 1941 due to an artist's error, and the look stuck. In his earliest decades he relied on inventions and criminal schemes. A 1960s origin tied his hatred of Superman to a childhood accident in Smallville where the young Superboy inadvertently destroyed Luthor's experiment and caused his hair loss.
John Byrne's 1986 reboot reimagined Luthor as a ruthless corporate tycoon running LexCorp, shifting the character from mad scientist to corrupt billionaire. This version has dominated most portrayals since. Luthor views Superman as an alien threat to human self-determination and believes humanity should not depend on an extraterrestrial savior.
He has served as both a criminal mastermind and, at times, President of the United States. Luthor's intelligence is his primary weapon, making him one of the few non-powered characters capable of consistently challenging the most powerful hero in the DC Universe.
Character Details
Latest Series Appearances
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View all 4,732Teams
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Batman
Bruce Wayne
Superman
Kal-El
Dick Grayson
Richard John Grayson-Wayne
Wonder Woman
Diana of Themyscira
Lois Lane
Lois Joanne Lane
Alfred Pennyworth
Alfred Thaddeus Crane Pennyworth
Hal Jordan
Hal Jordan
James Gordon
James Worthington Gordon
Barry Allen
Bartholomew Henry Allen
Captain Nazi
Albrecht Krieger
Evil Star
Xavi
Appears alongside
Superman
Kal-El
Lois Lane
Lois Joanne Lane
Batman
Bruce Wayne
Wonder Woman
Diana of Themyscira
Jimmy Olsen
James Bartholomew Olsen
Supergirl
Kara Zor-El
Perry White
Perry Jerome White
Barry Allen
Bartholomew Henry Allen
Hal Jordan
Hal Jordan
Martian Manhunter
J'onn J'onzz
Aquaman
Arthur Curry
Dick Grayson
Richard John Grayson-Wayne
Story Arcs
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"Action Comics" Lois & Clark 2
"Action Comics" Lois Lane, Back at the Planet
"Action Comics" Men of Steel
"Action Comics" Mild Mannered
"Action Comics" Power Girl Returns
"Action Comics" Rise of Metallo
"Action Comics" The New World
"DC Annuals" Bloodlines
"DC Multiverse" Convergence
"Justice League" We Are Yesterday
"Superman" Doomed
"Superman" House of Brainiac
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